Find Your Happy

Product Information

One study found that students who perceived they made poor progress toward their ambitious life goals tended to exhibit significant depressive symptoms two years later (Salmela-Aro & Nurmi, 1996). Moreover, the study evidenced a downward spiral of depressive symptoms; disappointed students proceeded to derive less enjoyment from their goal pursuits, thereby worsening their symptoms. How do we know what our happy place is if we keep doing the same things? It’s time to explore and indulge in curiosity. To recap, we now have three conceptualizations of happiness: hedonia, eudaimonia, and contentment rooted in mindfulness. Fronsdal, G. (2006). Mindfulness meditation as a Buddhist practice. Insight Meditation Center. Retrieved from https://www.insightmeditationcenter.org/books-articles/articles/mindfulness-meditation-as-a-buddhist-practice/. This book is a lovely adult-led addition to any EYFS and KS1 classroom, however, I was left with a slight feeling of dissatisfaction and unease when I finished reading. I took some time to reflect and further discuss this text with a friend, and experienced EYFS practitioner, to work out why I was unhappy about this being an independent read.

Breuning, L. G. (2015). Habits of a happy brain: Retrain your brain to boost your serotonin, dopamine, oxytocin, & endorphin levels. Avon, MA: Simon and Schuster. I am still buzzing from the electric energy of this gig from a week ago. If I didn't try something new, I would have never known about this happy place. 3. Revisit your youthWaterman, A. S. (1993). Two conceptions of happiness: Contrasts of personal expressiveness (eudaimonia) and hedonic enjoyment. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 64(4), 678-691. Salmela-Aro, K., & Nurmi, J. E. (1996). Depressive symptoms and personal project appraisals: A cross-lagged longitudinal study. Personality and Individual Differences, 21(3), 373-381.

Very disappointing book. I thought there would be so something new, insightful. Shannon took her insights from other books on finding one's self and rolled them up into a concise, well organized and laid-out simple tale of her journey from her career as an advertising executive into "her life's passion" as a travel writer. "So simple. Just align yourself up with what you desire. Leave behind what is making you miserable and it will manifest into your life, effortlessly." Watson, D., Clark, L. A., & Tellegen, A. (1988). Development and validation of brief measures of positive and negative affect: the PANAS scales. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 54(6), 1063-1070. For a simple assessment to determine your overall satisfaction of core needs within your life, consider completing the 21-item Basic Needs Satisfaction in General Scale (BNSG-S; Gagné, 2003).Interestingly, many traditional philosophers who championed the eudaimonic perspective denounced hedonic views of happiness, declaring them vulgar and overly self-centered. For instance, Aristotle considered hedonic happiness to make humans slavish followers of frivolous desires. Spiritual conceptualizations of happiness By eating whatever we want without guilt, we can love ourselves fully and embrace all that life has to give.”

Even a happy life cannot be without a measure of darkness, and the word happy would lose its meaning if it were not balanced by sadness. It is far better to take things as they come along with patience and equanimity.” Together, these findings highlight the danger of hanging all our hopes for being happy on the realization of future events. As with any behavior change, becoming happier requires that one form new, positive habits. For instance, if you wish to target happiness through neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin, a first step may be to develop routines and habits associated with good sleep and regular exercise. Diener, E. (2000). Subjective well-being: The science of happiness and a proposal for a national index. American Psychologist, 55(1), 34-43.

Engage with different activities and shake up your routine. For all you know, your happy place may be on stage in an amateur dramatics club. You must embrace your curiosity and join a local drama group to find this out. The creators’ development of the measure was spurred by their observation that previous studies had treated happiness as synonymous with a balance between positive and negative affect or overall satisfaction with one’s life. Today, psychologists adopting the hedonic view take an interest in both the pleasures of the body and mind in the broader study of wellbeing (Kahneman, 1999).