If someone told you there are people studying the science of happiness, you might be a little skeptical. How can someone possibly measure such an intangible concept?
However, the opening session Main Stage speaker, Shawn Achor, author of “The Happiness Advantage,” made this practice his profession. He shared multiple insights from his studies with attendees of ELEVATE, presented by NALP and powered by Cat, on Nov. 4, 2024.
Through neuroimaging, it has been discovered that humans can process roughly 11 million bits of information, but the conscious mind can only handle around 40-50 bits per second. Achor says this is like being able to only see a few snowflakes in an absolute blizzard.
Because the brain can only process so much information, it sees the world in specific patterns. He says that if you train your brain to only look for mistakes and errors, failing to compartmentalize this skill will make you view the world through only this lens.
One of the common patterns the brain looks for is threats. Achor says training the brain to look for things beyond threats is hard.
Opting for Optimism
Achor also highlighted how the brain can cause us to mirror the behavior of others around us.
“Negativity, stress, uncertainty, and anxiety can be picked up like second-hand smoke,” Achor says.
He says that even if genetically you are predisposed to be optimistic, surrounding yourself with sources of negativity can cause you to pick up stress yourself. The good news is that you can build up a tolerance to these outside factors.
“We have a mental immune system that we can build up to block that negative contagion,” Achor says.
You can fight negativity by choosing to be optimistic. Achor says optimism doesn’t mean you have to sugarcoat a situation. He argues that the true difference between optimists and pessimists is how they view a problem. Both are aware of the issue, but pessimists believe the problem is pervasive and won’t change.
“Rational optimism is not rose-colored glasses,” Achor says. “It’s the belief that something can change when paired with the right people.”
Happiness and Success
Another aspect of research that Achor explored was the connection between happiness and success. While most people assume that if they become more successful, they will be happier, Achor says that happiness should actually be a precursor to success.
“If happiness is on the opposite side of success, and we know that is a moving target, we’ll never get there,” Achor says.
He also notes that the definition of happiness isn’t pleasure; it is the joy you feel as you move toward your full potential. Achor says every single measurable outcome improves when we’re positive first.
“The greatest advantage in a tough economy is a positive brain,” Achor says.
Changing Our Lens
Some may argue that a person’s genes and environment determine their ability to be happy. Achor says this is learned helplessness. For example, genetically humans teeth are supposed to rot out by age 15 in a high-sugar environment but brushing your teeth is able to prevent this.
Likewise, Achor provided two simple routines to help break the cycle of negative thinking and replace them with positive ones.
One is to train your brain to scan for three new things you’re grateful for every day for 22 days. He suggests taking 45 seconds while you brush your teeth. The challenge is to always find something new to be grateful for. Over time, your brain will create a shortcut where it will actively scan for new things to be grateful for every day.
The other routine Achor suggests is to take the time to send a two-minute text to someone in your life thanking them for who they are. Typically, by day eight, people have to stop and scan for others in their life they are less close with to seek out and thank. He says this will help strengthen your connections to others and he says the secret to happiness are other people.
He says to develop a more optimistic view, we need to not look for moments of pleasure but build a routine of seeking out the positives.
“We are not conformed to the patterns of the world, but we’re transformed by the renewing of our minds,” Achor says.
