*newly posted* 1April 13 (not a joke!) Review of 3 books about happiness
http://www.salon.com/2013/03/31/the_myths_of_happiness_partner/
13Mar13 "A Serving of Gratitude Brings Health Dividends"
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/22/science/a-serving-of-gratitude-brings-healthy-dividends.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha210
13Mar13 Questions to develop success
http://www.inc.com/geoffrey-james/10-questions-that-create-success.html?utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitterfeed
13Mar13 The Neuroscience of Happiness
http://www.salon.com/2012/01/28/the_neuroscience_of_happiness/singleton/?mobile.html
NYTimes: Secret Ingredient for Success
Self-examination is the key to noodle-making and other accomplishments. http://nyti.ms/VPsPyq
Taking Email Vacations Can Reduce Stress
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/05/04/taking-e-mail-vacations-can-reduce-stress-study-says/?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=edit_th_20120505
Article:
ReplyDeleteI found the article interesting and valuable. I agree that an important key to success is to recognize that it is internal and that anything is possible. For example, though his restaurant was floundering despite its superiority compared to vastly more successful places, David Chang did not blame others but rather introspectively tried to determine what it was that HE needed to change. He knew that success was within reach; all he had to do was reevaluate some aspects of his business.
I think that this is something that everyone can apply. A person does poorly on a test: He or she could blame it on the professor but this does not solve the problem. Instead, that individual could develop a new strategy for studying which might prove more effective. I think that everyone can gain something from this article.
Opinion on Happiness:
One comment about happiness that I would like to make is that I think it is very transient: the effects of something that elates us wear off rapidly and we often quickly return to the normal state of experiences. A study (one of the coolest, in my opinion) was done in the Chicago area to assess the levels of happiness of normal people, recent lottery winners, and those who were recently paralyzed in some kind of accident. Over the time period of the study, while their temporary level of happiness plumetted, the paralyzed participants soon returned to the normal level of happiness as they adapted to what happened to them. Interestingly, the lottery ticket winners, while they in the short term quickly became extremely happy due to the influx of wealth, after the duration of time, declined BELOW the normal level of happiness. This really surprised me and markedly shows how adaptive the mind is to new situations.
The Neuroscience of Happiness-Edelman expains about his book to a reporter. He says that the human brain needs a break sometimes, but who didn't know that? He says that we are so caught up in the moment that when we do stop to take a break, we don't know what to do with ourselves. He doesn't specifically explain what makes people happy,but he does say that being adventerous and challenging ourselves, without frustrating ourselves, will make us happier. He says that money doesn't buy happieness. I agree with that statement for the most part, but I think that money will buy peace of mind. It will knock out one thing that is always on someones'mind, BILLS! Having the money to comfortably pay the bills each month will, in my opinion, put a mind at ease and let it allow to think of other things.
ReplyDeleteThe Neuroscience of Happiness:
ReplyDeleteI understand money cannot by one happiness because from a psychology perspective the perception of money will alter and in coincidence our actions and attitudes will alter.
I do agree with Edelman that when we focus on the journey instead of the destination, happiness is much more likely to be achieved. All to often we are too focused on attaining the end when half if not all the journey is the "fun" part. It is the contemplation that makes the journey worth it because we are able to make decisions and see the final product of them.
The 10 questions to develop success article really caught my eye. I feel that success in life really impacts your happiness. Your success doesnt have to be material but can be emotional too.
ReplyDeleteThe "Neuroscience of Happiness" was a very interesting article as well. I believe money could temporaryily buy happiness, but could never make an individual truly happy in everything. I believe it is a very mental aspect of life.
The 10 questions that create success was the most interesting article to me because the 10 questions they had mapped out were very important to me as an individual so that's most likely why I enjoyed them. The questions never involved money or material things and I felt like that was interesting because I value relationships and friends more than any of the material possessions in life. It may not be a bad idea to create my own 10 questions and print them out so I can see them everyday and try to live my life just a little better. Success in life is a direct reason for having happiness but doesn't need to be a material life to feel happiness.
ReplyDeleteHonestly, I wasn't expecting to be so motivated and moved by one of these articles, but like Cooper and Ginny--the "10 Questions" article jumped out at me.
ReplyDeleteI am a very reflective person by nature. I've been struggling to define "happiness"; and always striving to work towards it--especially since I am graduating soon, and must start to pick my own path in the world. These questions are most certainly thought provoking. The one that stood out to me was question 5--pertaining to being the same person in private that you are in public. I think this is a difficult task sometimes. With social media sites, it is almost too easy to craft an image that is untrue. Instagram makes it easy to photograph your "perfect" life, while twitter gives you a small platform on which to voice your opinion 24/7. You don't know how many people who I see on Twitter--being super vocal, confrontational and cocky--who then are meek and quiet in real life. On the other hand, I see people who make damn sure to document every good deed they do on facebook (pictures... statuses.... updates about mission trips...) but live unwholesome lives that don't exactly match up to the holier than thou martyr life they have fabricated. Social media has created a plethora of new issues; and as you can see it CAN affect your quality of life.