 Some one in five U.S. adults is taking at least one drug for a psychiatric problem; nearly one in four middle-aged women in the United States is taking antidepressants at any given time. You can't escape it: When scientists test the water supply of Western countries, they always find it is laced with antidepressants, because so many of us are taking them and excreting them that they simply can't be filtered out of the water we drink every day. Mustang Nation, if you had always wanted to attend a college campus and be part of one of their classes - now is an opportune moment!! Yale University of Haverford, Connecticut has been inspiring hearts and minds for over 300 years by bringing together ideas and people for positive change around the globe. Emphasizing learning as an essential way of life, Yale is now bringing the widely popular "happiness" course online through Coursera. Check out this free 4-week online course and take the Mustang Happiness Challenge at MVHS by committing to:
1) Taking the "happiness" course with Yale Psychology Professor Dr. Laurie Santos 2) Reading through this current reflection on "The Pursuit of Happiness with Flow" and listening to Dr. Santos' podcasts here 3) Leaving your feedback on this post and sharing with classmates and loved ones how you have been growing in awareness of your pursuit of happiness with flow The Pursuit of Happiness with Flow American essayist Henry David Thoreau once wrote, “Most men lead lives of quiet desperation.” Throughout the centuries, philosophers have queried the search for happiness for its own sake, and every other factor related to happiness as good health, beauty, power with influence, status, money, impact, and a lasting legacy are also valued and seen as products of the pursuit of happiness. In addition to geopolitical and civilian circumstances, our nation continues to experience heightened levels of depression. Not only impacting adults, current studies reflect that teens are also becoming impacted by these alarming rates of depression. Each year, the World Happiness Report reflects on global conditions of social stability and services; gross domestic product per capita; trust in government and institutions; levels of crime and corruption, etc. all contribute to the objective measure of happiness within the nations of the earth. Investigative journalist, Johann Hari, reflects that: Some one in five U.S. adults is taking at least one drug for a psychiatric problem; nearly one in four middle-aged women in the United States is taking antidepressants at any given time. You can't escape it: When scientists test the water supply of Western countries, they always find it is laced with antidepressants, because so many of us are taking them and excreting them that they simply can't be filtered out of the water we drink every day. Social psychologists of our era have started to engage with the great questions of life as we have entered the digital age: What is happiness? Who has it? Who does not? And why not? The research studies and their findings are sobering yet fascinating. People are unable to acquire happiness simply by desiring it, and waiting for it does not guarantee it. Hoping for happiness does not produce it, and we must know what exactly happiness is in order to pursue it overall. Many might retain the desire for happiness but end up going to the grave without having simple, realistic, and soulful approaches to obtaining it within a lifetime. More cars, more boats, more houses, and more possessions do not equate to a life lived in satisfaction and pleasure, causing our souls to become stretched into new depths of understanding, deepened insight, and heartfelt wisdom. Happiness emerges beyond the mere cosmetics of the mundane and meaningless, and it seeps through our personal histories to cause us to experience the fullness of life. Three main categories of happiness and satisfaction are identified based on recent research studies. The Pleasant Life: People in pursuit of the Pleasant Life seek happiness by looking for pleasure. They are good at savoring the moment and making their pleasures last. These people are often described as “thrill-seekers.” The Engaged Life: People in pursuit of the Engaged Life seek happiness by working hard at their passions. They immerse themselves so deeply in these that they sometimes come across as cold and uncaring; but for them, time seems to melt away as they experience a state of total engagement. The Meaningful Life: People in pursuit of the Meaningful Life use their strengths to work toward something they believe contributes to a greater good. This greater good motivates them deeply. Happy people are highly intentional and passionate to employ their strengths; the people that saw themselves with meaning and engagement were noted as the happiest. Renown psychologist and researcher on studies for happiness and pleasure, Dr. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, highlights his findings here. He applies the term “flow” as a way of becoming completely immersed, with a heightened level of attention and focus, in various life activities - “flow” describes our love for what we are doing and being excellent in it. Gardening, cooking a full meal, bowling in a community league, writing a novel, or blogging a post all exemplify activities in which the focal point is not necessarily on the individual or the task, but the energized focus and full enjoyment of the process within the activity. Full concentration and effort on the task, absorption in the activity at hand, constant engagement, and maintaining a belief that the task and/or job matters to us are essential facets to being in a “flow” state. According to the latest research studies, only 20% of the general American public achieve a flow state each day at work whereas 15% typically never enter their flow state on the job. In my perspective, entering into the “flow” state daily is imperative if we are going to see the tides of depression change in the nature of our nation’s mental health crisis. Here are simple ways to buffer yourself and family members from the snares of depression and experience flow:
It becomes important to assess our own ideas of happiness, and if we are not attaining it in our search - to truly wonder why and what this means for us within the global community and digital age. We must become more expectant to look at the hidden parts and allow light to shine upon the inner horizons of ourselves. If we give ourselves the time and wisdom needed to desire, recognize, and possess happiness, then the pursuit of happiness will become a priority in which we pursue greatness for the soul. We learn what we are called to in this moment. That will carry us into the next moment as we discover how to live even more enriched in a flow state, becoming full of life. Recommended Resources: The Blue Zones of Happiness: Lessons From the World's Happiest People by Dan Buettner Happiness by Joan Chittister Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi Focus by Daniel Goleman Lost Connections: Uncovering the Real Causes of Depression – and the Unexpected Solutions by Johann Hari The Happiness Curve by Jonathan Rauch Authentic Happiness: Using the New Positive Psychology to Realize Your Potential for Lasting Fulfillment by Martin Seligman
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