While listening I had, not quite an epiphany, but certainly a greatly pleasing scientific confirmation of a strongly-held personal philosophy of mine. In a nutshell: that taking the trouble to notice and remember Good Stuff makes you happier. Apparently it also grows part of the brain, which in turn makes it easier to keep doing. Which in turn makes you calmer, happier, more able to deal with stress and bad stuff, and as a nice bonus, you live longer.
Afterwards I got up and, standing on my back porch, it seemed the clouds were scudding only just above the tops of the trees in my back garden. I felt I could have touched them.
The Mindfulness movement is getting lots of airtime here too Katherine. Have a great day :)
ReplyDeleteCarol - Thank you. Actually he only mentioned the term once. But there are people all over the world that are picking up on the idea of thinking about our thinking.
DeleteWe all have different dispositions. It can be very hard to focus on the good stuff even though our instincts tell us that the good stuff is more healthful.
ReplyDeleteYP it can indeed be difficult overriding our instinct to better remember that unpleasantness/ pain upon which our life may depend. This is exactly what Hanson's interview was about.
DeleteThere is always a positive perspective, even to misfortune. In Jail? Hardly any bills to pay. Terminally ill? Lucky to have lived so long when others are killed in wars. Victim of horrendous injustice? You survived something where a lesser person would not have done so. Fat? A sure sign you could afford to eat. Stuck in a refugee camp? You are still alive. Every person has the inner strength to make a new life with a more positive outlook if they want to. Unfortunately some people delight in pretending to be miserable. This is their choice, not mine.
ReplyDeleteLouise Michie - and the more you do it, the better you get. 'Mo' better.'
DeleteThis sounds like Pollyanna's 'The Glad Game' by another name.
ReplyDeleteYes Cro - I suspect whole belief systems, including some religious ones, have been built around the Glad Game concept.
DeleteThanks for the comments folks.
ReplyDeleteI have re-read my post and it now sounds rather simple-minded and simplistic. I'm not feeling defensive about this. It was a lovely morning and I was full of simple joy. But if you need it, the depth of this post is in the audio clip. I found the interview very interesting, clear and well-reasoned.
Simple joys are the best ~ and it is good to be reminded. Thank you Katherine.
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