week -1
Peer-graded Assignment: The 1st Happiness Exercise: Defining and incorporating happiness
Project Title
The 1st Happiness Exercise: Defining and incorporating happiness
1. What is your definition of happiness? Please write your answer below.
Happiness tome is the sum of all the little joyful moments one experiences throughout a day.
2. What makes you happy in the way that you have defined it? (List 3 – 4 things/activities). Please write your answer below.
1) Helping other
2) Drinking coffee in the backyard
3) Feeling of being loved
4) Eating something delicious
week -3
Peer-graded Assignment: The 3rd Happiness Exercise: Creative Altruism
Project Title
Creative Altruism
1. What was your idea/plan?
I donated a food package for some low-paid workers who are affected by Covid-19 in my hometown.
2. How did you execute the idea? Did you stick to the "3 rules for giving" (contain cost of giving, have fun, and register impact)? If not, why not?
First of all, I reached out to my friends and colleagues who
originated from the same town but currently living in other cities and
well-earning. I coordinated gathering the charity from these friends (for 2
weeks period). Once the fund was collected, I asked some friends who are living
in the hometown to prepare the food package and The recipient felt really
grateful and kept pray
3. What did the recipient feel? In answering this question focus on what the recipient said/did when he/she experienced your act.
The recipient felt really grateful and kept praying for the givers' health. an It made us feel that our little help could give some relief for others
4. How did it make you feel? What effect did the entire exercise have on you?
I feel good at helping others, It makes me feel pleasant experiences . It encourages me in many ways
It helps me in my humanity growth. week -5
Peer-graded Assignment: The 6th Happiness Exercise: 3 good things (with a twist!)
Project Title
The 6th Happiness Exercise: 3 good things (with a twist!)
1. Overall, how easy or difficult was this exercise for you? Why?
The exercise was mildly easy and it took time to think but overall it was good.
2. How much more (or less) confident do you now feel that no event or outcome is “purely” positive or negative? Why (or why not)?
Actually, now I feel that no event is perfectly positive or
perfectly negative, it is up to us to convert the joy and fraternity of the
moment.
3. Typically, those who do this exercise can more spontaneously see the positive consequences triggered by negative events. Did this happen to you? (Please elaborate.)
Yeah...I actually get to know that there is no completely
negative event , if we want we can convert it to positive
week -6
Peer-graded Assignment: Final Exam (Part 2)
Project Title
Final Exam (Part 2)
1. a.
The three negative misconceptions
we discussed are:i. Happiness leads to lazinessii. Happiness leads to
selfishness, andiii. Happiness is fleeting Findings show that happier people
are, in fact, more productive and successful than those who are less happy.
Specifically, here’s what findings show:• Happier insurance agents sell more
insurance• Happy employees earn more• Happier (optimistic) CEOs foster a more
positive work-climate, which in turn improves organizational productivity•
Happier CEOs receive higher performance ratings from chairpersons of their
boards and head companies with greater returns on investment,• Happier batsmen
in Cricket have higher batting averagesSo, the idea that happiness leads to
laziness is not valid. Findings also show that happiness does not lead to
selfishness; in fact, it leads to altruism. Specifically, here’s what findings
show:• Happy people volunteer more for social causes• Happy people are more
likely to judge others favorably,• and are more willing to share their good
fortune with others more equitably• People feeling happy contribute more money
to charity; they are also more likely to donate bloodand my favorite, because I
am always looking for participants to run my experiments Happy people are more
likely to volunteer for an extra experiment Finally, although many people
believe that happiness can’t last long—that is, it is fleeting—it turns out
that a lot depends on how one defines happiness. If one defines it more along
the lines of love/connection or abundance, happiness has the potential to last
much longer than if one equates it to sensory pleasure or hubristic pride.
1b.
Viktor Frankl, the gentleman who
wrote, Man’s search for meaning, is reputed to have said, “Don't aim at
success. The more you aim at it and make it a target, the more you are going to
miss it. For success, like happiness, cannot be pursued; it must ensue…”
Frankl’s quote suggests that it’s
better not to pursue happiness. Please indicate whether you agree or disagree
with Frankl’s statement and justify your position by referring to relevant
findings. (2 points.)
I agree with Frankl because findings indicate that, while it is
important to prioritize happiness, it’s equally important not to pursue (or
chase it) because, findings show that when one pursues happiness, one is likely
to be less happy as a result. Specifically, pursuing happiness leads one to
compare one’s current happiness levels with one’s ideal happiness levels, and
such a comparison has been shown to lower happiness levels.
2. a.
The three characteristics of flow that were discussed are:i. Paradoxical
perception of timeii. Loss of self-consciousness, andiii. Focus on the present
moment (sub-goal—or sub-sub-goal) An example of paradoxical perception of time
is that, during flow, time can seem to slow down so that you feel as is
everything is going in slow motion. E.g., if you experience flow as you are
playing tennis, you might feel that the ball is coming towards you in slow
motion, and that you are able to see the fur on the ball. However, once the
game is over, you might feel that time went by really fast. So, for example,
you might even miss lunch or a subsequent appointment when you are caught in
flow. Another feature of flow is the lack of self-consciousness. During flow,
you don’t have that “inner voice” or “judge” commenting on how well or poorly
you are doing the thing that you are doing. So, you won’t be evaluating
yourself as you are engaged in the activity. The reason for this has to do with
the fact that flow moments happen when you are “stretched”; so, you don’t have
any excess capacity left over to judge or evaluate how you are doing: being in
flow takes everything you got. A final feature of flow is that you are
intensely focused on the present moment. Say, for example, that you are
climbing up a rock face and your eventual goal is to have a picnic lunch with a
friend. If you are in flow, you wouldn’t be thinking about this eventual goal;
your attention would be focused on the next sub-goal or sub-sub-goal—e.g.,
whether you need to powder your hands or which shrub to hold on to as you hoist
yourself up the rock face.
2. b.
Flow is experienced when required ability (to do a task) is
matched by available ability. More specifically, flow is most likely when
required ability is just above available ability; thus, one is made to stretch
a little bit beyond what one already knows—that’s when flow is most likely
3. a.
I agree with the Dalai Lama’s statement since numerous
findings have shown that being loving and giving—that is, being kind and
compassionate—makes us happy. Here are the findings that we discussed:- One
study, conducted by Prof. Norton and his co-author showed that students given
$5 or $20 were happier when they spent it on others than on themselves;-
Another study, using Gallup poll data, showed that in a vast majority of
countries (120 of 136 countries), those who donated to charity in the previous
month were significantly happier than those who didn’t; Yet another study
showed that even toddlers are happier when they are kind and generous than when
they are not; in this study, toddlers were given some Goldfish crackers and
asked to consume it themselves or to feed it to a (puppet) monkey; toddlers who
gave away their goldfish (to the monkey) were happier than those who consumed
it themselves.- Other studies have shown that being kind and generous impacts
success. Givers (otherish givers, to be specific), for example, are much more
likely to rise to the top of their organizations than are takers or matchers.
Likewise, findings by economist Arthur Brooks showed that those who donate $1
to charity end up earning $3.75 in return.
3. b.
Givers aren’t necessarily always more successful than takers
or matchers. A lot depends on what type of giver you are. Findings show that it
is otherish givers, rather than selfless givers who rise up to the top of their
organizations.The reason for this is because otherish givers are less likely to
burnout—since they take care of themselves too (and not just others) by
including themselves in the “circle of generosity.”
4. a.
Yes, I do agree with this statement. The statement means
that, the more internal control one has, the less external control one will
seek. There are several studies that are consistent with this idea. For
example, the dissertation studies of Prof. Raghunathan show that our desire for
external control goes up when we lack control over our feelings—e.g., when we
feel stressed out or anxious. In one study (conducted by Prof. Raghunathan),
participants were asked to list the things that they would like to do when they
feel anxious and stressed. Findings showed that people’s tendency to seek
external control—e.g., get the space around them organized, try to get to the
bottom of the problem that’s making them feel anxious, etc.—was higher when
they felt stressed. The reverse has been shown too: it is when we feel that we
don’t have a sufficiently high level of control over our external environment
that we seek ways of taking internal control. This is one reason why being
spiritual or religious helps. Findings from one study by Pollner showed that
that one reason why religious people are happier that non-religious people is
because their belief in God gives them a sense of vicarious control over
external circumstances. Similarly, people tend to become more superstitious
when they are put under stress. This happens is because the superstition acts
like a crutch; it gives people a sense of internal reassurance when they lack
control over the external situation
4. b.
Yes, I do agree with this statement. The statement means
that, the more internal control one has, the less external control one will
seek. There are several studies that are consistent with this idea. For
example, the dissertation studies of Prof. Raghunathan show that our desire for
external control goes up when we lack control over our feelings—e.g., when we
feel stressed out or anxious. In one study (conducted by Prof. Raghunathan),
participants were asked to list the things that they would like to do when they
feel anxious and stressed. Findings showed that people’s tendency to seek
external control—e.g., get the space around them organized, try to get to the
bottom of the problem that’s making them feel anxious, etc.—was higher when
they felt stressed. The reverse has been shown too: it is when we feel that we
don’t have a sufficiently high level of control over our external environment
that we seek ways of taking internal control. This is one reason why being
spiritual or religious helps. Findings from one study by Pollner showed that
that one reason why religious people are happier that non-religious people is
because their belief in God gives them a sense of vicarious control over
external circumstances. Similarly, people tend to become more superstitious
when they are put under stress. This happens is because the superstition acts
like a crutch; it gives people a sense of internal reassurance when they lack
control over the external situation.
5. a.
Findings showed that people’s tendency to seek external
control—e.g., get the space around them organized, try to get to the bottom of
the problem that’s making them feel anxious, etc.—was higher when they felt
stressed. The reverse has been shown too: it is when we feel that we don’t have
a sufficiently high level of control over our external environment that we seek
ways of taking internal control. This is one reason why being spiritual or
religious helps. Findings from one study by Pollner showed that that one reason
why religious people are happier that non-religious people is because their
belief in God gives them a sense of vicarious control over external
circumstances. Similarly, people tend to become more superstitious when they
are put under stress. This happens is because the superstition acts like a
crutch; it gives people a sense of internal reassurance when they lack control
over the external situation.
5. b.
Obsessive pursuit of passion involves judging outcomes both
before and after they occur. Indifferent pursuit of passion involves not
judging outcomes either before or after they occur. Dispassionate pursuit of
passion involves having a preference for certain outcomes over others before
they occur, but not judging them as good or bad after they occur.Most of us
fall in the 1st category: obsessive pursuit of passion. That is, we tend to
seek certain outcomes over others because we judge them to be good (or better)
and we also judge certain outcomes as “good” and other outcomes as “bad” they
occur.Indifferent pursuit of passion is not possible because it’s impossible
not to have pre-occurrence preference. That is, whether we like it or not, and
whether we know it or not, we are going to have preferences (e.g., for eating
food, scratching an itch, etc.)
6. a.
There are, indeed, many beneficial consequences from
practicing mindfulness. On the physiological side, they include the
following:i. Better heart health (through strengthening of vagal tone)ii. Lower
inflammation (leading to lower stress)iii. Mitigation in the shortening of
telomeres (which protects our DNA strands)iv. Slowing down of age-related brain
lossOn the mental (well-being/happiness) side, they include:i. Lower stressii.
Greater compassion (due to strengthening of Vagal tone and through activation
of insular cortex)iii.slowing down of adaptationiv. Greater curiosity and
interest even in every day (ordinary) thingsv. Greater likelihood of
experiencing awe, which increases perceived “time abundance,” enhancing
happiness levelsFinally, for success, they include: i. Increased response
flexibility, leading to better/more mature decisionsii. Greater emotional
intelligence
6. b.
happening and, at the same time, seems to involve getting
more intimately in touch with what’s happening, ii) that accepting or embracing
a negative feeling should make one feel better rather than worse, and finally,
iii) that mindfulness would lead to a loss of spontaneity since it improves
“response flexibility.” All of these are apparent (and not real) paradoxes for
the following reasons:First, mindfulness involves “distancing” from the stance
of “bare awareness” and not from the stance of the “mind.” From the standpoint
of the mind, distancing (or observing) involves judging, commenting,
categorizing etc. This imposes a separation between the observer and the
observed. However, from the standpoint of “bare awareness,” there is not
distance between the observer and the observed. Second, although it might
appear that completely accepting or embracing a negative feeling might
exacerbate it, it reality it doesn’t because once one gets in intimate touch
with one’s feelings, they reduce to sensations in various parts of the body. It
is when we ruminate about things that they tend to magnify; by contrast, when
one is merely observing the negative feelings, they tend to ebb, flow and
ultimately dissolve and vanish. This is not to say that it’s always better to try
to be mindful when one is feeling negative. Sometimes, it may be better to use
one of the “emotion regulation” strategies—if one isn’t fully confident of
fully accepting the negative feeling (without ruminating about it).Finally,
mindfulness does not lead to a loss of spontaneity even though it increases
response flexibility because mindfulness puts us in touch with both what’s
going on in our mind and in our bodies. Hence, it enhances both the ability to
make mature decisions and maintain spontaneity. What it lowers are the
tendencies to be impulsive and over-analytical.
