Some time ago I did an online seminar at Yale university about the science of well being. To become happy you have to do your rewirements. Knowing is half the battle, the other half is to do it and get into action. Also important is to do some savoring. This is best done by stepping out of the experience in the power of the presence. Another method is gratitude. Write a diary about what you show your gratitude for. With that you get beyond the annoying features of your mind. We get used to stuff which is called hedonic adaptation. The car you buy today does not make you as happy in a week, a month or a year from now. There are more annoying features of the mind and knowing them helps you to overcome them:
- Our intuitions are often wrong
- Our Estimates are wrong, expectations are so bad, we do miswanting
- We do not think in absolutes but we practice social comparison
- We get used to stuff (hedonic adaptation)
- We are bad at predictions and we do not realize it
To overcome these annoying features of the mind one must exercise and sleep.
Here are some options to overcome the annoying features of the mind:
- Rethink awesome stuff / invest in experiences
- Overcome hedonic adaptation: Savoring, Negative Visualisation, Make this day your last, Gratitude
- Reset your reference point: Re-experience, Concrete observe, Avoid social comparison, Interrupt Consumption (Break), Increase Variety
Also important for your well being is the following:
- Meditation, Good Job (matching your signature strengths), Intrinsic Motivation
- Situations and Experiences
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