FLOURISHING - NIEAPA · 2015. 6. 11. · chet taranowski ph.d. ceap. flourishing: a brief update on the science of happiness nieapa february, 2015

C H E T T A R A N O W S K I P H . D . C E A P .

FLOURISHING:A BRIEF UPDATE

ON THE SCIENCE OF HAPPINESS

NIEAPA February, 2015

Chet Taranowski Ph.D.


WHO AM I?

• Former EAP Manager at Aon Corporation• Virtual Instructor/Field Work Liaison at the University

of Southern California• Social Work in Business Concentration

• Ph.D. University of Illinois at Chicago• Presenter on topics related to:

• Engagement at work• Well-being• Positive Leadership

• Certification Commission for Employee AssistanceProfessionals


http://sowkweb.usc.edu/master-social-work/msw-degree/concentrations/social-work-and-business-in-a-global-society

5

TOPICS FOR TODAY

• What does it take to be happy?• At home• In your work

• How do you increase your flourishing?• Positive Emotions• Engagement• Relationships• Meaning• Accomplishments

• Where can I learn more?


WHAT DOES THIS MEAN TO ME?

AM I FLOURISH ING?


AFFECTIVE PREDICTION

• The things that we believe will have anextreme emotional consequence almostnever do.• Good things aren’t as good.• Bad things aren’t as bad

Timothy Wilson and Daniel Gilbert.


HOW HAPPY ARE YOU TODAY?

PLEASURE AND PURPOSE


WHO ARE THE EXPERTS?

SUBJECT IVE WELL BE ING


THE FATHERS OF POSITIVE PSYCH.

Martin Seligman Edward Diener Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi


SUPERSTARS

BarbaraFredrickson

RobertBiswas-Diener

SonjaLyubomirsky

MichaelFrisch


M O R E A N D M O R E

IS THERE CONTROVERSY IN THIS FIELD?


MEASUREMENTMETR ICS OF WELL -BE ING



10. Extremely happy (feeling ecstatic, joyous, fantastic)9. Very happy (feeling really good, elated)8. Pretty happy (spirits high, feeling good)7. Mildly happy (feeling fairly good and somewhat cheerful)6. Slightly happy (just a bit above normal)5. Neutral (not particularly happy or unhappy)4. Slightly unhappy (just a bit below neutral)3. Mildly unhappy (just a bit low)2. Pretty unhappy (somewhat blue, spirits down)1. Very unhappy (depressed, spirits very low)0. Extremely unhappy (utterly depressed, completely down)

• The percent of time I feel happy _____• The percent of time I feel unhappy _____• The percent of time I feel neutral _____

CHECK ONE STATEMENT BELOW THAT BESTDESCRIBES YOUR AVERAGE HAPPINESS

http://internal.psychology.illinois.edu/~ediener/Documents/FS.pdf


Diener, E., Wirtz, D., Tov, W., Kim-Prieto, C., Choi, DW., Oishi, S., & Biswas-Diener, R. (2010). New well-being measures: Short scales to assess flourishing and positive and negativefeelings. Social Indicator Research, 97, 143-156.

FlourishingScale



SOCIOLOGICALTHE MACRO LEVEL


The highestChet Taranowski Ph.D.

The lowest scores


Gallup Healthwayshttp://info.healthways.com/wellbeingindex


OTHER DEMOGRAPHICSMICRO INFLUENCES


WHO ARE THESE HAPPY PEOPLE?

• Wealthier• Are younger or older• Are healthier• Have lots of social contact• Are married or cohabiting• Are more educated (but skip the PhD)• Have a job• Commute a short distance to work• You are religious; it doesn’t matter which religion


WEALTH AND HAPPINESSI T HELPS TO HAVE MONEY – BUT ONLY TO A DEGREE


AGE AND HAPPINESS

U Shaped Distribution

Middle Age40 - 50

Youngadult

Lateradulthood

DolanChet Taranowski Ph.D.

BIOLOGY?GENET ICS AND HAPP INESS


GENETICS


WHAT DOES IT MEAN TOFLOURISH?

DEF IN I T IONS


ECONOMIC PERSPECTIVE

Happiness is:Pleasure + Purpose

over timePaul Dolan

The Pleasure Purpose Principle


THE PLEASURE PURPOSE PRINCIPLEDOLAN

Pleasure PurposeChet Taranowski Ph.D.

P.E.R.M.A.

• Positive emotion• Engagement• Relationships• Meaning• Achievement


POSITIVE EMOTIONS


BARBARA FREDRICKSON PH.D.

• University of North Carolina• Positive emotions:

“Broaden & Build”


POSITIVE EMOTIONS

1. Joy2. Gratitude3. Serenity4. Interest5. Hope

6. Pride7. Amusement8. Inspiration9. Awe10. Love.


BAD IS STRONGER THAN GOOD

vs

Devil Angel



Intentionally create opportunitiesfor positive emotions


ENGAGEMENTABSORBING WORK


WHAT IS ENGAGEMENT?

• A positive, fulfilling, work-related state of mindthat is characterized by:• vigor,• dedication, and• absorption.

• Engagement is about passion and commitment,the willingness to invest oneself and expenddiscretionary effort to help an employer succeed.


VIGOR

• High levels of energy• Mental resilience while working,• The willingness to invest effort in one’s work• Persistence even in the face of difficulties

41Chet Taranowski Ph.D.

DEDICATION

• Experiencing a sense of significance,• Enthusiasm,• Inspiration,• Pride,• Challenge


ABSORPTION

• Have similarities to “Flow”• Engrossed in one’s work,• Whereby time passes quickly


MIHALY CSIKSZENTMIHALYI

From Transylvania.

Studied at University ofChicago and later on thefaculty.

Interested in optimalexperiences.

Also did work on creativity.


FLOW1. Task is challenging & requires skill2. Concentration3. Clear goals4. Immediate feedback5. Deep effortless involvement6. Sense of control7. Sense of self vanishes8. Time stops


OBSTACLES TO FLOW

• Our culture endorses pleasure overenjoyment.

• We make a mistake in believing thateffort is too hard and thus inferior tohedonistic pleasure.

• Error of our civilization is pursuit ofmaterialism,• VS quest for happiness or flow.


GALLUP: EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT

1. I am doing something I am good at2. I have all the things I need to do my job3. I know what I should be doing4. Every week someone says something good about my work5. People care about me at work7. I have a mentor8. People listen to my opinions9. I understand how my job is related to company goals10. The people around me want to do a good job too.11. I have a good friend at work12. I get respectful feedback at work13. There are opportunities to further my career.


PSYCHOLOGICAL CAPITAL

Fred Luthans Ph.D.

University ofNebraska-Lincoln


STRENGTHS IN THEWORKPLACE

•Self Efficacy•Optimism•Hope•Resiliency

Luthans, Youssef, Avolio. Psychological Capital. Oxford. (2003)


RELATIONSHIPS


SOCIAL SUPPORT


MEANINGUS ING STRENGTHS


VIA - 6 CORE VALUES1. Wisdom and knowledge2. Courage3. Love and humanity4. Justice5. Temperance6. Spirituality and

transcendence


VALUES IN ACTION

Wisdom• Creativity• Curiosity• Open-mindedness• Love of learning• Perspective• Spirituality

Courage• Bravery• Persistence• Integrity• Vitality

Love/Humanity• Love• Kindness• Social Intelligence

Justice• Citizenship• Fairness• Leadership

Temperance• Forgiveness• Humility• Prudence• Self regulation

Transcendence• Appreciation of beauty• Gratitude• Hope• Humor• Spirituality


http://www.authentichappiness.org


EXAMPLE: TOP 5 VIA RESULTS


VIA STRENGTHS

• Frequent• Kindness,• Fairness,• Honesty,• Gratitude• Open mindedness.

Less Frequent• Prudence,• Modesty• Self regulation

Strengths and Character at Work (2010)C Peterson J.P. Stephens N. Park F. lee & M .Seligman


VIA, STRENGTHS OF LEADERS

• Professional & managerial• Wisdom and knowledge• Perseverance,• Hope• Zest


VIA & JOB SATISFACTION

• Curiosity,• Zest,• Hope,• Gratitude,• Spirituality


WWW.STRENGTHSFINDER.COM


CLIFTON & BUCKINGHAM:THEMES OF STRENGTH

1. Relationship Building2. Influencing3. Executing4. Strategic Thinking


THEMES OF STRENGTH & TALENT

• Relationship Building• Adaptability• Developer• Empathy• Harmony• Includer• Individuation• Positivity• Relator• Connectedness

• Strategic Thinking• Analytical• Context• Futuristic• Ideation• Input• Intellection• Learner• Strategic


THEMES OF STRENGTH & TALENT

• Executing• Achiever• Arranger• Belief• Consistency• Deliberative• Discipline• Focus• Responsibility• Restorative

• Influencing• Activator• Command• Communication• Competition• Maximizer• Self Assurance• Significance• Woo


YOU ARE NOT GOING TO BEGOOD AT

EVERYTHINGU S E W H A T Y O U H A V E


ACHIEVEMENTSSelf Efficacy


MOST NOTABLE RESEARCHER

• Albert Bandura Ph.D.• Social psychologist• Stanford University

• Social CognitiveTheory• Thinking is important


HOW DOES SELF EFFICACY GROW?

1. Mastery Experiences2. Modeling of others3. Social Persuasion4. Physiological factors

BanduraChet Taranowski Ph.D.

1. MASTERY & ACHIEVEMENT

• For every human,success requires:

• Effort.• A personal

interpretation ofsuccess


MASTERY & ACHIEVEMENT

Learning new skills Thinking differently

Self Efficacy & Confidence


EXAMPLES OF IRRATIONAL THINKING

• I shouldn’t try new things because I just mightfail

• If I try hard and fail, that just proves I am a loser,• I better not try

• Life should be easy,• I shouldn’t have to work at this

• Things should come my way without effort,• Because I am so weak, sensitive and

inadequate


MORE RATIONAL PERSPECTIVES

• Good things come from effort.• Not many people succeed without trying• If I don’t know how to do it now,

• I can learn• I may not be good at all things

• but I am going to keep trying till I find mystrength


2. MODELING - "VICARIOUS EXPERIENCE"

• We judge our skill in comparison to others• We can benefit from seeing others succeed

• Finding a mentor• Mentors should think aloud

• No mentors available?• Imagining yourself in these situations


3. SOCIAL PERSUASION

• Direct encouragementfrom another person.


4. PHYSIOLOGICAL FACTORS

• How you interpretyour body’s signs ofstress & anxiety can

form a feedbackloop.

More Anxiety

Oh no -I must not be

good atpublic

speaking

ButterfliesIn stomach

Public speaking


SAME EXPERIENCE/DIFFERENTINTERPRETATION

• Those with high efficacy are likely to view stress asenergizing

“ I am pumped”

• The others will be beset by self doubts and see thestress as a debilitating

“This must mean I can’t do it”

Physiological reactions and self talk


COUNTER THE PHYSICAL RESPONSE

• Learn relaxation techniques• Yoga• Mindfulness• Meditation

• Use exercise to cope with stress


WHY AREN’T WE HAPPIER?I F I T I S SO GOOD FOR YOU WHY I S I T SO RARE?


MISTAKES IN…

•Desires – what do I want?•Projections – what is in thefuture?

•Beliefs – what do I thinkleads to happiness?


SHOULD I BE HAPPYALL THE TIME?

I S TH I S REAL I ST IC OR DES IRABLE?


FINAL THOUGHTS ON BEING HAPPIER

• Focus on what does make you happy rather thanwhat should make you happy

• Pay more attention to the things that make youhappy

• Try to reduce uncertainty• Pay attention to feedback about happiness• Notice what makes people –who are like you-

happy• Spend time with people who make you happy• Don’t become obsessed


Decide, Design, Do


Paul Dolan




FOR FURTHER READING

BanduraCsikszentmihalyi Buckinghamand Campbell Seligman

MORE HAPPY READING


MORE READING


www.DrTaranowski.ComChet Taranowski Ph.D.


[email protected]

312 – 622-4064

Thanks for Listening