The Art and Science of Happiness - Solved assignment - Week 2

Photo credit - Freepik

Tasks for the week 2 (Overview of positive psychology)

1. Read Chapter 1. “What Is Positive Psychology?” - Peterson, Christopher. A Primer in Positive psychology
2. What is Positive psychology and how does it differ from traditional psychology?
3. What are the benefits and drawbacks of Positive psychology?
4. How does Positive Psychology work in therapy?
5. Write a gratitude letter to someone and share it with them
6. Take the Oxford Happiness Questionnaire
7. Write two questions about this week’s topic

Task 1 - “What Is Positive Psychology?”

(Summary of Chapter 1. Peterson, Christopher. A Primer in Positive Psychology)

Positive psychology is the scientific study of what goes ‘right’ in life, from birth to death and at all stops in between.

This field of study was named Positive psychology in 1998 by Martin Seligman, President of American Psychological Association. One of the triggers for this field was the realization that psychology, since World War II, had focused much on human problems and how to remedy them, largely mental disorders. It neglected the study of what can go right with people. Positive psychologists included ‘fulfilling the lives of healthy people’ in the erstwhile disease model of the traditional psychologists. The basic premise of Positive psychology is - Human goodness and excellence are as authentic as human flaws and inadequacies.

The questions posed by Positive psychologists are similar to those asked by the great philosophers of the world - 

• What is a good life? 
• Is virtue its own reward? 
• What does it mean to be happy? 
• Is it possible to pursue happiness directly or is it a by-product of other pursuits?
• What roles are played by the society as a whole?

The recent research (e.g. Lyubomirski, King, Diener, 2005) on Positive psychology observed that - 

• The happy people almost always come out on top
• They are more successful at school and at work
• They have better relationships and they even live longer.

The experience of positive emotions can actually pay intellectual benefits e.g. adaptability and creativity.

The pillars of Positive psychology

• Positive subjective experience (happiness, pleasure, gratification, fulfilment)
• Positive individual traits (strengths of character, talents, interest, values)
• Positive institutions (families, schools, businesses, communities)

The critics of Positive psychology ask these questions - 

• Is Positive psychology just a Happiology?
• Is it anything more than what Sunday school teachers know? 
• Are Positive psychologists indifferent to suffering? 
• Isn’t life tragic?
• Are happy people stupid?
• Is Positive psychology a luxury?

The world is now seeing an avalanche of pop-psychology started by the Happiness gurus. The Happiness Gurus take a few ideas from the science of Positive Psychology and expand these into maxims for living.

Chris gives some examples of pop-psychologists viz. Dr. Joyce Brothers, Dr. Phil, Dr. Ruth or Dr. Laura who were not trained as medical health professionals.

Exercise - Think ahead to your life as you would like it to be and how you would like to be remembered by those closest to you. What accomplishments would they mention? What personal strengths would they enumerate? In short, what is your legacy?

Prabodh Sirur’s legacy

Area	Legacy
What accomplishments would they mention?	He always wanted to be of use to others He was very creative, always bursting with ideas. In fact he had learnt it as a science and practiced it He was a corporate citizen and always kept the organisation before the family (the family hated it though). He always believed that his managers would take care of him. He loved to observe talented people in their ‘flow’. He saw them as if they were in their ‘heaven’. He took extra efforts (including traveling long distances) to meet them, even if they were perfect strangers He loved to read and write
What personal strengths would they enumerate?	He had a great sense of humour He liked to be among friends and relatives He always felt that he was very lucky and received much more in life than he deserved He could connect with anyone with ease because of his You Attitude He pursued the idea of success and happiness for a long time

Task 2 - Positive psychology vs traditional psychology

Both use scientific methods for inquiry, research, and assessment. However, their areas of focus and the questions they seek to answer differ, reflecting their distinct perspectives on human psychology.

Positive psychology	Traditional psychology
Emphasizes identifying and nurturing individual strengths and virtues	Focused on addressing weaknesses, disorders, and dysfunctional behaviour
Emphasis on understanding and enhancing well-being, life satisfaction, and overall life fulfilment	Addresses mental health issues, pathology, and the alleviation of distress
Enhancement of positive emotions, such as happiness, gratitude, joy, and love, are a central aspect of positive psychology	Concentration more on the understanding and treatment of negative emotions and mental health disorders
Seeks to explore and understand the conditions that contribute to optimal human functioning and performance, including factors leading to personal growth	The focus is on pathology and dysfunction
Examines the importance of finding meaning and purpose in life as essential components of well-being	Addresses the alleviation of symptoms without necessarily delving into questions of life purpose
Incorporates positive interventions and techniques designed to enhance positive emotions and well-being such as gratitude exercises, mindfulness, and strengths-based approaches such as Flow activities, strengths assessment, strengths-based goal setting, problem solving, education, leadership development ….	The focus is on symptom reduction and coping with difficulties
Takes a holistic perspective, considering various aspects of life, including relationships, work, health, and personal growth	More compartmentalised, focusing on specific areas of dysfunction or distress

Task 3 -  Benefits and drawbacks of the Positive Psychology approach

Benefits of Positive psychology	Drawbacks of Positive psychology
Holistic understanding complementing to the traditional psychology's focus on addressing mental health disorders	Oversimplifies the complexities of human experience by focusing primarily on positive aspects
Enhances well-being and quality of life	A focus only on positive thinking may lead to a bias, dismissing or downplaying the importance of negative emotions.  Suppressing negative emotions can have unintended consequences
Its strengths-based approach empowers individuals to focus on what is already working well in their lives	The western science of positive psychology may not be universally applicable, as cultural and individual differences play a significant role in shaping perceptions of happiness and well-being
Provide individuals with tools/ techniques to actively enhance their well-being	Sometimes neglects the impact of socio-economic, cultural, and systemic factors on individual well-being
Seeks to help individuals cope with life's challenges	The focus on individual well-being may inadvertently contribute to an individualistic perspective, overlooking the importance of community and societal well-being
Draws on insights from various disciplines such as psychology, philosophy, sociology, and neuroscience	Does not give sufficient attention to understanding and addressing the role of negative emotions in personal growth and resilience

Task 4 - How does Positive Psychology work in therapy?

I do not know how positive psychology works in therapy. I am trying to answer this question by drawing my thoughts from reading Christopher Peterson’s A primer in Positive psychology, Chapter 1. The therapists may be using their own techniques.

A therapist should find out what is going right in clients’ lives.

The clients may have many questions such as what is a good life? What does it mean to be happy? Is it possible to pursue happiness directly or is it a by-product of other pursuits? The therapist must get the clients to find the answers by asking them questions like a professional coach would do. 

The therapist must get insights from the clients about the three pillars viz. Positive subjective experience (happiness, pleasure, gratification, fulfilment), Positive individual traits (strengths of character, talents, interest, values), Positive institutions (families, schools, businesses, communities)

The therapist should then advise techniques that will help clients enhance well-being, foster personal growth, and improve overall life satisfaction.

These are some of the techniques the therapists use - 

• Strengths-based assessment
• Positive goal setting
• Cultivation of positive emotions such as gratitude, joy, hope, and love (the techniques may include keeping a gratitude journal, engaging in activities that bring joy, or practicing mindfulness to enhance emotional well-being etc.)
• Enhancing resilience by helping individuals develop coping skills and a positive mindset in the face of challenges
• Building positive relationships such as enhancing social connections, communication skills, and the quality of their relationships
• Promoting meaning and purpose by exploring and enhancing a sense of meaning and purpose in clients’ lives

Task 5 - Gratitude letter

Write a gratitude letter to someone and share it with them

Done. Details as below -

Respected Sud Saab,

I hope this mail finds you well. 

I wanted to express my deepest gratitude for the invaluable opportunities you provided during my tenure in the bank. . 

Your unwavering support and trust allowed me to work on some great projects, including the event management of the All India IT Manager Conference and the first-ever India project on retail bank branch automation.

You empowered me to contribute to the RBI task force for banking sector automation. This experience broadened my horizons and skills significantly. 

These opportunities not only enhanced my professional growth but also instilled in me a profound sense of accomplishment.

I am truly grateful for your mentorship and guidance. Your belief in my abilities has been a driving force in my whole career. 

Thank you for being an inspiring leader and for the lasting impact you've had on my professional journey.

I could, in my career, never be an awe-inspiring leader such as you. However, I am sure I learnt and demonstrated how to show sensitivity to my team members. Just like you. 

With sincere appreciation, 

Prabodh Sirur

Task 6 - Oxford Happiness Questionnaire

The Oxford Happiness Questionnaire was developed by psychologists Michael Argyle and Peter Hills at Oxford University. 

Instructions - Take a few moments to take the survey. This is a good way to get a snapshot of your current level of happiness. You can even use your score to compare to your happiness level at some point in the future by taking the survey again. If you are using some of the interventions presented on this site to raise your happiness level, you can see whether your score on the Oxford Happiness Questionnaire goes up as a result.

Below are a number of statements about happiness. Please indicate how much you agree or disagree with each by entering a number in the blank after each statement, according to the following scale: 1 = strongly disagree, 2 = moderately disagree, 3 = slightly disagree, 4 = slightly agree, 5 = moderately agree, 6 = strongly agree

Please read the statements carefully, because some are phrased positively and others negatively. Don’t take too long over individual questions; there are no “right” or “wrong” answers (and no trick questions). The first answer that comes into your head is probably the right one for you. If you find some of the questions difficult, please give the answer that is true for you in general or for most of the time.

The Questionnaire

Question	Score
1. I don’t feel particularly pleased with the way I am. (R)	5→2
2. I am intensely interested in other people.	6
3. I feel that life is very rewarding.	6
4. I have very warm feelings towards almost everyone.	6
5. I rarely wake up feeling rested. (R)	5→2
6. I am not particularly optimistic about the future. (R)	6→1
7. I find most things amusing.	6
8. I am always committed and involved.	6
9. Life is good.	5
10. I do not think that the world is a good place. (R)	5→2
11. I laugh a lot.	5
12. I am well satisfied about everything in my life.	4
13. I don’t think I look attractive. (R)	2→5
14. There is a gap between what I would like to do and what I have done. (R)	5→2
15. I am very happy.	4
16. I find beauty in some things.	6
17. I always have a cheerful effect on others.	6
18. I can fit in (find time for) everything I want to.	4
19. I feel that I am not especially in control of my life. (R)	4→3
20. I feel able to take anything on.	5
21. I feel fully mentally alert.	4
22. I often experience joy and elation.	5
23. I don’t find it easy to make decisions. (R)	4→3
24. I don’t have a particular sense of meaning and purpose in my life. (R)	2→5
25. I feel I have a great deal of energy.	5
26. I usually have a good influence on events.	3
27. I don’t have fun with other people. (R)	2→5
28. I don’t feel particularly healthy. (R)	3→4
29. I don’t have particularly happy memories of the past. (R)	3→4
Total score	124
Average score	4.3

Calculate your score

Step 1. Items marked (R) should be scored in reverse:

If you gave yourself a “1,” cross it out and change it to a “6.”Change “2” to a “5” Change “3” to a “4” Change “4” to a “3” Change “5” to a “2” Change “6” to a “1”

Step 2. Add the numbers for all 29 questions. (Use the converted numbers for the 12 items that are reverse scored.)

Step 3. Divide by 29. So your happiness score = the total (from step 2) divided by 29.

I recommend you record your score and the date. Then you’ll have the option to compare your score now with your score at a later date. This can be especially helpful if you are trying some of the exercises, and actively working on increasing your happiness.

Interpretation of score

I suggest you read all the entries below regardless of what score you got, because I think there’s valuable information here for everyone.

1-2 : Not happy. If you answered honestly and got a very low score, you’re probably seeing yourself and your situation as worse than it really is. I recommend taking the Depression Symptoms test (CES-D Questionnaire) at the University of Pennsylvania’s “Authentic Happiness” Testing Center. You’ll have to register, but this is beneficial because there are a lot of good tests there and you can re-take them later and compare your scores.

2-3 : Somewhat unhappy. Try some of the exercises on this site like the Gratitude Journal & Gratitude Lists, or the Gratitude Visit; or take a look at the “Authentic Happiness” site mentioned immediately above.

3-4 : Not particularly happy or unhappy. A score of 3.5 would be an exact numerical average of happy and unhappy responses. Some of the exercises mentioned just above have been tested in scientific studies and have been shown to make people lastingly happier.

4 : Somewhat happy or moderately happy. Satisfied. This is what the average person scores.

4-5 : Rather happy; pretty happy. Check other score ranges for some of my suggestions.

5-6 : Very happy. Being happy has more benefits than just feeling good. It’s correlated with benefits like health, better marriages, and attaining your goals. Check back – I’ll be writing a post about this topic soon.

6 : Too happy. Yes, you read that right. Recent research seems to show that there’s an optimal level of happiness for things like doing well at work or school, or for being healthy, and that being “too happy” may be associated with lower levels of such things.

Task 7 - Two questions about this week’s topic

What harm can pop-psychologists make to people and society?

Can we measure (what’s the unit of happiness) Happiness derived from our daily chores?

Thoughts

Picked this nice picture from one of the Whatsapp groups (source - Writco)

The art and science of happiness - Introduction

Photo credit - Freepik (Loved this image created using AI. I used the keywords - Happiness and Picasso style to generate this picture. Grateful to Freepik) 

A short write-up for my busy friends first - 

Is happiness just an emotion? 

Yes. It is an emotion. However, it is also seen as a broader and more complex state of well-being. 

Happiness falls under the primary emotion of Joy in Plutchik's wheel of emotions. Surprisingly, joy is also one of the contributors to happiness.

Different cultures and religions across the globe have defined happiness for a long time. Philosophers have defined 'happiness' in their ways. Even you and I have our own definitions of happiness.

If you ask a chemist about happiness, he would describe happiness as a complex psychological state influenced by neurotransmitters such as dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin and endorphins.

A fuller definition of happiness is provided by Psychologist Martin Seligman in 2011. He explains happiness using these letters P E R M A (Positive emotion, Engagement or state of Flow, Relationships, Meaning or purpose and Accomplishments).

The modern scientific study of happiness is one of the outcomes of the new science called Positive Psychology that evolved in the early 1990s. 

While traditional psychology deals with mental disorders and dysfunctional behaviour, positive psychology deals with nurturing individual strengths and virtues and enhancing positive emotions.

Some terms that we learn in this course are Pleasure (Hedonia) vs Happiness (Eudaemonia), Optimism vs Pessimism, Well-being and Flow.

We can measure happiness using tools and we can achieve happiness by setting happiness goals.

I have been studying and practicing 'happiness' for quite some time now. This course provided me a formal foundation for my quest.

Hope this write-up above helps you to get a fair idea about the topic. If happiness is not a priority for you at the moment, please gift this link to your near ones who may find it useful.

Love

Prabodh Sirur

Introduction

Hello friends,

I had two objectives in mind when I planned to study the course on ‘The art and science of happiness’ conducted by MIT -

- Study Happiness in a structured manner 

- Create study material for my friends

This 12 week course is about the study of current theories on happiness and the strategies for creating opportunities for happiness in our lives.

While it is definitely worth attempting the course, I would urge you to read my ‘solved’ assignments first.

I have created these assignments keeping you in mind.

Here’s what I learnt from this course - 

Week 1 - Happiness

• Definitions of happiness from different perspectives e.g. religions, cultures, philosophies and psychology
• The different dimensions of well-being such as physical, emotional, occupational, social, intellectual, spiritual etc.
• Assessing our current level of happiness
• Clarity on 'why am I doing this course?'

Link to my solved assignment - Introduction: defining happiness

Week 2 - Positive psychology

• What positive psychology is (the scientific study of what goes ‘right’ in life) (Peterson, Christopher. A Primer in Positive Psychology)
• The key differences between positive psychology and traditional psychology
• The benefits of positive psychology and how it works in therapy
• Pop-psychology and its negative impacts

Link to my solved assignment - Overview of positive psychology

Week 3 - Happiness vs Pleasure

• Difference between happiness (Eudaimonia) and pleasure (Hedonia) 
• How to train our mind for happiness (His Holiness the Lama, Dalai and Howard C. Cutler. The Art of Happiness)
• Key elements of happiness and how happiness is measured
• Difference between a service-oriented activity and a pleasurable activity

Link to my solved assignment - Happiness vs Pleasure

Week 4 - Cognitive styles (the ways we perceive and process information)

• The ABCDE method for building optimism
• Optimism vs Pessimism (Seligman, Martin E. P. Authentic Happiness)
• The ABCDE method for building optimism
• Positive Thinking (Peterson, Christopher. A Primer in Positive Psychology)
• The optimism test
• How to practice/ compare optimism and pessimism

Link to my solved assignment - Cognitive styles

Week 5 - Strengths

• Identifying our top strengths
• Using strengths for enhanced performance (and happiness)

Link to my solved assignment - Strengths

Week 6 - Unhappiness, sadness and depression

• Depression, sadness, unhappiness, suffering
• How to manage suffering (His Holiness the Lama, Dalai and Howard C. Cutler. The Art of Happiness, Ricard, Matthieu. Happiness: A Guide to Developing Life’s Most Important Skill)
• Definition of depression, treating depression
• Meaning (logos) and purpose (telo) (Fankl Viktor. Man’s search for meaning)

Link to my solved assignment - Unhappiness, sadness and depression

Week 7 - Happiness in relationships

• Intimacy (His Holiness the Lama, Dalai and Howard C. Cutler. The Art of Happiness)
• Positive Interpersonal Relationships (Peterson, Christopher. A Primer in Positive Psychology)
• Friendship maps
• Healthy relationships with parents and with spouse

Link to my solved assignment - Happiness in relationships

Week 8 - Wellness and flow

• Flow and happiness (Csikszentmihalyi, Mihali. Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience)
• Wellness (Peterson, Christopher. A Primer in Positive Psychology)
• Yoga, meditation and wellness

Link to my solved assignment - Wellness and flow

Week 9 - Happiness and diversity

• Intimacy (His Holiness the Lama, Dalai and Howard C. Cutler. The Art of Happiness)
• Happiness in different countries (Weiner, Eric. The Geography of Bliss)
• Happiness at different stages in life (Erikson Erik. Stages of psychosocial development)

Link to my solved assignment - Happiness and diversity   

Week 10 - Happiness and decision making 

• The Paradox of Choice (the more the options, the less happy we are) (Schwartz, Barry. The Paradox of Choice)
• Introspection about decisions that we regretted later

Link to my solved assignment - Happiness and decision making

Week 11 - Finding meaning in our lives 

• Happiness in different countries (Weiner, Eric. The Geography of Bliss)
• The types of goals to pursue (Lyubomirsky, Sonja. The How of Happiness)
• Exploring our interests (Ramsay, Graham Gordon, and Holly Barlow Sweet. A Creative Guide to Exploring Your Life)
• Crafting our autobiography

Link to my solved assignment - Finding meaning in our lives

Week 12 - Wrap up

• Describing happiness using metaphors
• Reflections about what we learnt 

Link to my solved assignment - Wrap up

Happy studying.

With love,

Prabodh Sirur

Email - sirurp@gmail.com

LinkedIn profile - https://www.linkedin.com/in/prabodh-sirur/