The Science of Happiness

Dr Graham Phillips Introduction: Happiness it’s something we all want but it’s a canada goose outlet los angeles state of mind we canada goose womens outlet don’t always get to enjoy. It wasn’t that long ago psychologists were far more focussed on what made their patients canada goose outlet uk depressed, rather than what made them happy. But, in a relatively new and evolving field of research, Positive Psychology is changing all that. Maryanne Demasi reports on the science of happiness.

canada goose uk shop Dr Maryanne Demasi: For most of us, seeking happiness is the underlying purpose for how canada goose outlet store uk we live our lives. But are you happy. and what would it take to make you happier? canada goose uk shop

Dr Richard Davidson: Unfortunately, a lot of the things that many of us are motivated to acquire may produce a temporary boost in happiness, but they don’t produce a sustained elevation.

canadian goose jacket Dr Stephen Post: I think someone who has really achieved happiness has a kind of warmth, a buoyancy, a joy that people feel when they walk into the room. canadian goose jacket

uk canada goose Matthieu Ricard: We all strive for I would say genuine happiness in the sense of flourishing, fulfilment when you’re low, the quality of every moment of your life makes you think it’s worth to be alive. uk canada goose

Canada Goose Coats On Sale Narration: Researchers in the canada goose outlet edmonton field known as positive psychology have focused their attention on the science of happiness. Canada Goose Coats On Sale

Canada Goose online Dr Davidson: There are scientists who are sceptical of research on happiness, canada goose outlet montreal they think happiness is a fluffy kind of topic Just one minute continuously. Canada Goose online

buy canada goose jacket Assistant: Can you maintain it for one minute? Maintain the frowning for one minute. buy canada goose jacket

Canada Goose Online Dr Davidson: Up until very recently there hasn’t been a serious canada goose jacket outlet uk rigor of scientific study of happiness. Now for the very first time that’s happening. Canada Goose Online

Maryanne: This is just canada goose outlet mississauga one way researchers can find out what’s going on up here when I’m happy. An electroencephalogram or EEG can detect canada goose outlet trillium parka black changes in my brain’s electrical signals.

canada goose coats Narration: This technique along with magnetic brain imaging has established that different components of happiness are reflected in different parts canada goose kensington parka uk of the brain. When a person is in a state of happiness, the left prefrontal cortex is particularly active. The ventral striatum lights up when we experience intense physical pleasure. And when a person is generating compassion, another part of canada goose outlet the brain is active, known as the insular. canada goose coats

Maryanne: So what really makes us happy? I know a new pair of shoes cheers me up. But can money really buy happiness?

canada goose coats on sale Professor Bob Cummins: Money can buy happiness in two ways. One way is through emotional happiness. This is the fleeting emotion that we get when we buy something nice. So, a http://www.canadagoosejacketoutlett.com new canada goose sale uk pair of shoes makes us feel good, but briefly, because the next time canada goose outlet in new york we wear them, it’s not quite the same. Much more important is the use of money as a defensive resource. That is, if I’m a rich person and my washing machine breaks down, it’s a slight annoyance; but if I’m a poor person, it can be a complete disaster. canada goose coats on sale

Narration: So how much money does it take to be happy? That’s just one of the questions answered in the most comprehensive study of canada goose outlet parka around 35,000 Australians. The Wellbeing Report on “What makes us happy” was released in April this year.

Professor Cummins: A gross household income of about a hundred thousand dollars, which is now earned by something like about twenty percent of households in Australia, that’s about, that takes happiness about as far as it can go. And beyond that point, there is no systematic evidence of an increase in happiness.

Dr Davidson: There are scientific studies canada goose outlet in montreal that have been done on people who have won the lottery for example, and who have suddenly now have millions canada goose outlet london of dollars that they didn’t have before, and there is a transient boost in their level of happiness, but just six months out from the time they won the lottery, they’re back to exactly where they were.

Dr Post: When you get beyond a kind of threshold and suddenly you’re just accumulating things competitively, extra cars, extra houses, extra boats, two hundred dollar pairs of designer jeans, I’m not against those canada goose parka uk things mind you. But they do not make us happier.

canada goose factory sale Maryanne: So if material possessions don’t bring about sustained happiness, what does? canada goose factory sale

Canada Goose Outlet Professor Cummins: I think of all of the things that are most important to maintaining happiness, relationships are number one. But it’s risky. What we know is relationships can be extremely good, and they can be devastating. People who have good working relationships with their partner, where they’re intimately sharing their lives, these people are very resilient people. Canada Goose Outlet

Canada Goose sale Narration: One of the most surprising canada goose outlet usa results from the report involved volunteers who dedicate their time to helping others. Canada Goose sale

canada goose uk outlet Professor Cummins: Volunteers in Australia do have high wellbeing. Volunteering connects people with canada goose outlet in chicago others, and that’s terribly important. We are basically a social species and we like to connect with, interact with other people and so that’s a positive and supportive thing. canada goose uk outlet

uk canada goose outlet Dr Post: When people are volunteering a few hours a week, they do report a kind of buoyancy, a kind of helper’s high uk canada goose outlet.