This is the core Powerpoint for a a short course on Positive Psychology and the Psychology of Happiness

1. Happiness 101 A Short Course on Living with Joy and Lasting Fulfillment

2. What is happiness? Elusive to define—we know it when we see it, feel it Happiness exists even in the midst of pain and suffering It may becaptured by other words more precisely (life satisfaction, positive emotions, contentment) “Happiness is the meaning and the purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence” Aristotle (4th Century BC)

3. Aristotle’s thoughts… You can’t obtain happiness by seeking it… You find happiness by practicing the virtuous life—seeking balance and meaning eudaimonea-obtaining full potential Happiness is not the destination of living—but the path to living

4. Some questions researchers are asking… Do the same things make everyone happy? Do we have control over our happiness? What are the most important factors contributing to happiness? Can money buy happiness? Is it contagious? Is it overrated?

5. Happiness is… HAPPINESS SUCCESS See: Happier by Tal Ben-Shahar

6. Happiness is… HAPPINESS PLEASURE MEANING (PRESENT BENEFIT) (FUTURE BENEFIT)

7. Life Mapping

8. Wealth and happiness T or F “All rich people are happy” T or F “All poor people are unhappy” Wealth and happiness do not correlate Beyond the level of taking care of basic needs, money will not bring us happiness In US, family income of about $60,000 (2010 study) seems to be a threshold

9. Goals and intention “Happiness grows less from the passive experience of desirable circumstances than from involvement in valued activities and progress towards one’s goals” David Myers and Ed Diener

10. Self-concordant goals Goals that are pursued out of deep personal conviction and/or strong interest. Freely chosen (locus of control) Generally are intrinsic in nature (without extrinsic rewards) Come from self and not outside forces (self determination)

11. FLOW Freely chosen Intrinsically motivated Clear goals and sense of purpose Action and awareness merge Loss of time Peak performance (Csikszentmihalyi – Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience)

12. FLOW in diagram form Anxiety Difficulty FLOW Boredom Skills

13. What we have learned from happy people… Recommended reading: THRIVE by Dan Buettner Denmark Singapore Mexico San Luis Obispo

14. Shaping our happiness in 6 areas: Community Workplace Social Life Financial life Home Self

15. SUMMARY There are things we can do to improve our happiness Making changes and doing something significant does not come without difficulty Make the most of what is before us Realize that life is made up of daily, ordinary and mundane things—what makes the difference is what we do with them

16. Michael Rich(828) 339-4497 m_rich@southwesterncc.edu