Aug 24, 2011 12:08 PM
This is the second and final part of "How to increase your happiness thermostat."
To recap: positive psychologists say we're all born with a particular happiness setpoint: our natural disposition or inclination for happiness. It's part of our DNA. I like to think of it as a thermostat for our happiness.
The good news is happiness research reveals that there are three ways to increase your happiness thermostat:
1. Anti-depressant drugs (covered in last month's issue).
2. Cognitive therapy (covered in last month's issue).
And finally, here's the third (my favorite, 2nd only to cognitive therapy) method for increasing your happiness setpoint/thermostat:
3. Meditation. Part of the definition of happiness extremely happy people agree on is "having a deep sense of engagement and living in the present moment."
Think about it: when does happiness happen? Tomorrow? Yesterday? NOT. It is absolutely impossible to experience happiness in any other moment than the present moment: NOW.
Meditation is simply the practice of being in "…a state of relaxed concentration on the reality of the present moment."
Experts claim that most people live over 90% of their lives unconsciously, unaware slaves to their routines and habitual patterns of thought and action.
So the better you get at living consciously—fully engaged in the present moment—the higher your happiness setpoint can go.
Whether it's playing a musical instrument well, being a competent martial artist, or learning how to more consistently live consciously in the present moment, anything you want to master requires practice.
Even if it takes you two, or five, or ten years to increase your happiness thermostat, WHO CARES?! Isn't the reward of living the rest of your life happier worth it? I fervently believe so. But what you choose to do or not do to increase your happiness thermostat is your decision.
Of all three methods for increasing your happiness thermostat, meditation is the least expensive, has no negative side effects, and you can do it just about anywhere at any time, provided you know how (TheHappinessWorkshop.com).
Types of meditation include breathing, body awareness, chanting, gazing, walking, eating, visualizing, exercising, gratitude, smiling, etc. You don't have to do it formally for 15 minutes a day, although I recommend it.
You can do a minute here, 2 minutes there, a few minutes waiting in a doctor's office, waiting for a flight at the airport, a few seconds while in line at the grocery store, Post Office, bank, etc.
In a 1968 Harvard Medical School study, Dr. Herbert Benson scientifically proved the following benefits of meditation: younger biological age, higher levels of DHEAS in the elderly, improved flow of air to the lungs, decreased high blood pressure, reduction of free radicals, and increased brain wave coherence.
Subjective benefits include decreased anxiety, decreased depression, decreased irritability and moodiness, improved learning ability and memory, increased feelings of vitality and rejuvenation, increased emotional stability, and increased happiness (yay!).
With all of the positive health and psychological benefits, no negative side effects, and it's free, why don't more people do it? Excellent question! Three possible answers:
1. Fear of the unknown
2. Lack of understanding or training
3. The dirty little secret: there's no money in it (once you know how to do it by yourself, unlike drugs and, to a lesser degree, therapy, there's no incentive to heavily promote it; when was the last time you saw a TV commercial for meditation vs. anti-depressant drugs?)
Just like a mother can tell a man all day long what it's like to give birth to a baby, men will never know. Likewise, until you give birth to regular daily practice of meditation, you will never experience the myriad of benefits it provides, including an increased happiness setpoint/thermostat that will benefit you for the rest of your life.
So, if you want to increase your happiness thermostat, then commit to learning how to meditate properly and commence practicing meditation daily. "Jump in! The water's fine!" Actually, the water's AWESOME. But you have to commit, or 'jump in,' to find out. And no one can do it for you.
David Humes is a productivity and happiness expert. He's the coauthor of 'Stepping Stones to Success' with Deepak Chopra, Jack Canfield, and Denis Waitley. David is a certified clinical hypnotherapist, a certified NLP practitioner, and an internationally certified 3rd degree black belt in Wado-Ryu karate. For more information, visit http://DavidHumes.com Copyright © 2011 by David Humes. All rights reserved in all media throughout the universe.
