Desire happiness?
Try thinking of three good things that happened to you that day or just three good things in your life in general.
This is the latest clinical advice to achieve authentic happiness, as researched by Dr. Martin Segilman.
Positive psychology, as pioneered by Dr. Martin Segilman, focuses on positive energy, strength based character, and healthy institutions rather than on the idea that depressed people are ill and held captive by their chemistry.
I have generally been of the mind that there are two kinds of people, those who, when bad tings happen to them, are able to consider all the good things in their lives and meditate on the notion that things could have been a lot worse. Other people, when bad things happen, are stranded in sadness and can barely remember any good things--the thought of goodness itself is painful.
If you are someone who tends to have a hard time counting your blessings or persevering though hardship, the good news is that it may be possible to retrain your brain. Of course, as
Dr. Lyunbomirsky said in an associated press article, "Any long-term effect will probably depend on people continuing to work at it."
According to another positive psychologist, Dr. Diener, "happiness...is really about working and striving."
"Happiness is the process, not the place," he said via e-mail. "So many of us think that when we get everything just right, and obtain certain goals and circumstances, everything will be in place and we will be happy. . . . But once we get everything in place, we still need new goals and activities."
