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Understanding Happiness: The Psychology, Science, and Habits Behind a Happier Life | Let's Get Emotional · Let's Get Emotional

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: One of the things that stood out to me is living in alignment with values.
• 0:04
  SPEAKER_00: When we're thinking of checking in and making sure and wondering where our feelings of happiness or joy or contentment have been, that's a really kind of quick and easy check-in to some sense.
• 0:15
  SPEAKER_00: And if you don't know what your values are or maybe, it might be helpful to kind of explore those or check in on them.
• 0:23
  SPEAKER_00: Hello and welcome back.
• 0:25
  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes the hardest part isn't feeling the emotion, it's finding the words for it.
• 0:29
  SPEAKER_00: You give a simple answer, even when the real answer may in fact be more complicated.
• 0:33
  SPEAKER_00: So today we're going to slow down and start with the basics, what emotions are, what feelings are, and why naming things clearly can be the first step toward feeling better.
• 0:42
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to Let's Get Emotional.
• 0:44
  SPEAKER_00: Let's get emotional is an educational podcast hosted by myself, Tatiana Rojas, and Dr.
• 0:50
  SPEAKER_01: Jennifer Martin Schwanz.
• 0:52
  SPEAKER_01: Each episode focuses on one emotion, and today our emotion is happy.
• 0:57
  SPEAKER_01: We break it down in a way that's clear, human, and practical so you can understand what's happening inside you and what to do with it.
• 1:06
  SPEAKER_01: Our mission is simple.
• 1:08
  SPEAKER_01: Help you understand what you're feeling, name it with more clarity, and respond in ways that support your life and your relationships.
• 1:18
  SPEAKER_00: As a reminder, this podcast is for education and general information only.
• 1:22
  SPEAKER_00: It isn't therapy and it doesn't replace mental health care.
• 1:25
  SPEAKER_00: If you're in crisis or need immediate support, please contact your local emergency services or crisis hotline in your area.
• 1:32
  SPEAKER_00: You can also reach out to 988 as well.
• 1:35
  SPEAKER_01: So let's remind you of some definitions we've covered in previous episodes.
• 1:40
  SPEAKER_01: The first definition is emotions.
• 1:44
  SPEAKER_01: So emotions are quick, automatic reactions that occur both in our body and our brain.
• 1:51
  SPEAKER_01: They act as signals, often appearing before we can even describe them in words.
• 1:59
  SPEAKER_01: These responses provide information, your internal system's way of letting you know that something important is happening, such as concerns about safety, connection, fairness, loss, threat, desire, or meaning.
• 2:18
  SPEAKER_01: Next is feelings.
• 2:21
  SPEAKER_01: Feelings are your conscious experience of emotions.
• 2:25
  SPEAKER_01: They are the words you use to name what's happening, plus the meaning you attach to it based on your history, culture, beliefs, and relationships.
• 2:38
  SPEAKER_01: If an emotion is a body-based signal, a feeling is a label you put on it.
• 2:44
  SPEAKER_01: Finally, we have moods.
• 2:47
  SPEAKER_01: Moods are longer-lasting emotional states, more like emotional weather.
• 2:54
  SPEAKER_01: You can be in an irritable mood, a low mood, or a tender mood for hours or days, sometimes without one clear trigger.
• 3:04
  SPEAKER_01: Emotions are the spark, feelings are the label, moods are the climate.
• 3:12
  SPEAKER_00: Wonderful.
• 3:13
  SPEAKER_00: So let's take a moment to talk about the emotion of happy.
• 3:17
  SPEAKER_00: Happy by definition is enjoying or characterized by well-being and contentment, feeling or showing pleasure or contentment.
• 3:27
  SPEAKER_00: There might be a physical sensation of warmth, bubbly, or light feelings in your body.
• 3:32
  SPEAKER_00: It's often characterized by smiling, laughing, and jumping for joy.
• 3:38
  SPEAKER_00: This emotion could show up when we feel safe, connected, or satisfied, or something is going well.
• 3:45
  SPEAKER_00: So happy may also be described for others as content, good, pleased, cheerful, relaxed.
• 3:54
  SPEAKER_00: Some people might say they're in a good mood.
• 3:56
  SPEAKER_00: Big happy feelings may sound like joyful, delighted, thrilled, excited, playful, radiant, energized, or you might even feel bubbly.
• 4:08
  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes happy can also be described as feeling proud or accomplished, confident, satisfied, encouraged or motivated.
• 4:19
  SPEAKER_00: You may also feel fulfilled, aligned, inspired, hopeful.
• 4:24
  SPEAKER_00: Another big word, grateful.
• 4:27
  SPEAKER_00: You might make indications indicating my heart is full.
• 4:31
  SPEAKER_00: So happiness looks different for everyone.
• 4:33
  SPEAKER_00: So don't be afraid to ask or check in with someone else's definition of what brings them happiness.
• 4:39
  SPEAKER_00: It's important to know how others define happy or happiness for themselves because we all have different interests, hobbies, and things that excite us.
• 4:46
  SPEAKER_00: For some, it may be toys, interactions, sports, or conversations.
• 4:51
  SPEAKER_00: And this also changes and evolves over time as well.
• 4:54
  SPEAKER_00: So don't be afraid, like I mentioned, to check in with those you're close to about what brings them happy.
• 4:59
  SPEAKER_00: And also don't forget to check in with yourself about what did make you happy, what currently makes you happy, and what you think might make you happy in the future.
• 5:07
  SPEAKER_00: So now that we've kind of defined a little bit more of what happy feels like, looks like, let's talk a little bit about the research.
• 5:14
  SPEAKER_00: Jennifer, what do you have for us today?
• 5:17
  SPEAKER_01: So in looking what the research indicates with happiness, they look at it as and they start out with research distinguishes happiness as a trait or a state.
• 5:29
  SPEAKER_01: So when they say a state of happiness, it's temporary.
• 5:34
  SPEAKER_01: It's that emotional experience, sort of that monetary moment of joy or excitement.
• 5:40
  SPEAKER_01: With trait happiness, that's that natural positivity, which is stable, that stability.
• 5:48
  SPEAKER_01: So oftentimes with happy, we're gonna feel sort of an arousal, meaning we're gonna feel it in our body, our nervous system's gonna react and it's gonna activate.
• 5:58
  SPEAKER_01: Um, a really interesting study about um twins suggested that approximately 30 to 40 percent of twins, it's a heritable baseline that happiness can show up um with twins.
• 6:14
  SPEAKER_01: And the remaining factors are shaped by both the environment, right?
• 6:18
  SPEAKER_01: The elements within the environment and those deliberate actions.
• 6:23
  SPEAKER_01: So there are strong empirical correlations or predictors of happiness.
• 6:30
  SPEAKER_01: And one study out of Harvard, um, this is the Harvard Adult Developmental Study, looked at close relationships as being one predictor.
• 6:40
  SPEAKER_01: Also, our perceived social support, those people we can rely on, our practices of gratitude, physical activity, believe it or not, exercise, right?
• 6:53
  SPEAKER_01: Our purpose in life, and also financial security.
• 6:59
  SPEAKER_01: So continuing with research, it builds on positive affect and it requires separate involvement.
• 7:08
  SPEAKER_01: So it involves behavior activation, it involves, you know, feeling sort of that enjoyment relishing in that maybe we're gonna feel gratitude, but also the meaning we make of it.
• 7:21
  SPEAKER_01: All of those things sort of make up that positive affect of happiness.
• 7:26
  SPEAKER_01: I also want to distinguish well-being because this is another popular thing in research that I was reading about.
• 7:34
  SPEAKER_01: So we have two components of well-being.
• 7:36
  SPEAKER_01: One is pleasure-based, and the other is meaning-based.
• 7:41
  SPEAKER_01: So, what does that look like?
• 7:43
  SPEAKER_01: So, pleasure-based well-being, some key researchers are Ed Diner and Daniel Caneman.
• 7:52
  SPEAKER_01: And I probably messed that up.
• 7:55
  SPEAKER_01: My apologies.
• 7:56
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but they associated happiness with this positive affect, again, that joy, contentment, amusement, like you mentioned previously, low negative affect, life satisfaction, feeling good about your life, and frequently experiencing positive emotions.
• 8:17
  SPEAKER_01: So, once again, that is pleasure-based.
• 8:21
  SPEAKER_01: If we look at now well-being that is meaning-based, the key researcher here is Carol Rife.
• 8:29
  SPEAKER_01: And she associated happiness with purpose, psychological growth, independence, and impact.
• 8:38
  SPEAKER_01: And specifically, the rife model for well-being looks at autonomy or independence, environmental skill, some sort of a mastery at that, personal growth.
• 8:51
  SPEAKER_01: Once again, positive relationships, purpose in life, and that self-acceptance.
• 8:59
  SPEAKER_01: So, happiness here is sort of living in alignment with values and experiencing meaning.
• 9:06
  SPEAKER_01: So that is sort of the well-being model associated with meaning-based.
• 9:14
  SPEAKER_01: There's another model that I want to talk about.
• 9:18
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and this is the perma model.
• 9:21
  SPEAKER_01: And this is integrated with positive psychology and Martin Seligman's work.
• 9:27
  SPEAKER_01: And the perma model includes sort of that positive emotion, that engagement.
• 9:33
  SPEAKER_01: And with engagement, you have flow.
• 9:35
  SPEAKER_01: So if we're looking at relationships, right, there's flow in that back and forth in those relationships.
• 9:42
  SPEAKER_01: Then we have the next category of relationships themselves, right?
• 9:46
  SPEAKER_01: We have meaning and we also have accomplishment in the perma model.
• 9:52
  SPEAKER_01: So with looking at empirical studies as a whole, happiness is not just joy.
• 10:00
  SPEAKER_01: There's all of these other components to kind of look at, right?
• 10:07
  SPEAKER_01: And if we're looking at that, you know, not just joy, we have to look at what other affective states do we have.
• 10:16
  SPEAKER_01: And you mentioned these earlier, Tatiana, and I'm just gonna kind of go through them real quickly, but that affective state of warmth, which you mentioned, calm contentment, lightness, gratitude, hope, peace, amusement, and pride, all of that is showing in the research as well.
• 10:36
  SPEAKER_01: The next marker is sort of that physiological marker.
• 10:41
  SPEAKER_01: And what do we see happening within our body?
• 10:44
  SPEAKER_01: And research is showing that happiness is associated with that increased dopamine, right?
• 10:51
  SPEAKER_01: That rewards circuitry, that reward system, increased serotonin, which we mentioned, mood.
• 10:57
  SPEAKER_01: That's where mood comes in, and that mood regulation, oxytocin, that social bonding, right?
• 11:04
  SPEAKER_01: That connection.
• 11:05
  SPEAKER_01: When we have that, we also see reduced cortisol.
• 11:09
  SPEAKER_01: So our stress hormone, huge reduction and heart rate variability.
• 11:14
  SPEAKER_01: So our heart rate tends to be more in that normal range or a little lower.
• 11:18
  SPEAKER_01: Anything, Tatiana, before I talk about what neuroimaging parts of research show or where the areas in our brain are activated.
• 11:26
  SPEAKER_01: Anything you want to chime in on?
• 11:28
  SPEAKER_00: No, I mean, I love all of the information that you're bringing to light.
• 11:32
  SPEAKER_00: And I know we're just really gonna kind of touch on this ever so so lightly because I think we really want everyone to have a good understanding of you know how to define this and what it looks like and the impact.
• 11:43
  SPEAKER_00: But I think one of the things that stood out to me is living in alignment with values.
• 11:48
  SPEAKER_00: When we're thinking of checking in and making sure and wondering where our feelings of happiness or joy or contentment have been, that's a really kind of quick and easy check-in to some sense.
• 11:59
  SPEAKER_00: And if you don't know what your values are or maybe, it might be helpful to kind of explore those or check in on them.
• 12:05
  SPEAKER_00: You talked and even initially started off saying like a trait or um a state of it's just temporary, like happiness is temporary, but but there is also that stability trait that kind of can also come into play, but also that I think is where the values alignment takes place.
• 12:21
  SPEAKER_00: We can create like that stability by having those those elements in our lives.
• 12:26
  SPEAKER_00: And so that really stood out to me.
• 12:28
  SPEAKER_00: And I appreciate you bringing that up.
• 12:30
  SPEAKER_00: And then I think something that we may have to come back to because I think it would be really, really helpful is talking about like the dopamine, the oxytocin, the serotonin, um, those neurotransmitters and what they um definitely help support and provide and how they impact.
• 12:46
  SPEAKER_00: One other one I wanted to throw in there is endorphins, right?
• 12:48
  SPEAKER_00: And I think we all legally blonde endorphins make people happy.
• 12:52
  SPEAKER_00: Happy people don't just shoot their husbands, like you know, that kind of element.
• 12:55
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so adding that one kind of into the mix of kind of how that can impact also, and that's all body-based, too, right?
• 13:01
  SPEAKER_00: You get you get a good work in, you feel a little bit lighter, you've gotten some energy out, and those pieces.
• 13:06
  SPEAKER_00: So um, those are just kind of some quick things that stood out and some definitely some different areas and directions we can come back to, hopefully, in future episodes um and discussions, or share some more resources and information about those.
• 13:19
  SPEAKER_00: But I'm really curious what is the next thing you you mentioned, the imagery, the neuroimagery, yeah.
• 13:24
  SPEAKER_01: So brain neuroimaging, yeah.
• 13:27
  SPEAKER_01: Brain, there are three areas in our brain that show up um with happiness.
• 13:32
  SPEAKER_01: And the first area is the ventral striatum, and this is located within our basal ganglia.
• 13:39
  SPEAKER_01: And the basal ganglia is just a group of sort of interconnected structures deep within our brain.
• 13:45
  SPEAKER_01: So, what this area, the ventral striatum, plays a key role in that reward processing, motivation, and reinforcement sort of learning.
• 13:56
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and when individuals experience happiness, they can actually see neuroimaging studies are showing this activated part of our brain, and it reflects the importance in processing um, pleasure, and those reward experiences, and it's associated with feelings again of that pleasure, satisfaction, and motivation.
• 14:21
  SPEAKER_01: The next area that they show in neuroimaging is that prefrontal cortex, and this is the front of our brain.
• 14:28
  SPEAKER_01: So think about it located right behind your forehead.
• 14:32
  SPEAKER_01: That's where the prefrontal cortex is.
• 14:35
  SPEAKER_01: And with the prefrontal cortex, we're looking at cognitive behavior, we're looking at decision making, attention, planning, sort of that moderating our social behavior.
• 14:48
  SPEAKER_01: And happiness is specifically shown with the imagery on the left side of our prefrontal cortex.
• 14:55
  SPEAKER_01: And it's this side, this sort of left piece, is showing more activity in neuroimaging.
• 15:02
  SPEAKER_01: And the last area of the brain is our anterior cingulate.
• 15:10
  SPEAKER_01: And this region is located on the medial surface of the brain's frontal lobes.
• 15:16
  SPEAKER_01: And this is part of our limbic system and plays a crucial role in regulating emotion, attention, and those autonomic functions that happen within.
• 15:29
  SPEAKER_01: So, once again, involved in decision making, emotional regulation, like I mentioned, error detection, and empathy.
• 15:38
  SPEAKER_01: So this area shows up and is often active during those states of emotional awareness and social bonding.
• 15:49
  SPEAKER_01: So I think it's really interesting that they can see, you know, with imaging, these things within our brain and these areas that are activated.
• 15:59
  SPEAKER_01: I think it's fascinating.
• 16:00
  SPEAKER_01: So I wanted to throw in what research states about neuroimaging.
• 16:05
  SPEAKER_01: And we're gonna talk more just about some of these other specific things, but also and we're gonna talk more about this in a second, but feeling it within our body, sort of that somatic experience, I think is super important because research studies, what people were reporting in research studies, kind of what their subjective experience, how they describe happiness and how they describe it somatically, sort of how they feel it in their body, is warmth in the chest, sort of relaxed muscles, lightness in the body, increased energy, and sort of this open posture, if you will.
• 16:44
  SPEAKER_01: And there's also facial softening as well.
• 16:49
  SPEAKER_01: So I wanted to kind of talk about that because we're you're also gonna talk about it, um, the somatic experience, but research shows that we definitely show it in our body too, which I think is is great and something worth mentioning.
• 17:02
  SPEAKER_00: Well, and just kind of piggybacking off of that in that regard, I mean, I think this is also why you're right, we can see when people are happy.
• 17:10
  SPEAKER_00: Like we notice there's a very visual representation that us as observers kind of take in and can kind of notice um in other people.
• 17:21
  SPEAKER_00: It's kind of how we gravitate when people are in a good mood and kind of create some energy there as well.
• 17:27
  SPEAKER_00: So I think also not only are we experiencing that, but it's also very observable.
• 17:31
  SPEAKER_01: Mm-hmm.
• 17:31
  SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
• 17:33
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 17:34
  SPEAKER_01: So what are the kiddos?
• 17:36
  SPEAKER_01: How are they experiencing or stating happiness?
• 17:40
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, let's take a look at maybe some of the things that toddlers, kiddos, teens, and adults might kind of say um to connect back to the emotion of happy.
• 17:50
  SPEAKER_00: So yeah, say it so they get it.
• 17:52
  SPEAKER_00: Um, toddlers may actually say I'm happy.
• 17:55
  SPEAKER_00: We can also label those as parents for kiddos, or if you're working with kiddos as a teacher or an aide, um, really kind of calling those moments out.
• 18:05
  SPEAKER_00: Um, they might say something like, This is fun, I can't stop smiling.
• 18:10
  SPEAKER_00: It may feel like um they want to smile big, they might feel warm.
• 18:14
  SPEAKER_00: The feelings in the body, once we're gonna go, you know, we're going back into kind of that piece here.
• 18:18
  SPEAKER_00: My body feels bouncy.
• 18:20
  SPEAKER_00: I want to jump and run.
• 18:22
  SPEAKER_00: Um, my cheeks feel like smiley, my tummy feels happy, I feel wiggly in my arms and legs because I've got energy.
• 18:30
  SPEAKER_00: I feel like laughing.
• 18:32
  SPEAKER_00: And for those kiddos that maybe are like five and above, I feel like smiling for no reason.
• 18:37
  SPEAKER_00: There's a ball of energy that I might be experiencing.
• 18:40
  SPEAKER_00: My stomach feels fluttery, but in a good way.
• 18:44
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I feel like I'm shining.
• 18:46
  SPEAKER_00: Um, some other things that they might feel in their body.
• 18:48
  SPEAKER_00: My chest feels like it's warm, it's open, or it feels light.
• 18:54
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I feel warm in my belly.
• 18:56
  SPEAKER_00: I feel like I have extra energy.
• 18:58
  SPEAKER_00: My heart maybe like increased a little bit, like feeling fast, like it's beating fast, but in a good way because I'm excited.
• 19:05
  SPEAKER_00: Um, something along those lines.
• 19:07
  SPEAKER_00: I know someone that used to describe the feeling of happy in their body as like a happy attack.
• 19:12
  SPEAKER_00: We talk a lot about like panic attacks, you know, in in our world of therapy.
• 19:16
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but there's also, yeah, that very much that other piece of my body just feels energized and it feels happy and it wants to do something with that.
• 19:24
  SPEAKER_00: So maybe teens might describe it as feeling I feel lighter, I feel good about myself.
• 19:30
  SPEAKER_00: They might feel it in their body as their chest feels open.
• 19:33
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe they might say, like my shoulders are are dropping, or I feel a little bit more relaxed.
• 19:39
  SPEAKER_00: I feel light, my stomach also feels fluttery.
• 19:42
  SPEAKER_00: I have energy, I want to smile, I want to laugh.
• 19:46
  SPEAKER_00: And then finally, yeah, for the adults, um, some things they might kind of describe happiness as I feel light in my body.
• 19:54
  SPEAKER_00: Once again, my chest feels open, I feel connected and present, I feel calm and like good, like things are okay.
• 20:02
  SPEAKER_00: I feel energized, I feel safe.
• 20:05
  SPEAKER_00: Um that might come up as well.
• 20:07
  SPEAKER_00: And then definitely connecting it back to that body again.
• 20:11
  SPEAKER_00: My breathing feels easier and deeper.
• 20:14
  SPEAKER_00: We know oftentimes when people feel panicky, it's the shallow breast, the difficulty getting in that breath.
• 20:20
  SPEAKER_00: So they I can take a good deep breath in when I'm calm, relaxed, and I feel like I'm at peace.
• 20:25
  SPEAKER_00: Um, my jaws and shoulders are relaxed, my chest feels open and spacious.
• 20:31
  SPEAKER_00: There's warmth in my chest, or maybe even my stomach, there may be a burst of energy.
• 20:36
  SPEAKER_00: Um, you may feel present in your body and you feel safe and calm.
• 20:40
  SPEAKER_00: And so I know that's a lot to go over very quickly, um, but just kind of throwing out just some different ways we might be phrasing or saying these things or how it might show up for you.
• 20:51
  SPEAKER_00: And if you definitely feel like it's, you know, none of these things are what you've experienced and it feels different for you, I'd really encourage you to share and just let us know what that is, because it always, once again, looks different for everybody in that respect.
• 21:05
  SPEAKER_00: And so yeah, let's move on to today's mini tool and how we can kind of connect this feeling of happy into something that maybe we can do even for ourselves on a daily basis to check in.
• 21:18
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so today's mini tool is about catching a glimmer, a small moment of good your nervous system can register and then anchoring it with a quick happy place or image.
• 21:28
  SPEAKER_00: So happy isn't always fireworks, sometimes it's a glimmer.
• 21:32
  SPEAKER_00: Like Jennifer mentioned earlier, it can also be pretty fleeting.
• 21:36
  SPEAKER_00: It can kind of come and go.
• 21:38
  SPEAKER_00: So before we wrap up, um, let's try this.
• 21:41
  SPEAKER_00: Just take a moment.
• 21:43
  SPEAKER_00: Um, if you can, you can always come back to this as well.
• 21:46
  SPEAKER_00: But I want you to just go ahead and pause and take that, take a breath in and then slowly breathe out.
• 21:54
  SPEAKER_00: And look around and find one small good thing or image.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_00: One small thing this could be something that you see out your window.
• 22:05
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe it's a texture that you feel.
• 22:07
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe you see your pet.
• 22:09
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe it's a song that you remember, recall, a color, a memory or an interaction with someone.
• 22:18
  SPEAKER_00: Just check in with yourself.
• 22:20
  SPEAKER_00: What might bring you a glimmer?
• 22:23
  SPEAKER_00: And name it.
• 22:25
  SPEAKER_00: Name it.
• 22:26
  SPEAKER_00: This is a glimmer.
• 22:27
  SPEAKER_00: For me, it's thinking about this fuzzy rug on my feet and how soft and gentle it feels.
• 22:34
  SPEAKER_00: The texture on my skin.
• 22:37
  SPEAKER_00: Notice where you feel it in your body.
• 22:40
  SPEAKER_00: This thing that you've labeled that brings you a piece of happiness.
• 22:44
  SPEAKER_00: Do you notice it in your chest?
• 22:46
  SPEAKER_00: Does your body soften?
• 22:48
  SPEAKER_00: Does your face relax?
• 22:50
  SPEAKER_00: Have your shoulders drop?
• 22:53
  SPEAKER_00: And now close your eyes and picture a place you feel happy.
• 22:57
  SPEAKER_00: Whether it's real or imagined, someplace you feel safe.
• 23:03
  SPEAKER_00: Add maybe the detail of what you may have noticed as your glimmer back into that.
• 23:09
  SPEAKER_00: Notice any of your other senses.
• 23:13
  SPEAKER_00: And now seal it in your memory and say to yourself, I can come back to this at any point in time.
• 23:20
  SPEAKER_00: Just a really quick, simple exercise to check in and anchor yourself.
• 23:26
  SPEAKER_00: And if you're not feeling happy today, you're not failing if you can't pick up on anything, you can always come back to this.
• 23:32
  SPEAKER_00: This is just practice.
• 23:33
  SPEAKER_00: Try it once a day this week.
• 23:35
  SPEAKER_00: One glimmer, one breath, one image.
• 23:38
  SPEAKER_00: Just notice it, check in with it, remember it.
• 23:42
  SPEAKER_00: So that's how many tool for today.
• 23:45
  SPEAKER_00: And I definitely want to, I think, Jennifer, you had a couple of other things that maybe we can kind of add in to some of these moments.
• 23:53
  SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
• 23:54
  SPEAKER_01: So some just some evidence-based, you know, research-based things that people can do to increase happiness.
• 24:02
  SPEAKER_01: And the first is gratitude journaling, right?
• 24:06
  SPEAKER_01: Writing down those things, whether you're going to do it daily, weekly, or even monthly, right?
• 24:12
  SPEAKER_01: Those things that you're grateful for and journaling about that.
• 24:16
  SPEAKER_01: Loving kindness meditation, right?
• 24:19
  SPEAKER_01: Thinking about when you showed love and kind to someone and meditating on that, or when somebody showed love and kindness to you.
• 24:26
  SPEAKER_01: Behavioral activation, right?
• 24:29
  SPEAKER_01: And going back into that, those affective states we talked about, like, you know, warmth and lightness, sort of hope.
• 24:38
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and and activating that and those sort of states, acts of kindness, also, those are those always usually make us feel happy when we can give or show kindness to others.
• 24:53
  SPEAKER_01: Some savorying exercises.
• 24:56
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and what does that look like um for you?
• 25:00
  SPEAKER_01: So, you know, the first thing that comes to my mind is, you know, eating my favorite thing, right?
• 25:06
  SPEAKER_01: Um, that's just what comes to my mind.
• 25:09
  SPEAKER_01: Anything come to your mind when you hear savory exercise?
• 25:12
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, I think one of the things that stands out to me, right, is just being like in the moment and kind of taking in whatever's kind of happening or going on or around.
• 25:20
  SPEAKER_00: And so if it's like the oh man, this feels the the weather feels really nice out and the sunshine is hitting my face, taking in that moment and just kind of locking that in, being present um in that respect.
• 25:33
  SPEAKER_00: That's definitely one thing I think about.
• 25:36
  SPEAKER_01: Absolutely, yeah.
• 25:38
  SPEAKER_01: Also, values clarification work, bringing in values once again that we talked about earlier, yeah, and clarifying what our values are.
• 25:46
  SPEAKER_01: And again, that's a great thing to kind of journal about as well is what are your values?
• 25:52
  SPEAKER_01: Um, making a list of them.
• 25:54
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 25:55
  SPEAKER_01: And the last one is that social connection rituals.
• 25:59
  SPEAKER_01: And if you don't have a social connection ritual, then make one.
• 26:03
  SPEAKER_01: So that might mean, you know, every single week you're meeting a friend for coffee or you're meeting a friend for lunch and putting that in your calendar and making that time to be social with your friends.
• 26:17
  SPEAKER_01: Um, you know, something you do and you practice again, if not weekly, maybe you're gonna do it monthly.
• 26:22
  SPEAKER_01: But the key takeaway is to practice these consistently.
• 26:26
  SPEAKER_00: I love all of that.
• 26:27
  SPEAKER_00: I think just tacking on to what you were sharing about those social connection rituals.
• 26:31
  SPEAKER_00: I think this is even one of those things.
• 26:33
  SPEAKER_00: If you can't necessarily connect with anyone or don't feel like maybe you have that type of community, I mean, this is even walking out and just smiling at someone and saying, have a good day, holding the door, like they can also be as minimal as that in those interactions, or it's just reaching out to a friend and saying, Hey, I'm thinking about you, even if we haven't connected in a while, or um, I saw this thing and thought of you.
• 26:56
  SPEAKER_00: It reminded me of this memory.
• 26:58
  SPEAKER_00: Like even those things can also don't have to be like so structured, but can definitely be in the moment kind of um pieces to bring some some happy feelings to others.
• 27:10
  SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
• 27:10
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 27:12
  SPEAKER_00: Anything else before we look to wrap up then for today?
• 27:16
  SPEAKER_01: No, I think that if you're not feeling happy today, maybe you're not where you want to be trying these things, you know, and maybe listening to some key points as you're listening to our episode.
• 27:31
  SPEAKER_01: Maybe write down the key things that stand out for you and try these things once a day or once a week.
• 27:38
  SPEAKER_01: So thinking about it as you know, one glimmer, one breath, one image, one journal entry, if you will.
• 27:46
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I love all of that.
• 27:48
  SPEAKER_00: And I think another piece to this emotion and feeling of happy and happiness is simply also that it doesn't have to be so serious or so deep.
• 27:58
  SPEAKER_00: This is definitely one of those lighter emotions.
• 28:02
  SPEAKER_00: So go out and play, have fun, and see also what comes up in those moments, too.
• 28:08
  SPEAKER_00: So um, thank you so much for all the information um to share with us today, Jennifer.
• 28:16
  SPEAKER_00: I really appreciate that.
• 28:17
  SPEAKER_00: In the next episode, we'll explore peace, what it is, and how that shows up.
• 28:22
  SPEAKER_00: So thank you so much for being here and taking the time to listen and check us out.
• 28:26
  SPEAKER_00: If this episode helped, consider subscribing and sharing it with someone who could use better words for what they feel.
• 28:32
  SPEAKER_00: And we'll catch you on the next episode.
• 28:34
  SPEAKER_00: See you later.