16 Aug Three New Ideas About Happiness and Well-Being
Research into happiness, and Positive Psychology research into thriving and flourishing more generally, has come a long way in 20 or so years.
From it’s birth and simplistic focus on positive emotions, like happiness, Positive Psychology and the study of wellbeing have evolved to explore deeper and more sophisticated constructs.
But there’s always more work to be done. And in recent years, those interested in happiness and wellbeing have discovered new ideas, new strategies, new ways of thinking about and acting on happiness. If this sounds interesting, then read on …
via the Greater Good by Kira Newman
Last month, around 1,000 people from over 56 countries gathered at the International Positive Psychology Association’s 8th World Congress (IPPA) in Vancouver, Canada, to share cutting-edge insights on the science of well-being.
This year more than ever, there was an acknowledgement that the ways we think about happiness—and the studies that have been conducted—are mainly based on Western ideas and Western participants. This not only marginalizes the experiences of different communities, argued some researchers, but deprives everyone of the fullest picture of what it means to live well and be well.
How might our goals and our everyday decisions change if we thought about well-being in new ways? What kind of benefits might we see in our own lives, and in our communities? Here are some emerging ideas about happiness and well-being that you might want to ponder in your own life.
1. Psychological richness
What makes a good life? In positive psychology at least, there have been two main answers to that question: a happy life or a meaningful one.
A happy life brings you comfort, joy, security, and fun—you feel good and satisfied. Meanwhile, a meaningful life is more about feeling purposeful and significant, like you made a difference. Of course, our lives are usually a mix of both, with some people valuing one kind of pursuit more than the other.
But a few years ago, Shigehiro Oishi, a researcher at the University of Virginia, asked a provocative question: Is there a third kind of good life, one that isn’t defined by happiness or meaning?
He was motivated by a few puzzling findings, including research suggesting that conservatives and Facebook users with less diverse social networks tend to be happier. Did that mean that liberal thinking and diverse connections weren’t paths to a good life?
Eventually, his explorations led him to what he calls a psychologically rich life: a life of curiosity, adventure, novelty and variety, exploration, and openness. Our lives become more psychologically rich when we study abroad, read certain kinds of books, change our perspectives, and experience dramatic life events. If your life is psychologically rich, you’d probably say that you’ve seen and learned a lot.
If this pathway to a good life piques your interest, think about adding more spontaneity and playfulness into your day; find new things to try and learn, and be open to where they might take you. While happiness and meaning may fluctuate more alongside the ups and downs of life, psychological richness may be something we can slowly build up over time, new experience by new experience…
… keep reading the full & original article HERE