Happiness the key to success

October 25, 2010

Being happy doesn't just make you feel good, it can also make you more successful, according to a Harvard University lecturer.

Shawn Achor, whose book The Happiness Advantage will be published in Australia next month, says, positive thinkers have a biological advantage over people who are are neutral or negative.

The good news is that being happy is a skill we can all learn, Achor says.

Here are some tips from his book on how to retrain your brain to capitalise on positivity and improve your productivity and performance.

- Meditate - research shows that regular meditation can permanently rewire the brain to raise levels of happiness, lower stress and even improve immune function.

- Find something to look forward to - often the most enjoyable part of an activity is the anticipation. If you can't take time out for a holiday now or a night out with friends, put something on the calendar. Anticipating future rewards can actually light up the pleasure centres in your brain.

- Be kind: research has found that giving to friends and strangers decreases stress and contributes to enhanced mental health.

- Infuse positivity in your surroundings - people who put pictures of their loved ones on their desk at work aren't just decorating; they are ensuring a positive hit of emotion each time they glance at them.

- Exercise: it is not just a powerful mood lifter but also a long lasting one. Run, walk, ride, play, stretch, skip or jump around on a pogo stick, it doesn't matter so long as you get moving.

- Spend money, but not on stuff. Spend it on experiences like concerts or a night out with friends. This produces more long lasting positive emotion than buying things. Spending money on other people, such as family and friends, also makes us happy.

- Exercise your strengths; to learn what your top strengths are (you can do this for free at www.viasurvey.org) pick one of your signature strengths and use it in a different way each day. Studies have shown that the more you use your signature strengths in daily life, the happier you become.

The Happiness Advantage (Virgin Books) by Shawn Achor is out in November, $35.

AAP

http://www.theage.com.au/executive-style/management/happiness-the-key-to-success-20101025-170mp.html