The purpose of this blog is to share insights on happiness.
Sounds corny?
Up to recently I would have thought so. But some recent reading and viewing has changed my mind. Two pieces of research struck me particularly:
- first, research (not mere conjecture, but hard scientific evidence) has established that about 50% of our happiness is genetically determined; 10% is impacted by personal circumstances (winning the lottery, a major disappointment and so on) and a staggering 40% is accounted for by the way we choose to interpret the world around us. 40% !! Furthermore, while a particular circumstance can increase or decrease our happiness dramatically, we tend to return to the same 'setpoint' of happiness after a relatively short while.
- in the period 1967 to 2000 nearly every piece of research in psychology was focussed on illness issues (suicide, anger, depression etc). Wellness issues (joy, contentment, happiness, fulfilment etc) simply did not rate. This has changed dramatically in the last decade with the emergence of the Positive Psychology movement.
The purpose of this blog is to share insights on happiness - from Positive Psychology and from personal experience.
To stimulate some discussion, I plan to circulate a recent DVD called 'Happy' which showcases research on the topic.
Bob
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