Happycast: The Science of Happiness

What do I need to actually balance? Why is balance so important? How can we achieve more balance? Listen and find out.
[01:00] A metaphor for balance
[02:23] Social relationships
[02:53] Mirror neurons
[03:53] Bowling et al., "What makes your life good?"
[06:13] Creating space for social relationships
[07:31] Meaning and passion
[13:20] Overwork
[15:41] Disconnecting from work
[17:43] Passions
[18:50] Creating space
References:
Schnell, T. (2011). Individual differences in meaning-making: Considering the variety of sources of meaning, their density and diversity. Personality and Individual Differences, 51(5), 667-673. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2011.06.006
Uddin, L. Q., Iacoboni, M., Lange, C., & Keenan, J. P. (2007). The self and social cognition: The role of cortical midline structures and mirror neurons. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 11(4), 153-157. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2007.01.001
Kuroda, S., & Yamamoto, I. (2019). Why Do People Overwork at the Risk of Impairing Mental. Journal of Happiness Studies, 20(5), 1519–1538. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-018-0008-x
SONNENTAG, S., & FRITZ, C. (2015). Recovery from job stress: The stressor-detachment model as an integrative framework. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 36(S1), S72-S103. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.1924
Bridekirk, J., Turcotte, J., & Oddson, B. (2016). Harmonious passions support cognitive resources. Motivation and Emotion, 40(4), 646–654. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11031-016-9561-y

Today we are going to talk about three different papers assessing: healthy selfishness, optimism, and acceptance. These three papers provide the basis for three actions in A Happier Year. Let's dive into these papers and get a sneak peek of what's in A Happier Year. 
[00:00] Intro
[02:36] Healthy Selfishness
[06:25] Looking forward to tomorrow
[09:25] Is anything bugging you right now?
 
References:
Kaufman, S. B., & Jauk, E. (2020). Healthy Selfishness and Pathological Altruism: Measuring Two Paradoxical Forms of Selfishness. Frontiers in psychology, 11, 1006. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01006
Littman-Ovadia, H., & Nir, D. (2013;2014;). Looking forward to tomorrow: The buffering effect of a daily optimism intervention. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 9(2), 122-136. doi:10.1080/17439760.2013.853202
Ford, B. Q., Lam, P., John, O. P., & Mauss, I. B. (2018). The psychological health benefits of accepting negative emotions and thoughts: Laboratory, diary, and longitudinal evidence. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 115(6), 1075–1092. https://doi.org/10.1037/pspp0000157

Today we are learning about active leisure! Why do we feel so "blah" after watching Netflix and what can we do instead? What psychological needs are we missing out on?
[00:30] Something exciting!
[02:30] Active leisure vs passive leisure
[04:35] The benefits of active leisure
[06:25] How does active leisure benefit us (vs passive leisure)
[11:10] An example of active leisure: Rock climbing
[13:05] Finding active leisure that suits you
[14:06] What are you actually tired of?
[15:54] A Happier Year is on Kickstarter! bit.ly/ahappieryear 
 
References:
Hu, X., Barber, L. K., & Santuzzi, A. M. (2020). Does active leisure improve worker well-being? an experimental daily diary approach. Journal of Happiness Studies, doi:10.1007/s10902-020-00305-w
Kuykendall, L., Lei, X., Zhu, Z., & Hu, X. (2020). Leisure choices and employee Well‐Being: Comparing need fulfillment and Well‐Being during TV and other leisure activities. Applied Psychology : Health and Well-being, 12(2), 532-558. doi:10.1111/aphw.12196

What is joy? We dig into how we define joy and talk about a strategy to add more joy to our lives.
[00:00] Intro
[1:10] Exciting Happycast news!
[02:28] What is joy?
[05:25] Joy as an emotion 
[08:32] Joy as more than an emotion
[11:25] Appreciative joy 
[13:55] Joy journal
[15:08] Tears of joy
[20:05] Outro
 
References
 
Casioppo, D. (2019). The cultivation of joy: practices from the Buddhist tradition, positive psychology, and yogic philosophy. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 1–7. doi:10.1080/17439760.2019.1685577 
Emmons, R. A. (2020). Joy: An introduction to this special issue. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 15(1), 1–4. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2019.1685580
Zeng, X., Sun, Y., Deng, Y., & Oei, T. P. S. (2019). Appreciative joy rooted in Chinese culture: Its relationship with strengths in values in action. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 1–10.
Zeng, X., Wang, R., Oei, T. P. S., & Leung, F. Y. K. (2018). Heart of Joy: a Randomized Controlled Trail Evaluating the Effect of an Appreciative Joy Meditation Training on Subjective Well-Being and Attitudes. Mindfulness. doi:10.1007/s12671-018-0992-2 
Matthew Kuan Johnson (2020) Joy: a review of the literature and suggestions for future directions, The Journal of Positive Psychology, 15:1, 5-24, DOI: 10.1080/17439760.2019.1685581
Oriana R. Aragón & John A. Bargh (2017): "So Happy I Could Shout!" and "So Happy I Could Cry!" Dimorphous expressions represent and communicate motivational aspects of positive emotions, Cognition and Emotion, DOI: 10.1080/02699931.2017.1301388
Matthew Kuan Johnson (2020) Joy: a review of the literature and suggestions for future directions, The Journal of Positive Psychology, 15:1, 5-24, DOI: 10.1080/17439760.2019.1685581
Aragón, O. R., & Clark, M. S. (2018). "tears of joy" & "smiles of joy" prompt distinct patterns of interpersonal emotion regulation. Cognition and Emotion, 32(5), 913-940. doi:10.1080/02699931.2017.1360253'

We are all feeling a little anxious and overwhelmed right now. Here are some science backed tips on how to feel a little better during these weird and scary times.
[00:18] Intro
[02:35] Stay social with video chats!
[08:40] Get moving
[13:24] Focus on what you can control
[15:30] Disconnect from the news a little
[17:44] Outro
 
References
Tsai, H., Cheng, C., Shieh, W., & Chang, Y. (2020). Effects of a smartphone-based videoconferencing program for older nursing home residents on depression, loneliness, and quality of life: A quasi-experimental study. BMC Geriatrics, 20(1), 27-11. doi:10.1186/s12877-020-1426-2
Lathia, N., Sandstrom, G. M., Mascolo, C., & Rentfrow, P. J. (2017). Happier people live more active lives: Using smartphones to link happiness and physical activity. PloS One, 12(1), e0160589. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0160589