Cultivating Happiness: A Research-based Model

Much research has been done in helping humans identify their “paths to happiness”. One such very popular model of happiness is proposed by famous personality and the “Father of Positive Psychology”, Martin Seligman.

Our Happiness Beliefs

We often hold many questions and therein, varying beliefs about happiness. These beliefs are often derived from our own life experiences and life values. For example, some of us may believe that we are not happy because we do not have enough money. In turn, we believe that earning a certain X amount of money will make us happy. Or some of us believe that true love can make us happy. Or any other factor. Asking these core questions, seeking answers and unravelling the “truth” about our “happiness state”, is a starting point for the “quest of happiness”.

What is the Three-fold Path to Happiness?

In order to increase happiness, we must first arrive at a working definition. Seligman created the Authentic Happiness Coaching model to provide a theoretically grounded and empirically supported set of techniques to foster happiness, i.e. to help people lead more joyful, engaged, and meaningful lives*2.

Seligman identified three pathways to happiness*2: the Pleasant Life, the Engaged Life, and the Meaningful Life

1.     Pleasant Life i.e. through Emotions: Most often people think only of emotion and Hollywood impressions of life when they think of being happy. However, the second two pathways are equally, and probably more, compelling and lead to greater life satisfaction.

2.     Engaged Life i.e. through Connection with internal or external activity: The Engaged Life refers to being fully involved in life activity in work, relationships, and avocational pursuits. Coaching to increase engagement focuses on helping clients find what is intrinsically rewarding to them.

3.     Meaningful Life i.e. through personal Meaning: Positive emotion and engagement together, however, don’t automatically lead to deep satisfaction, as one can happily be engaged in “fidgeting one’s life away.” This leads humans to develop access to the third pathway, finding meaning and purpose and connection to a greater cause.

Together the three lives, Pleasant, Engaged, and Meaningful, help us to create the Full Life.

 

How does the three-pronged model help cultivate happiness?

The Authentic Happiness Coaching model evolved on the foundation of positive psychology. The three-pronged approach helps create greater competence, resilience, access to personal as well as social resources, improved physical health, and deeper connection to society and sense of personal mission*2.

The coaching intervention can aim to improve one, some or all the three happiness levers. Here is how:

·      Increase Positive Emotions: This begins with developing an understanding of what thoughts, activities, and behaviors elicit positive emotions in oneself. Hence, emotional awareness, is the first step, and coaches apply various techniques and tools to unravel the identification of one’s emotions. For example, a “Savoring” exercise may involve taking the time to fully experience what gives one pleasure, and later on reflect on how it feels. This is especially useful for those who are on the hedonic treadmill*2i.e. those who are acclimated to success and no longer feel as happy as their life circumstances would seem to merit. Taking the pause to actually experience and appreciate the pleasant things in life, can be an eye-opener for happiness.

·      Increase Involvement and Flow: This revolves around identifying one’s strengths and learning how to use them in life. The intent is to be more vitally involved with what one is doing, and therefore with one’s own life (Nakamura & Csikszent- mihalyi, 2003). It can be pertaining to increasing engagement with particular activities (at work, home, or leisure), or engagement with particular people (for example in relationships coaching).  

·      Increase Sense of Purpose: It involves use of one’s strengths in the service of something larger than oneself, for example, one’s family, on one’s community, and even on the world at large. This is highly relevant for intrinsic and sustained happiness – research*2 shows that tapping strengths in the service of others or a larger cause increases life satisfaction and experience of feeling fulfilled. It begins with a person first identifying what he or she finds most meaningful in life. A good starting question is “For what would you want to be remembered?”

This is one of the models used world over for helping people live a happier and content life. Happiness Coaching can work only with real intent and deliberate action on the part of the Coachee, with the Happiness Coach as the “guiding light”.

Sources

* https://ppc.sas.upenn.edu/people/martin-ep-seligman  

*2 Happiitude certification