A core component of The Science of Happiness is our weekly Happiness Practices--research-tested activities that have been shown to boost happiness and well-being. Each week, we'll introduce a new practice, provide instructions for completing it, and ask you how it felt. Below, Emiliana explains the Happiness Practices and introduces the first practice: Three Good Things. Three Good Things In the three spaces below, write down three things that went well for you today. For each thing, provide an explanation for why you think it went well. The items can be relatively small in importance (e.g., “my co-worker made the coffee today”) or relatively large (e.g., “I earned a big promotion”). As you write, follow these guidelines: -Give the event a title (e.g., “co-worker complimented my work on a project”). -Write down exactly what happened in as much detail as possible, including what you did or said and, if others were involved, what they did or said. -Include how this event made you feel at the time and how this event made you feel later (including now, as you remember it). Three Good Things: The Why and The HowWhy You Should Try It In our day-to-day lives, it's easy to get caught up in the things that go wrong and feel like we're living under our own private rain cloud; at the same time, we tend to adapt to the good things and people in our lives, taking them for granted. As a result, we often overlook everyday beauty and goodness--a kind gesture from a stranger, say, or the warmth of our heater on a chilly morning. In the process, we frequently miss opportunities for happiness and connection. This practice guards against those tendencies. By remembering and listing three positive things that have happened in your day--and considering what caused them--you tune into the sources of goodness in your life. It's a habit that can change the emotional tone of your life, replacing feelings of disappointment or entitlement with those of gratitude--which may be why this practice is associated with significant increases in happiness. Time required 10 minutes/day How To Do It Each day, write down three things that went well for you that day, and provide an explanation for why they went well. It is important to create a physical record of your items by writing them down; it is not enough simply to do this exercise in your head. The items can be relatively small in importance (e.g., “my co-worker made the coffee today”) or relatively large (e.g., “I earned a big promotion”). To make this exercise part of your daily routine, some find that writing before bed is helpful. As you write, follow these instructions:
Seligman, M. E., Steen, T. A., Park, N., & Peterson, C. (2005). Positive psychology progress: empirical validation of interventions. American Psychologist, 60(5), 410. Visitors to a website received instructions for performing this exercise. Writing about three good things was associated with increased happiness immediately afterward, as well as one week, one month, three months, and six months later. Why it works By giving you the space to focus on the positive, this practice teaches you to notice, remember, and savor the better things in life. It may prompt you to pay closer attention to positive events down the road and engage in them more fully—both in the moment and later on, when you can reminisce and share these experiences with others. Reflecting on the cause of the event may help attune you to the deeper sources of goodness in your life, fostering a mindset of gratitude. Sources Jeffrey Huffman, M.D., Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital Sonja Lyubomirsky, Ph.D., University of California, Riverside Want More?Three Good Things is just one of several activities that scientists have discovered can boost happiness, in this case by shifting our perspectives on ourselves, our experiences and the world around us to be more optimistic. Check out these other great practices for boosting optimism... Finding Silver Linings Use Your Strengths and Meaningful Photos ...available on the Greater Good Science Center's Greater Good in Action website. |
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