HPPY 102 - Turbo Happiness

Mood, engagement and meaning on the pathway to success Kim Biason Chitra

Nicole Christopoulos

Ricardo Gonzalez

Will Harper

Lexi Mele-Algus

Renee Siemak

Prof. Harry Kraemer

HPPY102:

Methodology

Five months ago, we set out to understand scientific research on happiness and its implications for business and work.

Our goal is to share our findings and actionable strategies that can increase happiness.

This presentation is a summary of our findings.

What we hope you will believe by the time

this presentation is over

•You have the power to affect your level of happiness

•Happiness is important, not just for its own sake, but for

the cascade of benefits it will have on your life and the

lives of those around you

•There are many potential strategies; this presentation will

have an impact on your life if you make happiness a

goal and pursue it like you do professional success

Agenda

• What is happiness and can I influence it?

• Why does happiness matter?

• What factors influence happiness?

-Genetics

-Mindset

-Circumstances

• Action plans for work

Happiness is the combination of mood,

engagement and meaning

Source: Seligman, “Flourish: A Visionary New Understanding of Happiness

Meaning Engagement Pleasant mood

• What we feel; mood based

- E.g., pleasure, ecstasy, warmth, comfort, etc.

• Frequent experience of focus or flow (being “in the zone”)

• Often occurs when strengths meet comparable challenges

• Belonging to and serving something that is bigger than the self

Can I control my level of happiness?

• Happiness levels are innate and cannot be changed

• Happiness depends on circumstances outside your control

• “I’m just not a very happy person.”

• “I’m focused on other things right now, I’ll be happy when…”

• “I’m already pretty happy, there’s no reason to focus on happiness.”

Common misconceptions

Just asking about happiness leads to

change

1 Happiness in the Workplace: Employees Who Focus on Maximizing Happiness Become Happier, Goldsmith et al

2 http://insight.kellogg.northwestern.edu/article/maximizing_happy/

Each emailed a question daily:

Question did not mention

happiness

How happy were you today?

Did you do your best to be

happy today?

Level of happiness monitored before and after

No change in level of

happiness

Modest gains in happiness

several weeks later

Greatest gains in happiness

several weeks later

Control Happiness monitoring

Behavior focused

1 2 3 Study participants were split into three groups

Behavior-focused questions can be used to prompt daily reflection and influence actual behaviors

Interventions focused on increasing

happiness are more powerful than drugs

1 Happiness in the Workplace: Employees Who Focus on Maximizing Happiness Become Happier, Goldsmith et al

2 Flourish: A Visionary New Understanding of Happiness and Well-Being, Seligman

Positive psychotherapy is a relatively new field focused on

increasing happiness

Severely depressed patients achieving remission from

depression2

• Traditional psychology focused on treating negative aspects of psyche

• Positive psychology is a new field focused on adding or increasing happiness

• Positive psychotherapy intervention focused on happy mindset. E.g.,:

-Gratitude

-Forgiveness

-Recognizing and using strengths

-Optimism and hope

-Savoring

40

60%

50

10

0

30

20

Postive

psychotherapy

55%

Traditional therapy

with medication

8%

7x

Agenda




-Genetics

-Mindset

-Circumstances


Why study happiness at a business

school?

Happiness is the ultimate currency

Happiness yields dramatic ancillary benefits

1

2

Happiness is the ultimate currency;

driving force behind decisions/desires

The ultimate currency 1

Source: Happier: Learn the Secrets to Daily Joy and Lasting Fulfillment, Ben-Shahar

Earn more money Find a partner Make a positive

impact

I believe it will make me happier

Buy a better house

Enjoy time with my family

Want to get married

Reduce suffering of others

Goal

Why?

Why?

I will feel good I want to have a

family

Why study happiness at a business

school?

Happiness is the ultimate currency

Happiness yields dramatic ancillary benefits

1

2

Happiness leads to personal success…

“Happiness leads to success in nearly every domain, including work,

health, friendship, sociability, creativity, and energy”

Ancillary benefits 2

Studies show that happiness clearly leads to success…

Source: Lyubomirsky et al (2005). The benefits of frequent positive affect: Does happiness lead to success? Psychological Bulletin

…while success does not lead to happiness to the

same degree as you might assume

…by giving your brain a turbo boost

1 Achor, Shawn. The Happiness Advantage: 7 Principle of Positive Psychology; page 43-44 2 Bryan et al. (1991). Positive mood and math performance, Journal of Learning Disabilities 3 Fredrickson & Branigan (2005). Positive emotions broaden the scope of attention and thought-action repertoires. 4 Masters et al. (1979). Affective states, expressive behavior, and learning in children. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 5 Kopelman et al. (2006). The three faces of Eve: Strategic displays of positive, negative, and neutral emotions in negotiations. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes.


Happiness leads to physical changes in your brain…

…with a range of benefits

• Increased levels of dopamine and serotonin1

• Make and sustain more neural connections1

• Learning: Better organize and retain new information1

• Memory: Retrieve information faster faster1

• Intellectual performance: Happy test-takers outperformed peers on standardized tests2

• Creativity: Positively-primed subjects can think of wider array of thoughts and ideas vs. negatively-primed3

• Productivity: Happy kids able to build block structures faster4

• Negotiation: Positive negotiators realize higher individual and joint gains5

Happiness also leads to organizational

success


Happy employees are more productive…

…and also less expensive

• Better diagnoses: Doctors make correct diagnoses 19% faster, and display 2.5 times less anchoring1

• Improved sales: Optimistic salespeople outsell pessimistic ones by 56%2

• Team performance: Teams with positive and encouraging managers outperformed less positive managers by 31%3

1. Positive addect facilitates integration of information and decreases anchoring in reasoning among physicians, Organizational Behavior and human Decision Processes

2. Achor, Shawn. The Happiness Advantage: 7 Principle of Positive Psychology; page 15 3. Deci, Why we do what we do (referenced in Happiness Advantage) 4. Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index 2008 “Poll: Unhappy workers take more sick days” 5. Wright et al. (2007). Job Satisfaction and Psychological Well-Being as Nonadditive Predictors of Workplace Turnover. Journal of Management.

• Improved attendance: Unhappy workers take 15 more sick days per year vs. happy workers4

• Decreased turnover: 90% of turnover and 50% of absenteeism attributed to employee well-being5

…and better health


Stronger immune system: Fight off the flu more quickly2; survive breast cancer, renal-

disease, spinal chord injuries at higher rates1

Less pain: Decreased musculoskeletal pain4,

and higher pain threshold1

Longevity: Longer life span3; happiness a

better predictor of longevity than tobacco use1

1. Lyubomirsky et al. (2005). The Benefits of Frequent Positive Affect. Does Happiness Lead to Success? Psychological Bulletin 2. Cohen et al. (2003). Emotional style and susceptibility to the common cold. Psychosomatic Medicine 3. Snowdon et al. (2001). Positive emotions in early life and longevity: Findings from the nun study. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 4. Røysamb et al. (2003). Happiness and Health: Environmental and Genetic contributions to the relationship between subjective well-being, perceived health, and

somatic illness. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology

Better sleep: High sleep quality and quantity1

Lower risk of stroke: Lower incidence of stroke1

Healthy mind: Lower reports of schizophrenia, hypochondriasis, or depression1,

and less likely to suffer from anxiety or social phobia1

Happiness or positive mood causes or is correlated with:

Healthy heart: Lowered incidence of

cardiovascular disease1, less likelihood of dying from coronary heart disease1, quicker recovery from cardiac surgery1, and fewer

complications

Reduced allergies: Decreased allergic symptoms4

Agenda




-Genetics

-Mindset

-Circumstances


What factors influence happiness?

Genetics

Mindset

Circumstances

+

+

= Happiness

Mood

Engagem

ent

Meanin

g

KBC

What balance of present vs. future

benefit?

The rat race Ideal

Nihilism Hedonism

Fu

ture b

en

efi

t

Low

H

igh

Present benefit

Low High

Source: Happier: Learn the Secrets to Daily Joy and Lasting Fulfillment, Ben-Shahar

KBC


Genetics

Mindset

Circumstances

+

+

= Happiness

Mood

Engagem

ent

Meanin

g

KBC

Can’t pick your genes, but you still can

control a large portion of your happiness

Source: The How of Happiness, S. Lyubomirsky

• Methodology: Compare happiness levels of identical vs. fraternal twins as well as twins who were raised together and twins who were separated at birth (same genes, different circumstances)

• Happiness of one fraternal twin is not predictive of other’s happiness

• Happiness of one identical twin is highly predictive of other’s happiness, even when raised separately

Genes may account for as much as 50% of happiness level; you can affect the other 50%

KBC


Genetics

Mindset

Circumstances

+

+

= Happiness

Mood

Engagem

ent

Meanin

g

KBC

How you invest very limited conscious

attention determines quality of experience

126 bits/sec

The human brain can only process ~126 bits of information per second

Source: Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience, M. Csikszentmihalyi

Reality Your experience

Just listening to this presentation uses up 40 bits/sec

Paying attention to the slides is a further drain

KBC

Investing attention in the present will

make you happiest

Source: Killingsworth, M. A. & Gilbert, D. T. (In press). A wandering mind is an unhappy mind. Science.

Our minds wander about half the time…

Focused Pleasant

Ha

pp

ine

ss le

ve

l

Neutral Negative

…making us less happy, even when we’re thinking about

something positive

Mind wandering

Neutr

al

Wo

rkin

g

11%

65%

33%

Re

ad

ing

Com

muting

Negative

50%

Ple

asant

Sex

Ta

lkin

g

45% Average

Relationship holds across all activities

KBC

Focus also crowds out worrying

100% of

attention

Worry

Fully focused Normal state

of mind

Present

activity

100% of

attention

Mind

wandering

• Present focus does not mean never thinking about the past or future

• Instead, think of learning from the past or planning for the future as discrete activities in which you should invest full attention

• Want to avoid “spinning” on worries or ideas at expense of what you are doing

Source: Killingsworth, M. A. & Gilbert, D. T. (In press). A wandering mind is an unhappy mind. Science.

KBC

Three strategies to better invest your

attention

Engage in more flow activities

Make non-flow activities more flow-like

Mindfulness

1

2

3

You’ve felt intense presence of mind

before; it’s called flow


• Often referred to as being “in the zone”

• When information coming into consciousness is congruent with goals, psychic energy flows effortlessly

• No need to worry or question one’s adequacy

• Abstraction of time

• “Automatic” actions that require no thought

• Flow experience leads to life satisfaction and high performance

How to find more flow activities

Engage in more flow activities 1

Flow activities are where your skills meet a comparable

challenge

Some activities are designed to produce flow

• Rules that require learning of skills

• Clear goals

• Immediate feedback

• Make control possible

• Facilitate concentration

Examples: playing music, rock climbing, dancing, chess, sports, discussion with friends, computer programming


Shift anxiety or boredom inducing

activities toward flow zone

Make non-flow activities more flow-like

2

Increase skills

Decre

ase c

halle

nge

Incre

ase c

hallenge

• Increase your skills: making an investment in improving your skills in an anxiety inducing activity, e.g.,:

-Improve chipping game in golf

-Spend a weekend at Training the Street to improve modeling abilities

-Take salsa classes

• Decrease the challenge: search for a way to reduce the challenge of the activity

-Use a template for financial modeling

-Use bumpers when bowling

• Increase the challenge: seek a way to more boring activities more challenging

-Give yourself a strict deadline

-Try to beat your best time/quality

-Compete against a friend/coworker


Take deliberate control of your attention

and mindset

Source: Greater Good Institute; Search Inside Yourself, C. Tan

Mindfulness 3

• “I am angry” becomes “I feel angry”

• “This is a tragedy” becomes “this is a challenge/opportunity”

• Worries become concerns that can be dealt with in the moment, planned for later or simply disregarded

Mindfulness is “maintaining a moment-by-moment

awareness of our thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations, and

surrounding environment”

Mindfulness gives the practitioner the ability to shift from compulsion to choice

Meditation is a way to practice training

your attention

Source: Search Inside Yourself, C. Tan

Mindfulness 3

How to practice sitting mindfulness meditation*

Meditation is a way to practice in order to become better at mindfulness just like jogging is a way to get in better shape.

*There are many ways to meditate. While there may be spiritual implications for different styles or details like how you sit or what you focus on, the effect of better training your attention is shared by many styles

Sit in a comfortable position (does not have to be on the floor) with your spine straight (for comfort)

Focus your attention on your breathing

When your mind wanders, return your attention to your breathing

without self-judging

And it has a powerful impact on your

health, emotions and relationships

Mindfulness 3

• It physically increases the size of our brains in regions that deal with learning, memory, emotion regulation, and empathy in a matter of weeks3

• It improves memory1 and attention skills2

• It reduces stress and increases positive emotion4

• It enables you to heal faster5

• It improves romantic relationships6

• May be as effective as anti-depressants in fighting depression7

1 “Mindfulness meditation improves cognition: evidence of brief mental training.” Zeidan et al

2 “Regular, brief mindfulness meditation practice improves electrophysiological markers of attentional control.” Moore et al

3 “Mindfulness practice leads to increases in regional brain gray matter density.” , Holzel et al

4 A multi-method examination of the effects of mindfulness on stress attribution, coping, and emotional well-being” , Weinstein et al

5 “Alterations in brain and immune function produced by mindfulness meditation.”, Davidson et al

6 “Mindfulness-based relationship enhancement” Carson, et al

7” "Antidepressant Monotherapy vs Sequential Pharmacotherapy and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy, or Placebo, for relapse Prophylaxis in Recurrent Depression.“ Segal et al

Despite sound mindset, we cannot

escape real tragedy

Causes of suffering

Indifference of universe to our needs

Paradox of rising expectations

• Extreme suffering: “Close to half of U.S. adults will experience one severe traumatic event during their lifetimes”

-Examples: loss of loved one, disease, domestic violence, war, etc

• Daily stresses: insults, lines, commute, weather

• Hedonic adaptation: when we achieve something, we quickly revert to previous level of (un)happiness and desire more

Response • Positive mental model of the world

• Coping and forgiveness

• Awareness and savoring

• Gratitude


People that express gratitude are likely to

be happier, healthier, and more

• Count your blessings: those that had the chance to write down five things they were thankful for regularly were more satisfied with their lives1

• Thank others: Write thank you notes or mental make note of others kindness2

• Being grateful provides many benefits, some of which are:

- Allows you live in the now and truly enjoy positive life experiences

- Helps people cope with stresses and traumas more effectively

- Gratitude can help build stronger, higher-quality relationships

- Helps reduce hedonic adaptation and stop taking things for granted

1 The How of Happiness

2 http://www.health.harvard.edu/healthbeat/giving-thanks-can-make-you-happier

Tragedy can be debilitating

Source: The How of Happiness; Discussion with H. Kraemer

Level of

functionin

g

Survival

Sometimes people can never recover from the event. Plagued by guilt,

anger, feelings of “why did this happen to me?”

Extreme shock such as the loss of a job, the death of a

loved one, a debilitating illness or

injury

Time

Though usually people can recover and

maintain their prior level of functioning Level of

functionin

g

Survival

Extreme shock such as the loss of a job, the death of a

loved one, a debilitating illness or

injury

Time

Recovery

This type of recovery fueled by hedonic

adaptation


Best outcome is to thrive in the wake of

tragedy Level of

functionin

g

Survival

Time

Recovery

Thriving

Realistic about the possibility

of experiencing real tragedy before it

happens; act accordingly

Happy people feel loss as

deeply as the unhappy,

though possible to reduce surprise

Although happy people feel

same loss, they recover more

quickly

By acknowledging possibility of

thriving in the wake of tragedy,

one can seek out best path and be

better off



Genetics

Mindset

Circumstances

+

+

= Happiness

Mood

Engagem

ent

Meanin

g

If you only do one thing, focus on

relationships

Happiest 10% of people:

• Differentiated from least happy only by quality of social life1

• Spent the least time alone2 • Have twice as many of friends

as those that are “extremely dissatisfied”2

Balance the quality and quantity of friendships3

1 “Very Happy People,” Diener and Seligman. Psychological Happiness 2 The New Science of Happiness,” Claudia Wallis, Time Magazine, Jan. 09, 2005 3 How Many Friends Does One Person Need, Robin Dubar, May 1, 2010 3 http://www.gallup.com/poll/107692/social-time-crucial-daily-emotional-wellbeing.aspx

Relationships

10% 150

15

5

¼ of your time = 12x more

likely to feel happy than stressed or anxious! 4

Don’t seek out a relationship to make you happy; instead seek happiness for success in relationships

Successful relationship likely adds to happiness; unsuccessful relationship drain on happiness

Seek happiness for a successful

romance, not the other way around

1. Marks and Fleming (1999). Influences and consequences of well-being among Australian young people. Social Indicators Research 2. Headey (1989). Does happiness induce a rosy outlook? In R. Veenhoven (Ed.), How harmful is happiness? Consequences of enjoying life or not 3. All found here: Lyubomirsky (2005). The Benefits of Frequent Positive Affect: Does Happiness Lead to Success? Psychological Bulletin. 4. Zimmerman, A., and R. Easterlin. (2006). Happily Ever After? Cohabitation, Marriage, Divorces, and Happiness in Germany. Population and Development Review 32(3): 511-528. 5. British Medical Journal, Wide circle of friends key to mid-life wellbeing for both sexes, August 22, 2012

Relationships

•On average, people in committed relationships are happier than those who are not

•Happy people more likely to start a relationship + get married1

•Marriage seems to boost happiness in short term (1st–2nd year)2

•Being happy leads to success in relationships beyond the initial honeymoon period2,3,4

Taking care of your body pays

happiness dividends

1 The How of Happiness 2 http://www.uwhealth.org/news/simple-strategies-to-improve-your-sleep/40770 3 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/drew-ramsey-md/food-mental-health_b_1703007.html

Exercise

Happiness fueled by three key health-related decisions:

Sleep Diet

• Proven to improve depression as effectively as Zoloft1

• Those that exercise are less likely to relapse than those in the medication group1

• A University of Michigan study found that one extra hour of sleep a night had a greater effect on happiness than an additional $60K in annual income2

• Adolescents that consistently eat junk food are 79% more likely to suffer from depression3

• Women with diets high in omega-3 fats less likely to suffer from depression3

Health

Focus on commute and noise, not

home size

1 Koslowsky and Kluger, 1995

2 Glass and Singer, 1972, and others reviewed in Frederick and Loewenstein, 1999

• Never adjust to the commute: we never fully adapt to a longer commute, particularly if it involves driving in heavy traffic. Even after years of commuting, those whose commutes are traffic-filled still arrive at work with higher levels of stress hormones1

• Adjust quickly to new home: although a new home might make us happier in the short run, we quickly adapt to it and our happiness levels return to baseline1

• Noise reduces happiness: especially noise that is variable or intermittent, interferes with concentration and increases stress2

Environment

Money can make you happier if you

spend it right

Diminishing marginal returns on happiness to

earning more1

How you spend your money is key to unlocking happiness

value2

• Buy experiences, not goods: as goods have minimal to no incremental effect on your happiness2

• Buy time by outsourcing time consuming tasks you do not enjoy, arranging for more vacation or a shorter commute 2

• Spend money on others in a way that brings you into a relationship with them and has an impact

High initial gains enabled by ability to reduce worries and

increase opportunity

1 “What are the Economics of Happiness?”, Yale Insights

2 Dunn, E., Norton, M., “Happy Money: The Science of Smarter Spending.” (2013);

Money

Let your work be a source of

happiness

Work


Survey with 4,800 responses. Respondents polled throughout their day. Asked what they were doing, questions about engagement and mood and if they wished they were doing something else.

18%

Leisure

54%

Work

How often people report feeling engaged

How often people report feeling apathetic

52%

16%

Leisure Work

“We have the paradoxical situation: On the job people feel skillful and challenged, and therefore feel more happy, strong, creative and satisfied. In their free time people feel there is generally not much to do and their skills are not being used, and

therefore they tend to feel more sad, week, dull, and dissatisfied. Yet they would like to work less and spend more time in leisure”

Seek out and focus on the right elements

to love your job

…But these are the factors that lead people to love their jobs

- Challenging work - Recognition - Responsibility - Advancement - Growth - Work itself

The Motivators

If these factors aren’t at least acceptable, hard to be satisfied

with your job…

- Salary - Relationship with boss - Work conditions - Company policy - Supervision - Relationship with peers

The Basics

Source: Hertzberg Two Factor Theory

Will you be:

• Unsatisfied with your job?

• Satisfied but unmotivated?

• Satisfied and motivated?

Work

Leisure time is wasted on passive

hobbies

1 Achor, S. Happiness Advantage: The Seven Principles of Positive Psychology that Fuel Success and Performance at Work

2 Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience, M. Csikszentmihalyi

3 Keller et al (2005). A warm heart and a clear head: The contingent effect of mood and weather on cognition. Psychological Science

Passive hobbies do not enable sustained happiness…

• Passive hobbies performed 4x more often than active hobbies1

• Studies show people report lower levels of engagement (and thus happiness) during leisure time than while at work2

…whereas active hobbies foster engagement and

happiness

• Active leisure activities (playing sports, a musical instrument, or other hobbies) enhance concentration, engagement, and motivation1

• Spending 20 minutes outside on a nice day boosts happiness, broadened thinking and improved working memory3

Hobbies

Agenda




-Genetics

-Mindset

-Circumstances


Employee Actions Plan: Seek happiness;

achieve success

1 http://positiveorgs.bus.umich.edu/cpo-tools/job-crafting-exercise/ 2 Barker, Eric. http://theweek.com/article/index/259258/4-insights-that-will-make-you-happier-at-work

1. Make it meaningful: Understand and define the greater meaning and purpose of your responsibilities

- Complete a job crafting exercise1

- Personally invest yourself in the outcomes of your work to build commitment2

2. Play to your strengths: Discover your strengths and shape your tasks around those strengths. Independent of content, using your strengths at work can make you significantly happier.2

3. Focus on relationships: Develop relationships and maintain a social support system

- Provide appreciation and recognition to your coworkers

- Create a support system within, and outside, of work

4. Seek engagement: Engage in ‘flow’ experiences as much as possible

- Reduce distractions

- Concentrate fully on the tasks you are working on

- Challenge yourself, while utilizing your strengths

5. Set and pursue BIG and small goals: achieving small goals is highly motivational1

http://theweek.com/article/index/259258/4-insights-that-will-make-you-happier-at-work



















Employer Action Plan: Create a happy

workplace

1. Get the Basics Right: Meet the minimum factors every employee needs to make work bearable:

- Salary

- Relationship with boss / peers

- Work conditions

- Company policy

- Supervision

2. Leverage Motivation Factors: To make employees happier and more productive, offer:

- Challenging work

- Recognition

- Responsibility

- Growth

- Work itself

3. Structure Work Right: Ensure employees can find ‘flow’ experiences as much as possible:

- Avoid multi-tasking

- Streamline work

Job Seeker Action Plan: Find a job that

fits you best

1. Search for jobs that offer “The Motivators”. Once “the Basics” (pay, etc.) are good enough, little value to increasing further.

- Challenging work

- Recognition

- Responsibility

- Growth

- Work itself

2. Leverage your strengths: To enable flow experiences, and therefore happiness, productivity and success, seek a job that plays to your strengths rather than one that will “correct” a weakness

3. Look for opportunities to build relationships: Seek a job that will allow you to form and maintain strong relationships, whether at work or outside the office.

Thanks!

Thank you

Harr

y

Kra

em

er

Cart

er

Cast

Kelly

Gold

sm

ith

MO

RS

depart

ment

Caro

l Cahill

Dean Z

Priti P

ate

l

Hanne

Wie

schhoff

Surv

ey

respondents

…and y

ou!

HPPY 102 - Turbo Happiness

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