Reflection 5: The 7 Principles

Defining happiness has proved not to be an easy exercise, so it might appear ambitious to divide it into sub-principles, as Achor did in his book. In this reflection, I want to review to seven principles of happiness, one by one, and to react to them based on my personal experience of life and of happiness.

The Happiness Advantage

This is the idea that we can improve our mood through a happiness ethic composed of habits and behaviors that provides us with endorphins and dopamines, and therefore makes us happier. This consists in meditation, having plans we are excited to realize, committing acts of kindness, infusing positivity, exercising and spending money on non-material things and exercise a signature strength. I believe this principle is effective as it creates a difference in our daily lives

The Fulcrum and the Lever

This principle is about our minds and how we adjust them to see reality. This is what allows us to go further in achieving the best version of ourselves and to maximize our potential. This is important because it shows the importance of the belief we have in our own abilities and potential.

The Tetris Effect

This is a principle that can hurt us if unconscious but that we can use for our own good. It is about the way our brains are programmed to focus on a certain type of element, and that we tend to miss what we are not looking for. Through predictive encoding, we can teach our brain to expect and look for positivity and opportunities.

The Zorro Circle

Step by step, and little by little, we reach where we want to be, and happier. I can see that with my work where I am much more productive if I allow myself to work on one task at a time and not overwhelming myself with multitasking.

The 20-Second Rule

This is probably my least favorite principle and I do not understand exactly what it entails. It says that we should reduce choice by giving ourselves 20 seconds to make decisions. I believe my freedom is what makes me happy so this does not work on me. The best way to not do something is to tell myself I have to do it, whereas being indulgent and supportive with myself makes me want to make myself proud.

Social Investment

Keeping and investing on social relationship makes us happier, and this is something I can confirm from my personal life. This is why it is important to choose quality over quantity in the relationship we build and nurture throughout our lives, because they become a reflection of who we are.

This list is probably non exhaustive, but is full of proactive and efficient advices on how to make ourselves happier day by day. I believe each of these principles will work differently for different people, and there are certainly much more principles to add to the list.