This is a slide deck from my Spring 2021 section of The Art of Self-Coaching at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. Course materials are archived at https://www.edbatista.com/the-art-of-self-coaching-course.html.

1. The art of
Photo by Marina del Castell [link]
self-coaching
Ed Batista
CLASS 5: HAPPINESS
Spring 2021

2. Class #
Photo by Nicholas Vigier [link]

3. Happiness
Photo by Marina del Castell [link]

4. Photo by Theresa Thompson [link]
Remarks on happiness 15 mins
Discussion & debrief 35 mins
Strengths & meaning 10 mins
Debrief & for next time… 10 mins
Outside of class 25 mins
Agenda

5. Warm-up

6. Warm-up

7. Warm-up
Now it’s your turn 
In breakouts with your group
30 seconds for each person’s joke

8. Room First Last Room First Last
1
David Vasquez
1
Joe Mills
Jed Paul Kristina Garrido
2
Abe Kumar
2
Valeria Martinez
Mitchel Peterman
3
Becky Bauer
3
Jeff Macdonald
Brenton Howland Yaritza Vargas
4
Alex Kim
4
Isabel Andrade
Camilla Zanon di Valgiurata
5
Aidan Quealy
5
Charlotte Weiss
Brigitte Hackler Takara Ashley
6
Jane Conroy
6
Shilpa Kannan
Julius Niehaus
7
Bianca Jackson
7
Melody Tamir
Jessica Kaushal Truman Liu
8
Alex Comerford
8
John Woloszyn
Jenny Zhou Nicholas Tandy
9
Alex Kopco
9
Lauren Phelps
Jisha Kambo Weston Reynolds
10
Betsy Arce
10
Morgan Wiley
John Drago
Shared interests

9. Positive
Photo by Donna Tomlinson [link]
psychology

10. Positive
Photo by Donna Tomlinson [link]
psychology
Eudaimonia
The highest human aim
Flourishing or fulfillment
Distinct from mere pleasure

11. Positive
Photo by Donna Tomlinson [link]
psychology
Eudaimonia
Happiness does not lie in amusement…
…but in virtuous activities.
~Nicomachean Ethics, Book X Ch 6

12. Eudaimonia?
Photo by Marina del Castell [link]

13. Flourishing?
Photo by Marina del Castell [link]

14. Happiness
Photo by Marina del Castell [link]

15. Happiness
This research is easily misunderstood
The data is robust but continues to evolve
Our goal: Understand it enough to experiment

16. Happiness
It matters
But correlation ≠ causation
And more isn’t always better

17. Happiness
Photo by Morgan [link]

18. Happiness
Can it be pursued?
Or must it ensue?

19. Happiness
Viktor Frankl
Happiness must happen
Martin Seligman (& others)
Happiness = Genetic Set Point
+ Life Circumstances
+ Intentional Activities

20. Genetic
Set Point
(50%)
Intentional
Activities
(40%)
(10%)
Life Circumstances
Happiness

21. Beware!
(50%)
(40%)
(10%)

22. Facts & myths

23. Facts & myths
Fact: Variance among individuals in the sample
Myth: Sources of each individual’s happiness

24. Facts & myths
Fact: Our genes influence our happiness
Myth: Your genes = 50% of your happiness

25. Facts & myths
Fact: Circumstances matter less than we think
Myth: Circumstances = 10% of your happiness

26. Facts & myths
Fact: Hedonic adaptation diminishes impact
Myth: Circumstances don’t matter

27. Facts & myths
Fact: Money ≠ Happiness
Myth: It’s irrelevant

28. Facts & myths
Myth: Intentional activities = 40% of happiness
Fact: They can have a significant impact
Why does this matter?

29. Change
Photo by Naotake Murayama [link]

30. Change
Goals  Activities
Start small
Cultivate routines
Celebrate little wins

31. Happiness
Photo by Marina del Castell [link]
strategies

32. Happiness
strategies
Sonja Lyubomirsky, UC Riverside
What activities have a demonstrable impact?

33. Happiness
strategies
Gratitude Savoring
Optimism Commitment
Overthinking Coping
Kindness Forgiveness
Relationships Spirituality
Engagement (Flow) Your Body

34. Happiness
strategies
Gratitude Savoring
Optimism Commitment
Overthinking Coping
Kindness Forgiveness
Relationships Spirituality
Engagement (Flow) Your Body

35. Flow
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Claremont
(Cheek-sent-me-high)

36. Skill
BOREDOM
ANXIETY
Challenge

37. Happiness
strategies
Gratitude Savoring
Optimism Commitment
Overthinking Coping
Kindness Forgiveness
Relationships Spirituality
Engagement (Flow) Your Body

38. Taking care
Meditation
Exercise & rest
Smiling & laughing
Grouped for convenience?
Treat them as distinct strategies?
of your body

39. Happiness
strategies
Gratitude Savoring
Optimism Commitment
Overthinking Coping
Kindness Forgiveness
Relationships Spirituality
Engagement (Flow) Your Body

40. Happiness
No optimal mix
Highly personalized
strategies

41. Happiness
Contingent on…
Naturalness
Enjoyment
Values
Absence of guilt or pressure
strategies

42. A discussion
Class Prep, Part 2
What would you like to try?
What experiments might you run?
How will you hold yourself accountable?

43. Room First Last Room First Last
1
David Vasquez
1
Joe Mills
Jed Paul Kristina Garrido
2
Abe Kumar
2
Valeria Martinez
Mitchel Peterman
3
Becky Bauer
3
Jeff Macdonald
Brenton Howland Yaritza Vargas
4
Alex Kim
4
Isabel Andrade
Camilla Zanon di Valgiurata
5
Aidan Quealy
5
Charlotte Weiss
Brigitte Hackler Takara Ashley
6
Jane Conroy
6
Shilpa Kannan
Julius Niehaus
7
Bianca Jackson
7
Melody Tamir
Jessica Kaushal Truman Liu
8
Alex Comerford
8
John Woloszyn
Jenny Zhou Nicholas Tandy
9
Alex Kopco
9
Lauren Phelps
Jisha Kambo Weston Reynolds
10
Betsy Arce
10
Morgan Wiley
John Drago
Shared interests

44. Thank your group
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45. Debrief
What are you learning?
What are you going to try?
How will you hold yourself accountable?

46. Meaning
Photo by Abdul Rahman [link]
& purpose

47. Meaning
The pleasant life is the successful pursuit of the
positive feelings, supplemented by the skills of
amplifying these emotions.
~Martin Seligman
& purpose

48. Meaning
The good life is a life wrapped up in successfully
using your signature strengths to obtain abundant
and authentic gratification.
~Martin Seligman
& purpose

49. Meaning
The meaningful life has one additional feature:
Using your signature strengths in the service of
something larger than yourself.
~Martin Seligman
& purpose

50. Meaning
Why does this matter?
Meaning > pleasure
Bear in mind…
& purpose

51. Eudaimonia
Photo by Donna Tomlinson [link]
Happiness does not lie in amusement…
…but in virtuous activities.
~Nicomachean Ethics, Book X Ch 6

52. Character
Photo by Jamie Jamieson [link]
strengths

53. Character
Martin Seligman, Christopher Peterson, et al
How do we achieve eudaimonia?
strengths

54. Character
Values in Action (VIA) Institute
Studied cultures, philosophies, religions
Identified universal* paths  Eudaimonia
strengths

55. Character
“Manual of the Sanities”
DSM for positive psychology
Classification scheme: 6 virtues  24 strengths
strengths

56. 6 universal*
virtues
Wisdom
Courage
Humanity
Justice
Temperance
Transcendence

57. 6 universal*
*Valued in almost all cultures & traditions
Too abstract to test reliably
(Because social scientists)
virtues

58. 24 strengths
Items in your VIA report
Distinct path to a virtue or
Process that defines a virtue or
Means by which a virtue is enacted

59. 24 strengths
Not talents (innate abilities)
Or skills (abilities we develop)
Or aptitude, proficiency or potential

60. 24 strengths
Ownership, celebration & frequency of use
Likely sources of meaning & purpose

61. Remember…
Photo by Sue Clark [link]

62. Remember…
A map is not the territory it represents.
~Alford Korzybski

63. Signature
strengths

64. Signature
Characterized by…
Sense of ownership & authenticity
Interest in continuous learning
Feeling of excitement
Desire to use it
Invigoration
strengths

65. Outside of class
Photo by Ludovic Betron

66. Outside of class
A conversation with your Personal partner
Which items are your signature strengths?
How are they pathways to meaning & purpose?

67. Room First Last Room First Last
1 Abe Kumar 1 Truman Liu
2 Takara Ashley 2 Weston Reynolds
3 Aidan Quealy 3 David Vasquez
4 Alex Comerford 4 Becky Bauer
5 Alex Kim 5 Kristina Garrido
6 Alex Kopco 6 Camilla Zanon di Valgiurata
7 Betsy Arce 7 Melody Tamir
8 Bianca Jackson 8 Jisha Kambo
9 Brenton Howland 9 Jed Paul
10 Brigitte Hackler 10 Charlotte Weiss
11 Isabel Andrade 11 Joe Mills
12 Jane Conroy 12 Lauren Phelps
13 Jeff Macdonald 13 Valeria Martinez
14 Jenny Zhou 14 Yaritza Vargas
15 Jessica Kaushal 15 Julius Niehaus
16 John Drago 16 Morgan Wiley
17 John Woloszyn 17 Mitchel Peterman
18 Nicholas Tandy 18 Shilpa Kannan
Personal

68. Thank your
partner
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69. Debrief
What am I taking away from today?
What am I motivated to do?
What questions remain?

70. To sum up
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Happiness matters
So do intentional activities
Intrinsic motivation is essential
Meaning & purpose matter even more
Signature strengths may be paths to eudaimonia

71. For next time…
Photo by Nicolas Vigier [link]

72. Resilience &
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Vulnerability
Photo by Philip Leara [link]

73. Photo by dotmatchbox [link]
Three exercises…

74. Photo by dotmatchbox [link]
Resilience
Quotient

75. Resilience
56 questions
Same as in Reivich & Shatté
Go with your gut & don’t deliberate
Quotient

76. Resilience
Do it before the Reivich & Shatté reading
Complete the assessment (10 mins)
Then score it (10 mins)
Quotient

77. Photo by dotmatchbox [link]
Resilience
Worksheet

78. Resilience
Complete after the Reivich & Shatté reading
Prep for a small-group discussion
Brief notes & focused reflection
Worksheet

79. Photo by dotmatchbox [link]
And a story…

80. And a story…
Experiences that involve feelings of vulnerability
Embarrassment, remorse, guilt, shame
Use the sheet to identify 5 stories
You’ll choose which one to tell
4 minutes to tell it

81. Photo by Luz Adriana Villa [link]
Weeks 6 and 7
Class will run ~5 minutes long

82. Other items…
I’ll email links to slides on my site & class video
Weekly assignment due Tuesday 9pm