Teaching Happiness Power Point

8/8/2019 Teaching Happiness Power Point

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National Drivers

Every Child Matters (2004)

National Service Framework for Mental Health(2004)

Common Assessment Framework (2004)

National Healthy Schools Status (2005)

Ofsted Framework (2005) Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning

(2005-2007).


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Positive

Psychology

Positive psychology is the new science of optimal human functioning: what

makes people happier, more productive and more successful.

It focuses on what works by studying human success rather than humanweakness or failure.

It was launched as a new discipline in 1998 by Martin Seligman, the then

president of the American Psychological Association.

It qualifies as a science because positive psychologists form hypothesesand then test them with controlled experiments and longitudinal studies.

Positive psychology focuses on individuals, groups and communities.


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Three Levels of Happiness

1. Level one: The most immediate and direct state of happiness involves anemotion or feeling like joy or pleasure. The feeling comes about because adesired state is attained; there is not much cognition involved beyond therecognition that the desired thing has happened. Such feelings are

transient.2. Level two: When people say they are happy with their lives they usually

dont mean that they are experiencing pleasure in their lives all the time.Rather, they mean that on reflection on the balance sheet of pleasures andpains, the balance is reasonably positive over the longterm. Level twohappiness is not so much concerned with pleasure and feelings as

judgements about the balance of feelings and can be summed up by termssuch as contentment and life satisfaction.

3. Level three: This state cannot be easily measured as it involves a broadersense of happiness and perhaps can be summed up by Aristotles ideal ofthe good life termed eudaimonia which refers to a life in which the personflourishes and fulfils their true potential.

(Nettle, 2005)


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The Chemistry of Happiness

According to neuroscience every feeling we have is a neuro-chemical

event.

Danger, stress and anxiety trigger the release of adrenalin and cortisol.

These narrow your focus, sharpen your thinking and temporarily increase

your strength to enable you to run away fast.

Dopamine is the motivation chemical. Its release into the bloodstream is

energising, increases our ability to focus and motivates us to take action.

Serotonin is the feel good chemical and is calming and rewarding.


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The Chemistry of Happiness (cont)

Endorphins are the bodys natural opiates. They control pain andcreate pleasure. They are released every time you laugh, relax andexercise.

They also create more bonding in the brain so they can make youmore intelligent. So when you choose to be happy you alsobecome more intelligent.

Happiness (and unhappiness) can be enhanced by our

own actions.

Interventions can be effective at any stage of the life course but thegreatest benefits occur in the childhood.


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Broaden-and-

Build

Theory

Barbara Fredericksons (2001) Broaden-and-Build theory of

positive emotions suggests that positive emotions,

enjoyment, happiness, joy, broaden ones awareness and

encourage novel, varied and exploratory thoughts andactions. Over time, this broadened behavioural repertoire

builds skills and resources.

For example, pleasant interactions with a stranger become

a supportive friendship.


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What Makes Us Happy?Scientists suggest that, broadly speaking, the following

factors are associated with high levels of happiness or

satisfaction:

positive relationships with family and friends

rewarding work

sufficient money

physical activity

sound sleep

good diet

engaging leisure

religious or spiritual practices.

Wealth, fame, appearance and possessions are not

included in this list.


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50%

10%

40%

SetP

oint of HappinessA study by Lyubmirsky (2007) has demonstrated that our level of

happiness is made up of three main components:

1. set point 50%

2. circumstances 10%

3. intentional behaviours 40%.

set point

intentional

behaviours


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Building Happiness

Increase positive emotions.

Reduce the impact of negative emotions.

Change the subject

(thinking about others rather than ourselves).

(Nettle, 2005)


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The Happiness

Programme

The aim of the programme is to teach children and young

people how to be happier:

by increasing positive feelings and learning how to feel

more comfortable with the bad ones

by learning that feeling good when things are bad is one

of the fastest ways to make circumstances improve

by making small changes in the way they think and act,

and learning that these small changes can make a huge

difference to their happiness.


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MindfulnessStopping the gossip in your head involves taking a few

moments to become calm and concentrate on ones

breathing. Practiced on a regular basis mindfulness can:

improve attention skills

increase resistance to disease

build a stronger capacity to deal with the stress and

difficulties of life.


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Appreciative Inquiry A key approach to change in positive psychology is

appreciative inquiry, originally developed by Professor

Cooperryder (2001). Appreciative inquiry is an approach to

change that involves thinking about what is working well in avariety of situations and also appreciating the value of

something that has worked.

In the programme this process is referred to as What Works

Well: WWW

Every positive thought creates a channel in the brain. Lotsof positive thoughts create deeper, stronger channels that

make subsequent positive thoughts easier.


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Wishing Others Well: WOWOne of the core principles of positive psychology is that other

people matter.

Relationships are central to most people. One of the strongest

findings in the happiness literature is that happy people havecloser relationships than less happy people and spend less time

alone.

Family and friends make people happy and happy people are more

likely to make friends.

The concept of an emotional bank account (Covey, 1989)

emphasises the idea that relationships are something that weinvest in. We can make deposits (things we do to build

relationships) and withdrawals (things we do that may harm

relationships).


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Appreciate theP

ositiveIncluded in Peterson and Seligmans (2004) Classification ofCharacter Strengths and Virtues is the strength ofappreciation of beauty and excellence.

Being able to recognise, be present and appreciate positiveexperiences is something that some of us are just better at.This, however, does not preclude the fact that those of uswho dont naturally know how to appreciate the good thingsin our lives, cant learn to.

Savouring involves consciously engaging in thoughts orbehaviours that increase the positive events or positivefeelings. We can savour a positive event before ithappens by being excited and looking forward to it andwe can savour the same event after it has happened byremembering it.


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Appreciate the Positive (cont)

Pleasant activity training helps individuals to avoid the

drawback of always thinking about tomorrow and the

tyranny of wanting. It involves writing down the things

that we enjoy doing and making a commitment to dothem more often.

Active gratitude: a felt sense of wonder, thankfulness

and appreciation for life. This involves a focus on the

things an individual has rather than what they do nothave. The process of counting your blessings on a

regular basis somehow has the capacity to make them

multiply.


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FlowFlow is a term coined by the Russian psychologist Dr MihalyCsikszentmihalyi (pronounced cheeks sent me high) thatrefers to a state of optimal experience and involvement in anactivity during which we are performing at our best.

During flow individuals are completely involved in what theyare doing; our skill level matches the challenges of the task,we are compelled to persist at what we are doing until weget it right and we lose track of time.

Flow provides an important pathway to happiness.


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Growth and Fixed Mindset

Neuroscientists have discovered the neuro-plasticity of the brain:its capacity to grow and develop into old age. Carol Dweck (2006)has introduced the concept of cognitive fitness the ability toimprove our brain and intelligence though developing a growth

mindset. A fixed mindset is based on the concept that our intelligence

and ability is set in stone.

A growth mindset means that it is worth having a go andpersisting at challenges.

Emerging research indicates the positive link between physicalactivity, brain health, cognition and memory. Thus we can improveour cognitive fitness by healthy eating, regular exercise and sleep,and by experiencing positive emotions.


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Signature StrengthsSeligman (2003) identified twenty four signature (higher)

strengths which are associated with moral traits such as

integrity, valour and kindness. Building strengths and virtue

is not about learning and training but about discovery,creation and ownership. Seligman writes that, positive

emotion leads to exploration which leads to mastery and

mastery leads not only to more positive emotion but also to

an individuals signature strengths.

Being able to put a name to what one does well is intriguingand empowering.


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Goal

Power

Goals are an important part of the growth mindset and arean important way of using and building on signaturestrengths.

A goal enables us to experience a sense of being whiledoing.

(Ben Tal-Shahar, 2007).

Csikszentmihalyi (1990) explains that having meaningfulgoals and a clear sense of purpose is essential to attainingflow and creating a better future.


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Restructuring OnesT

hinkingThere are four key skills involved in restructuring ones thinking.

1. The first step involves recognising the negative thoughts that flit

through ones mind when one is feeling low. Seligman observes

that these thoughts can be pervasive and undermine ones mood.2. The second skill involves evaluating these thoughts. This means

recognising that the things you say to yourself may not be true.

3. The third skill is generating more accurate explanations.

4. The fourth skill is decatastrophising or stopping yourself planning

for the worst because doing this can be a drain on your energy

and ruin your mood.

(Seligman, 2003)


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A -B

- CLearned optimism is about thinking accurately about

challenges or adversities in a realistic and non-negative way.

A stands for Adversity.

B forBelief.

C for Consequence.

Albert Ellis (1962)


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Think

Good: Feel

Good

Optimism, flow and happy memories are essential to

happiness.

(Seligman, 2003)

Emotional memories depend on how an experience

concludes.

(Frederickson, 2001)

Teaching Happiness Power Point

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