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Dr. Mark D. Holder University of British Columbia
CATCH: Community Action Toward Children’s Health
11-February-2014
The Science of Happiness in Children
Medical Model
Psychology, Medicine, Psychiatry, and Neuroscience have traditionally focused on what’s wrong with you and how do we fix it.
Alice in Wonderland Syndrome
Research Bias
- Search for “Depression”
- 334,581 references
- Search for “Happiness”
- 23,571 references 7%- Academic Articles
Last 15 months only
7% → 6%
Positive Psychology
After a century of studying human weaknesses and
dysfunction, positive psychology is about the habits and motivations
that underlie human flourishing
Happy People
- Exercise- Have relationships- Enjoy nature- Help others- Have hobbies- Express gratitude- Are spiritual
Isn’t this all just common sense?
1)Very Cheerful Children2)Imaginary Friends3)Rewards4)Math Scores and Happiness at
School5)Parent’s Marital Status
The Faces Scale
“Overall, how do you usually feel?”
Very Unhappy Very Happy
very happy
52 3 41 6 7
52 3 41 6 7
52 3 41 6 7
0
20
40
60
80
Unhappy (1-3) Very happy (6-7)
Canada
India
Measure Canada Zambia
UN Human Development Index 6th 164th
Life expectancy 80.7 yrs 42.4 yrs
GDP per capita $50,496 $1,414
Adult literacy rate 99% 80.6%
HIV/AIDS prevalence (15-49 yrs) 0.30 % 15.20%
52 3 41 6 7
52 3 41 6 7
0
20
40
60
80
Unhappy (1-3) Very happy (6-7)
Canada
Zambia
Happiness & Having Children
Non Parents Parents Parents Living with a Minor
Daily Activities and Happiness
Choices and Happiness
More choices = better results (more customized) More choices = more freedomSuccess:
285 varieties of cookies, 75 iced teas, and175 salad dressings6.5 million stereo combinations
More Choices = Less Happiness
Increased choice can lead to:1)Paralysis2)Easier to imagine better choices3)Increased expectation4)Self blame
More Choices = Less Happiness
Buying jam: 6 vs 20 choices
Children’s coloring: 3 crayons vs 24 crayons
• Maximizers vs Satisficers• Channel surfing• Hotel choices
• Maximizers make better decisions – Get better deals on hotels– Get higher paying jobs
Maximizers vs Satisficers
• But maximizers are less happy with their choices
• Online Dating
• Good news is that this can be changed
Choose Optimism
Optimism is positively correlated with:1) Self esteem2) Health3) Happiness4) High morale
And negatively correlated with: 1) Depression2) Anxiety3) Loneliness4) Stress
Pessimism is linked with:
1) Increased risk of accidental death2) Increased risk of violent death
Hope and Academics
• Hope at start of semester predicts:–Anticipated grade–Actual grade
• But hope is not correlated with IQ
Cultivate Optimism
• Write about your ideal/best future self (2 times in one week for 20 minutes using multiple domains)
The Downside of Optimism
- With too much optimism, you may not take smart and cautionary steps
Choose to Laugh
Choose to Smile
Debbie-Downers of laughing
• Plato thought laughter was ugly and could lead to undermining authority and lead people to overthrow the state
Debbie-Downers of laughing• Lord Chesterfield advised his son to be like him and never laugh in
public
George Vasey (1875) wrote “The philosophy of laughter and smiling”. He concluded that smiling should replace all laughter. Laughter was unnatural and drove its adherence to violent acts to promote more laughter. It distorts the face and leads to children’s death.Victorian fear of laughter perhaps contributed to the evil laugh
Babies begin laughing at 2-4 months of age This seems true globally Not the result of parents’ influence•Blind babies and deaf babies laugh at same age
Smiling
Signs of smiling start at 26-30 weeks of gestation
How often do we smile?
• 30% of people smile more than 20 times daily• 14% smile fewer than 5 times daily• Children smile 400 times per day
Smiling predicts...
• Social relationships and life satisfaction 3.5 years later (Facebook)
Preventing Smiling
• Judging the smiles of others• Botox and brain activity
Understanding and Showing Emotions is Important
Laughter across species• Laughter is seen in chimps (and perhaps rats and
gorillas)• If play recordings of dogs “laughing” to other
stressed dogs they calm down
Health Benefits of Laughter
• Laughter opens and dilates blood vessels (increases circulation and oxygenation of blood)
• Decreases blood pressure and muscle tension• Decreases arrhythmia in cardiac rehab• Decreases bronchial responsiveness in asthmatics• Increased levels of melatonin in breast milk
Give yourself permission to laugh
Bhutan
• In Bhutan, happiness (they define it more like peaceful serenity) is the most important driver of government policy
A Big Thanks
Dr Ben Coleman – Okanagan College
Graduate Students:Judi WallaceAndrea KlassenRob CallawayAshley LoveMaxine Crawford
Undergraduate Students:Tabatha FreimuthZoë SehnTim Krupa and Gene Krupa
Funding:Michael Smith Foundation for Health ResearchOgopogo Rotary ClubUBC Okanagan Internal Grants & Travel GrantsJoan Rundle (private donation)BrainTrust CanadaMitacsOkanagan Sustainability Institute