Pursuing happiness in our day-to-day lives can be quite challenging, especially when there are obstacles that cause us stress and anxiety. One path toward a more pleasant existence is to look to the science of happiness.
I recently attended a Meetup Live with psychologist and author Dr. Tal Ben-Shahar.
Some points I took away from this event are as follows:
- There are 3 secrets of happiness: reality, reality...and reality
- Embrace unhappiness because all people experience it except psychopaths and the dead!
- Active members of social groups and organizations tend to be happier
- Real servant leaders are great at listening
- Writing about painful experiences (journaling) is helpful
- Have “islands of sanity” in your life. These are times of single focus (as opposed to multi-tasking)
- Maintaining a gratitude journal seems to elevate happiness
