Creating a Happy Life: Empirically Proven Ways to Happiness

Today's speaker was James P. Gubbins, Associate Professor in the Interdisciplinary Studies Department at Salem State University. He spoke about happiness. Happiness can be built or created. Positive Psychology was inaugurated by Martin Seligman. Studies of this discipline are designed to understand human flourishing.  The two main objectives are to create a description of what correlates to human happiness and to research into what activities increase human happiness. World religions and philosophical traditions have had ideas of what a good life looks like. Ultimately happiness comes from living a flourishing life. This type of life can be broken into three sections- Physical Being, Social Being, and Transcendent Being. 

First and foremost, we are physical beings. Studies have shown that there are many positive effects of exercise. This is not limited to physical benefits, as there are improvements mentally and emotionally as well. Exercise can be done alone or with others. We do need to learn to savor and enjoy the moment. When our minds wander it can induce unhappiness. Savor nature as well, like walking in a forest, in a park, or on a beach. You can also have a plant or pets. Interestingly, Professor Gubbins said that entertainment is ok but art is much better for us. We should savor the past and future as a celebration of what was or what will be. 

We are also social beings. Good relationships with others make us happy and may be the most important contributor to a happy life. There are many ways to nurture relationships. To nurture relationships, people should have conversations instead of arguments, focus on others, and not be egocentric. In other words, we should just generally behave well towards others. The best social interactions are face to face. Social media is depressing and physically unhealthy. Finally, we should share in others' joys and sorrows. 

Lastly, we are transcendent beings. We are capable of transcending whatever habitual and conventional thinking and actions we happen to follow. We can take charge of our lives. We can pursue intrinsic goals which are inherently meaningful, and provide structure and purpose in life. Pursuing extrinsic goals is less fulfilling. Studies show that we can create new habits or break old habits. We can also reset our expectations and do new things. It turns out that having a spiritual life makes us happy. This is not limited strictly to religious and philosophical traditions. You can be in awe of reality. For example, we can be grateful for the good we found, and we can also grieve and celebrate the good we lost. Ultimately this gives people hope, nurtures compassion for self and others, and provides a stable sense of purpose. There are certainly positive benefits of religion and spirituality. Studies show people who have a spiritual life tend to be happier, healthier, and recover faster from traumas. Unless it is a hateful group, of course. We can all focus on meditation and prayer. There are two main kinds of meditation. One is blocking all thoughts and feelings. The other is mindfulness meditation which allows thoughts and feelings to come in, then you let them go, which is much more common.