How Do I Change My Brain To Increase Happiness?

Happiness is an emotion. Assessments of stress, interest and social signals are made when new input activates stored memories. The assessments trigger hormone releases and I experience the hormone releases as emotions.

Awareness. I have thousands (if not millions) of triggers stored for stress, interest and social signals. There is a delay between the trigger and my awareness of the emotion and there is also an awareness threshold which some triggers may not cross. The awareness threshold limitation and time delay can often cause confusion about the true cause of the emotions I experience. By spending time identifying emotional triggers I can shape future responses and increase happiness.

Focus. The disconnect between how things are and my personal desire of how things should be is the primary obstacle to my happiness. By focusing on an understanding of how things are and focusing on the execution of systems to achieve goals as opposed to focusing on my desires and expectations, I can significantly reduce the signals which block happiness.

Sensitization. Information pathways in my brain get stronger the more I use them. Conscious acknowledgement and gratitude for the gifts in my life keeps my brain sensitized to their presence and strengthens the link between the gifts and happiness.

I’m going to need help. I’m human and humans are social animals. I can be content spending time by myself but unless I am isolated in the wilderness I will be interacting with other people. My interactions with other people are an undeniable component of my happiness.

Happiness is personal. While there are some basic, universal human emotional needs such as purpose, significance, contribution, growth and connection, my specific needs are personal. We all have different triggers for stress, interest and social signals.

Happiness is a habit. While I cannot habitually tell myself “I’m happy” and be happy, happiness itself is a habit. To increase the amount of time I am happy, I need to increase the amount of time I’m releasing the hormones which generate happiness. My body will develop a tolerance to any repeated exposures, so the challenge of happiness is a mix of gratitude (continued thankfulness for what I have) and consistent, positive variety. I choose goals which provide the challenges which create variety and I work to develop habits which support the goal. Writing daily is a habit which promotes happiness by exposing me to daily variety (the constant challenge of clarifying and expressing thoughts).

Appreciation. Dependence on the approval of others for happiness is a recipe for misery. Happiness without the ability to experience positive interactions with others is impossible. Appreciation for the challenges and insights of others provides endless opportunities to discover treasures others will enjoy sharing. People are extremely sensitive to micro-cues and the intent micro-cues reveal. People recognize the differences between generosity, appreciation and exploitation.

Contribution. I’m human and humans need purpose. Positive social contributions which require me to grow provide tremendous leverage for generating happiness. Overcoming challenges to help others generates positive signals in all three categories required for happiness (positive stress, interest and social signals).

Growth & Improvement. Growth is an increase in capability – the ability to perform across a wider spectrum. Improvement is better execution of the things I’m already doing. Both growth (learning new things) and improvement (doing the things I already know better) are essential elements of happiness.

Please visit the People page to see the people who have increased my understanding of what’s going on in my head.