Science | Live Happy

Embracing Awe

Growing up in a small farming community in the foothills of Mount Rainier in Washington, Melanie Rudd couldn’t explain the sense of reverence she felt every time she gazed up at the imposing peaks. “I grew up hiking and camping, and when I was in the outdoors it changed the way I felt. But I didn’t really know what that was or have a good label for it,” Melanie says. She found a name for those powerful emotions when she began studying awe while pursuing her Ph.D. at Stanford University. Today, as assistant professor of marketing at Bauer College of Business at the University of Houston, her areas of research include time perception, emotions, mood and prosocial behavior—all of which are linked to feelings of awe. “There are several emotions we don’t see a lot of research about and don’t talk much about,” she says. “Awe has been one of those; it’s something that our culture has only [recently] decided is important to talk about.” Awe in action Historically, awe has been largely overlooked by science, even though it is something all of us experience (and benefit from) throughout our lives. It wasn’t until 2003, when Dacher Keltner, Ph.D., of the University of California, Berkeley and Jonathan Haidt, Ph.D., then at the University of Virginia, turned their attention to the study of awe that modern psychology began to see it as a viable emotion worth examining. Since then, it has gradually gained steam and research attention, with a growing body of evidence pointing to its physiological and emotional benefits. One of the researchers presently leading the conversation is Michelle “Lani” Shiota, Ph.D., who heads up the Shiota Psychophysiology Laboratory for Affective Testing (SPLAT Lab) at Arizona State University. As a psychology student with a performing arts background pursuing her graduate degree at University of California, Berkeley, she knew that awe “had been a profound and satisfying part of my life.” She was shocked to learn how little research had been done on it. “Outside the field of psychology, people think of awe as a luxury,” she says. “I call it the Gucci handbag of emotions—people think it’s great if you have one, but it’s not something you really need. The truth is that’s not how emotions work. We have those responses for a reason.” Lani’s mission has been to find out why we’re built to experience awe, what it does to our brains and how it affects us physiologically. While it is known to be an emotional response to stimuli, its benefits have been less simple to pin down. Dacher and Jonathan’s pivotal 2003 research on awe defines it as “the feeling of being in the presence of something vast and greater than the self, that exceeds current knowledge structures.” More simply put, awe is that feeling you get when you witness a stunning sunset, listen to a stirring piece of music or observe a powerful work of art. It can be triggered by a religious or spiritual experience, or caused by a powerful personal experience such as the birth of a child. That results in an intense emotional response that can overlap with such states as wonder, curiosity or even fear. “Awe occurs when you are presented with an experience that is so much bigger than your understanding of the world,” Lani says. “It’s different from other positive emotions, and it has a suite of effects on our physiology, behavior and cognition. It’s this massive intake of information that doesn’t fit with your current world.” That requires a process that Dacher and Jonathan referred to as “accommodating,” in which your thought process must expand in order to understand, or accommodate, what you’ve just experienced. Such a process is one more way that awe and its effects differ from other positive emotions, according to Lani. “Most positive emotions feel activating, they make you want to move,” she says. “Awe slows us down physiologically. It actually reduces our fight-or-flight response and is physically soothing. Awe makes you focus on one thing, in a broad way, and put your attention fully on the experience.” In that way, it is similar to mindfulness and shares some of the same emotional and physiological benefits. It can hit the pause button on our automatic behavior and thought processes and change our emotional states. It even has been found to help correct negative health behaviors such as smoking a cigarette or eating food that you know isn’t good for you. “We now have seen that even a brief dose of awe can help put a brake on us” and redirect our actions, according to Lani. Listen to our podcast with Lani Shiota: Expanding awe Tricia Schers spent much of her young adult life traveling; she has gone whale watching in Hawaii, seen the sea turtles nesting in Suriname and trekked through Thailand. But when she took a marketing job for Frontiers North, an adventure tourism company based in Churchill, Manitoba, Canada, she says her level of awe increased exponentially. “I was three days into the job when they sent me to Churchill to experience one of their tours,” she recalls. “I got to see beluga whales in the wild, nine polar bears—including a mother nursing a cub—and the northern lights. I was blown away.” Even today, she feels that same sense of humbled reverence every time she encounters the rugged, frozen paradise. “There’s a reason people use the word ‘majestic’ when they describe seeing polar bears in their natural environment,” Tricia says. “I can sit and watch the landscape and become completely mesmerized. Somehow you feel the interconnection of the ecosystems; the landscape is rugged, yet you can sense the fragility of it. “It is simply awe-inspiring.” While the use of the word “awe” may have worn down its true significance (just note the overuse of “awesome!” in daily conversation), the fact is that true awe is a deeply felt emotion with powerful implications. The feelings it generates tap into the sense of vastness that help de ne awe, and it’s connected to what researchers call “the overview effect.” The phrase was originally coined by space philosopher and writer Frank White, Ph.M., in 1987 to describe the cognitive shift that occurs in astronauts when they view Earth from space. Viewing Earth from such a perspective was shown to trigger a profound sense of awe and a sense of connectedness with their universe among space travelers. Frank found that many astronauts felt the experience so transformative that they returned to Earth with a renewed sense of purpose. The good news, for those of us who don’t have access to a spaceship, is that similar reactions can be derived from viewing images from space. Awe also can be cultivated, as Melanie and Tricia found, by experiencing nature. “A lot of it has to do with an increased sense of connectedness in the moment,” explains David Yaden, a research fellow at the University of Pennsylvania in the Positive Psychology Center and co-author of the paper, “The Overview Effect: Awe and Self-Transcendent Experience in Space Flight,” published last year in the journal Psychology of Consciousness: Theory, Research, and Practice. His research looks at the overview effect as a way to better understand awe and self-transcendence, or the ability to lose ourselves and feel connected to “a bigger picture.” “Most of our worries and concerns are derived from a hyperfocus on our self,” he points out. “When that focus on our self is reduced, so, too, are many of our concerns. And when you feel you are less of a center for concern, you feel more connected to people.” Experiencing a sense of awe, he says, immediately removes the focus from self and resets our thinking to see our surroundings differently. “Evidence shows that awe might be an important part of the mental health diet,” he says. “It’s associated with well-being and with pro-social behavior. So if you care about increasing your overall well-being, awe is one way to do that. We still don’t know exactly how or why, but it’s safe to say that awe forms a pathway to well-being.” He says the last decade has seen interest in awe increase as more research has been released to show its causes as well as its effects. Each study adds to its credibility while at the same time raising new questions that can be explored, such as whether certain traits make us more open to experience awe and how long its impact lasts. David is currently working with Dacher to help build “a more robust scale” for measuring awe’s benefits. “Sometimes the value of these experiences is hard to pin down,” he says. “But if you ask someone about their most awe-inspiring moment, they will see it as something that was profoundly meaningful.” Slowing the clock As awe gains more traction as a research topic, more aspects and benefits are being examined. Among the more interesting outcomes, Melanie has found in her ongoing research at the University of Houston that awe can be useful in changing our perception of time. “This could be particularly useful because today people feel increasingly pressed for time,” she says. “When you look at what time pressure and time famine are doing to us, it’s not healthy.” When we’re pressed for time, we tend to eat on the run (and make poorer food choices), have lower levels of life satisfaction and will postpone self-care, such as doctor and dental appointments. We’re also more likely to over-purchase goods, even though we may not need them. While most of us feeling the crunch of the clock wish for just a few more hours in the day, perhaps what we really need is just a little more awe in our lives. “Rather than try to change the amount of time people have, we look at how to change their perception of that time,” Melanie says. Her studies reinforce Lani’s work showing that awe requires you to be in the moment. “When you are in the experience of awe, it really sucks you in,” she explains. “You can’t wander into the past or the future. You are in the present, and you’re taking in all the sights and sounds and smells of that moment.” As your brain works to process and encode these changes in the environment and your emotions, “time feels more expansive, more full and rich.” Because you crammed so much information into this time, the perception is that time slows down. And along with that sense of having extra time comes less irritability and a greater tendency to give others the gift of your time. “[In our studies] when people looked at the diary of what they had experienced, it really did look like they had more time,” Melanie says. “They were more inclined to volunteer, which had additional benefits by giving them that ‘helper’s high.’ No matter how much money you make, the common thread between us is that everyone is pressed for time. Maybe if we find ways to alleviate the time stress, we’ll start to make better decisions for our well-being.” Incorporating awe If awe is one pathway to well-being, it is a pathway with many entry points. Researchers often use pictures or virtual reality in the laboratory setting to create a sense of awe in their subjects. For those of us who aren’t being studied, it’s much easier. It doesn’t require a trip to the Grand Canyon or to see the northern lights; you can find awe in your own home, your backyard or with friends. “You have to know what has a better chance of eliciting an awe response for you, personally,” Melanie advises. “It can be nature or music or art or even other people’s accomplishments. Think about what inspires you.” She suggests seeking out new experiences. Whether that’s visiting a park you haven’t been to before, taking an exotic trip or just getting out and meeting new people, a new experience “increases the odds that you’ll find something awe-inspiring,” Melanie says. And, when you do find it, collect it. Save pictures or videos in a computer folder to look at when you’re feeling like you need a boost; you might be surprised how much good it does you. “By the time we hit adulthood, we’re on autopilot; we kind of have to be,” Lani adds. “We store knowledge and do the same thing day after day, and that’s good, because that’s what expertise is. But it doesn’t necessarily feel great. “Practicing awe breaks us out of autopilot. And it feels nice to break out and be aware of what’s around us in the world.” Read more: 5 Awe-Inspiring Destinations Paula Felps is the Science Editor for Live Happy magazine.

science

Rock ’n’ Roll Preschool

Every week for a year, Tal-Chen Rabinowitch, Ph.D., brought children together to play and make music. This was more than your average scheduled playtime, however; the researcher was adding to a growing body of evidence that making music together can have a lasting effect on the way children interact. “I’m a musician and have always worked with kids and music,” says Tal-Chen, who conducted the study from 2009 until 2010 with 8- to 11-year-old children while at the University of Cambridge’s Centre for Music and Science. “It’s so easy to see how music bonds people together because of its communicative nature.” Tal-Chen, now a postdoctoral fellow in the Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences at the University of Washington, wanted to see if that bonding continued after the music ends. “Developing empathy is something that I am interested in,” she says, adding that creating music teaches skills that are learned more easily with another person. This includes such things as working to understand what the other person wants to accomplish, which researchers refer to as “shared intentionality.” “Making music can give you some cognitive advantages, but also it teaches social skills,” Tal-Chen says. “If you practice communication skills in music, that will carry into other areas of your life.” In sync In adults, research has found that singing together can help increase feelings of connectedness, social flow and release the neuropeptide oxytocin, which also is called the “love hormone.” Making music together affects us on multiple levels; we connect through the rhythm as we move to the same beat and we are engaged as we watch one another’s expressions and movements. But what researchers find most significant is how music involves synchrony. Synchrony plays an important role in part because it causes us to bond together through imitating or mirroring one another. That is important for children, according to Tal-Chen, because “these are the same mechanisms used to empathize. When children are practicing music together, and it’s fun and engaging and inviting, they are developing a set of skills they’ll use naturally in other areas of their lives.” That means that while they are honing musical skills, they also are learning to “read” and pick up other information from people, which is crucial in empathy. Tal-Chen says that playing and making music together could help reconnect children who are becoming increasingly disconnected in today’s digital world. “The reason [children] have less social skills today is because we don’t experience each other in a live context,” she says, noting the prevalence of texting and social media as preferred forms of communication, which eliminates the ability to take cues from someone’s expressions or vocal tones. Elements at play A 2010 study led by Sebastian Kirschner of the Department of Developmental and Comparative Psychology at Germany’s Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology found that making music together “increases subsequent spontaneous cooperative and helpful behavior” among preschool children. Inspired by that study, Sara Beck, a Ph.D. student in psychology and human development at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, is studying how music making can shape prosocial behavior among 4- and 5-year-olds. “I was doing work on kids’ singing in general, and I wanted to look at what mechanisms might be in play when children begin making music together,” Sara says. “Research has found that with children as young as 4 and 5—and in some cases just 14 months to 24 months—that engaging in the kind of synchronized movement that happens when you make music together can increase feelings of cooperation and cooperative behavior. I wanted to look at what drives that.” The 5 factors Sara says five factors influence children: rhythm, synchronization, engagement, shared goals and lyrics. Rhythm encourages them to move together, and engagement occurs because they watch each other’s faces and expressions when singing together. Making music together creates a sense that “we’re in it together,” while lyrics can help present positive messages. Sara’s research implemented traditional childhood development assessments into a musical setting to measure how they responded to helping and sharing after singing together. She found greater cooperation between children after singing, but says this is just the beginning of what we can learn about how music affects children and the way they interact. “One thing that we know happens is collective effervescence, and that results in an increase in positive feelings,” she says. Collective effervescence occurs when a group communicates the same thought or participates in the same activity. “We do know that when kids believe they are doing something together, they are more likely to help the children with whom they’ve been working. We want to find out, ‘If we have a shared goal, to what extent can music activate that feeling of helping each other?’ There are a lot of things we don’t know yet.” Listen to our podcast, Inspiring Children Through Music With Laurie Berkner Paula Felps is the Science Editor for Live Happy.

science

Advancing Global Happiness in Dubai

As business, government and academic leaders from around the world gathered to discuss rapid global changes and the challenges that accompany them, they also looked at how happiness initiatives can help us create a brighter future on a global scale. The fifth World Government Summit, held in February in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, brought together more than 4,000 attendees from around the globe to hear nearly 100 speakers discuss education, artificial intelligence, climate change, food security and other pressing topics, with happiness as an underlying theme. Happiness as Global Policy As part of the ongoing discussion of importance of happiness in government policy, this year’s summit began with a one-day event called the Global Dialogue for Happiness. More than 300 people attended the workshop to learn about implementing happiness into government policy. Her Excellency Ohood bint Khalfan Al Roumi, the UAE minister of state for happiness, said, “With so many evolving trends in technological development, from artificial intelligence to autonomous vehicles, the real question that should be asked is, ‘How will this contribute to a happier life?’” She explained that happiness has become a focal point for the UAE, where leaders embrace the idea that “the main duty of government is to ensure happiness.” To provide insight, a roster of high-profile experts from the worlds of science, government, academia and positive psychology delivered research on the role of happiness. From University of Illinois’ Edward Diener discussing “Why Should Governments Take Psychological Well-Being Seriously” and Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi of the Quality of Life Research Center at Claremont Graduate University explaining the concept of “Flow” to a session on how to design policies for happiness and well-being, the day highlighted the need to balance advancements in technology with well-being, happiness and human progress. “While economic progress and income generation are important, they certainly did not encompass the whole aspect of growth,” said Helen Clarke, former prime minister of New Zealand and administrator of the United Nations Development Programme. “There is much more in life than the interest in how much money is generated per capita.” Learning for Life Much of the summit dealt with coming changes, and Joseph Aoun, president of Northeastern University in Boston, reminded attendees that as our world changes, so should the way we learn. The challenge, he said, is for each of us to reimagine what education means and how it should be administered. “Artificial intelligence (AI) is creating a revolution. Machines are getting smarter, and there are new jobs coming. We have to get learners ready to learn for life.” Rapid changes in technology will only continue escalating, creating new jobs and eliminating old ones. For both institutions and individuals, it’s time to start looking at new ways to succeed. Instead of focusing on undergraduate and graduate degrees, Joseph said in a presentation called “The Future of Higher Education,” universities should begin learning how to integrate lifelong learning through certificate programs and on-site training. “We have to reframe how we provide learning,” he noted. “The notion of a degree that takes two years has to be rethought, because when people have jobs, they cannot afford to go back and spend two years at a university.” While robotics and AI will take away many jobs, they will also create new jobs, and that’s where learners will need to adapt to the changes, just as universities will have to rethink how they provide education. Emily Larson, director at the International Positive Education Network in London, says the rise of robotics and AI also brings the opportunity to change the way we think about and approach education at all levels. “The type of education we have now is largely a 19th-century model where students learn, study, then take exams. With AI replacing and exceeding our abilities to answer basic questions and memorize information, it will force us to reimagine the function and use of education,” she says “It could allow us to break our mental barriers of what education looks like.” Out of the Blue In his book The Blue Zones, National Geographic fellow Dan Buettner looked at regions where longevity was the norm. These so-called blue zones have little in common geographically but all defy normal age demographics. “Wherever you see a population that is producing spry 90-year-olds, no matter where they are, there are some key things that they share,” Dan said. “You’ll see that longevity is something that happened to them; it’s not something they pursue. Longevity is just a residue of their environment.” The good news is that you don’t need to move to Costa Rica or Okinawa or any of the other areas identified as blue zones to enjoy some of the benefits that have cultivated their healthy, long-living societies. Dan explained that learning some of the commonalities—and adopting them in your daily life—can help add healthy years to your life. Five Commonalities We Can Learn From the Blue Zones 1. THEY DON’T EXERCISE. This doesn’t mean they don’t move; it means they move naturally. “They walk, they have gardens, they clean their homes; they haven’t de-engineered all the activity out of their lives.” 2. THEY HAVE MEANING. “They have the same daily stresses as we do, but they have those sacred daily rituals that reverse stress. They meditate. They pray. They take naps. They go to happy hour. And they can articulate the reason for which they get up every morning.” 3. THEY HAVE STRONG FOUNDATIONS. Dan said about 50 percent of populations that live a long time have strong family ties. That means they care for aging parents, are committed to their spouse and family, and stay married. “They invest in their family.” 4. THEY BELONG TO A RELIGION. People who attend a place of worship four times a month live, on average, 14 years longer than those who don’t. “And, by the way, religious people in religious places report being happier than those who aren’t religious at all.” 5. THEY SHARE A LIKE-MINDED SOCIAL NETWORK. For better or worse, you will become more and more like the people with whom you surround yourself. “If your three best friends are obese, you are 150 percent more likely to be obese,” Dan said. And other bad habits including smoking, drinking and negativity all are contagious as well. “Who you surround yourself with makes a huge difference,” he said. What Is the Future of Happiness? As governments continue to redefine themselves in an increasingly digital world fueled by artificial intelligence and rapid innovation, they must also redefine the measure of success, said a panel of experts during a segment called “The Future of Happiness: A Mission for Government.” Moderated by CNN’s Richard Quest, the panel featured three editors of the World Happiness Report: Jeffrey Sachs, Ph.D., director of The Earth Institute at Columbia University; John Helliwell, Ph.D., emeritus professor at University of British Columbia; and Richard Layard, program director of the Centre for Economic Performance at the London School of Economics. “Happiness should be a key objective of government,” Jeffrey said. “To ensure happiness, government must first ensure that other values are upheld, such as fairness and safety in society. Governments need to understand what is important for people within their borders.” And, he added, when governments are given the choice between an objective of raising their gross domestic product or creating a happier society, “I’d rather they go for the happiness.” Richard said that some policymakers are uncomfortable talking about happiness as a role of the government, so it often must be presented in terms of “life satisfaction.” “Policymakers got used to addressing such questions as, ‘Are you satisfied with your police service?’ so we are able to ask the question, ‘Are you satisfied with your life?’ They can then let that answer guide the way they allocate their money and set their goals.” However, even as work continues at higher levels to integrate happiness into government planning and policy, individuals must do their part. “As important as it is for governments to contribute to people’s lives, people must also change the way they live their lives,” John said. “They must live in a way that generates happiness for themselves and others. “The key is by genuinely trying to make others happy, we bring more happiness into our own lives.” Read more: World Happiness Report Names Norway Happiest Country in 2017 and World Happiness Summit Merges Meditation and Motivation Paula Felps is the science editor for Live Happy magazine.

Education

Happy Schools Make Happy Children

In January, the elementary students at North Fond du Lac Schools in Wisconsin took on their most ambitious art project to date. Each of the more than 400 children, from kindergarten through fifth grade, wrote one thing they were thankful for on a strip of construction paper. Then they made paper “rings” of those expressions of gratitude before weaving them together to create one giant “gratitude chain.” Their goal? To create a colorful paper chain that could wrap around the entire school, surrounding it (both literally and figuratively) with gratitude. The project, says art teacher Alice Tzakais, was the culmination of the school’s Happiness Week, which included a variety of activities centered on expressing gratitude and happiness. “Our theme is the power of happiness,” explains Alice, who is now in her 40th year as a teacher. The school has seen firsthand how powerful happiness can be in the lives of both students and teachers. Since Aaron Sadoff became superintendent eight years ago, following three years as principal, he has worked diligently to spread the message of positive psychology throughout the school. “He has a lot of energy and a lot of ideas,” Alice says. “He’s very positive and enthusiastic, and that’s what it takes to sustain a happier culture.” When his contract came up for renewal two years ago, Aaron negotiated to have the school board send him to California to complete The Orange Frog training program. That program, based on Shawn Achor’s best-selling book The Happiness Advantage, uses a parable about an orange frog named Spark to teach new ways of achieving positive results. “I came back and taught it to my teachers, custodians, secretaries—everyone in the district,” Aaron says. “How a teacher feels affects the students, so I knew that if we can change the way the teachers feel, we can affect the culture for the students.” His teaching staff, he says, has taken the ideas and run with them. Today, Alice says, teachers know their character strengths and choose which ones they’ll develop and use in the classroom. They have developed a program to send the comic book version of The Orange Frog home with every elementary school student, along with a reading guide, to stimulate conversation. “The idea is that this is something the family is supposed to do together,” Aaron says. “So while we’re improving literacy, it’s also teaching them the science of happiness.” Learned happiness The district of North Fond du Lac is part of a growing number of schools incorporating the principles of positive psychology into education. As happiness continues to become more relevant globally, more countries are looking at ways to measure and monitor the well-being of their populations. From specific education policies to grass-roots movements, the awareness of the role happiness plays in individual success is changing how teachers, schools and even countries are approaching education. “The coolest thing is, you don’t sit around and talk about happiness. You don’t say, ‘Oh, look at me, I’m so joyous.’ It’s not like that at all,” Aaron explains. “What we’re doing is about recognizing what you’re grateful for, making social connections and focusing on the things that make us better individuals. And now there’s research that backs it all up.” In the 2015 World Happiness Report, Richard Layard, director of the Wellbeing Programme at the Centre for Economic Performance at the London School of Economics, and Ann Hagell, Ph.D., studied the well-being and mental health of children around the world, and then introduced specific recommendations for improving those conditions. They noted the important role an educational environment plays in children’s happiness and recommended that meeting the needs of children meant establishing well-being as a major objective for schools. Their blueprint for action included: Creating a well-being code that all teachers, students and parents would be held to. Emphasizing praise rather than criticism. Introducing age-appropriate courses in positive life skills at all levels of education. Training teachers to identify and promote well-being and positive mental health in students. The authors were able to show a direct correlation between children’s happiness and their intellectual growth. In 2011, a review of school-based programs providing social and emotional learning skills found that children who participated in such programs improved both their academic achievement and emotional well-being by an average of 10 percent. The final conclusion drawn in the World Happiness Report was that if schools truly treasure the well-being of their students, they must measure more than just academic achievement; they must consider the children’s happiness as well. And measuring it, according to Aaron, is what will get the attention of policymakers. “Math and test scores are important, but there’s so much more to education,” he says. “You have to look at how kids interact and you have to look at things like sports, music, art and how it affects them. It’s a process that takes a while, but all cultural change does. “The bottom line is, we now can prove, scientifically, that happiness leads to success.” Hunting positivity At the Parkmore Primary School in Australia, school principal Saraid Doherty has noticed a culture shift over the past year. It’s most noticeable at lunchtime, she says, when students regularly report their fellow students’ actions to teachers on yard duty. But rather than tattling to get their classmates in trouble, they’re reporting on the good things they’ve seen other students doing. Parkmore is one of many schools in 13 countries that have implemented the Positive Detective program. Created by Lea Waters, Ph.D., professor and holder of the Gerry Higgins Chair in Positive Psychology at the University of Melbourne, and Lela McGregor, a graduate of the Masters of Applied Positive Psychology program, the Positive Detective program teaches students to look for the good in the world around them and share it with others. “Teaching students to notice and discern where they place their attention is a skill that is fundamental to learning and well-being,” Lea says. “Many students feel that attention is outside of their own control…and susceptible to external distractions. This has become more rampant with the greater role of technology in a young person’s life.” Teaching them to focus helps them academically as they absorb more from each class, and it also allows them to recognize negative thought patterns or emotions, which makes it easier to change those thoughts. Building on experiences such as gratitude, savoring and kindness fosters students’ self-awareness about their ability to seek out good in their lives. Then, they learn how sharing those stories can help boost their positive emotions. “The program also includes activities that students take home and share with their parents, such as [writing a] gratitude letter and a positive treasure hunt at home,” Lea says. “[Principals have] received lots of feedback from parents about how the conversation at the dinner table had become more positive as a result of the program.” That viral nature of positivity is part of what helps it work so well. Schools where social emotional learning or positive psychology principles are taught report that the children take those lessons home with them and share with the entire family. Steve Leventhal, executive director of the nonprofit organization CorStone, launched the Girls First program in Bihar, India, in 2011. The program teaches personal resilience to girls in an impoverished area and has changed the way the girls approach problems. But even more importantly, that change has rippled through their families. “When you educate a girl, she takes that home with her. It changes the trajectory of the whole family,” he says. And that appears to be true regardless of whether those families are in India or Indiana. Acting globally As happiness in schools moves from an idea to a global initiative, more systems are being put into place to create effective policies and practices. At the International Positive Education Network (IPEN) festival in Dallas last year, Martin Seligman, Ph.D., director of the Penn Positive Psychology Center at the University of Pennsylvania, noted that while parents claim the thing they want most for their children is for them to “be happy,” education as a whole has ignored well-being and is aimed instead at developing skills like math, literacy, achievement and success. Yet, research shows that happiness leads to success, not vice versa. In the Asia-Pacific regions, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is calling for a fundamental shift in education systems. The Happy Schools Project, conceived by Gwang-Jo Kim, director of UNESCO Bangkok, looks at the relationship between happiness and the quality of education. It calls for schools to look beyond the traditional domains of learning and begin embracing and implementing the other elements that contribute to the wellbeing and happiness of students. UNESCO’s 2016 report, Happy Schools: A Framework for Learner Well-being in the Asia-Pacific, identifies 22 criteria for creating what it considers “Happy Schools.” The criteria fall into three broad categories of People, Process and Place, and shines a light on what is important for creating happiness and well-being in each of those areas. The report calls for decision-makers to “create more time and space for a type of learning that can enhance learner happiness and well-being, in hope of inspiring happier learners who can contribute to happier societies, and ultimately, to a happier world.” The key, it appears, is getting decision makers, both at a governmental policy level and at a school level, to buy into it. In a time when teachers and administrators are under pressure to deliver proof of excellence through test scores, the promise of happier students coupled with improved academic performance is “an easy conversation to start,” says Jillian Darwish, president of the Mayerson Academy in Cincinnati, which provides the Thriving Learning Communities program. “There’s not an educator out there who doesn’t want to help others find their greatest potential,” she says. “That’s why they came to the field. They care about others. The notion of helping them do just that really speaks to educators.” Thriving Learning Communities uses three main components. The largest, social emotional learning, teaches students relationship skills and responsible decision-making. The second guides students on how to identify and work to their character strengths. The third, a digital game element provided by partner Happify, helps teach them about positivity in a hands-on way. “This is not a program we give to teachers to give to their students,” Jillian says. “It begins with the teachers. As an educator, I’m going to find out, what are my personal strengths? How can I use those strengths to develop great teams? Once I’ve experienced that on a personal level, then I can start sharing it with my students.” By teaching educators and then students to “focus on what’s strong, not what’s wrong,” the conversation shifts. “It creates an entirely different dynamic,” Jillian explains. “This, to me, is the antidote to many of the behavioral and social problems we see in schools. If we agree to look for the best in ourselves and in each other, it absolutely changes the way we interact with each other.” Feedback from students and educators alike reinforces what Jillian has observed, and shows that these new skills are helping students both personally and academically. One sixth-grader who participated in the Thriving Learning Communities program says that at first there wasn’t much he enjoyed about school. “But with this,” he says, “you have something to look forward to. I get up in the morning, get moving fast and I get it going so I can get to school.” Fifth- and sixth-graders from the Cincinnati Public Schools offer similar stories, noting that identifying their individual strengths has helped them approach their problems differently. “My strengths are love of learning and forgiveness,” reports one student, who added that learning her character strengths helped her understand herself better and helped her get to know other people. It also gave her an understanding of what strengths she’d like to work on developing—becoming more outgoing and brave—but also reinforced her self-confidence. That, in turn, has made her a better student. “I used to have a hard time focusing on math,” she says. “Now, I have the confidence to take a test and know I can do it.” Proof positive A study published in November in the Review of Educational Research, which looked at multiple research results from the past 15 years, confirmed that a positive school environment can offset many of the negative effects of poverty. In 2016, more schools began looking at the role of culture in academic outcomes, and the U.S. Department of Education even introduced an online toolbox to help administrators measure and understand their school climate. The "Every Student Succeeds" Act, signed into law at the end of 2015, requires U.S. schools to consider non-academic factors such as school culture when evaluating overall success. And the International Positive Education Network was created three years ago to help build a global network of educators, students and representatives from governments and companies who support the idea of reforming—and transforming—the current education model. “It’s a big ship to turn around,” says Positive Detective’s Lea Waters. “But shifting the rudder by even a few degrees changes the long-haul course of that ship. I feel hopeful that now, more than any other time in education, we are seeing that change.” Read more about positive education: Does Grit Outweigh Talent When it Comes to High Achievement? 4 Ideas Shaping the Future of Education Listen to our podcasts: The Importance of Positive Education, Part 1 and Part 2. Paula Felps is the Science Editor for Live Happy magazine.

The Norwegian flag with hands in a heart-shape in front of it.

science

World Happiness Report Names Norway Happiest Country in 2017

For the first time, Norway has moved into the top spot on the World Happiness Report’s annual list of happiest countries. Denmark, which has been in the No. 1 spot for three out of the past four years, moved to No. 2. Jeffrey Sachs, Ph.D., director of the Sustainable Development Solutions Network, which publishes the report, says the change underscores research indicating happiness is based on much more than prosperity. Although rich in oil, Norway has also invested in the future of its citizens, which has made it better able to weather recent fluctuations in the oil market. “This emphasis on the future over the present is made easier by high levels of mutual trust, shared purpose, generosity and good governance,” observed John Helliwell, Ph.D., of the University of British Columbia and a co-editor of the report. “All of these are found in Norway, as well as other top countries.” The United States dropped one spot from last year, now ranking as the 14thhappiest country worldwide. Other countries in the top 10 are Iceland, Switzerland, Finland, Netherlands, Canada, New Zealand, Australia and Sweden. According to the report’s executive summary, Norway chooses to produce its oil slowly, investing the proceeds for sustainability. To do this successfully requires high levels of mutual trust, shared purpose, generosity and good governance, all factors that help to keep Norway and other top countries where they are in the happiness rankings. New findings The report, which has been published each year since 2012, using six key variables to measure the subjective well-being of countries: GDP per capita, social support, healthy life expectancy, social freedom, generosity and absence of corruption. These variables help explain the variation of happiness across countries, and show the role of positive emotions in the perception of happiness and well-being. This year, the report also explores the social foundations of happiness. That includes looking at the role of happiness in the workplace and reviewing key determinants of happiness and misery, such as mental illness. Jan-Emmanuel De Neve, Ph.D., professor at Said Business School, University of Oxford, co-authored the chapter on happiness in the workplace and said it is important to “understand the role that employment and unemployment play in shaping happiness,” since people spend a large portion of their lives working. “The research reveals that happiness differs considerably across employment status, job type and industry sectors,” he said, noting that while people who are paid well tend to be happier, there are many other factors, such as work/life balance, autonomy and variety, that also significantly influence happiness in the workplace. The World Happiness Report 2017 also includes chapters on happiness in China and in Africa. Its final chapter looks deeper into the United States’ history of happiness over the past decade. Written by Jeffrey, the chapter shows that while income and healthy life expectancy increased, Americans showed a decline in four other key social areas: less social support, a feeling of less personal freedom, a decline in donations to charity and a greater perceived corruption of business. Because of these factors, Jeffrey concludes that the falling level of happiness in America can be attributed primarily to social and not economic reasons. To download the entire report, visit www.worldhappiness.report Read previous reports from 2016 and 2015. Paula Felps is the Science Editor for Live Happy.

science

This Is Your Brain on Humor

Laugh and the world laughs with you, the adage goes. And while laughter and the happiness it brings actually can be contagious—thanks in part to mirror neurons that fire when we observe other people doing a certain action—humor brings with it a variety of surprising benefits even when we enjoy it alone. As researchers have started to look more closely at humor and its effects, they’ve discovered that genuine laughter or mirth lights up multiple areas of the brain. As a joke unfolds, the frontal lobe jumps into action to process the information. It serves as a gatekeeper of sorts and determines if we’re going to “get” the joke or not. If the frontal lobe finds something potentially funny, it lets the effects of that humor proceed, and sends out an electrical wave through the cerebral cortex. From there, the rest of our body responds with surprise, delight and laughter. The results can be anything from a mild chuckle to an all-out belly laugh. And that chuckle does more for you than you might realize. According to research by Carl Marci, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and the director of social neuroscience in the Psychotherapy Research Program at Massachusetts General Hospital, laughter and humor are, among other things, powerful agents in combating mood disorders. Laughter can trigger the brain’s emotional reward center, delivering a heaping dose of feel-good dopamine and mood-lifting serotonin. It can even increase the release of endorphins, the pain-relieving chemicals our brain releases in response to such things as exercise, food and sex. Laughter as a coping tool “Humor definitely has positive effects on us psychologically,” says Alex Borgella, a Ph.D. candidate in psychology at Tufts University, whose research is centered on how, why and when we use humor. “Laughter [is] one of the very first vocalizations made by babies at as early as 2 months. From there, we learn what to laugh at based on our experiences, attitudes and friendships.” Alex says that studies on humor and mental health show a correlation between higher sense of humor scores and attributes such as greater self-esteem, better coping skills during stressful times and a better image of self and of our place in the world. People with a more developed sense of humor may be better equipped for dealing with difficult and even life-threatening situations. “For people working in occupations where negativity or even traumatic events are frequent, such as ER doctors and nurses police and firefighters, having a sense of humor is often described as being essential for the job to prevent occupational burnout,” Alex says. Of course, in order for a joke to work, there has to be a punch line, and it’s that surprise that often triggers the brain’s response to the joke as we are given a new or different way to interpret the situation. Whether we “get” the joke, and whether or not we see it as funny, depends on many different factors. “‪Individual differences exist in the perception of humorous stimuli because of individual differences in other areas,” Alex explains. “For example, a person with preexisting negative views toward a certain social group might think jokes disparaging that group are funny, while actual members of that social group might not. Individual differences in understanding also play a role in humor differences; a computer scientist might find jokes about the complexity of programming in C++a lot funnier than I do.” Nuances of negative humor When it comes to disparagement humor—or humor that belittles an individual or social group—research indicates that even though disparagements are framed as a joke, repeated exposure to such humor can cause us to take situations such as racism or sexism less seriously. “The majority of the research on this topic describes the negative effects of telling or hearing jokes about stigmatized social groups. For example, some research has shown men exposed to sexist humor are more likely to endorse sexist beliefs, withhold donations from women’s organizations and even sometimes have higher endorsements of rape myths,” Alex says. “These effects are obviously negative, and I think the research supports we should attempt to mitigate them.” But not all negative humor has a negative effect, he adds. In fact, “some negative humor might provide us with some relief.” He points to research indicating that turning the negativity toward one’s self and using self-deprecating humor while, say, giving a speech, results in better response from an audience and greater ease. “Using self-deprecating humor to kick off your talk is high on any list [of how to give better speeches] because it makes the audience more comfortable. These effects are similar even in one-on-one situations and across many different identities,” says Alex. Regardless of whether you like your humor a bit on the dark side or prefer it sunny-side up, Alex says that knowing what it does for you—both psychologically and physically—is important. And, he believes, we are probably using it more often than we realize. “We use humor in the processes of forming and maintaining relationships, both casual and intimate. We use humor, at least in part, to decide which television shows to watch, which products to buy, and even which candidates to support,” he says. “A good knowledge of all the factors that play into why we laugh can help us understand all these issues a little better.” Listen to our podcast with comedian and positive psychologist Yakov Smirnoff! Paula Felps is the Science Editor for Live Happy.

science

Is Longevity in the Cards for You?

We’ve long been told that we have to play the hand life dealt us—but what if you could improve that hand? According to longevity researcher Dan Buettner, author of the Blue Zones series of books, you can, and he offers specific ways to stack the odds in our favor. “What’s new in the field of happiness is the ability to measure the facets that create it,” he says. “In my previous work with Blue Zones, studying some of the longest-living areas of the world, I’d say there is about an 80 percent overlap of characteristics of a place where people lived a long time and a place where people report the greatest levels of well-being.” Based on that research, Dan has found a few factors that make you happier—and help you live longer: Social interaction We are more likely to be happy if we get five to seven hours of meaningful social interaction a day. Meaningful work Doing something that you find rewarding, whether it’s at your job or through volunteering, is crucial. Green spaces Living near a park or in an area with trees has a direct link to increased happiness and greater longevity. Walking and biking options Being able to get around on foot or bicycle, rather than sitting in traffic, is better for your health and your mood. Quality food environment “Having access to healthy food and vegetables is shown to have a direct link to happiness and good health.” Neighborhood equality If you live in a neighborhood where all the homes are basically in the same price range, you’ll be happier than if you owned the least expensive house on the street (or the most expensive one). “The least expensive house reminds you of what you don’t have, and having the most expensive house puts more pressure on you.” Environment Finally, a significant factor in your happiness is location, location, location. “If you live near water, you are 10 percent more likely to be happy,” Dan says. “The same effect is seen with mountains.The overall thesis of changing your behavior is a waste of time; for both longevity and happiness, the most important thing you can do is change your environment.” How happy are you? Take our quiz to find out. Read more: Be Happy to Live Longer Read more: What DoTelomeres Tell Us? Paula Felpsis the Science Editor for Live Happy. Quiz by Plasticity Labs.

science

We’re Better Together

Michelle Gielan: Shawn, what led you to write your new book, Big Potential? Shawn Achor: Since writing The Happiness Advantage, I had a huge discovery. I became a father as you know [Note: Shawn and Michelle are married happiness researchers], and this has changed so much of my thinking about what creates happiness and meaning. For the past 10 years, I have been sharing positive psychology research on happiness around the world, and yet during that time depression rates and suicide rates have doubled among almost every age group—including for 8-year-olds! We seem to be going in the wrong direction. What is going on that has caused such a dramatic shift, and how do we stop it so our son doesn’t have to live in that world? I believe that there is one main reason why we are seeing elevated rates of anxiety in our schools and unhappiness in the world—a crucial mistake that every major religious tradition and ancient philosopher warned us against. We have been trying to pursue happiness and success by ourselves, in isolation and in competition. We have been told that success is a zero-sum game, and if someone else gets happier you will feel worse in comparison. We’ve also been told that happiness is a private, personal choice, and that you can’t change other people. This leads us to feel disconnected at work, hypercompare on social media and never feel like we are enough. This is what I call “small potential”—believing we have to do all this alone. We have been taught to strip others out of our formula for success and happiness. When you choose to be more grateful and positive, that makes other people around you more grateful and positive as well. This creates a virtuous cycle. I felt like something needed to be done to help people realize that scientifically, the only way to achieve our “big potential” is to transform the pursuit of happiness and success from a solitary one to an interconnected one. Michelle: What is one of the most eye-opening studies from the new book? Shawn: I have lots of new research in the book, but my favorite is not mine. It comes from researchers from the University of Virginia, who originally found that if you look at a hill you need to climb, and you are in a negative state of mind, that hill can look 30 percent steeper than it actually is (cited in Before Happiness). But in the follow-up study, they found something even more amazing: If you judge a hill you need to climb while standing by yourself, your brain perceives that hill as being 20 percent steeper than if you were standing next to a friend who is not even looking in the direction of the hill. Our very perception of reality is transformed by the presence of others. Michelle: Does Big Potential include practical, hands-on advice like your previous books? Shawn: I believe research is useless unless it is lived. Based on more than 40 research studies, we now know that there is a clear path to achieving more success in life while finding more meaning and happiness. Once you’ve made the mindset change that you must pursue happiness and success with others, the book outlines five steps—“SEEDS”—that lead to big potential. They are: - Surround yourself with positive outliers. This allows you to create a star system instead of trying to be a superstar alone. - Extend power to others. This allows you to take the burden of change off your shoulders and let others shine while you focus on your strengths. - Enhance others using prism praise. Instead of trying to raise others up using comparison praise (you’re so much smarter than the other kids), focus on praise that builds up the individual and the supporters that got them there. - Defend the gains. In a hyperconnected world, we need to build up our emotional immune system so that we are not overwhelmed by people seeking small potential. - Sustain the momentum. This chapter is filled with practical ways in which you can help create collective momentum so that it is easier to maintain growth. Michelle: What is your favorite story from the new book? Shawn: It’s actually two stories together, both about flashing. I start the book with a biologist who discovered millions of lightning bugs all lighting up at the exact same time in Indonesia. Biologists and mathematicians didn’t believe him because how could they possibly do it without a leader, and why would they shine together? But it turns out when a lightning bug ashes alone, they have a 3 percent chance of finding a mate that night. When they flash together, the success rate is 82 percent. It seems we shine brighter together. I pair that with a story at Harvard where as a tradition the students take off their clothes and run through Harvard Yard naked at midnight before exams, flashing all the onlookers. I attempted the run in the buff, but was too shy to go with the group. As soon as I walked out of my room into the snow, naked and barefoot, I realized that letting the group go two minutes ahead of me was a mistake. It meant that everyone would see me alone; in a group, you can’t tell anyone apart on a snowy night. I immediately regretted it, but when I turned to go back inside I realized I had locked myself out of my dorm. To me, that is a perfect metaphor for trying to pursue success alone and in isolation. We are less successful and much more exposed. We are better together. SHAWN ACHOR and MICHELLE GIELAN bring positive psychology to organizations all over the world to fuel happiness and success. Shawn is The New York Times best-selling author of The Happiness Advantage and Before Happiness. His TED Talk has over 5 million views and millions have seen his PBS program. Michelle is the founder of the Institute for Applied Positive Research and formerly served as a national news anchor for CBS News. She holds a master’s degree in applied positive psychology from the University of Pennsylvania and recently published the book Broadcasting Happiness. Visit them at shawnachor.com and michellegielan.com.

Positive Psychology

Which Kind of Goal Setter Are You?

I love that the beginning of the year is a special time to focus on self-improvement. I hate that it often provides an even bigger chance to miserably fail and feel bad about myself for months to come. As a positive psychology researcher, I want to crack the code of successful resolutions. My husband, Shawn, and I decided to conduct a goal-setting experiment, using only ourselves as subjects. We would employ two very different approaches toward achieving our goals, and at the end, compare data. The results have forever changed how I set and achieve goals and improved my self-image in the process. I’m hopeful our experience will help you better understand which approach will work best for your brain and give you the highest chance of goal-setting success. Experiment design The experiment would take three months, and we did it over the summer when the pace of life felt slower. Shawn would follow the science. I would try something completely crazy. We’d each document our results and compare final notes after Labor Day. The control group: Shawn Shawn followed the science to a T, and he was a lovable nerd through this process. Based on the research, he developed this formula: (Specific + Tracked) x Varied = Success Specific—Research shows that while it is good to have big goals, it is best to break them down into small, specific goals. That gives the brain more opportunities for “wins” as we achieve those milestones, which can act as fuel for the future. One of Shawn’s goals was to meditate more; he added a 30-minute session each week on Sundays. Each time he sat down to meditate on a Sunday, his happiness over that win fueled his meditation practice the following week. Tracked—Here is where Shawn’s true scientist came out. He developed a detailed spreadsheet that listed all his goals and tracked percentage progress to the finish line. He even made a bar graph. He applied the research he featured in his book Before Happiness that shows that when the brain sees it is 70 percent or more toward the finish line, it actually speeds up progress. That’s why exhausted marathoners sprint for the finish line. One of his goals was to play tennis four times with a friend he rarely sees. After just six weeks, he was excited to see that he was 75 percent of the way to his goal. Varied—Shawn came up with a range of goals. He wanted to swim a certain number of laps nonstop by the end of the summer, read a certain number of new books for fun (no research books!) and go on three dates with me. I’m so happy for diversification! And no work goals this time because work was busy enough. This followed the research that shows that by varying the areas of your life in which you have goals, accomplishments in one area can help motivate you in others. The experimental group: Michelle I called my approach to the experiment “The Summer of NO Goals.” Yep, you read it right! First, the back story: I put a lot of pressure on myself to achieve. A. Lot. What this means is that I always have goals. I get swept up in the excitement of “how great it would be” to do this or that. I go for a run and instantly think, “I should run every morning. How great that would be for my body. I am going to run two miles every morning from now on.” I do it for three days. And then I am on to the next great idea. The worst part is that I have often felt bad about constantly not following through. And then we had our son Leo, who is now 2 1/2, and I have even less time to do anything. But that has been a blessing in disguise, as you’ll see from my formula. Mindful + Tracked + Play = Joy Mindful—Just simply deciding I was not going to set goals for myself during the summer didn’t mean my brain didn’t try to do it anyway. I had formed a habit of it. So I needed to cultivate mindfulness to consciously observe my thought patterns. When I did go for an occasional run, I didn’t let my thinking rob me of the joy of that run by plotting and planning the next 365 runs. I just tried to stay in the moment. I watched my breath go in and out as I jogged. I looked at the trees. Most times I practiced this simple mindfulness technique and felt refreshed, and that feeling made me want to run more. At the end of the summer, I had run 22 percent more than the previous three months. Tracked—Since I had no tangible goals to track, I decided to track progress in all areas of my life. I kept a list of small work projects I accomplished, how many times I went swimming, the number of times I played with Leo in the sandbox, etc. This tracking started to show me two things. First, I do a lot of awesome things during the course of an average day or week so there is no need to feel bad about myself. Second, I started to see how much I do of each kind of activity and which ones bring me the most joy. By consciously moving time from something that is not as fun like answering emails to something that is fun like playing in the sandbox with Leo, that 20-minute swing in the middle of the day energized me for the rest of it. Play—This one was simple. Every time Leo asked me to play, I tried to say “YES!” There are a lot of things that can wait, from doing the dishes to those pesky emails. I want to savor this time with him now while he is young, even if it means having a slightly messy house for a time. Play is memorable. Dishes are not. Results Shawn accomplished 96 percent of his goals for the summer and felt great about it. During my summer of no goals, I was blown away by my long list of accomplishments. I also had shifted approximately 9 percent of my time away from draining activities toward energizing ones. Small shift, great rewards And after the experiment concluded, I was recharged and ready to set goals again. Personal growth starts with each of us understanding what we need right now to inspire and propel us. That’s when applying the science helps. This year, Shawn’s formula might work perfectly for you, or you might need a mindful recharge like I needed. Or maybe it’s time to be your own scientist and come up with a new formula. What’s your approach to goal setting in the new year? Is there one goal you’d like to share? Join the discussion with me on Facebook at facebook.com/MichelleGielan. Read more: Let Technology Revolutionize Your New Year's Resolutions SHAWN ACHOR is best-selling author of the The Happiness Advantage and Before Happiness. Shawn’s TED Talk is one of the most popular ever, with over 5 million views, and his PBS program has been seen by millions. Learn more about Shawn at Goodthinkinc.com. MICHELLE GIELAN is an expert on the science of positive communication and how to use it to fuel success and the author of Broadcasting Happiness. Formerly a national news anchor for CBS News, Michelle holds a masters of applied positive psychology from the University of Pennsylvania. Learn more at Goodthinkinc.com.

science

What Can Telomeres Tell Us?

For years, scientists have known that telomeres—the caps at the end of each strand of DNA—protect our chromosomes and affect how quickly and how well our cells age. As telomeres wear away, it affects our aging process, which explains why some people seem to age faster than others. Telomeres shorten as we age, but things like smoking, lack of exercise, a poor diet and stress also can shorten them. The good news is, just as certain habits can wear away at our telomeres and expedite the aging process, there are things we can do to lengthen them. And the even better news is that many of these practices will bring more happiness just by making them part of your life. Change Your DNA “The little things we do each day can add up to have big effects on telomeres,” explains Elissa Epel, Ph.D., who co-authored the book The Telomere Effect with Elizabeth Blackburn, Ph.D., winner of the 2009 Nobel Prize for her groundbreaking discoveries on telomeres’ role in aging. Elissa says that an increasing amount of attention is being given to how habits like gratitude, meditation and happiness can influence telomere length. “We are talking about small habits during our life that really add up to healthy cell stability later in life, when we are typically so vulnerable to diseases of aging,” Elissa says. “People with longer telomeres are 20 percent less likely to develop heart disease.” While she advocates a healthy diet with lots of vegetables, Elissa’s prescription for longevity also differs from the traditional “eat right and exercise” approach. Much of living longer and happier is about changing our response to stress and minimizing negative thoughts. “Mindset and mental health are some of the most important parts of healthy aging,” she says. “We can’t forget the daily work of good, healthy habits…but fewer people realize that where we put our attention is also critically important.” Minimize Stress and Work on Well-Being Focusing on positive things, regardless of the situation, and finding ways to fully engage with life has a proven association with longer telomeres. Practices like meditation, tai chi and qi gong can reduce stress and increase the production of telomerase, an enzyme that replenishestelomeres. “When we can’t change stressful situations, we have to live with them more gracefully,” she says. “It’s hard to totally escape wear and tear. But there are different ways one can live with a difficult situation.” She recommends focusing our attention on positive things—even when there’s a lot of negative things happening—and to engage with our lives in real time. “Stress and aging are, in a sense, close friends. Chronic psychological stress can speed up aging in many ways, including by increasing inflammation in our blood slowly over time, and shortening our telomeres.” Adopting healthy physical and mental practices, however, can offset some of those effects. “They…are stress-buffering and essential,” Elissa says. “They are not just ‘good’ for you, they are critical for your survival and health span.” Read more: Be Happy to Live Longer Listen to our podcast: Tips for a Long and Healthy Life With Merlin Thomas Paula Felps is the Science Editor for Live Happy.

Embracing Awe

Rock ’n’ Roll Preschool

Advancing Global Happiness in Dubai

Happy Schools Make Happy Children

World Happiness Report Names Norway Happiest Country in 2017

This Is Your Brain on Humor

Is Longevity in the Cards for You?

We’re Better Together

Which Kind of Goal Setter Are You?

What Can Telomeres Tell Us?

Store

Articles

Quick Links