Science | Live Happy

Finding Happiness With Better Sleep

Maintaining proper sleep health is vital to our well-being. Countless studies and years of research have determined that many health problems, both mental and physical, stem from poor sleeping habits. While the National Sleep Foundation recommends seven to nine hours of sleep per night, according to Gallup, almost half of Americans say they fall short of that goal. Gallup also found that people who did fall below the seven-hour threshold also reported significantly lower well-being. Sleep Friendly Seven to nine hours of a good slumber can benefit your physical health, improving your immune system, lowering your blood pressure and help you maintain a proper weight, but did you know it can also help your social life, too? Published in the journal Nature Communications, researchers from the University of California, Berkeley, found that people with poor sleeping habits were more likely to develop social anxiety, which can lead to social isolation. Because we are social animals, when feelings of loneliness set in, negative feelings compound and act as a “social repellant.” Getting adequate quality sleep can have the opposite effect, giving you the energy and confidence you need to be a friendlier person. What are the Odds? Getting the right kind of sleep may make you feel like a million bucks. A study from the University in Warwick reports that the quality of our sleep is just as important, if not more important than the amount of hours we log. Researchers found that the mental and physical boosts we get from better sleep are comparable to those same good feelings of someone who just on a financial jackpot. Over time, these sleep improvements led to an increase in well-being and a decrease in sleep medication. Head of the Class Sleep deficiencies aren’t just limited to adults. Poor sleeping habits and daytime drowsiness can lead to adverse health problems in children and adolescents as well. Conversely, children who practice good sleep habits and take 30 to 60 minute naps at least three times a week were found to be happier, more resilient and had fewer behavior and self-control issues, according to new research from the University of Pennsylvania. The study, published in the journal SLEEP, also shows that kids who took more naps also performed better academically by more than seven percent and had higher IQs than their sleepier counterparts. Bathtime Bliss If you spend most of your nights tossing and turning, then you may want to consider a warm bath before bed. Biomedical engineers at The University of Texas at Austin have found that bathing or showering in warm to hot water one to two hours before bed can result in better sleep quality. Their findings, published in the journal Sleep Medicine Reviews, suggest the water temperatures between 104 and 109 degrees Fahrenheit helps get the body’s circadian rhythm process in line by reducing our core heat so we can fall asleep faster and get a more restful slumber.

science

Tune In to Your Creativity

Imagine waking up with the sunrise one morning and spending time in solitude journaling about your goals. You then put on a favorite outfit—one you’d normally reserve for a special occasion—and head out to a new restaurant to enjoy breakfast. Afterward, you stroll into a bookstore and spend time in an unfamiliar section. Or maybe you head to a local park to marvel at nature and take photographs of whatever catches your eye. While it sounds like a lot of fun, did you realize that exercising such “everyday creativity” also increases your well-being? “Creativity isn’t just for artistic endeavors or the talented few; it’s not what we do but how we do it that matters,” says Scott Barry Kaufman, Ph.D., scientific director of the Imagination Institute and a researcher in the Positive Psychology Center at the University of Pennsylvania. “It’s how we approach problems and opportunities that we encounter in our daily lives. We can be creative in almost anything we do, whether at work, at play, in parenting or even in our relationships.” We can be creative in almost anything we do, whether at work, at play, in parenting or even in our relationships.” In their book Wired to Create: Unraveling the Mysteries of the Creative Mind, Scott and journalist Carolyn Gregoire discuss creativity “as a habit, as a way of life and as a style of engaging with the world.” They identify 10 habits of highly creative people: imaginative play, passion, daydreaming, solitude, intuition, openness to experience, mindfulness, sensitivity, turning adversity into advantage and thinking differently. Then they turn to science to demystify the complex concept. Although it is often portrayed as an elusive, perhaps even magical, quality that appears to be out of our reach, everyday creativity is accessible to all of us. “It could mean looking at a problem in a new way, expressing ourselves through our own unique style or interacting with our romantic partner in a different way,” Scott says. Are Creative People Happier? While creativity may not always make us feel good, living a creative lifestyle can enhance our well-being in at least three ways: personal growth, improved health and strengthened relationships. Zorana Ivcevic Pringle, Ph.D., associate research scientist for the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence, found that people who engage in everyday creative acts such as concocting a new recipe, making a scrapbook and visiting museums, are more likely to experience personal growth. By broadening their experiences and challenging themselves, each grows as a whole person. They also tend to be intrinsically motivated (they create for the sake of creating, not for rewards), which is a factor also known to be associated with well-being. Creativity also has the power to heal us psychologically. It can make us more resilient and fill our lives with meaning. “Many of the greatest artistic achievements were born out of intense suffering,” Scott says. For example, Viktor Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning, chronicling the author’s unimaginable experiences in a concentration camp, is considered by many to be one of the most influential books ever written with more than 10 million copies sold. “While trauma is neither necessary nor sufficient for creativity, it may inspire us to create something that makes sense of our inner turmoil in our darkest moments,” Scott says. In her pioneering research on post-traumatic growth, Marie Forgeard, Ph.D., of McLean Hospital/Harvard Medical School, asked more than 300 people to describe the most stressful experiences in their lives. She found that people who perceived experiencing higher levels of distress as a result of adversity also said they experienced enhanced creativity. Those who scored high in being open to experience perceived more changes in creativity than those scoring lower in openness to experience. In a series of studies with more than 1,000 participants, Scott and his colleagues found that being open to new experiences was the single-most consistent personality trait that predicted creative achievement across the arts and sciences. “Being open consists of being intellectually curious and open to engaging with your emotions, fantasy and beauty,” he says. Marie also found that those who reported creative growth showed growth in other areas of their lives as well, such as seeing new possibilities, and reporting both positive and negative changes in interpersonal relationships. Because the meaning-making facet of creative thinking and expression appears to contribute most to growth after trauma, art therapy and expressive writing can be powerful tools for personal growth, Marie says. For instance, James (Jamie) Pennebaker, Ph.D., at the University of Texas found that writing for just 15 to 20 minutes a day about an emotionally charged topic, whether positive or negative, helps individuals better understand and express their feelings. It can also decrease stress, increase cognitive functions such as working memory and improve the immune system. Creativity may also strengthen our relationships. Ruth Richards, Ph.D., a professor at Saybrook University and researcher at Harvard Medical School who helped develop the term “everyday creativity,” asserts that creativity makes us more open, conscious, caring and collaborative. Relationship science suggests these attributes may also be associated with flourishing bonds. “While essential to creativity, being open and receptive to your partner may be essential to personal relationships as well,” Scott says. Creativity Boosters So, how can we increase our creativity in order to yield personal and relational benefits? In Wired to Create, the authors suggest we “cultivate a spirit of nonconformity, which can foster personality traits and thinking habits that are important to creative achievement.” They also suggest avoiding routines, which keeps us stuck in conventional thinking patterns and ways of doing things. Changing our routines helps us avoid what’s known in Gestalt psychology as “functional fixedness,” a cognitive bias that limits us to using an object in only its intended way and prevents us from seeking out new possibilities. “Essentially, any new and unusual experience helps us to be flexible in our thinking because it takes us out of our ordinary experience and forces us to think differently,” Scott says. For example, studying abroad has been associated with increased creativity in students. It challenges the mind to think differently and opens us up to new customs and alternate ways of doing things. Since we are wired to create, Scott recommends we “treat all of life’s meaningful moments as potential sources of inspiration. Take risks and be prepared to fail. Only through constantly practicing—and embracing—the habits of a creative lifestyle will you unleash your own ‘inner artist,’” he says.

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science

Beat the Energy Crisis

On a typical day, Nancy Giammarco manages to piece together about six hours of sleep. Between caring for her bedridden mother during the day and running sound at a Dallas live music venue six nights a week, she doesn’t remember the last time she’s enjoyed a good night’s sleep. “I try to get some sleep on Saturday, but I have dogs to care for and a lawn to mow and housework. To me, a vacation would be seven or eight hours of uninterrupted sleep.” Nancy’s social life is mostly conducted online these days, and she stays plugged in 24/7 to stay in touch with her sister and the nurses and respiratory therapists helping with her mother’s care. “I can’t afford to be out of touch,” she says. As a result, she is perpetually exhausted. On a good day, her energy level peaks at five out of 10 points, she says. And while Nancy’s situation may be extreme, she’s not alone. Experts say that most of us are having—or heading toward—our own personal energy crisis. We sleep too little, work too much and fail to give ourselves the time we need to relax and recharge. “It’s all about energy,” says Christine Porath, Ph.D., associate professor at Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business. “It really is the key to everything. You can’t buy more time, so if you can increase your energy, it will not only improve your performance at work, but your health and well-being, too.” Implementing new strategies can help boost energy, restore good health and improve productivity in every area of our lives, says Christine, who studies how to create a thriving workplace environment. And what is true for the workplace is true for the homefront, too. “If you’re fueled with energy, your relationships at work and at home are bound to be better. You bring a more mindful, focused, engaged self into these relationships.” That means learning to regulate and renew your personal energy reserves. In order to live our lives to the fullest and to truly enjoy and appreciate the moments as they occur, we need less stress and more bliss. But today’s “always on” world seems to be fighting that at every turn. Emails and texts invade our downtime, and many of us never fully unplug. Energy Vampires “The stressful nature of life has left people feeling depleted,” Christine says. “They lack energy. In my research, I see a high correlation between energy and happiness and life satisfaction.” One of the biggest energy drains is that feeling of not being able to unplug. Working in the evenings and on weekends, constantly checking—and answering—texts and emails, and spending not-so-quality time with our laptops, tablets and smartphones all adds up to one giant, emotional, electronic overload. Pulling the plug on work when you leave the office, and spending time on a hobby you enjoy instead of dragging work home with you can have a powerful effect. “Disconnecting and recharging is a great way to refuel,” she says. “You build your energy resources this way and then go back to work, or come home, stronger and more effective.” Being able to switch off at a set time can generate a feeling of regaining control, and it allows you to relax and turn your attention to more important things like your family, your friends and yourself. Recharge, Refuel, Reboot According to The Energy Project, a consulting firm dedicated to creating healthier and happier workplaces, nearly 75 percent of employees worldwide are experiencing a personal energy crisis. They’re paying for it at work, with lowered productivity, and at home, with less engagement. Relationships are compromised (or sacrificed entirely), and life satisfaction bottoms out. “The vast majority of employees feel depleted, diminished, disenfranchised, demoralized and disengaged,” wrote CEO Tony Schwartz in The Human Era @ Work, a study The Energy Project conducted with Harvard Business Review. “And it’s getting worse.” But we can turn it around, Tony explains. Even small steps, like taking a break, has a measurable effect. Tony’s study found that employees who took even a brief break every 90 minutes boosted their ability to focus by nearly 30 percent and improved their creativity by 40 percent. And doing things you enjoy in your spare time will carry over to your day-to-day duties. “Thriving outside of work can bring more energy to the workplace, and vice versa,” Christine says, adding that people who thrive are more enjoyable to be around, and everyone benefits. The Energy Project identifies four aspects of our lives that affect our energy: physical (health), emotional (happiness), mental (focus) and spiritual (purpose). The physical aspect is considered most important; it is the foundation of all energy and includes proper sleep, fitness, nutrition and time during the day to rest or recharge. If you’re feeling a little low on energy, here are Christine Porath’s recommendations for improving in each area: Physical. Get on a regular sleep schedule and work in at least 30 minutes of exercise four times a week. Emotional. Invest in relationships that are enriching and energizing; these may be existing relationships that have been pushed to one side or could be new relationships. Mental. Take breaks from your email and texts. That might mean going for a walk in nature (and leaving the phone behind) and allowing time for your mind to wander. Spiritual: Keep a gratitude journal; it will refocus your attention on the positives in your life. And find a practice—whether it’s prayer, meditation, yoga, etc.—that helps you connect to something greater than yourself.

science

The Science of Savoring

Sariah Daine has mastered the art of savoring everyday moments. “I’m looking at the clouds hanging delightfully in this beautiful, blue sky,” noted the artist and grandmother from Madison, Wisconsin, one recent morning. “The air is crisp and smells fresh.” It hasn’t always been this way for Sariah, who has had more than her fair share of life challenges. In recent years she lost her parents, suffered repeated heart issues and had to adjust to living alone on a fixed income. But it is her grandchildren and their health problems that affect her most deeply. “I could spend my entire day worried and depressed over my grandson’s lingering medical issues,” Sariah says about her youngest grandson, who was injured while deployed overseas in the military. “But I’ve learned that I need to be at my best to be able to care for my family and friends.” Now Sariah makes a conscious choice each day to savor good things as a way to balance out life’s difficulties. She’s a good example of what many scientists are now documenting—that savoring our positive experiences is a key to a happy life. Coping and Savoring Savoring is the capacity to notice, appreciate and intensify the positive aspects of our lives. Knowing how to cope with negative events and savor positive ones are two sides of the coin of life experiences. Coping skills help diminish the effects of painful moments, while savoring helps amplify the beauty of joyful ones. Both are essential to living a happy life. While coping strategies have been studied for decades, positive psychologists and scientists who study happiness are now exploring techniques that allow us to linger and luxuriate in positive experiences. When we savor good times, we allow ourselves to sink into the sweet feeling of positive emotions like joy, love, gratitude and serenity. Positive emotions have been shown to, among other things, increase creativity, improve our sleep and even strengthen our immune systems. “Savoring can help us counteract the natural human tendency to focus more of our attention on negative things in our lives than on positive things,” says Fred Bryant, Ph.D., of Loyola University, who co-authored Savoring: A New Model of Positive Experience with Joseph Veroff, Ph.D. Savoring the good times multiplies the joy in our lives in two ways: by diminishing the space in our minds devoted to negative thoughts and by amplifying the effects of positive thoughts and feelings. With practice, we can become better at savoring, immersing ourselves ever more deeply in the sunshine of positive experiences. We can create what might be called a savoring mindset. “The key is to not miss the opportunities to savor when they arise,” Fred says. Savoring Everyday Moments “We must not make the mistake of waiting until we have no negative experience in our lives to begin savoring,” Fred says. “In this world, and in our daily lives, we will have tribulation, and it will not disappear. Our challenge is to prioritize savoring, even in the face of adversity—indeed especially in the face of adversity—for that is when we need it most, to help counterbalance the negative effects of stress and suffering.” Sariah is a good example of doing just that. This means we don’t need to wait for the next big thing to amplify our positive emotions. We can linger in the happiness associated with being in nature, watching our children play or eating a favorite meal. That’s something we can do at any time, any place. Fully experiencing our positive emotions can have far-reaching and long-lasting benefits. Positive emotions are more than simply feel-good moments, according to Barbara Fredrickson, Ph.D., a psychologist who studies emotions at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She considers each positive emotion a contribution to a positivity savings account. “Positive emotions, although fleeting, accumulate and compound over time in ways that incrementally build people’s enduring resources,” she writes in “The Role of Positive Emotions in Positive Psychology: The Broaden and Build Theory of Positive Emotions,” which was published in the journal American Psychologist. Savoring helps intensify and expand our connection to positive emotions. People who frequently experience positive emotions are more resilient, resourceful and more likely to form close ties with other people. In addition, they are more likely to function at optimal levels in their lives, no matter how they choose to spend their time. We build up resources by savoring good times, and we can draw upon these resources when we encounter difficulties in the days ahead. The Social Side of Savoring When we communicate and celebrate our positive experience with others, we are using a social savoring strategy that psychologists call capitalizing. After we’ve enjoyed an experience, we can capitalize on it by reliving the positive emotions as we share details with others. Of course, we can share the joy with others in the moment, too. Research from Shelly Gable, Ph.D., at the University of California, Santa Barbara, found that asking others about their good news and listening closely as they retell stories allow them to bask in the glow of that positive experience. It helps them reconnect with the experience and the uplifting emotions that went with it, and it also helps people asking questions experience positive emotions as they help others savor memories. And, if you savor together regularly, Shelly found, it strengthens the relationship. Savoring the Past, Present and Future As it turns out, savoring isn’t just for the present moment. Like most people, you may have found that you had more fun planning your vacation or reminiscing about it than you had when you were actually on the vacation! You’re not alone; scientists say that savoring can be divided into three time-related categories: anticipatory savoring (leading up to an event), experiential savoring (in the moment) and reminiscent savoring (remembering good times and the positive emotions that accompanied them). Researcher Jordi Quoidbach, Ph.D., of the Barcelona Graduate School of Economics describes experiential savoring as “a mindful approach in which one focuses attention on the present moment and systematically suppresses thoughts unrelated to the current experience.” In direct contrast, Jordi describes anticipatory and reminiscent savoring techniques as removing oneself from the moment. This type of savoring, he says, “consists of stepping back from the present experience to mentally travel through time to remember or anticipate positive personal events.” In a study published in Personality and Individual Differences, Jordi reports that emotional well-being—although experienced differently—increased with each of the three types of time-related savoring. Anticipatory savoring takes place before an event. In our vacation example, it might involve watching films set in our vacation spot or collecting maps or guidebooks to plan an itinerary. When we actively plan or imagine good times ahead, we are practicing anticipatory savoring. Experiential savoring occurs in the here and now. It involves being mindful of good things happening as you enjoy a fancy breakfast or the smell of the sea while on vacation. It also happens on a daily basis as you look for things and experiences in your life to appreciate and savor. The key is to not put too much pressure on yourself to make the most of each moment. Simply notice the sights, sounds and smells around you. What parts of this moment are most enjoyable? Reminiscent savoring happens after the fact, when we relive positive moments. We might just drift off into our memories, or we can create activities to help. Looking at photographs or telling friends about our trip is a great way to ramp up reminiscent savoring. One way to enhance reminiscent savoring is to plan a positive activity at the end of your event. This taps into what scientists call peak-end theory, or the finding that we tend to remember the high point (peak) of an experience as well as the way it ended. To the extent possible, try to plan a favorite activity at the end of your event to help you leverage the peak-end theory. You can use this approach to successfully end meetings, parties or even a workout. Don’t Be a Wet Blanket Sometimes we short-circuit our ability to enjoy good times, something scientists refer to as “dampening.” Instead of lingering in good feelings, we cut them short. We dampen our positive emotions when we suppress or minimize good feelings, distract ourselves away from an enjoyable moment, find fault or see only the negative in an otherwise positive situation. Dampening our positive experiences can be seen as an opposite to savoring them. “Such individual differences in the propensity to savor or dampen positive emotions may play an important role for one’s overall well-being,” says Jordi, relating it back to Barbara’s research. “Indeed, the broaden-and-build theory suggests that the cultivation of positive emotions helps to build lasting resources that, in turn, enhance life satisfaction, increase the likelihood of experiencing future positive emotions, and foster resilience to negative ones.” Sometimes dampening positive emotions is appropriate. If you’ve just been promoted and your co-workers weren’t, for example, postponing any celebratory savoring might be in order. Don’t Wait, Savor Today Many of us fall into the trap of thinking that our happiness is just around the corner. Savoring is an active way to notice and enjoy good things already present in our lives. Sure, there are times when we’ll take big steps to change and improve. We may decide to move to exciting new places or to leave jobs that we no longer find rewarding. But to be truly happy, we need not necessarily make big changes. It could be as simple as changing our perspective, such as Sariah’s decision to focus on the current blessings in her life rather than being overwhelmed by its challenges. “Positive events may set the stage for people to experience savoring. But positive events alone are not enough to bring about happiness. People need to be able to attend to and appreciate” those positive feelings, Fred says. This article originally appeared in the April 2016 issue of Live Happy magazine.

Technology

Don’t Let Social Media Harm Your Happiness

While creating robust real-life social networks can be a well-being enhancer, a recent study from the University of Pennsylvania suggests our virtual social networks can have the opposite effect. According to researchers at UPenn, through experimental data and self-monitoring, this study is the first to show a causal link that an increase in social media use can decrease well-being. “What we found very clearly was that the folks who were in the group that limited their social media use, showed significant reductions in depression and loneliness,” says psychologist Melissa G. Hunt, Ph.D, associate director of clinical training in the department of psychology at UPenn. “This was actually most true for the folks who were the most depressed at the start of this study.” In the recently released World Happiness Report 2019, by 2018, “95 percent of United States adolescents had access to a smartphone, and 45 percent said they were online ‘almost constantly.’” When there is an increase in digital media, especially for young people, there is a decline in sleep, exercise, social interactions and attending religious services compared to those who do not spend so much time in a virtual reality. Melissa says that when we spend hours on apps, such as Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat, passively scrolling through our feeds and negatively comparing ourselves to “one-sided” views of other people’s lives, we are doing serious harm to our well-being. Melissa also says the fear of missing out (FOMO)—which is witnessing people in your network having a good time without you—also contributes to negative feelings. “So that whole fear of missing out in which people get very anxious about other people having connections, friendships and relationships that they aren’t a part of is another part of the problem,” Melissa says. “When you use too much social media, you feel like your own life doesn’t measure up and you are feeling that you are not always invited to things that everyone else is invited to.” So how can we use social media in way that doesn’t make us sad? Here are three helpful suggestions from Melissa: Seeing is not always believing. Most of what we see on social media is not real. Not to say that it is necessarily staged, but people rarely post negative images of themselves. We are only getting the intended perspective, and we tend to compare ourselves negatively to something this isn’t accurate. “You are looking at someone else’s Instagram feed and its very curated, everyone looks very happy and they are only posting the photos that are actually flattering,” Melissa says. “And so you get a very one-side perspective on other people’s lives. And it’s very easy to conclude that your own life just doesn’t measure up? It is not as fun, not as glamorous, you are not doing as much.” The real thing is always better. Mindlessly scrolling through social feeds not only wastes your time, it further isolates you from the people you are trying to catch up with virtually. Try spending more time reconnecting with people in person. Maybe someone you know needs a real conversation instead of a virtual chat or text. “One of the things to remember about intimacy is that intimacy is fostered by sharing the bad times with people as well as the good times with people,” Melissa says. “And there something about social media that doesn’t encourage that.” Put yourself on restriction. Melissa says quitting social media cold turkey is unrealistic, especially with younger generations who grew up attached to their phones. She recommends about a half hour day. By spending less time FOMO-ing, we’re are more likely to get out in the real world and take part in activities that benefit our well-being, such as taking a walk or volunteering. During their study, researchers noticed that participants, who were all college students, were amazed to realize how much time they were spending on social media before the break and how much better they felt about themselves after the digital reprieve. Melissa says that some even said they were more likely to complete their school work and socialize with their friends in person.

Happy mature woman with flag of Finland standing against the background of a city street and blue sky.

science

Finland’s Happiness is Twice as Nice

For the second consecutive year, Finland ranks as the happiest country in the world, according to the 2019 World Happiness Report 2019. Despite having recent government turmoil, the Fins continue to dominate the list consistently ranking as one of happiest countries year after year. The Nordic region in particular appears to be have a stronghold on happiness, with Denmark, Norway, Iceland, Netherlands, Switzerland and Sweden all in the top ten. Larger, wealthier countries, such as the United States and India, continue to descend on the list. Anne Henderson, a senior analyst with The Happiness Research Institute based in Denmark, economics doesn’t seem to play role in personal happiness, if fact, quite the opposite. Finland, has a lower GDP than the neighboring countries, yet continues to be the happiest. The United States continues to see economic gains, but social divides, lack of trust in government, overuse of digital devices among young people and substance abuse continues to hamper happiness. While the Finns and other Nordic countries are adept at “converting wealth into wellbeing,” she says, the division between rich and poor in the U.S. “creates an erosion of the cohesion and trust between people, which is so vital for the feeling of safety and security and therefore for the overall happiness level of the American people.” It Takes a Village Produced by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) in partnership with the Ernesto Illy Foundation, the report is a result of three years of surveys from more than 150 countries analyzing life satisfaction and emotions. The overall theme of this year’s report focuses on the important role community plays in our everyday happiness. Andrea Illy, chairman of illycaffè and member of the board of Fondazione Ernesto Illy, stated in a release about the report: “We are living a moment of transition to a new age and this generates a sense of uncertainty. Social happiness is therefore even more relevant, in order to give a positive perspective and outlook for the present and for the future.” Community, or social support, Anne says, is one of six contributing factors that best explains why some countries score better than others. When large countries have a growing fear of having no one to turn to in times of need, as is the case with India, global happiness wanes creating as rise in negative affect. According to the Global Happiness and Well-Being Policy Report, our social relationships are a key driver to happiness and well-being. When policies are created to focus on the positive and quality of social connections, such as creating more green spaces for people to congregate, equal opportunities for all and rebuild trust, counties may see a rise in collective well-being.

science

Getting Happier in Miami

This weekend, the World Happiness Summit (WOHASU), in partnership with the University of Miami, will host more than a thousand people from all over the world introducing and discussing the latest information and research on the science of happiness and well-being. Featuring more than 30 speakers and thought leaders, including Tal Ben-Shahar, Ph.D., Shawn Achor and Sonja Lyubormirsky, Ph.D., the third annual summit will be held at the University of Miami, March 15 through 17. Karen Guggenheim, founder and Chief Operating Officer of the World Happiness Summit, says she hopes this year’s event will manifest beyond the summit, giving people the practical tools to live happier, healthier lives. “What feels like drops of positivity, is actually a stream that has the potential of becoming a river and then an ocean,” Karen says. “We gather together to collectively grow the global happiness movement into a counterculture that will create new mindsets and make the world a better place.” Isaac Prilleltensky, Ph.D., and professor vice provost for Institutional Culture at U of M and author of the Laughing Guides to Well-Being, Change, and a Better Life, believes the summit brings together like-minded people with the collective goal to make lasting change in a positive way. Growing in attendance every year with more than 40 countries represented, Isaac continues to be impressed with the nature and quality of the presentations. One thing different at this year’s three-day event, best-selling author and positive psychology expert Tal Ben-Shahar, will be bringing his entire online class from the Happiness Studies Academy to experience the summit. Isaac, who is also a student of the online program, says he is excited to meet his classmates in person. “We are all students of this terrific online program, so there will be a meeting of online friends,” he says. “Bonds are being created and people are reacquainting themselves. It’s like a movement growing.” Degrees of Happiness Conceived from the collaborative synergy that takes place at the WOHASU events, Karen, Isaac and several others at the university are currently working to introduce an interdisciplinary degree plan for happiness studies. If approved by the university, students will have to ability to receive a graduate degree in the science of happiness that is applicable to multiple career paths. “Karen from WOHASU is a wonderful partner in bringing together many communities of people interested in the pursuit of integrative happiness and well-being,” Isaac says. “I thank Karen for championing with enthusiasm the partnership with the University of Miami, where the summit takes place.” Some universities have and do offer individual classes on happiness and well-being, including the popular courses from Laurie Santos, Ph.D., at Yale and Tal Ben-Shahar at Harvard, and the University of Pennsylvania does offer a Master of Applied Positive Psychology graduate program. U of M, Isaac says, will be first the institution in higher education to offer an interdisciplinary graduate program solely focusing on happiness studies. “The goal is to equip students taking the program with the tools necessary to make their own lives workplaces and communities happier and healthier places,” Isaac says. “You don’t have to necessarily change your career. Everyone can benefit from a program in well-being.” With hopes of creating more agents of change, Isaac’s goal is to make the information widely accessible, including fundraising and scholarships. “The emphasis for well-being for all is very much part of our philosophy,” he continues. “We want to make sure the program is affordable to a wide variety of people, and not just to individuals who can afford hefty university tuition costs.” Isaac believes Miami is the right place for this type of program because of the inclusivity and dedication to student and faculty well-being through intergroup dialogue programs, a culture of belonging and acceptance, as well as ongoing research into well-being. “Once we accept everybody, we free up this tremendous human energy for creativity, engagement and involvement,” he says. “That is really quite remarkable.” If approved, the well-being program at the U of M could be available to students by next January. For more information, visit the summit website. For a 20 percent discount on passes, enter code LIVEHAPPY2018.

News & Trends

Celebrate Character Day

Sign up and join the global movement on Wednesday, September 26th, to celebrate the fifth annual Character Day! Last year there were more than 133,000 events in 150 countries. Thousands of schools, companies, museums, libraries and homes—anywhere people already gather—screen films on the science of character development from different perspectives, dive into free printed discussion materials catered to different ages, and join an online global Q&A conversation. Prominent positive psychologists and education experts will discuss the importance of developing character strengths (resilience, grit, empathy, courage, kindness)—all rooted in evidence-based research. Character Day is one day. The resources are available year-round. Please watch this 1 minute trailer and sign up today!

Happy teenager in bed at home with tablet.

science

What’s Keeping Your Teens Up at Night?

If your teen isn’t bright-eyed and bushy tailed when he is ready to walk out of the door to school today, chances are he’s sleep deprived and it’s affecting his happiness. According to C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll on Children’s Health at the University of Michigan, 43 percent of surveyed parents believe their teens struggle with sleep. When asked why, more than half of those parents suggested electronic devices or social media were the likely reasons. Other reasons include an overload in homework and activities, worries about school and social life and medical problems. “So many teens feel like they can’t catch up until Saturday when they sleep until noon,” says Sarah Clark, co-director of the C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll on Children’s Health. “There are a lot of ill health effects associated with lack of sleep, including depression and obesity. It also makes it a challenge for kids to get through the day.” Bedtime Blues While 53 percent of parents believe social media and electronic devices are the main culprits for less shut-eye, Sarah and her colleagues believe that is only part of the equation. “I would also say there is a second element that is really important, and that’s the irregular schedules of the teen’s life,” Sarah says. With the ever-increasing demands for teenagers’ time, something must give, and that something is usually sleep. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine suggests teenagers (between the ages of 13 and 18) get eight to 10 hours of sleep per night. Not getting enough sleep can increase the risk of serious health issues, including obesity, diabetes and poor mental health. Lack of sleep in youth can also lead to poor concentration and increase the risk of accidents. “Teenagers staying up late isn’t new,” she says. “I would wonder if something that had changed over the years is some of our expectations of teens. “I’ll bet if you look at the average life of a family, teens’ lives are more packed with evening events than maybe 10, 15 or 20 years ago,” Sarah speculates. “We recognize the electronic thing more, because it’s a new object, yet sometimes we don’t pay enough attention to how societally, it’s the life of teens that has changed.” Positive Light The good news, according to Sarah, is that parents are aware of the problems. They have encouraged different strategies with their teens, including turning off the electronics at night, limiting caffeine and trying out natural remedies, such as the use of melatonin. As more research supports the importance of good sleep hygiene, Sarah suggests parents help teens to prioritize their activities. Creating strategies that work for both parents and teens can be very effective. A combination of technology limits at night, being mindful of the number and types of activities that fill the teens’ lives and maybe tempering expectations would be a good start to bring in more balance. Conversations about the importance of good sleep can help reinforce the health benefits, too. Many people who are sleep deprived, teens included, have functioned that way for so long that it is easy for them to forget what a normal, balanced lifestyle feels like, she says. Sarah says that when teens feel well-rested and focused, then parents can work on how to maintain healthy habits and a regular sleep schedule.

Education

5 Focus and Energy Tips for Students

Developing the right mindset for processing and absorbing information can help you launch and successfully pursue your academic goals for the year. Having spent most of my career helping people gain and sustain better daily energy and focus, I’d like to offer up a few simple techniques and thoughts that will set you on a path to achievement this year. No. 1: Be positive. I put positivity at the top of my list because its opposite, negativity, is a self-defeating mindset and will contaminate all efforts. The results are low energy, weakened performance and memory failure, physical and mental fatigue. Positivity fuels the reverse. It helps your mind flow freely, effortlessly—light and fluid like water. Create a positivity baseline. Catch yourself during a moment or time when you are feeling awesome, at the top of your game. Pay attention to how this feels physically and mentally: stressless, happy, flowing. If it helps, write down how you feel. It’s important to stop yourself and feel this so that you can remember it and measure how you’re feeling at various daily moments. Note what positive things you did that helped you get into this zone so that you will know how to create the mindset when you don’t have it. Make savoring, sustaining and protecting your positivity a priority. No. 2: Use a self-scan before you begin each class. This will immediately improve your focus, and you’ll like the results. At first the scan will take you a little while, but still it’s not much. Don’t worry about speed. You’ll develop that soon enough, and then you’ll just do it automatically. Here’s how. Take a few moments before classes and simply ask yourself: What is the day’s goal for this class and what are my responsibilities? For example, I am listening to a lecture on Edgar Allan Poe and taking notes for a test. How does this goal link to larger goals in my life? Example: I can use the information in another course for a term paper I am writing, and that will make life easier and better; I can ace my English class, qualify for higher level classes I want next year, graduate with honors, get into the college I desire, etc. On the scale of things, how important are these goals to your life? Often it is hard to get motivated unless we see how information matters to us personally and is linked to larger personal concerns. So splurge on your answers. What are the demands of my environment and my teacher’s expectations? Are there distractions? Are my questions and views welcomed and accepted and in what context? If the room is large, can I hear adequately? What have I done in the past to help me achieve these goals? What has interfered? No. 3: Restrict your mind from wandering. Keep participating no matter what.Just like when your coach is telling you, “Don’t stop now—pour it on.”Create words or phrases you can think to yourself during such moments to stay on task, such as:stay with it, be strong, or focus.Give yourself a slow, deep, good breath every now and then and relax your focus before narrowing it again. No. 4: Get a good night’s sleep. Make it a habit to turn lights off at the same time each night. You need sleep for higher-level thinking and to keep your mind flowing. No. 5: Each day, think of something nice to do for someone. Keep it simple. Plan who you will help, compliment or surprise, then do it! I encourage you to start this practice immediately. As your academic interests grow, time will move much faster, and your studies, in general, will become a lot more enjoyable. These skills will help your mind become more flowing, creative, energized, interesting and complex.And just like a “runner’s high,” these characteristics will feel good both mentally and physically.As such, you will feel rewarded. And this pattern of activity will begin to feed upon itself. Grades will come easier.You will feel more secure,confident and happy.The best news is that you will start transferring this mindset over to other areas of your life, deepening those connections as well.

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