哈佛幸福课听课笔记.doc

2012/8/3 lesson 1Positive psychologyTeacher:TalIntroPos psy is popular and it really works(Self help movement lacks substence, over-promising and low-delivering)My aim is to create a bridge between the ivory tower and mainstreet(to bridge the gap)-science that works,theories that can be appliedRequirements:1.Anonymous emails2.Raise your hand if you had any problem3.Active note-taking(write down what you think is significant)We need “time-in”, that means to stop for a moment and look inward(quiet times), to embrace stillnessIts unecessary to fill in all the gaps(Indian appreciate absence of words)PP Background-from humanistic psychology (the third force)Three forces:1. behaviorism(Skinner)regard huaman as a box(H: we have soul and spirits)2. Psychoanalysis(Freud,Jung)(H:ask for more dignity and morality)3. humanistic psychology(a reaction to behaviorism,lacks specific theories)Abraham Maslow:the first one claim that we should research on kindness and goodness and optimismKaren Horney:look at the fine qualities and cultivate themAeron Antonovsky: “Salutogenesis”(the origin of health)Next stage:Martin Seligman:the father of PP(2 aims),Ellen Langer,Philip Stone The story of a form(its the shape of the container, or you interpretation of life that counts,its all about “transformation”)The story of Michelangelo:to chip away the excess stone, to get rid of barriers and limitationsTo make common sense more common, nothing new but “reminding”Self-actualization, fulfiling our potential, chip away the limitationsWell bring up more question marksAt the end of this course just tell me the changes on you, what you are doing differentlyQ1:Am I happy?Happiness resides in a continuum(no definite definition of happiness or unhappiness), the question, however, is “How can I be happier?”2012/8/4 lesson 2Words before the class:The class is for everyone, not just for people who are unhappyNot everything works for you,make a choiceYoull have to hand in the response paperLets welcome Deb Levy from extension schoolWhy do we focus on pos psy?People have been spending too much time on negative studies(21:1), these are things what doesnt work.At the same time, more and more depression, neurosis and suicide happens. For example, 47% Havard students have experienced depression of not functioning during last year.3 reasons1.What works or what we focus on rather creates reality2.Being happy is not just the negation of unhappiness3.The most effective way of prevention is to focus on the positiveNow next one, how do we focus on what works?A research in 1980s:Why do some people succeed despite the unfavorable circumstances?Pos psy begin to study on these people.(resilience, an ability to adapt to the environment, was found in this way. And it works for everyone.)From the pathogenenic model to the salutogenenic modelA person constantly think about his weaknesses cant succeed. We have to ask ourselves: what am I good at? To draw attention to the positive things, we had to raise up such questions from time to time. In a word: questions create reality.My role model:Marva CollinsHow can we keep students in school?(in Chicago)Call up self-confidence and self-esteem by repeating remindingSee the seed greatness in children2012/8/5 lesson 3Review the 3 reasons(supplement):2.If we take away all the negative factors, will we be happy?Its like the relationship between food and your tase sense.People nowadays are in “comfortably numb”or “quiet desperation”.4. Our aim is to cultivate the capacity to resist the nagative effects or to strengthen our immune system.Premises(5)1.Bridge building Vs. Division and separationLets begin with bridge buildingHow is academia related to us?The story of young students: idealism is not enough(many people have no access to psychological theories, let alone apply them)Identical twins, even brought up in different circumstances, have the same character and same degree of happiness. Genes do matter a lot, but in this case we also see that internal factors(psychological, or character) play an extremely important role in wellbeing. Charaters are basically determined by genes, but can be changed.We can not exclude the average or why most people fail, but lets also focus on those “best examples”.Human nature will be sold short when we only study the average(Abraham Maslow).The Cambridge-Somerville Youth Study Psychology”,started in 1930sChose 250 kids from an at-risk population, 5-year- intervention, got academic help from the best doctors and professors(best treatment,psychological)The control group, also 250 kids40 years follow-upThe results were shocking:Juvenile offensesno differenceAdult offencesno differencePhysical health and mental healthno differenceAlcoholism-significantJob status-significant(the white collar jobs)But things in control group were much better, that means intervention did more harm than good(wasnt practical).2012/8/6 lesson 4Last time weve talked about a famous research, and through this I want to tell you is that only passion is not enough, we need to be the realistic idealist, to research on what works.2.Change is possible Vs. Change is illusiveCan I make a difference?-Most people underestimate their ability to bring about change.“All history is a record of the power of minorties, and of minorities of one.”(by Emerson)All change begins in the mind of single person or a small group.And then it expand.How does it expand?How change happens?-change happens exponentially(connections create a “butterfly effect”, just like smiles are contagious)3.Internal factors primarily determine happiness Vs. Happiness is primarily a function of external circumstancesMany scientists use “objective measures”, for example,scan our brain. Extreme circumstances make very little difference to our wellbeing(and cant last long, soon it will return to the base level).Once our basic needs are met, too much wealth cant make a difference.If we lower our expectations, well probably be happier. But its whether we had right or wrong expectations that determines our wellbeing.We need to change our perception, our mental state, and our interpretation about the world.Internal factors do matter, and we need transformations.4.Human nature must be obeyed Vs. Human nature must be perfectedSo,can human nature(instinct, desire,ect) be changed?2 opposite visionsActually our nature cannot be changed but rather be guided(in other words, its managable).The difference between the saddest and the happiest is their ability to recover.And our psychological immune system strengthens when we give ourselves the permission to be human.“God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change;the courage to the things I can change;and the wisdom to know the dfference.”This wisdom can be learned throughout the semester.Then,what it really means to give ourselves the permission to be a human?Now I want to do a group meditation.Try to understand it, not only in cognitive level of the research but also to experience on the visceral emotional level. Try to remind yourself of it once or twice a day and allow others to do so-you deserve it.2012/8/7 lesson5and6an organization-Teach For AmericaJust apply, give yourself an opportunity, our school needs you.Ill introduce two friends, supporters of pos psy.And they will give a brief presentation about the Masters of Applied Positive Psychology at University of Pennsylvania(the only and the first).5. Happiness is and ought to be our ultimate endVS.Happiness should be a secondary pursuitWhy should we have happiness as our hightest end, as our chief concern?Positive emotions have an evolutionary reason,beyond just making us feeling good, its about building capacities(immune systems, ect).-by Barbara FredricksonWhen you are under negative influences, your consciousness narrows and constricts, entering a downward spiral, a vicious cycle.Postive emotions can bring us from the downward spiral to the upward spiral.Pursuing my happiness, isnt that selfish? But selfishness is not identical to immorality.1. happiness is a positive sum game(not zero or negative), for happiness is contagious, its like passing on light.2. people who experience a lot,all the ups and downs, but overall work on happiness and become happier and happier,have better relationships. More generous, more tolerant.(not people who are “always happy” )3. helping others is also helping ourselves(both happy)selfishness is part of our naturea story of Gandi- “Be the change you want to see in the world.”Most people do as what you do rather than what you say(also apply to leadership).The best way of spreading happiness is to work on your own happiness, then youre leading by example.BeliefA story of Roger Bannister,a runnerNo runner can run 1 mile for under 4 minutes before.He used to be a doctor, but eventually succeed.It became known as the “dream mile”.In following years, this result has always been improving.-Beliefs do matter a lot.PygmalionThis theory is commonly used in the field of education.It works-beliefs as self-fufiling prophecies. (lesson6)The situation is powerful,but can we also create a powerful, positive sitatution to bring out the best in people?The answer is yes.Priming can be done in the conscious or subconscious level, it means planting a belief or a word.People who were primed with “old words”behave exactly like an old person, thats subconscious.The priming study is also related to iceberg principle, that when youre measuring a phenomenon, youre changing the phenomenon as well as changing yourself.So by researching the positive were also priming ourselves.Most of these theories come from the self help movement, our mind creates the world“Whatever your mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve.”.(the law of attraction)Such powering words appeal to many people.But is the meassge right?- It draws on a truth and blows it out of proportion(not create, but”co-create”)Albert Bandura, reading task for this week.He thinks that people with strong beliefs produce their future rather than simply foretell it.And this ability can be learned, we can transform our “form”.In other words,“self concept is destiny”the famous Placebo effect-“With beliefs alone, they cured themselves.”()What mediate between beliefs, expectations and actual performance in the real world?-2 mechanism1. motivation2. the notion of consistency or congruenceWe all have a mental schema of the world(what the world should be),and this is inside.Things take place in the outside world.The inside & The outsideMind likes consistency or congruence between the inside and the outside, if not, well experience a dissonance(not feeling good).-Either change the reality or change or mind.When there is a dissonance, the first thing we can do is to update the schema. The second, ignore or discard the external information.The third,seek confirmation(these two backup the schema)The fourth, change the reality.Edisons story-I believe and Ill work even harder(most creative, also failed the most times)Learn to fail, or fail to learn.Setting goalsShort term goals are equally imporatnt to long term goals.Pessimists:short-realistic-long-realisticOptimists:short-unrealistic-long:realisticPes are too realistic that they have low levels of belief, they dont think theyll do well.Opt can learn from mistakes, until they bring the unrealistic reality to the realistic, to match their beliefs, in long terms they succeed.Therere also detached(blind) optimists So how can we tell from the realistic and the unrealistic?Believe and at the same time realize the reality.Do high expectations lead to disappointment?William James:self-esteem=achievements/expectationsHigh expectations will hurt our self-esteem.Last time we talked about the ups and downs, and theres a base level.For one with higher expectations, his or her base level increases.2012/8/8 lesson7How can we raise that base level?coping(base level going up, not around a parellel line)how can we be an optimist?1. take action, to put ourselves on the line.Constantly prasing will hurt self-esteem, hurt the motivation of studentsWe should be more discerning with praise, and praise in right way.Not to dare is to lose oneself. Give ourselves an opportuinity to fail.2. imagination or visualization.When we see something, therere certain neurons in our brain that are firing, they take the shape of it. Even if we close our eyes, we can still see it.When Im imaging success, Im in fact fooling my mind.-Subconscious mind doesnt know the difference between the real thing and the imaginary thing.If I imagine success, and the mind doesnt like inconsistencies,it will bring up the external reality to match this internal schema(the imagination is not just about the result, but also the process). Best example-Martin Luther King3.congnitive therapy(most effective therapeutic intervention)Basic premise:thoughts drive emotionWe should firstly make a change in the level of congnition(restore rationality).3 “M”s(irrational thought, distort of the reality)Magnify(exaggerate what happens, over generalize)Minimize( “tunnel vision”-only care about the minority)Making up(personalize or blame,emotional reasoning)FocusChange our focus, change the questions,and change the reality.The benefit-finder focus on what works, looks on the bright side of life,finds the miracle in the common.Congnitive reconstruction is about learning to interpret things optimistically.Stuff happens, we can either let it pollute or make fertillizer out of it.Much of what happens, we co-create with the reality.2012/8/9 lesson 8and9(leeson8)Last time I told my story in two perspectives: fault-finder and benefit-finderThe difference between them is that the benefit-finder understand that its possible to make the best of things that happen- give himself the permission to fail,and things will turn out fine.Those who perceive benefits of the trauma were physically and psychologically healthier.The media does focus to the great extent on the negative. But the media doesnt just report reality as it is, it highlights certain aspects of reality(bias towards the negative).Media creates cognitive distortions and actually make us become pessimists.We need to correct for that, and to counter.We need to realize theres always something real to appreciate.Single sentence of appreciation can give us strength to go on(it has to be genuine).Art is important in changing our internal schema.“Fiction is more important than history.”-Aristotle(fiction depict life as it can or ought to be)If we dont highlight the good, the good will depreciate-this is what pos psy does.Its a good thing to adapt(when faced with the negative). But on the other side, when we adapt we take daily things (family, friends, etc.)for granted, then we cease to appreciate.We began to appreciate life when theres tragedy.Kids will visualize the words, so they find everything interesting.My model:my grandmother, a true benefit-finder(lesson9)My grandmother she wasnt ignoring what wasnt working, however, at the same time, she refuse to ignore the positive.What she insisted on was staying real,being connected to what was around her.Why are not more people benefit-finders?One factor is the media.-how do we counter that?1. have good news channels2. have more inspiring art3. not wait bad things to happen for us to be grateful(being grateful means we dont take things for granted)bring this paper with you that theres still something beautiful in our life(the gratitude exercise) .The key of expressing gratitude is not just a thank-you note.Dont take it for granted that they know your gratitude, just do it, make it ritual. By expressing gratitude you create a win-win mode. How do we express our gratitude ?An experiment:the worst and best things in your life Write or talk about them-a lot better Think over them-worse(still ,internal ,downward spiral )Permssion to be human:we give ourselves the permission to experience the emotions -Share the experience , write about it.Vietnam war deeply hurt the soldiers because this war is not popular and they didnt talk about it openly when they came back to America .They just replay it in their mind over and over again-situation gets worse The survivors of Israel holocaust talked about it with their friends and family.“To live and die in gratefulness if in no other virtue .”“Gratitude is not only the greatest of all virtues , but the parent of all others .”by Cicero Choose one topic and prepare for an presentation or the final project (through stories ).Have references to research ,you can have film clips , PPTs , etc. Change How is change possible ?Lets begin with ?The brain actually does change(neurons develop and grows ) .How do we use our brain ?There are millions of channels. Everytime a connection is made between the neurons , the channels grow(they will shrink when in no use ), just like water flows towards the channels we have built before .So our experience is much more likely to gravitate to already established neural pathways and strengthen it further rather than create a new pathway .This is what habits are -when something is reinforced over and over again , it becomes