HAPPINESS SKILLS

"At least since the time of Aristotle, scholars, philosophers and religious leaders have pondered the question 'How can we become lastingly happier?' Yet until recently, the only guiding question in clinical psychology and psychiatry has been 'How can we reduce suffering?' We believe that psychology and psychiatry have found some answers to the suffering question and this is a fine beginning. But even if this question is answered fully, the mission of psychology should not end there. Few people are wholly content with just being less depressed and less anxious and less angry. Psychotherapy has long been were you go to talk about your troubles, a strangely untested assumption. We suggest that the psychotherapy of the future may also where you go to talk about your strengths." Seligman and his colleagues are studying what makes people more contented and happy with themselves. Their research findings have been conducted across cultures in forty countries. Their ideas can be accessed on the web at www.authentichappiness.org or do a Google search for Positive Psychology. You can even to take part in a web-based research project yourself. Happiness is not about owning things or chasing experiences and addictions. The researchers found that the art of happiness comes down to having a good character and practicing virtue! Peterson and Seligman identified six virtues and twenty four character strengths that happy people consistently reported the wide world over. They called these skills "signature strengths." Much of happiness is associated with keeping a positive state of mind and connecting with others in loving relationships. Seligman says "the definition of a character strength is that it contributes to fulfillment, strengths of the heart--zest, gratitude, hope and love are more robustly associated with life satisfaction than are the more cerebral strengths such as curiosity and love of learning." The researchers then set about to design exercises to see which activities would create long-tern happiness. They asked people to think about the signature strengths and their lives. The two top exercises which were done for one week only helped people capitalize and build on their strengths. People who continued the exercises for more than a week gained more happiness. A third exercise that created a month-long positive increase in happiness was to contact someone who had been kind to them and write a letter of gratitude to thank the person.

The top two easy-to-do exercises that increased happiness and decreased depressive symptoms for the six months that they followed the people were: 1.) Using the Signature Strengths in a New Way. Take an inventory of your character strengths and use one of their top five strengths in a new and different way every day for a week. Expand your strengths in creative ways and be happy. 2. Three Good Things in Life: Identify three good things that went well during the day and what you did to cause them for one week. Look for the good in your life and by golly, you will find it! Character is important in a life because it is intimately tied to self esteem--how you see yourself! I suspect that some forms of depression are due to "slippage of character." Negative life events happen and negative beliefs build up around them centering on the idea that life is not fair and nothing you do makes a difference, so why try? Bad stuff happens and then pessimism comes up big time! Learned helplessness is a major cause of depression. Your good sense of yourself as a caring, and productive person "slips" away when you see yourself as being less than worthy. Addictions also cause a slippage of character as you focus more and more on the addictive substance or activity instead of on the good things that create a happy life. Your negative thoughts and actions begin to define who you are in a negative way. How do you break into this downer of a mind set? Practice turning a constant state of misery around with Seligman's exercises from Positive Psychology! Break into Depression and Become a Happier Person with Positive Psychology Want to build your own strengths and increase your character? You can use Seligman's exercises yourself. Contemplate on the strengths below and spend some time thinking of each one and how it plays out in your life. Then choose your top five strengths and do one or both of the two happiness-producing exercises listed above. 1. Wisdom and knowledge: Cognitive strengths to acquire and use knowledge Creativity: Thinking of novel and productive ways to do things Curiosity: Taking an interest in all of ongoing experience Open-mindedness: Thinking things through and examining them from all sides Love of learning: Mastering new skills, topics and bodies of knowledge Perspective: Being able to provide wise counsel to others 2. Courage: Emotional strengths that involve the exercise of will

to accomplish goals in the face of opposition which is internal or external Authenticity: Speaking the truth and presenting oneself in a genuine way Bravery : Not shrinking from threat, challenge, difficulty or pain Persistence: Finishing what one starts Zest: Approaching life with excitement and energy 3. Humanity: Impersonal strengths that involve "tending and befriending: others Kindness: Doing favors and good deeds for others Love: Valuing close relations with others Social Intelligence: Being aware of the motives and feelings of self and others 4. Justice: Civic strengths that underlie healthy community life Fairness: Treating all people the same according to notions of fairness and justice Leadership: Organizing group activities and seeing that they happen Teamwork: Working well as a member of a group or team 5. Temperance: Strengths that protect against excess Forgiveness: Forgiving those who have done wrong Modesty: Letting one's accomplishments speak for themselves Prudence: Being careful about one's choices; not saying or doing things that might be regretted later 6. Transcendence: Strengths that forge connections to the larger universe and provide meaning Excellence and beauty appreciation: Noticing and appreciating beauty, excellence and/or skilled performance in all domains of life Gratitude: Being aware of and thankful for the good things that happen Hope: Expecting the best and working to achieve it Humor: Liking to laugh and tease; bring smiles to other people Religiousness: Having coherent beliefs about the higher purpose and meaning of life