Training your brain to be happy... the key to a longer life
By Christine WebberLast updated at 1:51 AM on 20th November 2011
Comments (2)
Is there a person on the planet who doesn’t want to be happy? Probably not. After all, happiness makes life more pleasant. And studies show that contented humans live longer than miserable ones, and are less inclined to turn to crime and much more likely to form relationships.
Happiness is a hot topic. Various governments, including our own, are bent on measuring it. This is because they’ve woken up to scientific claims that happy adults are more productive – and are therefore good for the economy.
But isn’t it unnatural to be happy all the time? As one of my depressed clients recently asked: ‘Aren’t I entitled to be sad if I want to be?’
 |
| Mood swings: Scientific evidence suggests that we can learn to improve our mood - by actually changing our brains |
The answer is no. True happiness is not about being perpetually chirpy. But neither does it have much to do with the momentary ecstasy we might feel when our team scores a goal, or we make an impulse buy of some lovely shoes.
It’s about a deeper sense of contentment and, and about valuing ourselves, and others. It’s also about looking for positives in situations, and feeling confident that we have the resilience to deal with life’s reverses. And this, I believe, is achievable for all.
Awful events happen – even to the most optimistic of us. And being a happy person does not prevent anguish and heartbreak when your dog dies, or you lose your job, or when you have problems with a partner.
On the other hand, individuals who are optimistic do tend to deal with life’s downturns better than people with a less upbeat default setting.
The Greek Stoic philosopher Epictetus said: ‘It’s not things that upset us, it’s our view of things.’ In a similar vein, one might argue: ‘It’s not people or events that make us happy.’ Happiness actually involves our own attitudes and choices.
It’s marvellous if someone loves us, or we get a promotion; and it’s natural that such benefits augment our happiness. But none of us should regard these sorts of events as essential to our contentment. When we do, we live in dread that they will be snatched away.
 |
It's an attitude: Happiness is much more than just the momentary ecstasy we feel in joyous occasions, but more about a deeper sense of contentment |
Less than two decades ago, it was commonplace to believe that the brain was fully formed by the age of 25 and that it couldn’t develop or grow after that. But now, thanks to developments in neuroscience, we know that the brain can form new neural connections through life. And we also know that when a person deliberately thinks of something joyful, the brain becomes more active in the part of its structure that registers happiness.
It’s not too far-fetched to believe that if we keep thinking cheerful thoughts, we can exercise and grow the happy section of our brain.
Italian psychiatrist Professor Giovanni Fava encouraged his patients to keep ‘un diario della felicità’ (happiness diary). He found that once people wrote down details of positive moments, happy feelings took root in their minds.
I’ve used this strategy with my own patients. When one, whom I shall call Frances, came to me she was anxious, chaotic and fed up – and prone to complaining about everything.
And she was single, despite her best efforts to meet a partner. I persuaded her to notice five happy things daily – and to write them down. And I asked her to cheer up bad moments by remembering pleasurable incidents.
Within weeks, she began to view life more positively.
In our last session, she told me that she felt much more content. Soon afterwards, she rang to say that she’d met a wonderful man.
In his book Science Of Happiness, physicist Stefan Klein says: ‘Unhappiness comes on its own, but we have to work for happiness.’
Frances found this to be true... and it turned her life around.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2063711/Training-brain-happy--key-longer-life.html
