Woman at the Grand Canyon

A Sense of Awe May Fight Depression

The awe you feel at the sight of the Grand Canyon or sound of Schubert's "Ave Maria" can increase your sense of well-being by suppressing inflammation-inducing chemicals, and may even help ward off depression, a recently published study indicates. Awesome research "Awe is associated with curiosity and a desire to explore, suggesting antithetical behavioral responses to those found during inflammation, where individuals typically withdraw from others in their environment," Jennifer Stellar, lead study author, told the News Center at her team's research site, the University of California, Berkeley. While a healthy diet, rest and exercise are known already to bolster the body’s defenses against physical and mental illnesses, the Berkeley study, published in the journal Emotion, is among the first to examine the role of positive emotions such as awe. Researchers examined the link between positive moods and emotions and the presence of a chemical that causes inflammation, cytokine Interleukin-6. Cytokine, friend and foe Cytokines help trigger inflammation to fight infection and illness. However, sustained high levels of the protein are associated with type-2 diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, Alzheimer’s and depression. High cytokine levels can also block the neurotransmitters serotonin, a mood influencer, and dopamine, the feel-good chemical linked to reward-motivated behavior. More than 200 young adults reported on one day the extent to which they had experienced positive emotions such as amusement, awe, compassion, contentment, joy, love and pride. Those who experienced more positive emotions had lower levels of the Interleukin 6. Awe had the strongest association with lower cytokine levels. Go out in search of awe "That awe, wonder and beauty promote healthier levels of cytokines suggests that the things we do to experience these emotions—a walk in nature, losing oneself in music, beholding art—as a direct influence upon health and life expectancy," says UC Berkeley psychologist Dacher Keltner, a study co-author. Jennifer, now a University of Toronto postdoctoral researcher, says she can’t say for sure which comes first, low cytokines or positive feelings: "It is possible that having lower cytokines makes people feel more positive emotions, or that the relationship is bidirectional." Jim Gold is a veteran journalist who splits his time between Seattle and the Bay Area.
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The Sweet Smell of Happiness

Apparently, some people are literally dripping with happiness. The smell of sweat actually can spread emotions, says a new study.We produce chemical compounds, or chemosignals, in our sweat when we experience happiness, says the study published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science. Our chemosignals can be detected by others when they smell us.Emotions are contagiousThese chemosignals trigger a "contagion of the emotional state," says Gün Semin of Utrecht University in the Netherlands, psychological scientist and according to senior study author. "This suggests that somebody who is happy will infuse others in their vicinity with happiness. In a way, happiness sweat is somewhat like smiling—it is infectious."Past research already showed chemical compounds in sweat emit negative emotions, but few studies examined positive emotions.Happy sweatResearchers recruited 12 men who were prohibited from engaging in alcohol use, sexual activity, consumption of smelly food or excessive exercise during the study. After taping moisture-absorbing pads to their underarms, the men view video clips making them feel happy, afraid, or neutral. Then 36 women in a blind test smelled the sweaty pads while scientists monitored their facial expressions.Women exposed to “fear sweat” showed greater activity in the medial frontalis muscle, a common feature of fear expressions. And women exposed to “happy sweat” showed more facial muscle activity indicative of a Duchenne smile, a common component of happiness expressions.Smells in syncWomen generally have both a better sense of smell and a greater sensitivity to emotional signals than men, the researchers say. But when it comes to a sweat donor and a sweat smeller, they say, the findings suggest a certain level of “behavioral synchronization.”Does this study pass the smell test? We'll leave it to you to sniff out the flaws. Leave us your comments, below.
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Desmond Tutu and Dalai Lama Write Happiness Book

Got questions about joy? Your answer could come from spiritual leaders Desmond Tutu and the Dalai Lama, who will collaborate onThe Book of Joy. The best part: They want you to help write it. The two aretaking your questions on a Facebook page(orhere on mobile). Questions will be compiled into a list that readers can vote on. Winning questions will be answered by the South African archbishop and the Buddhist leader. The two will meet inDharamshala, India, April 20-24 not only to celebrate the Dalai Lama’s80thbirthday but also to collaborate on the book. Co-writer Douglas Abrams, who worked with Desmond Tutu on a children's title,God's Dream, will interview the two about their perspectives on joy. Videos of their discussions will be shared with the world after their meeting. As Douglastold Publisher's WeeklyDesmond Tutu and the Dalai Lama "are two of the most infectiously happy people on the planet, and they are willing to share what they have learned with the rest of us." The Book of Joy: Finding Enduring Happiness In an Uncertain Worldwill be published in 2016 by Avery Books, a Penguin Random House imprint focused on wellness and health. *** Jim Gold is a veteran journalist based in Seattle and the Bay Area.
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Introverts and extroverts.

Are Extroverts Happier?

Do you enjoy work-related cocktail parties? Have you ever talked to a stranger on a bus just for fun? Do you know the barista’s name at your local coffee shop? If you answered yes to one or more of these questions, you may be an extrovert.If you prefer spending Saturday nights reading novels on the couch, and haven’t spoken up in a meeting since that time in 1998—congratulations, you’re an introvert!It feels good to be socialSince the 1960s, psychologists studying personality and happiness have found that extroverts report higher levels of happiness. According to Richard Lucas, Ph.D., who studies the connection between extroversion and happiness at Michigan State University, extroverts seem to have more frequent positive emotions than introverts. This could be because extroverts tend to take more actions that strengthen well-being, seek out social situations or because their brains are just fundamentally different.Flaws in the research?Some critics question the validity of this research. Psychologist and mindfulness expert Arnie Kozak, Ph.D., author of The Awakened Introvert, to be published later this year, believes the battery of questions researchers ask are designed by Western psychologists who have certain sensibilities.“There seems to be a cultural bias: the idea that in order to be happy you have to be active and social,” Kozak said. In his opinion, the studies linking extroversion and happiness often paint introvertedness in a negative light and don't capture the positive feelings introverts have about themselves.However, similar studies done in China and Latin America still show a relationship between extroversion and happiness (although slightly less strong), reinforcing the conclusions.Read more about the benefits of social interaction.“People who are extroverted tend to be happier than those that are introverted. The strength of that effect can depend on culture and what you mean by happiness, but on balance it’s still true,” concludes John Zelenski, Ph.D., who studies the connections between emotion and cognition at at Carleton University.What causes the difference?Scientists have found that asking introverts and extroverts to be social, at least in a laboratory setting, makes both groups happier, at least for a little while. This could mean that extroverts’ increased happiness comes from the sheer number of their social interactions, compared to the lower volume introverts have.Other scientists are looking at physiological differences in the dopamine system—the part of the brain that controls risk and reward. Extroverts may, in theory, be more sensitive to dopamine and get bigger bumps in pleasure. This is a promising area of research still very early, according to Lucas.Embrace your inner introvertEven though the extroversion-happiness relationship has been proved time and again, introverts shouldn’t worry. As Susan Cain points out in her bestselling book Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking, there are many positives to introversion. While introverts were once thought of as shy, aloof or detached, many experts would now argue that they have excellent observational skills and sensitivity to their environments—qualities that provide unique value in the workplace and personal relationships.They’re also really good at acting like extroverts whenever they want. In one of Zelenski’s studies, introverts had a much easier time acting extrovertedly than extroverts did acting like introverts. This may be because they had a lifetime of practice acclimating to an extroversion-centric environment.And, it’s important to remember that no matter where you fall on the introvert-extrovert spectrum, chances are you’re already happy. “Most people are happy most of the time… There are a lot of happy introverts walking around,” Zelenski says.Are you an introvert or an extrovert, and how do you think it affects your happiness? Let us know in the Comments section, below.
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Happy mom and daughter

Want to Feel Happier?

Boosting your happiness is hard work. If you’re not careful, you can fall back into that negativity slump. Sharpening happiness skills takes practice, as does anything you want to do well. Happify.com is committed to spotting you on your wellbeing workout, and their support is backed by science.The latest research from positive psychology is delivered to you on their app and website (my.happify.com). Once you start your happiness track, each day you can participate in fun and easy-to-follow activities, like taking Savor Quest or relaxing for a few minutes in a Serenity Scene. Read inspiring stories, encourage others in the Happify community and explore different tracks to stay on course to living the good life.
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This kid is a genius!

Can Genius and Happiness Coexist?

If you’ve seen the movie The Imitation Game about legendary mathematician Alan Turing, or A Beautiful Mind, about Nobel-prize-winning economist John Nash, then youare already familiar with a certain narrative about genius. Geniuses, the story goes, are lonely, tortured, and anti-social. What’s more, they are often unstable, frequently mad and invariably misunderstood.Other examples fit this script: Tormented souls such as Vincent Van Gogh, Virginia Woolf, Ernest Hemingway and Sylvia Plath come to mind.The concept is deeply rootedIt turns out, however, that this view—while not without some foundation—taps into some old and deep historical prejudices. Going all the way back to the ancient Greeks, Plato believed the divine inspiration that gripped poets and prophets was a kind of madness caused by a the god or muse who possessed them.Aristotle held a different belief: Eminent achievement (genius, in our terms) was caused by a certain physiological condition, a high level of “black bile” in the body. And while that gave them their special abilities, it came at a cost. The Greek word for black bile, melan ochre, is the root of our term melancholy. Geniuses, it seemed, were prone to nervousness, depression and mental pain.Possessed—by demons or angelsModified by Christians, who saw demons in the “possessed” like Faust, or the work of God in the powers of great men like “Michael-of-the-angels” (Michelangelo), these ancient associations stuck around for a very long time.Yet if some geniuses undoubtedly suffer mental illness, it doesn’t follow that their “genius” is the cause, or a necessary correlate: that genius and madness are one.High IQ and emotional stability?Consider that when the Stanford psychologist Lewis Terman set out in the early 20th century to study the lives and habits of exceptionally intelligent children (those with tested IQs of at least 140, the minimum threshold), he found that they grew to be taller, healthier, and more socially adept than average, dispelling the myth that “little geniuses” necessarily grew up to be invalids or misfits.Genius of pairsMore recently, writers and researchers who study creativity and intelligence have emphasized the social interactions that underlie so much creative endeavor. They talk of group dynamics, the wisdom of crowds, and the genius of pairs, emphasizing how people like John Lennon and Paul McCartney or Pierre and Marie Curie did together what they couldn’t do as one.The lone genius, like the mad genius, is largely a fable. As the author Steven Johnson puts it—“networked” genius—is the norm. A figure like Edison didn’t discover the light-bulb on his own anymore than Steve Jobs invented the computer. Rather, they “figure[d] out how to make teams creative.” Their genius was social.Correlation or causation?That said, there does seem to be some evidence that certain forms of intelligence—high mathematical ability, for example, or poetic brilliance—may correlate with a higher likeliness of falling on the spectrum ofautism or schizophrenia. Then again, as statisticians always insist, correlation and cause are two different things.Matisse’s flowersBut you don’t have to crunch the numbers to qualify the myth. There are plenty of instances of social, life-affirming geniuses, who concluded, in the end, like Louis Armstrong, that ours is a wonderful world. Even the celebrated philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein, a notorious curmudgeon, explained on his deathbed, “Tell them I’ve had a wonderful life.” Was Charles Darwin a tortured soul? Or Henri Matisse with his colorful canvases of joy? “There are always flowers for those who want to see them,” Matisse observed. Indeed.Genius of geniusesBut in the end, it is Albert Einstein, the genius of geniuses, who best illustrates the point. He was playful and a little eccentric, though very far from lonely, despondent, or mad. He had vast networks of friends, and took tremendous joy not only in his work, but in his passions such as music (playing Mozart on his violin) or sailing. Einstein once remarked, "A table, a chair, a bowl of fruit and a violin; what else does a man need to be happy?” It doesn’t take a genius to conclude that even a genius can see the truth in that.Darrin McMahon is a Professor of History at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire. His latest book is Divine Fury: A History of Genius.
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Environmentalist Bill McKibben

Bill McKibben Is Trying to Save the Planet

Many of us who grew up bribing our moms to drive us to the movies in the family gas guzzler and merrily spraying ourselves with insecticide at camp had no idea that, molecule by molecule, we were tossing damaged carbon particles into the atmosphere and contributing to a larger global problem. Fortunately, while so many of us were picking out a new shade of petroleum-based nail polish at the dime store counter, Bill McKibben, a tall, lanky kid from Boston, was hiking with his dad through the mountains and falling in love with the beauty of the planet’s forests, lakes, mountains and deserts. What we do matters That love, plus an avid curiosity and a sharp intellect that demanded to know how and who and why about everything, have thrust Bill into the forefront of a worldwide movement to reduce carbon particles thrown into the atmosphere by deforestation, aging agricultural practices, idling cars, home furnaces and fossil fuel-burning industries. His awareness of the sheer physicality of the universe—and how we are impacting it on a daily basis—reached critical mass after he finished college and went to work for The New Yorker in Manhattan. Getting in touch with the physical world “I wrote a long piece about where everything in my apartment came from,” Bill says. “I followed the electric lines back to the oil wells in Brazil and the uranium mines in the Grand Canyon, traced New York’s water system, on and on. It taught me that the world is a remarkably physical place, which is a lesson that’s easy to forget. That set me up nicely for reading the early science on climate change in the 1980s and recognizing the planet’s vulnerability.” It also gave him a purpose, one that drove everything he did from the minute he got up in the morning until he went to bed at night, and lit a passion within him to share what was happening to the planet with every one of us. Passion for the planet Bill’s passion to save the planet also led him to big questions—“How much human intervention can a place stand before it loses the essence of its nature?”—and to a purposeful exploration of one strategy after another: simple living, alternative energy, locally sourced food, birth control, new ways of living off the land. Eventually, his belief that the planet could be saved by such seemingly simple practices led him to take action. So he and a group of friends took to the streets and founded the climate change organization 350.org. In the past few years, the organization, with Bill at its helm, has organized more than 15,000 rallies in nearly 200 countries, including the People’s Climate March in New York just before the U.N.’s September climate change summit. Effective activism The group’s tactics are working. They’ve helped raise the whole concept of sustainability to a national debate and have attracted enough attention that decision makers are hearing the roar. In one case, that roar helped convince the World Council of Churches, which represents 500 million Christians in 110 countries and territories around the globe, to dump its investments in fossil fuels. While some don’t agree with some of Bill’s stances, his efforts have won accolades from others. He received the Right Livelihood Award, considered the “alternative Nobel,” in 2014 and has been named the Schumann Distinguished Scholar in Environmental Studies at Middlebury College, a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the 2013 winner of both the Gandhi Prize and the Thomas Merton Prize—and Foreign Policy, a journal, named him to its 2009 list of the 100 most important global thinkers. Bill continues to move forward boldly and with purpose to achieve even more.
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RG2

8 Happiness Gurus You Need to Know About

“Happiness gurus” are seemingly everywhere these days, popping up in TED Talks, yoga retreats, and in magazines and websites proclaiming to hold the keys to a happier, more peaceful life. It’s easy to forget that this figure of the sage or visionary has been around in one form or another since the beginnings of civilization. Here are eight great exemplars from history. Siddhartha Guatama Born in Northern India in the 5th century BCE, Siddhartha Guatama (aka Buddha), would have recognized the term "guru,” an ancient Sanskrit word meaning “teacher.” Teaching happiness was his business. By embracing the "four noble truths" and setting out along the noble eight-fold path to wisdom, men and women, he assured, could indeed achieve happiness. Contemporary scientists and positive psychologists often refer to Buddhist techniques of mindfulness and meditation as a highly effective means to happiness. With as many as 500 million followers in the world today, this is one guru whose message has stood the test of time. Epicurus This Greek wise man established one of the world’s first communes, popularly known as “the garden,” in ancient Athens toward the end of the 4th century BCE. A philosopher by training, he considered himself a “doctor of the soul,” who aimed to cure his disciples of the sickness of unhappiness. Epicurus counseled the cultivation of pleasure, but of the simple kind. What human beings needed to be happy, if their souls were healthy, according to Epicurus, was surprisingly little. Jesus This carpenter of Nazareth sometimes gets a bad rap as the “man of sorrows.” But his message to his disciples was clearly one of joy. “Rejoice and be glad,” Jesus commanded as part of his Gospel (ancient Greek for good news). He also counseled charity, hope, and forgiveness, which correlate well, modern researchers affirm, with happiness, as does faith itself. St. Francis of Assisi The time of the Middle Ages in Europe was rife with wandering mystics, ascetics and saints. Contrary to later stereotypes, not everyone lived darkly in a “dark ages.” Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone (beatified as St. Francis in 1228, two years after his death) is a case in point. St. Francis left his prosperous merchant family to live and preach among the poor in Central Italy. He took the Christian command to “rejoice” seriously, noting that “It is not right for the servant of God to show sadness and a dismal face.” He spread joy through the cultivation of love for all of God’s creatures—famously, even preaching to the animals. Israel ben Eliezer (Baal Shem Tov) Jesus may be the most widely known Jewish guru, but the Rabbi Israel ben Eliezer—known as the Baal Shem Tov, the “master of the good name”—is beloved to this day by many Jews. The founder of the Hasidic movement, he was a healer, mystic and teacher who hailed from 18th-century Poland, and taught God’s presence in all things. Since life and the world were God’s gifts, we should embrace them optimistically, he counseled. There was no better way to do that, he urged, than by finding happiness. Jeremy Bentham The modern positive psychologist Jonathan Haidt has speculated in print whether Jeremy Bentham was autistic. He certainly wasn’t a charismatic man; he had few friends, never married, and described himself as a “hermit.” Yet however socially ill-at-ease, this reformer and legal theorist of 18th-century Britain generated a huge following of those, like himself, who aimed to maximize “the greatest happiness for the greatest number” (Bentham’s phrase) through legislation and statecraft. His concept of "Utilitarianism" continues to motivate (or haunt) leading happiness researchers today, such as the British economist Lord Richard Layard who describes himself as a Benthamite, proving that you don’t have to make friends to influence people. Karl Marx Karl Marx is admittedly an unlikely happiness guru. When asked, in a parlor game, to give his own definition of the word, he responded militantly: “Happiness: to fight.” Nor did his theories prove in the end very effective at fostering human happiness. Arguably they did just the opposite, at tremendous human cost. Former communist countries, social scientists report, display dismal levels of self-reported happiness. And yet, for all that, Marx’s avowed goal was to usher in “real happiness,” and hundreds of millions followed him in the effort. It is a useful reminder that not all happiness gurus get it right. Merwan Sheriar Irani (“Meher Baba”) By the 1960s, the counterculture in the U.S. and England had fully embraced Eastern religions and customs as the peaceful, mindful antidote to the ills of Western Society. India was the primary font of happiness gurus, sending scores of swamis and yogis out into the world (and bringing even more seekers to India to seek the answers). The Beatles and the Beach Boys fell under the spell of the transcendental meditation of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, while Pete Townsend and the Who were drawn, like many others, to the teachings of Meher Baba, who made numerous trips to Europe and the United States in the 1950s and 1960s. Despite taking (and keeping) a vow of silence for the last 40 years of his life, Meher Baba touched many with his signature message, “Don’t worry, Be Happy.” Sometimes, that’s all a guru needs to say…. Darrin McMahon is a professor of history at Dartmouth College. He is the author of Happiness: A History, and Divine Fury: A History of Genius.
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Happy people in Panama

Top 10 Countries for Wellbeing

It’s good to be a Panamanian. In fact, according to the Gallup-Healthways Global Well-Being Index, life is so good that Panama leads the world in four out of the five elements of wellbeing: purpose, social, community and physical. Of those polled, 61 percent of the respondents say they are thriving in three or more elements. The only category Panama doesn’t lead is financial wellbeing.Money isn’t everything, though, especially in Latin America. Six of the top 10 countries considered thriving in wellbeing are in Central or South America, with the citizens flourishing in at least three of the wellbeing elements. For them, life is about achieving goals, maintaining relationships, staying healthy and loving where they live.Click here for more information about the Well-Being Index.***The top countries for wellbeing:1. Panama 61%2. Costa Rica 44%3. Denmark 40%4. Austria 39%5. Brazil 39%6. Uruguay 37%7. El Salvador 37%8. Sweden 36%9. Guatemala 34%10. Canada 34%
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The 3 Promises

The 3 Promises

In his latest book The 3 Promises, best-selling author David J. Pollay contends that if you make just three promises to yourself, your life can vastly improve:1. FIND JOY EVERY DAYStep up your positive and constructive self-talk. Ask yourself every morning: “What can I do to bring joy to my day?”2. DO WHAT YOU LOVEFigure out what you love to do by exploring, trying new things and observing. Your passions will light up as you go. If you are still unsure, take what David calls a “f ll year” and explore as many of your interests as possible.3. MAKE A DIFFERENCEHelp someone. Give your time, energy and talent to others. Don’t think you have to go big or do what someone else does. Smile at someone or make someone laugh. Do something that matters by keeping others’ wellbeing in mind.David encourages readers to take his challenge by taking action on each of the Three Promises for three days in a row.
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