child & youth Mental Health Series Today’s topic: The Principles of Happiness – Scientific Evidence and Practical Advice Speaker: Dr. Clare Gray MD FRCPC deswe Date January 17, 2019
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Learning Objectives At the end of this presentation, participants should be able to: Describe the scientific evidence supporting the field of positive psychology Understand the principles of happiness Implement practical exercises with patients to help improve their emotional well being and happiness
Outline What is the field of Positive Psychology all about? What is happiness? Benefits of happiness Barriers to happiness Principles of happiness Gratitude Kindness
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qJvS8v0TTI
Positive Psychology Martin Seligman PhD – described core philosophy as a “ Build what ’ s strong ” approach that can augment the “ fix what ’ s wrong ” approach of more traditional psychotherapy George Vaillant MD – a way to encourage patients to focus on positive emotions and build strengths – supplementing psychotherapy that focuses on negative emotions like anger and sadness
Positive Psychology Typical approach for dealing with mental illness is to wait until a person shows signs of a disorder, then provide treatment This is like waiting until your car isn’t working before taking it to the garage But in the same way a lot of car troubles can be avoided through regular maintenance, positive psychology proposes that by proactively taking care of one’s mental health, mental illness can be prevented, or at least lessened
Misconceptions about Positive Psychology Positive psychology is positive thinking Positive psychology does try to understand the role of positive emotions in well-being But happy thoughts are only part of it – concepts like meaning in life and positive relationships are more important for a life well lived identifying and celebrating what makes life worthwhile, productive and fulfilling Positive psychology means ignoring negative emotions Positive psychology points a spotlight on the positive side of our emotional experience in order to create a more balanced view of human functioning
Positive Psychology Study of optimal human functioning “Build what’s strong” rather than “Fix what’s wrong.” Mental health/wellness ≠ Absence of misery Understanding happiness and how to increase it Getting us above baseline, not back to baseline
What is Happiness?
What is Happiness?
What is Happiness? Sonja Lyubomirsky PhD “The experience of joy, contentment, or positive well -being, combined with a sense that one’s life is good, meaningful, and worthwhile.” Martin Seligman PhD Layers of Happiness Positive emotions Engagement Meaning
Measuring Happiness Authentic Happiness Inventory General Happiness Scale Satisfaction with Life Scale Subjective Happiness Scale Optimism Scale Gratitude Survey Grit Scale VIA Strengths Test Brief Strengths Test PERMA Questionnaire Meaning in Life Questionnaire
Measuring Happiness Authentic Happiness Inventory General Happiness Scale Satisfaction with Life Scale Subjective Happiness Scale Optimism Scale Gratitude Survey Grit Scale VIA Strengths Test Brief Strengths Test PERMA Questionnaire Meaning in Life Questionnaire
Subjective Happiness Scale For each of the following statements and/or questions, please circle the point on the scale that you feel is most appropriate in describing you. 1. In general, I consider myself: not a very happy person 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 a very happy person 2. Compared with most of my peers, I consider myself: less happy 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 more happy 3. Some people are generally very happy. They enjoy life regardless of what is going on, getting the most out of everything. To what extent does this characterization describe you? not at all 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 a great deal 4. Some people are generally not very happy. Although they are not depressed, they never seem as happy as they might be. To what extent does this characterization describe you? not at all 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 a great deal
Subjective Happiness Scale To score – find average score (reverse question 4) Highest score is 7 Average score 4.5 to 5.5 Scores less than 4, merit a depression screen
Nun study Danner and Snowden (2001) Between 1931 and 1943 Nuns entering convents in Milwaukee and Baltimore 180 brief autobiographical statements Rated “language positivity”, into quartiles
Nun study “I was born in 1909, the eldest of seven children. My candidate year was spent in the motherhouse, teaching chemistry. With God’s grace, I intend to do my best for our order, for the spread of religion and for my personal sanctification.”
Nun study “I was born in 1909, the eldest of seven children. My candidate year was spent in the motherhouse, teaching chemistry. With God’s grace, I intend to do my best for our order, for the spread of religion and for my personal sanctification.” “God started my life off well by bestowing upon me a grace of inestimable value. The past year which I have spent as a candidate studying at Notre Dame College has been a very happy one. Now I look forward with eager joy to receiving the Holy habit of Our Lady and to a life of union with Love Divine.”
Nun study Those in top quartile in terms of positive language lived an average of 10 years longer than lowest quartile >50% of most cheerful nuns were still alive at 93 years vs 18% of those in the least cheerful group
Happiness and Longevity Lawrence, Rogers, Wadsworth (2015) GSS-NDI dataset (general social survey national death index) Very happy (31.4%) pretty happy (56.9%) not too happy (11.6%) Compared to those who are very happy, those who are pretty happy have 7% higher risk of death and those who are not happy are 21% more likely to die over the follow up period (1978 to 2008) even after controlling for demographics, SES, lifestyle factors Happy people live longer
Yearbook study Harker and Keltner (2001) Examined 141 year book photos from Mills college Women already enrolled in a long term study examining major events in their lives Assessed at ages 27, 43 and 52 Smiles were rated as being Duchenne smiles or not
Duchenne Smiles Duchenne zygomatic major (raising the corners of the mouth) orbicularis oculi (raising the cheeks enough to produce crow’s feet around the eyes). Non-Duchenne the “Say Cheese” smile only contract the zygomatic major Our brain controls these two types of smiles the Duchenne smile is controlled by the limbic system (the emotional part of our brain) Non-Duchenne smile is controlled by the motor cortex
Yearbook Study Women whose smiles were rated highest (most Duchenne-like) More likely to be married Marriages more likely to be described as satisfactory Scored higher in overall life satisfaction and ability to handle stress Controlling for physical attractiveness All this remained true even after decades had passed
MLB Player Study Ernest Abel and Michael Kruger (2009) 230 photographs where player was looking at the camera from the Baseball Register 1952, annual collection of baseball statistics/photos Photos coded as being no smile partial smile (zygomatic major) full (Duchenne) smile (zygomatic major and orbicularis oculi)
MLB Player Study Longevity based on smiles – 46 still alive at time of study/full data on 196 of 230 players No smile 72.9 years (n=63) Partial smile 75 years (n= 64) Duchenne smile 79.9 years (n = 23) Still statistically significant when controlling for college attendance, marital status, birth year, career length, age at debut year and BMI
So what do these study mean? Photo represents only a moment in a person’s life But it can provide valuable clues about the relative cheerfulness and level of happiness of the person being photographed
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