Harvard Medical School’s FIVE Keys To Happiness

What’s your New Year’s resolution? Whether you’re determined to shed that extra turkey weight or change careers, the end goal is always the same… to increase your happiness. One current scientific theory, substantiated by reams of research, is that we are all born with a genetic happiness ‘set point’. But just because you were a gnarly teen, or mopey twentysomething, it doesn’t mean you’re condemned to live out the rest of your life in emo purgatory. According to Ronald D. Siegel, Psy.D., assistant clinical professor of psychology at Harvard Medical School, there are five key lifestyle tweaks we all can make to maximize our happiness:

1. Practice using our strengths, particularly our virtues (ie: curiousity, compassion)

2. Practice internal and external gratitude for what we have, and towards the people who show us love and generousity

3. Savour the moment by practicing mindfulness (seriously, have you ever truly experienced an orange? Its intricacies of form and flavour will blow your mind)

4. Engage in the process (ie: feeling ‘in the zone’ while writing, or heck, even knitting)

5. Live meaningfully by serving others rather than our own egos (my own ego is pouting in a corner over this one, but no amount of whining can refute the piles of evidence supporting #5)

So go forth and be happy! Not buying it? Ok, ok, so go forth and be happier! I just can’t believe that Harvard hasn’t caught on to #6. But whatever path or key you choose, don’t forget that the rollercoaster is what drives the magic. So go forth and click out of this embarrassingly Oprah-atic post and get back to surfing this grand ol’ distraction from mortality we call the web. I suggest Youtube, because you never know when you’ll click your way into a wee spot of wisdom.

Learning basic psychology… from a potato

There are some people who, when left alone, begin to die. There are others who, given the space to breathe, finally have room to live. The proof is in the potato…

Years ago, I walked into my kitchen and was struck smack in the nose by an awful odour. The source? A long forgotten bag of potatoes under the sink. The rotting vegetable matter had somehow transformed into a filthy fermenting liquid in the bottom of the bag – Gross!

More recently, yesterday to be exact, I was washing dishes when the long ago memory of buying a potato (for a never-actualized dinner months ago) drifted into my thoughts. With trepidation, I got down on my hands and knees and cautiously opened the bottom cupboard door…

I shrieked and fell backwards! Pale octopus tentacle things were reaching up at me out of the bag! AACK! What the? I braved another peek. Sprouts, they were sprouts – finger thick and ten inches long! I never invited them into my kitchen! I must admit, though, I did feel a certain kinship to this introvert potato, who had thrived when left up to its own devices. I even felt a wee bit guilty when I covered it with empty cans and orange peel in the garbage. The more sensitive among us need to be careful about who we let into our space – not to mention our kitchens! We must remember that even a potato’s noble struggle for self actualization must not be allowed to get in the way of our own.

Now, what’s for dinner?

Applying the scientific method to marriage reveals a terrifying secret

Let’s look at this whole marriage thing logically. Go on, take a deep breath and dive in. It’s about time someone at least gave it a shot.

Purpose: To measure and define the ratio of one marriage partner’s “right” proposed solutions to those of the other partner

Hypothesis: “I am always right” (come on, do we even need to test this!)

Method:
Step 1) Take two people with varied life experience who (ideally) respect each others intelligence and problem solving skills equally

Step 2) Place said two people in an endless variety of real-time challenges and social puzzles

Step 3) Test pros and cons of partners proposed solutions to determinine “rightness”

Conclusion: The “logical” assumption is that each partner will propose the best solution for the couple in 50% of the cases. Therefore, the “right” ratio can be defined as 50:50.

Application:The horror! There must be a flaw in my calculations. My husband couldn’t possibly have that kind of an edge! But him being right half the time would be an easy price to pay for him admitting he’s wrong the other 50% lol