How to boost your Positivity Ratio

Posted on by

Barbara Fredrickson shares insights from her years of research on ways to boost your positivity ratio:

Action for Happiness Suggest this 4 step action plan:

1. Track your positivity ratio
  • Check out your current Positivity Ratio – to see how it is today – using this free, quick and easy free test (it’s one that psychologists often use).
  • Try doing it each day for a week or so, noting down your ratio and see if it changes. What do you think made it change? Do you need to boost your level of positive emotions?
    2. Explore your positive emotions
    • Make a list of ten positive emotions that you can think of. For example, these might include joy, inspiration, contentment, serenity, amusement, pride, interest, or gratitude.
    • Pick one emotion from your list and then note down things that tend to generate this emotions for you.
    • Think back to the last time you felt this emotion… what was it that you were doing? Where were you? What was happening around you? What other things could make you feel this way?
    • What could you do to bring more of this into your life today or this week? Being more conscious of these things will help us to spot opportunities for to experience them.
    • Now repeat this for each of the other emotions in turn. You may wish to pick one per day or per week, to reflect on.

      3. Put together a positive pack

      • Think of a positive emotion you’d like to feel more of. Collect together things that you associate with this emotion. This could include music tracks, pictures, photographs, poems, lines or quotes from books, video clips, objects that bring back memories etc. Depending what you collect keep these things in a box, online or in a note book or scrap book).
      • Find a few minutes to spend with your collection reflecting on the emotion you want to feel. Remember the action doesn’t need to be big and feeling the emotion doesn’t need to be earth shattering – a passing moment is fine.
      • Your pack could also include actions – simple things you can do that you know often bring you that emotion. For example if you want to try joy, you might have listed singing your favourite song at the top of your voice. For serenity it might be a walk in your favourite nearby green space.

      4. Keep it up. Mix it up.

      • Of course there are times when positive emotions come easily and there are times when it is harder. Even when things are tough try to think of something that will distract you for the positive for a moment. And don’t forget to try different actions and emotions – some will work better for each us at different times than others. Have fun!

       

      Strengths Mined: 

      Analytical

      hope & optimism

      positivty

      Responsibility

      Honesty

      Curisity

      Adapatable

      Self-Control

      Focus

      Activator

      Positive resonance

      Posted on by

      “I’ve learned that no matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow. I’ve learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights. I’ve learned that regardless of your relationship with your parents, you’ll miss them when they’re gone from your life. I’ve learned that making a “living” is not the same thing as making a “life.” I’ve learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance. I’ve learned that you shouldn’t go through life with a catcher’s mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw something back. I’ve learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision. I’ve learned that even when I have pains, I don’t have to be one. I’ve learned that every day you should reach out and touch someone. People love a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back. I’ve learned that I still have a lot to learn. I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” 
      ― Maya Angelou

      This beautiful speach highlights what Barbara Fredrickson calls Positive resonance…or what the rest of call love. 

      Barbara has identified 10 positive emotions that will help us Broaden and build our capacity. 

      Take the 21 day gratitude challenge–starts today

      Posted on by

      This round sponsored by KindSpring. And they have lots of idea:

       

       

       

       

      Small Acts That Change the World | KindSpring.org

      Art makes us happier

      Posted on by

      Soul Pancake explores how art inspires hapiness

      This is based on a study

      The Greater Good Society profiles seven artist’s perspectivse on why we make art. 

      Strengths Mined: Creativity, Appreciation of Beauty, Capacity to love and be loved, Authenticity,

      • I make art for a few reasons. In life, we experience so much fragmentation of thought and feeling. For me, creating art brings things back together.
      • I like expressing emotions—to have others feel what it is I’m feeling when I’m photographing people.
      • I make art primarily because I enjoy the process. It’s fun making things.

      While most of us are not artists, not in the sense of making a living in things, I suspect most of us can relate to the sentiments described. Indeed art is important. A London School of Economic researcher found it to be among the MOST important things in making us happy:  Of the top six most happiness-inducing activities, again after sex and exercise, the other four are all arts-related.  They are, in descending order:

       

      1)      Intimacy/making love
      2)      Sports/running/exercise
      3)      Theatre/dance/concert
      4)      Singing/performing
      5)      Exhibition/museum/library
      6)      Hobbies/arts/crafts

       

      Want to join the research? Download Mappiness app and follow the directions.

       

      Be Sure to Check out Julian’s efforts and funnyy story

      Mindfulness: The most relaxing sound ever recorded

      Posted on by

      At least, according to science sponsored by a soap company. 

      The research, conducted by Dr David Lewis-Hodgson of Mindlab International tested various songs on 40 adult women. This one. The following presents a great playlist to sleep meditate by:

      1. Marconi Union – Weightless 
      2. Airstream – Electra 
      3. DJ Shah – Mellomaniac (Chill Out Mix) 
      4. Enya – Watermark
      5. Coldplay – Strawberry Swing
      6. Barcelona – Please Don’t Go 
      7. All Saints – Pure Shores 
      8. Adelev Someone Like You 
      9. Mozart – Canzonetta Sull’aria 
      10. Cafe Del Mar – We Can Fly



      Check out your emotional reading skills.

      Posted on by

      The New York Times if offering up a face reading emotions test. “Curious to see how you do on a test of emotional perception?”

      You can take the test here. Readers comments note that all the women are young and several have “sexy” type eyes–Flirtaticous, Fantasizing or interested, whereas none such eyes exist in the men. Moreover, the men include ones that are old.

      1 day training opportunity

      Posted on by

      I will be giving a pre-conference 1 day training in Bangkok for teachers, counselors and administrators in March 2014:

      Title: Flourishing in Schools: Utilizing groundbreaking research and tools from positive psychology to improve student’s wellbeing. 

      There has been a quiet transformation happening in some schools around the world as they focus on the conditions under which students, parents and faculty flourish? How do we improve student engagement? How can we better address our communities well-being? What is positive education and how does it impact student learning? Deep questions, but with some very compelling and surprisingly simple ideas to address them. In this workshop, we will look into the current research from positive psychology and its implications for teachers, counselors and administrators. The day will have lots of interactive activities and demonstration giving participants tools that they can use in their own communities.