Genre: Occupational & Organizational Popular Psychology
Author: Shawn Achor
Title: Happiness Advantage (Buy the Book)
Summary
Traditionally, success is thought to be a precursor to happiness. It’s the basis of motivation for most individuals, the reason we work towards sales targets and pay raises, good grades and weight loss goals. If this were the case, wouldn’t anyone who has ever accomplished any goal be happy as a result?
Shawn Achor, the author of The Happiness Advantage, has embarked on a mission to show that just the opposite is true: happiness and optimism are the drivers for success in life, a competitive edge referred to as the Happiness Advantage.
Achor completed his undergraduate degree in psychology at Harvard before continuing to pursue his studies at the graduate level. A resident advisor, Achor spent the better part of twelve years living in dorms among younger university students.
It was on campus where Achor discovered what he refers to as the “unhappiness epidemic”: students were sacrificing their own happiness for a greater shot at success, often with abysmal results. After acknowledging that the unhappiness phenomenon was not unique to Harvard, Achor pursued the discoveries being made in the field of positive psychology.
Backed by extensive studies and empirical observations, positive psychology aims to identify what makes exceptional people exceptional. Using the results of this ongoing investigation, Achor outlines seven principles available to instill happiness and create success in our own lives.
The Happiness Advantage
The basis of positive psychology, the Happiness Advantage is the principle dedicated to capitalizing on optimism to boost performance. Once we recognize that success is not the foundation for happiness we can begin to profit from the competitive advantage of using positivity to boost performance.
The Fulcrum and the Lever
Motivated by perspective, the principle of the Fulcrum and the Lever is based on our ability to change our perception of reality. If we adjust our mindset (Fulcrum) we can generate power (lever) to approach scenarios that were previously uncomfortable or damaging. By adjusting our points of view, opportunities arise out of situations previously considered to be negative.
The Tetris Effect (Patterns)
Likened to playing Tetris for extended periods of time, this principle acknowledges the tendency of humans to develop a habit of recognizing patterns.
Unfortunately, it’s often common for us to single out the patterns of negativity in our lives. The benefit, however, is that we can actually use this tendency to train our brains to recognize patterns of positivity. In doing so, we give ourselves the ability to identify opportunity.
Falling Up (Failing Well)
In spite of failure, crisis, and amounting stress, it is imperative to find the right path out of negative situations.
Because hardship tends to cloud our judgement, we need to utilize optimism to provide ourselves with a sense of clarity. This principle teaches us that the most successful people find a way to cope with defeat in a manner that allows them to bounce back stronger than they were before.
The Zorro Circle (Mastery/Expanding the Circle)
This principle is motivated by the legendary story of Zorro and his journey to master the art of sword fighting. Instructed by his mentor, Don Diego, Zorro began his training by only practicing within a small circle Don Diego had drawn in the sand.
Before moving on to more advanced fighting techniques, Zorro had to become proficient in fighting within the circle. Similarly, it is important for us to take notice of overwhelming challenges or hesitations in new goals and turn our focus to starting within a small circle.
Because our brains can be hijacked by emotions, we need to focus on problems or tasks that are manageable. Once we feel comfortable with the things we know are under our control, we can use our newly acquired skills to begin expanding our circle outward.
The 20-Second Rule (Changing Our Habits)
Our willpower is limited, making habits with lasting changes incredibly difficult to implement. Using the twenty-second rule, we increase the time necessary to pursue distractions while reducing the time it takes to engage in habits we want to apply.
If we lower the activation energy of positive habits and push aside the temptations of negative distractions, our productivity will increase as a result.
Social Investment (People Matter)
Humans thrive on social interaction. While the tendency for most is to withdraw from social settings during difficult times, we need social interactions to sustain ourselves. This principle teaches us that increasing our investment in our social support groups is what helps to propel us forward.
The principles used to fuel success through optimism are not constrained to the individual. By implementing the Happiness Advantage in our own lives, we begin to influence those around us in a positive manner.
When our environment is being fueled by positivity, the effects of the Happiness Advantage are compounded as a result.
Success, however, is our own responsibility.
If we emphasize putting positivity at the forefront we can unlock the potential necessary to reverse negative habits, seize opportunities, and confront obstacles. What Achor has shown in The Happiness Advantage is that real success comes when we put happiness first.
Introduction
“If you work hard, you will become successful, and once you become successful, then you’ll be happy”
Transcending cultures and generations, this formula has served as motivation for much of the human race. Yet, can this statement be fully accepted as true?
In The Happiness Advantage, author Shawn Achor sets out to challenge this narrative with the backing of positive psychology.
Through a number of psychological evaluations and empirical observations, Achor argues we need to flip the script: happiness and optimism are what pave the way for success, both in the workplace and in life. Defined as the Happiness Advantage, Achor preaches on the benefits of using positivity as a catalyst for productivity.
Though born in Waco, Texas Achor found himself pursuing his bachelor’s degree in Psychology at Harvard. Following the completion of his undergrad, Achor continued with his graduate degree, eventually teaching classes and giving lectures in Psychology.
Achor served as a resident advisor where he lived in a dorm room among undergraduate students, residing on campus for a total of twelve years.
Achor’s exposure to young, competitive minds is what led him to initially challenge the idea that success breeds happiness.
It was at Harvard where Achor first encountered what he calls the “unhappiness epidemic”; an environment of elevated expectations and hyper-competition among students caused Harvard’s best and brightest to crumple under amounting levels of self-induced stress.
With Achor citing depression rates today as being ten times higher than in 1960, it is no surprise that this scenario is not unique to Harvard. It occurred to Achor that students were sacrificing their own happiness for a shot at success, but their levels of productivity had not necessarily increased as a result.
To study the potential of happiness serving as the true foundation for success, Achor stresses the necessity to concentrate on the outliers or those that seem to be immune to the unhappiness epidemic.
Here enters positive psychology: the ongoing study focused on identifying specific qualities of high achieving individuals.
By highlighting those who are above what Achor describes as the “cult of the average”, Achor begins to unveil revelations supporting the idea that humans are actually prone to performing at their best when operating under an optimistic frame of mind.
Achor began to involve his findings with other discoveries in positive psychology.
By taking note of the patterns that characterize elite individuals, the Happiness Advantage was partitioned into seven principles aimed to stimulate success. The relief is that these principles extend beyond students struggling to pass their midterms.
The Happiness Advantage is a universal concept which can be applied to work and life. Through his consulting firm, Aspirant, Achor began to test the principles of the Happiness Advantage across businesses and countries in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis.
His encounters only solidified his findings at Harvard: people are hungry for positive change, regardless of how dire they consider their circumstances to be.
Luckily, the Happiness Advantage solidified itself as a resource for guiding those looking to take the positivity approach.
Before diving into the actual principles constituting the Happiness Advantage, it is imperative to disclose that humans are capable of change. Achor emphasizes the malleability of the human brain, stating humans are often unaware of their own limitations.
That being said, we know the human brain is not biologically wired to be permanently happy. The Happiness Advantage is a work ethic, a commitment to the long haul of transforming our minds to see the world in a different light.
The underlying principles of the Happiness Advantage are not founded on the false facade that everything is wonderful in an attempt to do away with problems, but devotion to being “realistic about the present while maximizing our potential for the future.”
The Happiness Advantage Defined
The Happiness Advantage aims to distance itself from the idea that happiness is a byproduct of success. There was a time in which the scientific community believed the sun rotated around the earth, and until this was proven incorrect by Copernicus many believed the earth to be the center of the universe.
The same thought applies to the relationship between happiness and success. Although it is common to believe that success is a precursor to happiness, breakthroughs in positive psychology reveal that happiness should be the center of our “universe” and success will subsequently “orbit” around it.
It is important to recognize happiness in and of itself is subjective and difficult to define empirically.
Happiness is relative only to how we view our own experiences.
The only person who can judge respective happiness is the individual. Therefore, in order to empirically define what constitutes true happiness, it is necessary for scientists to rely on the self-study of individuals. The result of these studies has characterized happiness as positive emotions of pleasure along with deep-rooted feelings of meaning and purpose.
Achor personally describes happiness as “a positive mood in the present and a positive outlook for the future”.
In addition, the “pioneer” of positive psychology, Martin Seligman, measures happiness on the basis of three elements: pleasure, engagement, and meaning. To truly unlock the benefits of the Happiness Advantage, Achor emphasizes the necessity of being fully engaged in all three.
Once happiness is defined on the individual level, the benefits of the Happiness Advantage can be unlocked.
Science continues to prove that investing in positivity has the potential for producing significant returns for mental and physical health.
Research has shown happiness broadens the scope of normal thought processes by allowing for the expansion of our cognitive abilities past the evolutionary “fight or flight” tendencies we may lean towards during high-stress scenarios.
On a chemical level, channeling positivity releases a dose of dopamine and serotonin, stimulating the brain’s learning centers and allowing for the chance to organize, think creatively, and seize opportunities more efficiently.
This chemical edge gives rise to the “undoing effect” in which intense situations, like the anxiety of delivering a presentation to a high ranking client, can be quelled or “undone” through positive thinking.
Achor acknowledges that being happy will obviously make work and life more enjoyable, but what are the ways in which we can stimulate ourselves to capitalize on the Happiness Advantage? The remaining principles focus on what science has found to be the most meaningful components of human happiness.
However, Achor provides a short list of activities that can be used to jolt our happiness throughout the day:
- Meditate
- Find something to look forward to
- Commit conscious acts of kindness
- Infuse positivity into your surroundings
- Exercise
- Spend money on experiences instead of things
None of these activities will independently result in eternal happiness, but applying them to our daily lifestyle is part of the work ethic necessary to cultivate the Happiness Advantage.
In a business setting, the Happiness Advantage begins at the top.
At this point Achor has greatly emphasized that sacrificing positivity for the sake of efficiency actually slows us down. Positions of authority in the workplace have the opportunity to set company policy and shape the culture in alignment with the Happiness Advantage.
Because of what we know about the effects of positivity on efficiency, research has shown that implementing the Happiness Advantage can have material effects on a company’s bottom line.
Achor notes this shift can be accomplished without widespread company policy changes. For example, a way to instill a positive working environment is to increase the recognition and encouragement of employees and colleagues.
Changing the atmosphere in which the company operates puts happiness at the center, a transition that will result in an increase in both profits and overall positivity.
The Fulcrum and the Lever: A Change in Perspective
As mentioned, the Happiness Advantage is not designed to be a method of wishful thinking. Unfortunately, we can’t use our brains alone to willfully modify difficult or unfortunate circumstances. We recognize that reality can’t be altered, but we can use our brains to change the way in which we process that reality.
If we are able to see the world through a different lens, we can, in turn, change the ways in which we react to it. Again, the aim is not to block out the negative, but to see the ways in which we can overcome difficult circumstances.
This concept is expressed through the metaphor of the Fulcrum and the Lever. In this example, the length of our lever represents the potential power we believe we have, while the fulcrum is our mindset with which we create the power to change.
When the fulcrum is moved and we alter our mindset, we generate more power by increasing the length of our lever. The fulcrum is not fixed, and neither is our potential.
“The mental construction of our daily activities, more than the activity itself, defines our reality”
Achor includes this statement to emphasize the significance of choosing to view activities from a different perspective.
For example, those who consider themselves workaholics have the tendency to view leisure time as an opportunity cost of being at work. This time away from work is considered unproductive and feelings of guilt arise for “wasting” time on activities outside of work itself.
If we apply the fulcrum and the lever principle, our perception of leisure activity changes.
Once we view time spent away from work as the time we could invest in social capital, such as meeting with friends or sharing a meal with family, we approach leisure time as an opportunity to recharge, ultimately allowing us to utilize the power of rest to perform better at work.
This principle can only be executed if we have a growth mindset or a belief in our own ability to improve and succeed. Those with a fixed mindset believe their circumstances are inflexible, while a growth mindset encourages our abilities to improve over time. Fixed mindsets limit potential while growth mindsets maximize it.
If we view our jobs as an unfulfilling responsibility instead of a privilege or an opportunity, then our careers will likely be stagnant as a result. In the same way, if we view our overall intelligence or ability as fixed, then they will likely remain that way until we adopt a growth mindset.
The best way to combat a fixed mindset, Achor argues, is to find meaning in our lives.
Achor admits this does not serve as an attempt to equate all jobs in their levels of significance, but even the most insignificant tasks can prove to be meaningful depending on how invested we choose to be in them.
By focusing on the benefits of performing tasks, as opposed to the sacrifice, we find that a positive mindset allows us to be more efficient in completing those tasks.
Through acknowledging our own productivity, skills improvement, and the influence of our actions on others, the foundation for a positive mindset is being laid, and we may find ourselves making the most out of tasks that were previously draining.
While important to explore our potential, Achor stresses our fulcrum should not be pushed too far.
Our positive mindset should not be altered to the point of having unrealistic expectations about our potential. The idea of shifting our mindset is to challenge preexisting notions about what humans can accomplish, but we should heed to limitations when necessary.
The Fulcrum and the Lever intend to show us how a positive mindset can be used to adjust how we approach our reality, not to prove that anything is possible with a good attitude.
Training our Brain with the Tetris Effect
Recognized after the release of the popular video game, the Tetris Effect is a psychological phenomenon that occurs after playing Tetris for an extended period of time. Participants noticed that even after they stopped playing, they couldn’t escape the illusion of falling shapes.
Walking through the aisles of a grocery store, Tetris players would suddenly have visions of the cereal aisle acting as an assortment of falling shapes needing to be aligned, instead of the normal array of cereal products. This experience, however, has been recorded outside the realm of dedicated Tetris players as a temporary condition known as a cognitive afterimage.
Cognitive afterimage allows us to develop a pattern of how we view the world, affecting our ability to dictate the manner in which we perceive our reality.
We may be affected by the Tetris Effect without truly realizing it.
Achor encourages us to consider our working environment. Let’s consider an employee who fails to capitalize on any positive event, who complains about things which seem menial, or who may truly seem to take a negative approach to most situations they encounter. Achor believes they are experiencing the Tetris Effect.
While there are multiple professions reliant on critical analysis, unfortunately, our brains have the tendency to unknowingly develop a pattern in which we start to pick out negativity in the world around us, much like Tetris players start to look for shapes in strange places.
The upside to the Tetris effect is that with discipline, we have the ability to rewire our brain to converge on the positive things surrounding us, squeezing the good out of our circumstances. The idea here is to get stuck in a positive Tetris Effect.
Achor states there are three main tools available to master the positive Tetris Effect: happiness, gratitude, and optimism. As discussed above, the benefits of happiness go beyond the individual and are scientifically proven to yield positive results.
Likewise, gratitude invokes feelings of appreciation and social connection while reducing anxiety and loneliness, and optimism has been shown to promote engagement in times of adversity, allowing for greater performance during hardship.
A positive Tetris Effect can only be built through consistency; practice elevates performance, just like it does in the video game.
The world, however, is not to be seen through rose-colored glasses.
While the aim is to focus on the positive, ignoring problems and sifting through negativities can generate struggles of their own. Achor prefers the term rose-“tinted” glasses, where the bad is not explicitly filtered out, but we are instead primed to have a healthy sense of optimism about our situation and the future.
Irrational optimism is certainly a danger (it’s why market bubbles burst), but a positive Tetris effect allows us the chance to train ourselves to rationally take advantage of positive opportunities as they arise.
Falling Up
Because we can choose how we see the world, the human evolutionary process has instilled in us the tendency to create and revise mental maps to help us navigate through the mazes of our lives.
Mental maps all follow the same format, beginning with a starting point, “I am here”, and eventually diverging along different routes depending on the intricacy of our problems and the clarity of our current state of mind. When confronted with adversity we are more prone to weigh our options and predict the right path to take if we are thinking with a certain level of clarity.
The opposite is true of crisis scenarios: the stress of having to choose the right path induces panic, often clouding our thought process and preventing us from responding appropriately.
Achor believes every mental map gives the option to proceed down three different styles of paths.
The first path goes in circles and results in a neutral effect, essentially leading us back to where we started. The second path has a negative effect, leading us to additional consequences when we choose this path to handle difficulties.
This path will leave us worse off than when we started. The third and final path, the upward path, leads us out of hardship to a place that makes us sharper and more adept than before. Our ability to overcome failures is dictated by our proficiency in finding the third path when dilemmas occur.
The gist of the third path is what Achor refers to as “post-traumatic growth”, the notion that harrowing experiences can actually produce a great deal of positive change.
This idea follows the mantra of “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger”, and it’s characterized by those who choose to define themselves by how they are able to pull themselves out of dire circumstances, instead of drowning in them.
“Things do not necessarily happen for the best, but some people are able to make the best out of things that happen”
The words of Tal Ben-Shahar, a mentor of Achors, echoes the potential that lies in pursuing the third path. Every setback is accompanied by an opportunity for growth if the right path is chosen.
Unfortunately, there are circumstances in life that are detrimental to a point where the upward path may seem to be hidden. Layoffs at work, struggling relationships, and health problems are all examples of scenarios which mask the correct route to take.
These issues can multiply, clouding the mind while giving the illusion that all routes will lead to dead ends.
In these scenarios, we must rely on our ability to create counterfacts. A counterfact is an alternate reality created by our brains in an effort to make sense of what is really happening.
As described by Achor, if a man was to be shot and survive a bank robbery in a single day, the victim has two possible perceptions of their story: they could be upset, viewing themselves as unlucky for being the one that was shot, or rather, they could be grateful, knowing that even though they were shot they could have sustained worse injuries.
Both counterfacts are purely hypothetical, but our ability to invent them suggests we have the conscious power to actively choose how we view our circumstances. Those who view adversity as local and temporary will opt for the most positive counterfact, allowing them to bounce back from tough situations.
Starting Small, the Zorro Circle
The next step in unlocking the Happiness Advantage is motivated by the legendary story of Zorro and his journey to become a master sword fighter. Like most of us learning a new skill, Zorro started off under the mentorship of an expert.
In this case it was master swordsman Don Diego. During the initial stages of his training Don Diego forced Zorro to fight within a small circle he had drawn in the sand. Once Zorro became proficient in fighting within his original boundaries he was allowed to expand his circle, learning new skills each time the circle grew.
Zorro was only allowed to advance to the next stage of his training once he felt comfortable fighting within the boundaries of each new circle.
This concept of starting with a small circle is a crucial step in tackling large goals or facing immense challenges. If we can narrow our scope by starting small, we become comfortable with managing small challenges. Once the first steps are mastered, we can eventually expand our circles outward with our newly acquired experience and resources.
In this way, small steps begin to compound on one another as our abilities grow, exponentially increasing our ability to conquer goals or challenges which may have initially seemed daunting.
In the same way the Zorro circle is used to take on goals or challenges, it also has the ability to help us regain control of situations where we feel lost. As previously mentioned, how we perceive the world influences our ability to conquer it.
Studies have shown that the most successful people are prone to possess what psychologists describe as an “internal locus of control”, a belief that our actions are directly linked to the outcome. Our internal locus is what sustains the faith that we have control over our lives.
But what if we feel like we’ve lost control?
Our brains are predisposed to hijack themselves during times of emotional distress.
Typically, this response can take on two forms referred to by Achor as the Thinker and the Jerk. The Jerk is triggered easily and due to a build-up of stress in the brain, it behaves quickly and irrationally, setting off the brains panic button.
On the other hand, the Thinker represents the sensible response, utilizing logic and reasoning to make decisions after all the available options have been looked into. It isn’t hard to identify the Thinker as the superior response mechanism for stressful situations.
However, when setbacks occur unexpectedly it is probable to find the Jerk take over. It is in these scenarios when we need to apply the Zorro circle.
We may be too emotionally unnerved to handle our issues at large, but if we concentrate on the small circle we can operate in, it becomes easier for us to overcome the Jerk, regain control, and begin to reestablish ourselves with the mindset of the Thinker.
The 20-Second Rule
Thus far, the basis of positive psychology is not too difficult to comprehend. Achor even admits that a majority of the practices used to generate positivity seem to be common sense. It is at this point, however, where Achor introduces a great paradox of human behavior: common sense is not common action.
Despite the “common sense” we all possess, humans are creatures of habit. It takes a lot more than knowledge to prevent us from being lured in by bad habits. For instance, most people who smoke cigarettes or eat fast food are aware of the negative health effects, yet these behaviors and habits continue.
Because so much of our daily lives consist of habits alone, they become second nature to us, and we end up largely underestimating the impact they have on our behavior. Although it may seem clear, we can mold these negative habits from something we know we shouldn’t be doing into something that will have a positive effect on our lives.
So how do we change?
Unfortunately, willpower alone is not the answer. For example, oftentimes we fail to continue with New Year’s resolutions shortly after January 1st because we relied on the strength of our willpower. The issue with willpower is that it diminishes over time; the more we use it, the weaker it becomes.
The trend of failing willpower is accompanied by our affinity for taking the path of least resistance.
As our willpower begins to fade, oftentimes the easy way out becomes more and more appealing. Even the activities we enjoy, such as going to the park, can be overtaken by an activity that is easier to perform, such as staying home and watching TV.
A second major accomplice to failing willpower is the infinite number of distractions we surround ourselves with. In considering our average workday, think about the proportion of time spent efficiently working relative to the time spent checking email, news, stocks, social media, and other outlets.
Yes, the first thing to consider is the lost time spent on these things in place of our work altogether, but the more blinding observation is our inability to recover from a break in concentration. Studies have shown that when distracted, we are not only drawn away from our work, but the time it takes to recover from our lapse in concentration results in a detrimental effect to our work flow productivity.
We need a way to rewire our negative habits to positive ones without relying solely on willpower.
The theory of the twenty-second rule suggests that tasks taking more than twenty seconds to initiate naturally fall outside of our path of least resistance. For instance, we are significantly less likely to practice learning guitar if it is packed in its case and stowed away in the closet.
By the time we took the guitar out of the closet and removed it from the case, it would likely have been more than twenty seconds, just long enough for us to reconsider practicing for the day. The energy it takes to initiate an activity is known as the activation energy.
In order to boost productivity, it’s imperative that we lower the activation energy for habits we want to adopt and raise the activation energy for habits we want to steer away from.
Thankfully, Achor provides some practical ways in which we can positively alter our activation energy. The first routine involves saving time by adding it. We need to make it harder to access the source of our distractions.
The shortcut on our computers to our favorite social media outlet?
We should get rid of it. The idea is to put space between ourselves and the things that pull us away from productivity by making it more difficult to access the distractions we naturally gravitate towards. Secondly, it is crucial for us to limit the number of options we present ourselves within place of being productive.
Achor recalls how he used to sleep in his athletic clothes so when he awoke the next morning he would be more prone to head to the gym. The more we minimize the opportunities to abandon ship, the more likely we are to carry out our original objective.
If we can manage to cut the activation energy in positive ways, even if it’s only a twenty-second change to our lifestyle, we can experience the benefits of increased positivity by capitalizing on the Happiness Advantage.
Social Investment
All of the stated principles are centered on investing as much as we possibly can in the Happiness Advantage. One of the major issues, as has been discussed, is our inclination to withdraw from good habits when confronted with situations that challenge our positive attitudes and productive nature.
Unfortunately, one of the first things we tend to abandon is our social interactions because we fear they are a waste of time. The most successful people, however, are the ones who cling to their social support network during hardship, essentially doubling down on their investment in social relationships.
“Like food and air, we need social relationships to survive”
Our social network is not just important, it’s necessary for our success. Social interactions with our spouse, family, friends, and colleagues pool intellectual and physical resources. These interactions generate a feeling of purpose, improving both our immediate and long-term levels of happiness as these relationships develop.
The larger our social support group is, the happier we’ll be, leaving us less likely to succumb to the stresses around us.
These social interactions have a direct effect on our resiliency to hardship as well as our overall performance. In a work environment, employees gain a form of what Achor refers to as “physiological resourcefulness” from extensive social interaction.
This physiological resourcefulness provides a foundation for increased engagement, allowing employees to work longer and more efficiently when acting as a cohort.
When tasked with a leadership role, we need to recognize the importance of our responsibility to serve as the adhesive necessary for preserving these social support groups. Professional athletes recognize this position as the “glue guy”, the type of individual that subtly holds the organization together, driving the team forward.
Leaders have the opportunity to foster an environment that promotes investing in social capital.
This isn’t to say that we should expect all of our colleagues to become best friends. Our role as a leader is simply to cultivate an environment of authenticity and mutual respect, characteristics Achor considers to be major components in team cohesion and performance.
Much like a financial portfolio, the biggest gains can be made from investing in new relationships and reinvesting in the relationships we already have. Just like security, our social support network grows the longer we hold them.
That being said, it is essential to be conscious of how we interact with those around us, contributing just as much to our social networks as we benefit from them. It goes without saying that it shouldn’t take a crisis for us to recognize the importance of our social network, but in struggling times it’s important to remember not to recoil from our relationships.
In Summary
To conclude, the seven principles of the Happiness Advantage are designed to help us kick-start positivity and happiness in order to fuel success in our lives. The Happiness Advantage begins on the individual level by recognizing the benefits of putting happiness first while making an effort to change our perspective and see our reality in a different light.
After cementing a foundation of happiness, we can move on to developing positive habits, allowing us to maintain positivity and productivity in the long run.
Even so, the Happiness Advantage doesn’t stop at the individual level. Our attitudes are contagious. Implementing the Happiness Advantage in your life will quickly begin to affect those around you, infecting them with positivity they will not understand.
That being said, the happier we are, the happier the people we interact with will be. By implementing the Happiness Advantage, we can begin the process of empowering ourselves and those around us.
In closing, Achor states, “The person we have the greatest power to change is ourselves”.
When it comes to the Happiness Advantage, it is our responsibility to put happiness first. As we have seen, only positivity and success can follow.
Britt always taught us Titans that Wisdom is Cheap, and principal can find treasure troves of the good stuff in books. We hope only will also express their thanks to the Titans if the book review brought wisdom into their lives.