Increase Your Happiness Quotient

On a scale of 1 to 10, what’s your current level of happiness?

Are you waiting for something external to change so you can be happier? Or are you carrying happiness around with you?

I’m a carrier. Yhappinessou might attribute it to my outgoing, positive personality which some people suspect must be false cheer. (It’s not.)

I’m happy to report that groundbreaking research in the field of positive psychology and neuroscience proves that true happiness can become a habit, and can be cultivated by anyone who wants it.

Most people have it backwards. They’ve bought into the belief that if you work hard and do things right, you’ll eventually become successful. THEN you’ll be happy. That’s a myth.

The reality is that happiness is a determining factor for success, not just a result. Happiness and optimism accelerate performance and give the happy person a competitive advantage.

Happiness is experiential and subjective, but Barbara Fredrickson, a researcher at the University of North Carolina, describes the 10 most common positive emotions that contribute to happiness.  The list includes joy, gratitude, serenity, interest, hope, pride, amusement, inspiration, awe and love.

These positive emotions flood our brains with dopamine and serotonin. The chemical bath literally boosts the learning centers of our brains, enabling us to sustain more neural connections. As a result, we can think more quickly and creatively. Increased problem-solving ability and improved memory retention are additional benefits.

Are you as happy as you CAN be? The best is yet to come….


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