Happy, Happy, Happy

Did you know there is a science behind happiness?  There is!!!!!  Richard Davidson, neuroscientist of University of Wisconsin-Madison explains we can teach ourselves to be happy.  “We don’t really think of happiness as a skill, but everything we’ve learned about the brain suggests that it’s no different from learning to play the violin or learning to engage in a complex sport.  If you practice at it, you’ll get better at it.”  The basic premise is the more we think on, meditate on happiness, gratitude, feeling confident, being successful, being loved and lovable, the more we strengthen the neurons in our brain cells to fire, to fire more intensely, and for longer, they are going to wire together to create a bond of inner strength.  Sounds cheesy, but Richard Hanson a neuropsychologist(and author of Hardwiring Happiness, The New Brain of Science of Contentment,Calm and Confidence) states the “neurons that fire together, wire together.”

We on the other hand, are wired to look for the bad stuff.  The brain as described by Hanson is “like Velcro for negative experiences and Teflon for positive ones.” 

So how can we re-wire our brains?  Take in the GOOD.  Every day we encounter moments that are positive. They may be insignificant but they can help change the hardwiring in our brains.  Appreciate the good moments, linger on them (this increases their intensity and duration in our brains), maximize the positive, laugh, find happiness in the small things.  Maintain a sense of wonder.  Remember when your kids were kids and how they viewed the world.  See the world thru their eyes. Practice Mindfulness, being still and taking in all the wonder around you.  The world has good in it.  We need to look for it.  And when you do, you will start re-wiring your brain to look for it and find happiness.

If you have questions about finding happiness, contact the “bucket lady” aka Amy Cole at Life Tree Counseling Center, Inc. or any of the other great therapists there and they will help you find happiness.