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Bjørn Grinde, Ph.DChief Scientist at Division of Mental and Physical Health, Norwegian Institute of Public
HealthResearcher and
Author
Laura Musikanski, Executive Director of Happiness Alliance at
happycounts.org
Jill Johnson, Executive Director of
ISQOLSisqols.org
What do Intentional Communities have to do with
Quality-of-Life? A talk connecting the dots between
the human brain, happiness, and how we choose to live together.
Bjørn Grinde
Human behavioral biologyHuman behavioral biology
What is happiness?How do we find it?
More:grinde.wikispaces.com
Nothing makes sense exept in the Nothing makes sense exept in the light of evolutionlight of evolution
Who can be happy?Who can be happy?
Why nervous systems?Why nervous systems?Direct behaviourBehaviour means movement
Why move?Why move?
Away from what is bad – toward what is good for genes
Feelings – a strategy for making Feelings – a strategy for making behavioral decissionsbehavioral decissions
• Punishment and reward – away from or toward• Our prospect for happiness an accidental by-product
BadBad
When did feelings evolve?When did feelings evolve?
The brain consists of functions formed by The brain consists of functions formed by evolution – like apps on a smartphoneevolution – like apps on a smartphone
The «main switches» for good and bad feelings are controlled unconsciously
Mood ~ well-being ~ Mood ~ well-being ~ happinesshappiness
A question of net activity in mood apps:Rewards minus punishments
Default state of contentmentDefault state of contentment• If …
o primary needs are covered, no physical pain
• Then …o the brain is designed to be in a good
mood
That is, reward apps normally dominate
The problem is hyperactive The problem is hyperactive punishment appspunishment apps
Normal function: Hyperactivity:oPain chronic painoFear anxietyoLow mood depression
Evolution Evolution Cultural adaptation Cultural adaptation
Version: 1.0 2.0 3.0
The age of the human zoo
Experimenting on humans?Experimenting on humans?Project:Project:
Intentional Communities as a natural experimentIntentional Communities as a natural experiment
Muscles and brain modules expand Muscles and brain modules expand upon useupon use
• How to excercise good mood apps
• How to avoid excercising bad mood apps
Does life in intentional communities help?
⇒
When we depart from a natural way of life: When we depart from a natural way of life:
Unfortunate mismatches are referred to as discords
NearsightednessNearsightedness(80 % in Singapore, 1 % farmers in Nepal)
Possible discords:
Too much focus on close range?Light on at night?Not spending time outside?
What are the discords What are the discords causing mental problems?causing mental problems?
Social structure?Social structure?The achilles heel of The achilles heel of
society?society?
Intentional CommunitiesIntentional Communities
• More like how humans are designed to liveo Small scaleoClose knito Sharing oA purposeoNon-hierarchical
Web-based questionnaire Web-based questionnaire • ~1000 responders• ~170 intentional communities• Probing social relations, happiness,
meaning of life and much more• Compare results to othe populations
They are doing fine!They are doing fine! Total Sample (n=849)
Mean SDLife satisfaction 5.41 1.12Personality Emotional stability 5.51 1.20
Extraversion 4.26 1.68Openness 5.87 0.98Agreeableness 5.52 1.08Conscientiousness 5.82 1.15
Social support 27.8 4.2Identity fusion 3.93 0.96Meaning Presence 27.5 6.1
Searching 18.9 8.0Community Tenure (months) 122 116
Community satisfaction
5.90 1.24
Positive change 6.13 1.04Grinde B, Nes RB, MacDonald I, Wilson DS. Quality of life in intentional communities. Social Indicators Research, (2017) DOI 10.1007/s11205-017-1615-3.
Books and articlesBooks and articles
(see: grinde.wikispaces.com)(see: grinde.wikispaces.com)
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