happiness for the happy(or almost happy)

lessons from hardwiring happiness by rick hanson

how to exploit the power of self-directed plasticity in the brain.

hardwiring happiness tells us

our brains are wired for the negative.

we can rewire our brains for the positive.

the brain has specialized memory systems for negative experiences

rule #1 in the wild: eat lunch today, don’t be lunch!

the brain needs 10 - 30 seconds to transfer positive experience in long term storage.

or the positive experiences will flow through and forgotten.

let belet go let in

let be: develop the awareness to notice negative feelings. notice and acknowledge the negative feelings in your body. let go: accept the negative feelings. let in: create positive experiences and let them in.

let be

identify your negative feelings.notice where they are in your body, heart, mind.acknowledge and accept the feeling without trying to change it.

how to let in positivity

(and rewire your brain).

identify your emotional antidote

focus on what you want, not on what you did not or do not want.

what is your heart’s longing?what would have made all the difference in the world for you?

experience the positive

Give yourself positive experiences.Imagine positive experiences (redo the past, visualize the future).Ask your sense of a higher power, mother nature or the divine for positive experiences.

the law of little things

positive experiences can come in everyday little things.

your toast in the

morning

the perfect cup of coffee

a smile

a hug

a song you love

the bus came, your car started

the cloudsthe sun

little things add up

each day, experience the positive as frequently as you can remember to.

linger on the tiny positive moments

soak in the positive

take at least 10 seconds to really let the positive experience soak in.notice how you feel.appreciate how you feel.

hardwiring happiness

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ave a positive experience. h

enrich your positive experience

don’t let the moment slip bynotice your positive experience

absorb your positive experience

let the positive feelings really soak in.

link your positive experience to a negative one

bring your mind to a negative experiencelike a light switchfor a momentthen bring your mind back to the positive experience.

by linking your positive experiences to a negative ones, you sooth and eventually replace them.

don’t get stuck in the negative memory. it’s just a blink.let go.then bring your mind back to absorbing the positive experience.

recognize that you are fundamentally a

good person.

your approach

your capabilities

your attitude

your executive functions

your virtues

your positive

emotions

known your positive strengths

your approach curiosity, open-

mindedness, exploration

your capabilities mindfulness,

emotional intelligence, resilience

your attitude optimism, openness, confidence

your executive functions

big-picture viewpoint,

thoughtfulness

your virtues patience, energy,

generosity, restraint, kindness

your positive emotions

gratitude, self-compassion,

love, joy

develop your positive strengths

you feel less anxiety and depression.

you are more able to manage emotions.

your feel more joy, contentment, and other positive feelings.

your feel and receive more love and compassion.

you feel more gratitude.

you have more self-compassion.

you find you are savoring the good for a longer time.

you experience greater overall happiness.

how will you know you are happier?

thanks to hardwiring happiness by rick hanson.

you count

your happiness counts

happycounts.org

linking happiness and a new economic paradigm