Positive Psychology and the Science of Sustained Happiness

David D Nowell PhD
www.DrNowell.com

www.DrNowell.com
DavidNowell
DavidNowellSeminars

Overview
• What is Positive Psychology?
• Why happiness?
• 11 happiness activities
• Supporting resilience
• Maximizing your brain’s built-in hard-wired
reward-and-planning system
• Preferred States Inventory: Identifying your
unique motivational blueprint

Is there a “negative psychology”?

• Anger: 5,584
• Anxiety: 41,416
• Depression:
54,040
• Joy: 415
• Happiness: 1,710
• Life satisfaction:
2,582

Happiness
• Pleasure, happiness, contentment?
– Evans, 2008
• Love of life
– Abdel-Khalek, 2007

Happiness
• Hedonia and eudamonia

Happiness
• Hedonia and eudamonia
– the better course of action is not always the one
that satisfies the current desire or even an abiding
desire.

Happier people…
• Are half as likely to die
• Half as likely to be disabled
• Live longer than average
• Have better health habits
• Have lower blood pressure
• Have more robust immune systems
• Are more productive on the job
• Have higher incomes
• Are able to tolerate more pain

“I feel uneasy about the company I’m
with…religionists, philosophers, yearners, utopia
ns, Pollyannas, rather than the tough-minded
scientists I admire so much more.”

“PERMA”
Positive emotions
Engagement / flow
Relationships

“bad is stronger than good”
(Baumeister et al, 2001)

Framingham Heart Study
“…happiness, like health,
is a collective phenomenon.”

Gilbert et al, 2009
• interview someone who has attained your goal

Is there a happiness “set point”?

• Fujita & Diener, 2005
– 24% of sample changed significantly over time

Building on Strengths
www.viacharacter.org

KNOWLEDGE & WISDOM
1. Creativity
2. Curiosity
3. Love of learning
4. Wisdom / perspective
5. Open-mindedness
COURAGE & FIRMNESS
6. Bravery
7. Persistence
8. Integrity
9. Vitality
HUMANITY & LOVE
10. Give & receive love
11. Kindness
12. Social intelligence
JUSTICE & FAIRNESS
13. Citizenship
14. Fairness
15. Leadership
TEMPERANCE
16. Forgiveness / mercy
17. Modesty / humility
18. Prudence
19. Self-regulation
TRANSCENDENCE / SPIRITUAL
20. Appreciate excellence / beauty
21. Gratitude
22. Hope
23. Humor
24 Spirituality

Applying strengths in counseling
• Seligman et al, 2005

“Strengths” and “talents”

• Energizes you
• Feels like the “real you”
• Leads to peak performance

• Most common across cultures
– kindness, fairness, authenticity, gratitude, and
open-mindedness
• Most associated with well-being in US and
Swiss sample
– love, hope, curiosity, zest, and gratitude
Peterson & Park, 2009

Journaling
• Trauma
• Physical rehabilitation
• Romantic breakup

Journaling
Lewandowski, G.
(2009).

The Gratitude Exercise
At the end of each day, after dinner and before going to sleep, write down three
things that went well during the day. Do this every night for a week. The three
things you list can be relatively small or large in importance. After each positive
event on your list, answer in your own words the question: “Why did this good
thing happen?”
Seligman et al (2005)

Byrd-Craven, J., Geary, D. C., Rose, A. J., &
Ponzi, D. (2008). “Co-ruminating increase
stress hormone levels in women”

gratitude
x
Savouring
• relishing
• cherishing
• treasuring
• reveling
• basking
• luxuriating
• marveling
• delighting
• revering

gratitude
x
How to savour
• slow down
• pay attention
• use all your senses
• stretch out the experience
• reflect on your enjoyment

• Cultural context
– Moneta, 2004
Japanese subjects

• Cultural context
– Moneta, 2004
Chinese subjects

“not exercising is like taking
depressants”
– Tal Ben-Shahar

Physical Exercise
• Neurotrophic factor
• Hippocampal growth
• Counteract stress-related hormones
• Addictions
• Attention / focus
• Age-related cognitive decline
• Anti-depressant qualities

• Effective antidepressant benefits among older
adults
– Blumenthal et al, 1999
– Alfermann & Stoll, 2000
– McAuley, 2010
• And among children
– Biddle & Asare, 2011

• Higher “dose”?
– Courneya et al, 2014
• Add-on strategy for treating depression?
– Mura et al, 2014

• Resistance to colds
– Montagne, 2010
• Improved sleep
– Reid et al, 2010
• Improved heart rate variability (HRV)
– Segerstrom et al, 2011

Optimism
• Hope
• Self-efficacy
• Goal-setting

what IS vs. what COULD BE
3/16/2014
© 2011 David D. Nowell, Ph.D. All rights
reserved.
128
Appendix G

what IS…
3/16/2014
reserved.
129

…what COULD BE
3/16/2014
reserved.
130

• Hope
–Pathways thoughts – what causes what
–Agency thoughts – who causes what
Appendix C / D

• Hope
–Academics
–Athletics
–Physical health
–Social connection

• Accentuating Hope
–Pathways thoughts
• Break big goal into steps
• Concentrate on 1st subgoal
• Mentally rehearse; how will you handle roadblock?
• Who do you know, who can you get to know, to give
you advice?
• What new skills will you need to learn to reach your
goal?

• Accentuating Hope
–Pathways thoughts
–Agency thoughts
• Recognize that YOU have chosen the goal
• Practice self-talk
• Recall your successes
• Ask yourself “how am I doing”? Check in.
• Be clear on the “why” of your goals.

• Hank: “I have things I need to do to improve
my marriage, my health and my financial
situation, but I honestly believe that I have
zero chance of actually making any of
those three things actually get better. ”

• High school students and leisure
– Erickson & Compton, 1982
– Glancy, Willits, and Farrell, 1986
• Vacation satisfaction
– Nawijn, Marchand, Veenhoven, & Vingerhoets,
2010
• Older adults and life satisfaction
– Heo, Lee, McCormick, & Pedersen, 2010

How many hours do the British work?
In 1870: 2970 hours per year

In 2012: 1654

In 2012: 1654 (1728 for Australians)

www.TheTimeParadox.com
click “surveys”

Relationships
"By far the greatest predictor of happiness in the
literature is intimate relationships"
– Sonja Lyubomirsky

the challenge of a “but-free day”

Forgiveness
• Decisional forgiveness
• Emotional forgiveness
• Expressing forgiveness
• Restoration
– Worthington, 2003

Do you want to be right?
Or do you want to be in relationship?
Appendix E

10% 100
%
$1 $2 $3 $4 $5 $6 $7 $8 $9 $10
$1 $2 $3 $4 $5 $6 $7 $8 $9 $10
$1 $2 $3 $4 $5 $6 $7 $8 $9 $10
$1 $2 $3 $4 $5 $6 $7 $8 $9 $10
High self-esteem
Feeling happy
Others’ approval
Getting along well
with others
21 “life bucks”

11 Happiness activities
• Use your strengths
• Journaling
• Gratitude
• Savouring
• Flow
• Physical exercise
• Optimism and hope
• Relationships
• Kindness
• Forgiveness
• Meaning

“replicability of results”

“Positive developmental outcomes
despite adverse experiences”
• Assets / risks
• Protective processes /
vulnerabilities
•Competence / adversity

Three Keys to
Family Resilience
• Family belief systems
• Organizational patterns
• Communication processes
Walsh (2006)

Family Belief Systems
• Making meaning of adversity
• Positive outlook
• Transcendence and spirituality

Organizational Patterns
• Flexibility
• Connectedness/Cohesion
• Social and economic resources

Communication Processes
• Clarity
• Open emotional expression
• Collaborative problem solving

Resilience
“Resilience is often the most commonly observed
outcome trajectory following exposure to a
potentially traumatic event.”
(Bonanno 2005)

Positive outcome after spinal cord injury
• living a normal life, just doing things
differently
• overcoming challenges: determination to
succeed
• using the resources available to me

Post-traumatic Growth Inventory
I established a new path for my life.
I know better that I can handle difficulties.
I changed my priorities about what is important in life.
New opportunities are available which wouldn't have been
otherwise.
I have more compassion for others.
I discovered that I'm stronger than I thought I was.
I have a greater sense of closeness with others.
Tedeschi & Calhoun (1996)

• Strategies
• Strengths
• Resources
• Insights

“NeuroMalleability”
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reserved.
216

• Physical Exercise
• Novel Learning Experience
• Sleep
• Nutrition
• Stress Management / Meditation

UNDERSTANDING YOUR BRAIN’S
REWARD-AND-PLANNING SYSTEM

What’s your “one thing”?
Appendix F

The reward-and-planning system

Goal / State
Identify Tasks
Sequence/
Problem solve
Block Distractions

Ways the reward-and-planning system can
go wrong
• Dante: “My biggest problem is that I want to
do everything all at once!”

go wrong
• Inna: “I just get blank. I usually start sitting
more slouched, hold my head with my left
hand, ….you freeze and instead of being able
to think of alternatives, you start thinking to
yourself that you cannot find a logical answer
and you are tempted to avoid it as if it poses a
threat somehow to you.”

go wrong
• Hank: “I have things I need to do to improve
my marriage, my health and my financial
situation, but I honestly believe that I have
zero chance of actually making any of
those three things actually get better. ”

Goal / State

We don’t do anything we’re not
motivated to do

Goal / State
OBSTACLES
• Insight
• Disconnect from values
• Diminished options
• Overly influenced by externals
• Too busy with current activity

Goal / State
STRATEGIES
• Identify the goal-behind-the-
goal (what do you want to
feel?)
• Letter from the future

Goal / State
Identify Tasks

Identify Tasks
OBSTACLES
• Working memory
• Understanding cause-
effect
• Self-efficacy
• Role models

Identify Tasks
STRATEGIES
• Coaching
• Interview someone who’s
already done it
• Vocational counseling

Goal / State
Identify Tasks
Sequence/
Problem solve

Sequence/
Problem solve
OBSTACLES
• Working memory
• Self-efficacy
• Learned helplessness

Sequence/
Problem solve
STRATEGIES
• Coaching
• Mind-mapping software / apps
• Review your successes and strengths:
What evidence do you have that you
CAN do this?
• Psychotherapy

easy hard
3/16/2014
reserved.
248

Block Distractions
OBSTACLES
• Field dependent
(sensitive to novelty)
• Difficulty determining
saliency
• Working memory
• Easily discouraged

Block Distractions
STRATEGIES
• The Body Double
• Pomodoro Technique
• StayOnTask app
• Increase salience (what’s
in it for me?)

Goal / State
OBSTACLES
• Picked wrong task
• Picked wrong goal (“state”)

Goal / State
STRATEGIES
• Maintain boundaries
• Ask “what about this do I
want?”
• Get clear about your unique
motivational blueprint.

Oppositional-defiant
disorder as a
learning disorder

PREFERRED STATES INVENTORY
Identifying Your Motivational Blueprint

Dopamine is the neurotransmitter of:
• Reward
• Motivation
• Woo hoo!
• Yay!
• Happy
• Success
• Pride
• Orgullo
• Stoltz

What does dopamine feeeel like?

Quick: Name one thing your child is
crazy about

3/16/2014
reserved.
272

Quick: Name one thing you are crazy
about

3/16/2014 Nummenma et al 2014 279

3/16/2014
reserved.
280

• Looking at old pictures.
• My mother FINALLY getting on the Internet!
• Being somebody important in someone else’s life.
• Realizing you have done the right thing no matter how
badly it hurts.
• Finishing an article or writing project.
• Paddling out at the crack of dawn with no one around.
• Going to your girlfriends play and turning to your
friend to say, "That's my girl."
• The comfortable silence between the closest of
friends.
• Rising before sunrise to ride horses.

• Soft pajamas.
• Kissing your boyfriend for the first time.
• The sound of natural running water.
• Watching your kids sleep (finally) after a long day.
• Smelling rain.
• Checking something off your to-do list.
• Thinking of an ex- and smiling without being sad.
• Learning how to change a tire all by yourself.
• Finding a $5 bill in an old jacket pocket.
• Having the car packed to perfection, just waiting for you
to get behind the wheel and go!

Preferred States Inventory
Appendix G
1. Call to mind a “peak” moment
– When was this?
– Who was there?
– Where were you?
2. Clarify sensory detail
– What exactly did you see?
– What were you hearing?
– Was there texture? Temperature?
– Were there smells?

3. Identify the highlight moment
– What was the very best part of all that? If you had
to choose just one moment?
4. Say hello to your body
– What were you feeling, in your body, right in the
middle of all that?
– Where exactly – in your body – did you feel that?
– What words would describe that feeling?

Appendix G
1. Call to mind another “peak” moment
– When was this?
– Who was there?
– Where were you?
2. Clarify sensory detail
– What exactly did you see?
– What were you hearing?
– Was there texture? Temperature?
– Were there smells?

• Walk through the 4 steps again, with other peak
moments (mix it up - find big moments as well as
smaller moments, and find experiences from last
week as well as from 10 years ago)
• After you’ve walked through 10 or 15 of your best
moments, notice what patterns and themes show
up for you
• What do you like to feeeeel? In your body? What
are your preferred states?

UIGSNBLKADNQ
“Until I got still, nobody but little kids and dogs
noticed the beautiful quiet.”
• Unique
• Intention
• Gratitude
• Savoring
• Nagging/open question
• Best thing I hadn’t noticed yet
Appendix I

UIGSNBLKADNQ
“Until I got still, nobody but little kids and dogs
noticed the beautiful quiet.”
• Lighten the load (forgiveness)
• Kindness
• Audacious goal
• Doubts?
• New-self exercise
• Quiet

Enough happiness to keep you sweet;
Enough trials to keep you strong;
Enough sorrow to keep you human;
Enough hope to keep you happy;
Enough failure to keep you humble;
Enough success to keep you eager;
Enough friends to give you comfort;
Enough wealth to meet your needs;
Enough faith to banish depression;
Enough determination to make each day better than
yesterday.

Let’s stay in touch!
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@davidnowell David Nowell Seminars
David D Nowell PhD

Eating disorders
Where are you
when you are eating?

Hope comes from believing your
efforts can make a difference
Carol Dweck and colleagues gave children a fairly simple puzzle and told half
the kids a comment that told them they were smart and the other half
that they must have worked hard to solve the puzzles. Then they offered
them a choice of simple or challenging puzzles. 90% of the kids who were
praised for effort chose the difficult puzzles; a majority of the kids who
were praised for intelligence chose the easier ones. Then all the kids were
given some difficult puzzles. Then some that were about as easy as the
initial ones. The “work hard” kids did 30% better than they had in the
initial scores, while the “intelligence” kids scores declined by 20%.
A. Cimpian et. al (2007). “Subtle Linguistic Clues Affect Children’s
motivations,” Psychological Science, 18:314-316.

Positive Psychology and the Science of Sustained Happiness

Positive Psychology and the Science of Sustained Happiness

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