Episode 85- Shawn Achor on The Happiness Advantage

Most people believe: if you work harder, you will be more successful, and then you will be happy. But if you think the key to…

Episode 85- Shawn Achor on The Happiness Advantage

Most people believe: if you work harder, you will be more successful, and then you will be happy. But if you think the key to…

Most people believe: if you work harder, you will be more successful, and then you will be happy. But if you think the key to happiness is success, you’ve got it backwards. It’s happiness that fuels success. Shawn Achor is one of the world’s leading experts on the science of happiness. He’s the bestselling author of The Happiness Advantage and Big Potential. More than a decade of research shows that training your brain to be positive first actually leads to greater success at work. On this episode, Shawn shares the four biggest predictors of happiness, how to spark happiness in your own life, and the simple steps you can take to embrace a positive mindset.

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“Happiness is the joy you feel moving towards your potential.”

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Show Notes

How Shawn became a “happiness researcher” (2:07)
How small interventions can change your levels of happiness (4:40)
The definition of happiness: the joy we feel moving towards potential (7:53)
Success doesn’t fuel happiness; happiness fuels success (10:08)
The greatest predictors of happiness: optimism, gratitude, meaning and social connection (15:31)
A better way to use social media (19:16)
How to measure your happiness (22:33)
The power in choosing happiness (24:52)
The human capacity to change (27:14)
The 21-day gratitude challenge and other simple ways to increase your happiness (27:37)
The science of happiness (30:47)
The interconnection between happiness and success (33:06)
The one thing to do after you listen to this podcast (37:22)
What to teach your kids about happiness (40:12)

Resources / People Mentioned

The Happiness Advantage by Shawn Achor
Before Happiness by Shawn Achor
Big Potential by Shawn Achor
Oprah’s 21-Day Happiness Course with Shawn Achor
Shawn Achor’s TED Talk: The happy secret to better work
Ellen Langer (Harvard)
Vivek Murthy, Surgeon General
Make Stress Work For You by Shawn Achor
Positive Psychology Center at The University of Pennsylvania
Bringing Big Potential to Flint, Michigan
Mindset by Carol Dweck
Tal Ben-Shahar, positive psychology
Photo Lab HD
Pete Carroll, NFL coach

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