Happier with h.e.a.l.

Can you train yourself to be happier? Well, apparently there is new research saying that very thing is psychologically possible.

This article (from 2022) suggests the "HEAL Method" to happiness:

1. Have the enjoyable experience

This can be by actually doing something enjoyable, or even thinking about something you've done or someone who cares about you.

2. Enrich the experience through these sub-steps

“Focus on multiple aspects of the experience, including its meaning, your perceptions and sensations, the way it feels and taking action. Increase the novelty of the experience so that it sticks out more in your mind and heighten the personal relevance of the experience by delving into your feelings about it.”

3. Absorb the experience

"For example, after a night out with friends, spend some time reflecting on how socializing made you feel, what particular parts you enjoyed and what you gained from the experience."

4. Link positive and negative material

“Focus on something positive even while you’re aware of negative material in the background,” suggest the researchers. “For example, become more involved in the film you’re watching while still noticing that your dread of the coming work day continues to persist. The positive should ultimately drown out the negative in this step.”

 

Honestly, I don't know how I feel about some of this stuff. I mean, as a follower of Jesus, I'm not sure exactly where happiness is supposed to fit into the equation. Not that we should be in a constant state of sorrow, but maybe the manufacture of good feelings isn't all it's cracked up to be. I don't know.

That said, though, I can see some value here. For instance, I've mentioned before about how I can get while watching my grandkids sporting events. I don't much like myself when cynicism creeps in and I'm the grouchy old man in the stands.

So this past weekend as I watched my granddaughter play basketball I tried to change that. I did have a positive experience. It was fun. I tried to enrich the experience by keeping in mind my role as being one of support and encouragement not only for my granddaughter but the team and school as a whole. Afterward I absorbed the experience by looking through pictures and reliving the joy of the occasion and how it made me and everyone involved feel. Then I linked positive and negative by reflecting on how, even though her team lost and it was a trying circumstance, it was such a good effort and it really was more enjoyable for me being supportive rather than being grumpy. It seemed to be an enjoyable experience in spite of some unfortunate events going on around it (two girls got suspended before the final game). 

Meh, who knows. Sometimes I think I can get carried away with things like this, but I can also get carried away with what is or isn't supposed to be "the right thing to do." Maybe the best thing is to just not get so carried away. :)