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The authors of a new book, Wired to Create, explore the depths of the creative mind and offer ideas on how to kick-start your own creativity. From daydreaming to having a natural curiosity, here are 10 things the authors believe that great artists, writers and innovators do differently. “In the course of creative endeavours, artists and scientists join fragments of knowledge into a new unity of understanding.” So Vera John-Steiner wrote in her 1985 book: Notebooks of the Mind: Explorations of Thinking. In it, John-Steiner explored the mind of over 100 artists and creatives through interviews. No creative process is the same, and so for a long time this has mystified creativity, and the mind of those whom over the course of history have been known to exercise it. In the book Wired to Create, Dr Kaufman and Carolyn Gregoire research deep into recent findings in neuroscience and psychology to discover and unravel the layers of the creative mind. The book not only offers an informative read but also practical tips on getting the creative juices flowing. “In the course of creative endeavours, artists and scientists join fragments of knowledge into a new unity of understanding.” Dr Scott Barry Kaufmann is a cognitive psychologist, author and speaker known for his research on intelligence and creativity. His co-author Carolyn Gregoire is a journalist who wrote the article “18 Things Highly Creative People Do Differently” for the Huffington Post that originated the book. “Is it possible to make sense of something as abstract as creativity?” the writers wondered. Creativity: the four-stage model The book introduces psychologist Graham Wallace’s popular “four-stage model” of creativity. It proposes the following stages: preparation, or acquiring information about a subject incubation, or letting knowledge sit the illumination stage, in which an insight has been found after associating different ideas verification, in which the artist shares the insights found The model, simple and straightforward, reminds me of a list that offers creative boosting tips such as taking a walk or listening to classical music. Even though these tips and models are helpful, they overlook a simple and common finding: creative processes are rarely linear. Indeed, Kaufman shares a post specifically on the messy minds of creative people. Artists: what lies behind their creativity? When we see results in an art exhibit or final pieces that are complete and cohesive, it's easy to forget that the ride to get there is rarely a formula, and that it varies from artist to artist. Wired to Create highlights complexities and goes in depth about the different and opposing ideas that exist within the creators, (play and seriousness, collaboration and solitude, openness and sensitivity) without being dry. In fact, it's rather upbeat, full of memorable quotes and also some practical advice. So, here are the 10 things great artists and other creative types do differently: 1. Imaginative play The book starts by going back to when we were kids. The line “A spirit of childlike curiosity and exploration is palpable in each of his highly imaginative creations” refers to Shigeru Miyamoto, the creator of Super Mario Bros. Miyamoto drew inspiration from his childhood, when he used to wander in the forest and play inside caves. The authors write, "For creative minds, creating itself is an act of play". English professor Brian Boyd puts it this way in his 2009 book, On the Origins of Stories: “A work of art act likes a playground for the mind, a swing or a slide or a merry-go-round of visual or aural or social pattern.” This points out how crucial imaginative play is during childhood, quoting psychologist Sandra Russ, “Pretend play is where many of the cognitive and affective processes important to creativity occur… because the child is making something out of nothing. 2. Passion Systematic studies confirm the importance of passionate focus when it comes to creating, as it helps the creator through challenges and setbacks. 'Follow your passion' is one of the most widely circulating clichés out there (not to mention one of the most unhelpful pieces of career advice). While the latest science supports the importance of passion in achieving any personally meaningful goal, it also suggests that this thinking is far too simplistic. “Mastering the skills necessary to create something valuable takes hard work; passion and effort feed off each other.” Apart from this, the authors make a distinction between different types of passion and its companion, inspiration. The new book Wired to Create investigates the things creative people do differently 3. Daydreaming All those times you let your mind wander at school during class might have been of benefit. Studies such as the one discussed by the Smithsonianmag on The Benefits of Daydreaming suggest that letting your mind go where it wants to go indicates a high functioning memory. Dr Kaufmann and colleague Rebecca McMillan noted mind wandering can be anything but mindless, in fact, it can be suitable for creative incubation: “Many of us know from experience that our best ideas come seemingly out of the blue when our minds are off wandering elsewhere.” Research suggests that an incubation period of mind wandering leads to improvements in creative thinking. The next time you’re working hard on a creative project or work assignment that requires intense focus and creative chops, try taking a five- minute daydreaming break every hour or so and see how it affects your ideas and thinking. During this break, engage in a simple activity that will allow your mind to wander like doodling or cleaning. Daydreaming: letting your mind wander opens it to creative inspiration 4. Solitude It's hard to be alone nowadays, or truly experience solitude when 'connection' seems to be at your fingertips 24/7, and we make our lives public, voluntarily. Even if many celebrated artists and thinkers are an example of somewhat solitary lives and culture tends to underestimate alone time. Of course, meaningful collaboration is important for creativity in many settings, and it’s essential to bring different perspectives together. However, the act of creating requires us to find time to ourselves and slow down enough to hear our own ideas --- both the good and bad ones: “Some degree of isolation is required to do creative work because the artist is constantly working on ideas or projects in his mind – and these ideas need space to be developed.” Taking some time off to recharge on your own can be very productive and prioritising this can lead to many benefits. You don’t need a vast getaway, start by a much needed social media break. Solitude: finding time alone is important for the artists to focus on creative ideas 5. Intuition Intuition. That little voice or 'gut feeling' ready to guide you and make decisions sometimes based on past experiences. Some psychologists refer to it as a 'mental matching game'. People often tend to debate how much of their intuition they should follow or how much or their rational mind should lead. Moreover, Wired to Create considers theories of cognition that suggest we have two mental processes, one that is quick and that drives us to action almost automatically, and one that is more controlled and rational. This chapter is particularly interesting as it discusses in detail how these processes act together and help us assimilate information in different ways. For example: “spontaneous methods are useful when we are coming up with ideas, while refocusing and using our rational mind help us figure out how to make these ideas come to life.” Both processes are valuable at different times in the creative process, and finding a balance is crucial in any creative field. 6. Openness to experience Allan Watts once said, “By replacing fear of the unknown with curiosity, we open ourselves up to an infinite stream of possibility. We can let fear rule our lives, or we can become childlike with curiosity, pushing our boundaries, leaping out of our comfort zones, and accepting what life puts before us.” For his doctoral dissertation, Kaufmann lead a research study with exciting results about “open” personalities: “The desire to learn and discover seemed to have significantly more bearing on creative accomplishments than did cognitive ability. People with high levels of cognitive engagement with imagination, emotions and beauty were more likely to make significant artistic, creative achievements than people with high IQs.” Findings suggested that openness to experience, the drive for exploration, in all its forms, may be the most important personal factor predicting creative achievement. Creative people are naturally curious and open to new experiences, such as traveling 7. Mindfulness By being an observer of our own minds and surroundings, we might answer what it means to be a human being in a moment in time. Artists, innovators and thinkers are inspired by the world around them by paying attention and observing their outer and inner world thoroughly. Ideas, thoughts and emotions are all part of it: “But the capacity to deeply observe (mindfulness) is not only a key attentional skill, but it’s also a distinct creative advantage.” Psychiatrist Norman Rosenthal’s research on Transcendental Meditation – a popular technique that involves the silent repetition of a personal mantra – found that many new meditators reported “flowering of creativity” after beginning their practice; an ability to see from a novel angle, to pursue new directions effectively, to innovate or change – either the world or themselves – in some meaningful way. Some other similar types of meditation such as Open Monitoring activate the imagination network by permitting some mind wandering while also boosting attention. A capacity for mindfulness is a distinct creative advantage 8. Sensitivity “The perception of sensitive minds has created works of art that offer a window to the human condition.” Apart from proposing research that is beginning to understand the neurological basis of high sensitivity, Wired to Create also presents questions to get a sense of where you are on the Hyper Sensitive Narcissism Scale of Jonathan Cheek. 9. Turning adversity into advantage Trauma is not something that should be glorified, yet creative work can be a way of exploring and giving expression to it once it finds meaning: “Adversity in its many forms can become an act of turning challenges into opportunity for creatives.” Nietzsche said that what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger. Apart from idealisms and watered down self-help inspiration, growth after adversity has been thought of from ancient thinkers to recent psychological research in which they called it post-traumatic growth. 10. Thinking differently By challenging traditional ways of thinking, creative work defies the status quo and can pave the way for a change: The creative act itself is one of breaking from tradition and routine to create new patterns, ask new questions, and seek new answers. People who spend more time consciously thinking differently were far more likely to engage in associational thinking, the book says. Drawing from different experiences or knowledge can result in new connections that help creative problem-solving. Light bulb moments: artists often think differently Even if there is more than characteristics to consider when it comes to creating anything, the book’s overview of extended research on the topic is well organised and easy to digest, making it a smooth read. Moreover, it encourages the reader to not only think of it as a means of achieving but to live creatively, as it is not something that belongs just to a select group but to every human being. ● Main image: Colourbox.com Written by Guest Author We are happy to publish articles by guest authors that will broaden the perspective and bring new insights. If you are interested in publishing an article here on happiness.com, please contact us.

Corey Harnish investigates how new technologies – specifically blockchain – could help the not-for-profit sector create greater impact. Have you heard of 'blockchain'? If not, I'm sure you've heard of its most famous application, Bitcoin? Regardless, this technology is already being used to create real social impact. There’s this exciting movement going on known as 'Blockchain for Humanity' or 'Blockchain for Social Impact'. Communities of amazing people, who want to make this world better, solve real global problems, and create an impact, are developing ways to leverage blockchain technology for humanitarian and community causes. By no means am I an expert, yet as a not-for-profit professional, I feel it's my duty to share the little I know. Hopefully, by the end of this read, I will have enlightened, at worst, intrigued you. So, what does Blockchain for Humanity actually mean? First off, blockchain is a technology that enables the decentralization of governance; a way to create a system of transactions where information is transparent, just, and agreed upon by all. How blockchain technology will be deployed globally is still work in progress. Many start-ups, and now big financial institutions and technology companies are vying for leadership roles. As with other paradigm shifts (think the internet, the Cloud), it will take time before the underlying technology and overarching benefits will be in place, but the impact will be profound. .embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; } New kid on the block: blockchain technology explained For example, traditionally, we have a third party that regulates our transactions. For instance, a bank that holds and transfers our money, or a central government that calculates our votes, right? Well, say “no more.” Blockchain removes this arguably unnecessary 'middle man', which lowers costs, increases efficiency, and creates complete transparency, i.e. removes any potential corruption. Sounds great, but how does it assist with social impact? Well, let me ask you this: Do you know of any not-for-profits that make you raise an eyebrow? The ones where you ask yourself, “Are they really spending the money as they claim to be?” I bet of at least one that comes to mind. Now, with blockchain, say goodbye to raised eyebrows. Everything is transparent. ”Blockchain is a technology that enables the decentralization of governance; a way to create a system of transactions where information is transparent, just, and agreed upon by all.” Imagine being able to track how each and every dollar is used in a not-for-profit. Or knowing how your donation to a refugee fund is actually being used. Blockchain is a way that we can ensure donations get to their intended audience. With complete transparency, trust, and accountability, donors will be able to see where their donations go, how they are being used within the organization, and, essentially the impact it is having. Chain reaction: here's how money can be sent through blockchain Besides transparency of donations, it can play a huge role in governance. How many times have you heard about a rigged election? Many times, right? Blockchain can stop this! As a decentralized system, all parties need to approve ledgers, and there is accountability for every transaction so no one can change/delete information. Okay, sounds interesting. So has blockchain been successful? Yes! There literally are hundreds of communities already established that are working on using blockchain for social impact. Here are a few of my favorite stories: Ripple (XRP) donated $29 million to DonorsChoose.org, a platform that funds projects for American teachers and classroom. In 2017 UN Women partnered with Innovation Norway to host a blockchain hackathon in which numerous decentralized applications utilizing blockchain were created. UNICEF recruited gamers to mine Ethereum in aid of Syrian refugees. Awesome! Any cool blockchain organizations to recommend? Indeed, check out these three organizations that are making great strides. 1. Consensys Builds decentralized applications and various developer and end-user tools for blockchain ecosystems, primarily focused on Ethereum. Consensys is an impact hub that is leveraging its network to help build successful companies that intend to make a social impact. 2. Giveth.io Building the future of giving. Like Kickstarter or GoFundMe, Giveth is a crowdfunding platform for charitable giving. However, it cuts out bureaucracy and enables not-for-profits to create a high level of transparency and accountability towards givers. Not-for-profits can share what they want to raise funds for, how much they need, and what result this will allow them to achieve, while givers can see exactly how their funds are used and even allocate their donation to a particular budget item. 3. Level One Project An initiative of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Level One Project intends to help “level the playing field” by building one digital financial system in every country around the world. Level One has launched Mojaloop, an open-source payment platform designed for people who lack access to usual payment services. “Blockchain removes this arguably unnecessary 'middle man', which lowers costs, increases efficiency, and creates complete transparency, i.e. removes any potential corruption.” I’m a not-for-profit professional, how can I get involved? Start learning now! Blockchain technology is still in its early-development stage, so there's still a lot to learn and understand about how to use blockchain, especially for not-for-profits. Begin by gaining a better understanding of how your organization might be able to use it. Here’s a few things you can do: Check out Charities Aid Foundation’s Blockchain Resources Read up on what GuideStar.org has to say about bitcoin for competitive advantage Share your ideas! Let me know what you’re thinking and let’s brainstorm next steps You could create an ICO (Initial Coin Offering) for your organization, use a blockchain fundraising platform to gain donations, or maybe get supporters to mine Ethereum for you. The sky really is the limit with blockchain. ● This article from Corey Harnish was originally posted on Linkedin. Written by Corey Harnish The poster child of community, Corey is a great listener and huge believer in humanity. Currently the CEO of Better World International a 501c3 tech nonprofit, Corey is leading The Good Cards development; an innovative online-gaming platform and app that engages people worldwide in doing good deeds for happiness and global sustainability. Corey is an AmeriCorps VISTA Alumni, an Honorary Rotarian of Rotary International, as well as a volunteer of Defy Ventures, providing business coaching to EITs (entrepreneurs-in-training), and an active personal life coach. Corey empowers individuals and communities and help them to flourish through personal development coaching and community service involvement. An aspiring Social Justice activist with a passion for community/sustainable development, service learning, juvenile justice rehabilitation, and brain-based coaching.

April is a month that heralds the coming of new growth and development. Full of hope, the month still had its fair share of downbeat news stories. So, what were the positive news that made the front pages this month? Ed Gould shares his top ten... 1. Fancy a course in being happy? Take one at Yale University As reported in the Boston Globe in April, students at Yale can now enrol on a course in happiness. Many students have signed up for the programme which is officially entitled, 'Psychology and the Good Life'. The course was developed from studying how non-human primates interact. It now deals with human behaviour and psychology, too. The course only began running this year but has already seen over 1,000 students show an interest. 2. Discarded chewing gum given new purpose By Dutch fashionistas An Amsterdam-based clothing firm has developed a training shoe made out of old chewing gum. Nicknamed the gum shoe by the trainers' developers, this item of footwear is designed to be made out of the chewing gum found on the city's streets each day. According to the makers, the gum shoe takes about a kilo of old gum to make and there are millions of kilos of the material to be picked up in every major city of the world. According to Fortune magazine, the compound developed for the footwear could have other practical applications just waiting to be developed. Something to chew over: gum can now be turned into footwear 3. Huge achievement in aviation fuel announced An airline signed a deal ten years ago for 330 million gallons of renewable fuel that it has been using on its flights in order to offset its carbon footprint. Although the fuel still released carbon into the atmosphere, it had been sustainably grown. In April this year, JetBlue was able to say that this decade-old measure had meant that it had prevented over 2 billion pounds of carbon dioxide from being released from fossil fuels, the aviation industry's go-to source of power. The airline stated that its measures were currently preserving the equivalent of nearly 500,000 acres of the Brazilian rainforest. Does this signal how all airlines will eventually operate? 4. US Paris agreement withdrawal won't leave the convention out of pocket Although the decision of the US to withdraw from the Paris Climate Accord is not something to celebrate, the organisation in charge of the agreement, the UNFCCC, won't be financially penalised. This is thanks to the philanthropy of the former New York mayor, Michael Bloomberg. The millionaire has declared he will pay the USA's financial commitment out of his own pocket, a sum that is no less than $4.5 million. As reported by the BBC, Mr Bloomberg said that as he was able to afford the payment he would make good on America's previously agreed financial commitment. 5. New Zealand Bans Offshore Oil Exploration In order to protect its local environment and in a bid to tackle climate change, New Zealand will cease all offshore oil and gas exploration. According to the Financial Times, no further permits will be issued by the country's government. Currently, New Zealand has 22 such permits in operation, but these will not be renewed. A new horizon in New Zealand: oil and gas mining is now banned 6. Dog looks after lost toddler for 15 hours According to Sky News, a family dog remained with a three-year-old girl who had got lost in the Australian outback until she was rescued. Max, a pet dog who lives in Queensland, was named as an honorary police dog following the incident. The child went missing and a huge search was launched. Thanks to Max, the child was kept in good company during her ordeal. She was rescued because Max alerted searchers to her whereabouts. Truly, this is a news story of unrivalled happiness – for dog lovers, at least. 7. New hope to deal with un-recycled plastics According to Science Daily and many other media outlets, a team at the University of Portsmouth has positive news for the world's oceans. They have discovered an enzyme which is capable of breaking down previously un-recyclable plastics so that they can be repurposed into new products. Professor McGeehan, who was involved in the enzyme's development, said that it's up to the scientific community which invented plastics to come up with a solution for the waste it has generated. 8. Costa coffee announces target for single-use cup reduction In April, the UK's largest coffee retailer said that it planned to reduce single-use cups in its stores. The hope is that other coffee sellers will follow the new plan, which will see the retailer themselves pay for a recycling company to collect its cups and to transport them to paper mills. There, they can be reprocessed rather than heading straight to landfill sites in the country. According to The Independent, the incentive Costa is offering recycling firms is to pay over the current going rate for the material its cups are made from, thereby making the recycling process more attractive to those already engaged in it. (C)upcycle: The Costa chain will reduce single-use cup usage with recycling 9. Technology allows people to speak without a sound The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) announced in April that it had developed a breakthrough in human communications. Scientists at MIT have made a wearable device which can pick up on movements in the jaw and throat to interpret them as spoken words. Crucially, this can be done even when the wearer is making no audible sound. It could be used anywhere that silence needs to be maintained but where communications are still required. 10. Mindfulness can relieve stress, study shows The Daily Mail reported that even a single mindfulness session can lessen the impact of stress and anxiety. An American researcher published a paper in the American Physiological Society which showed that just one hour of meditation is all it needs to have a tangible effect. According to the professor involved, such sessions had a physiological outcome, helping to reduce mechanical stress on arteries. ● Written by Ed Gould Ed Gould is a UK-based journalist and freelance writer. He is a practitioner of Reiki.

We all know that connecting with nature is great for relaxing, but, as Dee Marques explains, in fact, it has a scientifically-proven impact on our health and happiness, boosting emotions and relationships. Have you ever felt enveloped by a feeling of awe and inspiration after watching a nature documentary? For centuries, the connection between humans and nature has been a key concern for people from all cultures, and recently, science has given us more reasons to believe in the benefits of having a deeper connection with nature. Let's take a look at how staying close to nature benefits our well-being, health, and relationships. What's the connection between humans and nature? The human-nature connection has been studied by academics for decades. In the 1980s developmental psychologists observed that the tendency to get close to nature is present in young children and put forward the hypothesis that we are genetically predisposed to seek a connection with nature. Interestingly, another study revealed that this desire to find a connection with nature was evident even in representations of nature, such as wall art. Researchers at a psychiatric hospital in Sweden noted that while patients had negative reactions to abstract art paintings and decorations, they consistently responded positively to art that depicted scenes of nature. Connecting with nature has positive effects on emotions and relationships This has led researchers to suggest there's a built-in bias towards natural environments. Some have suggested that we prefer natural spaces because, originally, they provided us with everything we needed to prosper and evolve as a species. Whether this preference for nature is coded in our genes or not is still subject to debate within the scientific community. However, although we may not fully understand the details of the human-nature affiliation, the beneficial effects of connecting with nature cannot be denied. Moreover, scientists have found similar evidence in cross-cultural studies, suggesting that this eagerness to get close to nature is due to more than just aesthetic preferences. In a way, we can say that the belief that a nature connection is good for us and has some sort of healing effect on soul and body is universal. The link between nature, our emotions, and relationships It seems clear that the environment we live in plays an important role in our emotional state and overall level of happiness. In fact, according to science, natural environments have two major benefits for our emotions. Firstly, being connected to nature can lead to stress reduction and mood improvement. Research studies have found a correlation between exposure to natural stimuli, stress and anger reduction, and improvement in self-reported psychological well-being and mental health. “Being connected to nature can lead to stress reduction and mood improvement. The second key emotional benefit involves enjoying stronger bonds with others.” Those of us who live in urban environments (more than 50 per cent of the global population according to recent statistics) often find it soothing to spend time in nature because it gives us a break from the hyper-stimulation of the senses we experience in cities. This calming effect has even been observed in EEG tests, which showed a physical response to nature in more stable brain waves and in a blood flow increase to the amygdala, the organ that controls stress and fear. Being in nature leads to stress reduction and mood improvement The second key emotional benefit of feeling attuned to nature involves enjoying stronger bonds with others. A better and more relaxed mood translates into a more compassionate attitude that can improve the quality of our social bonds. Supporting this argument are studies that prove that exposure to nature by simply watching Planet Earth videos fostered cooperation and altruism between participants. How emotions influence our health Like a domino effect, nature influences our emotions and relationships, and in turn, these affect our overall health and happiness. For example, being in nature generates emotions like awe, joy, serenity, gratitude, and inspiration. According to psychologists, these positive emotions build up a range of micro-moments that over time contribute to a deep sense of happiness. “Like a domino effect, nature influences our emotions and relationships, and in turn, these affect our overall health and happiness.” Other science-based studies have shown that positive emotions can lead to a reduction in the chances of developing heart disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure, as well as helping improve chronic and inflammatory disease. Other research findings suggest that positive emotions can help boost resistance to illness and strengthen the immune system. Spend time in nature by visiting parks and gardens; even better with friends! Connecting with nature: the takeaway Developing a connection with nature can only benefit us, but how can we achieve this in a world that is increasingly disconnected from it? We don’t need to become hermits and live in a remote mountain hut to appreciate nature and build a connection with it. Some practical ideas that you can easily put into practice include: Visiting parks and gardens Organising a picnic, or try to meet others outdoors whenever possible Taking up gardening or kitchen garden Growing your own herbs or vegetable patch Taking your time to savour whole foods Getting started with stargazing or birdwatching Going on a hiking or camping holiday In fact, simply taking time to consider your connection with nature and what small actions you can take to improve its quality may bring benefits. To the extent that you can, try to cultivate the natural inclination humans feel towards nature in all its manifestations, and let the therapeutic effect of nature improve the quality and enjoyment of your life. ● happiness.com | The fine art of being: learn, practise, share Are you a happiness.com member yet? Sign up for free to: ■ enjoy our happiness magazine ■ share and support in our happiness forum ■ learn with free online Academy classes Family activities | Benefits of gardening | Simple living Written by Dee Marques A social sciences graduate with a keen interest in languages, communication, and personal development strategies. Dee loves exercising, being out connecting with nature, and discovering warm and sunny places where she can escape the winter.

When we think of meditation, we often think of sitting still in the lotus position. However, meditation can involve moving your body too, and 5Rhythms dance is a great way of incorporating movement into meditation. Many people tend to shy away from dance classes, afraid of not being able to keep up with the pace of a choreography, or because they are body- or self-conscious. Luckily, this isn't the case for 5Rhythms dance. This movement meditation invites everyone – no matter their size, age, complexion, gender or flexibility – to lose themselves in the world of dance 5Rhythms dance and its health benefits Gabrielle Roth, the founder of 5Rhythms, describes the dance as a “soul journey”, but apart from this, there are many benefits dancing provides to our health. According to The New England Journal of Medicine, dancing frequently doesn’t only increase memory, but it's the greatest risk reduction activity against dementia as we get older. In fact, during late adulthood, the hippocampus (the part of the brain that controls memory) naturally shrinks, and in some cases can lead to dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. However, the cerebral cortex and hippocampus rewire themselves the more you use it, resulting in greater cognitive reserves. RELATED: Cognitive impairment – 5 key ways to reduce the risk as you age Mobility is crucial to cognitive processes and, according to the study, dancing merges several functions at once –kinesthetic, rational, musical, and emotional function – further increasing your neural connectivity. It's emphasized that choreography is not actually necessary but that it’s the split-second decisions on movement that count. Even if dancing with a partner is not really necessary in 5Rhythms, having so-called 'dance-versations' with someone else reduces stress built up during the day, The Journal of Applied Gerontology confirms. And whether you decide to take a partner or go solo, swaying on the dance floor boosts your mood overall. Studies have also shown that there's an improvement in balance and energy increase in people who include low-impact workouts (aerobics and dance) into their lives. 5Rhythms dance can have great health benefits 5Rhythms: what exactly is it? 5Rhythms started as a dynamic movement practice in the 1970s and still brings people together in the spirit of connection, collaboration and artistic expression. Elements from indigenous, world tradition, shamanistic and Eastern philosophy along with Gestalt Therapy were merged by Roth – also a classical ballet dancer and dance teacher – to create a practice with the idea that everything is energy and moves in waves, patterns and rhythm. “While a seemingly simple process, the 5Rhythms practice facilitates deep and unending explorations, moving the dancer beyond self-imposed limitations and isolation into new depths of creativity and connection.” 5Rhythms.com Everyone goes on their own journey, exploring their body but sharing the collective experience of the ‘wave’ or five stages of dancing that mimic different aspects of life: Flow Unraveling by moving, the first rhythm you encounter is Flow. As the name suggests it refers to being fluid in our bodies, or allowing it to be and attending to its needs by being receptive. Aspect of life: birth, fear, being, body. Staccato Characterized by abrupt and stronger movements. Staccato establishes a connection by repetition. The dancers sculpt their movements and create form and self-expression. Aspect of life: childhood, anger, loving, heart. Chaos Headfirst into the beat and the unknown. Chaos is the dissolution of the structure the dancer has created so far, into a rawer version of themselves. There is a higher tempo accompanied by more complex movements. Untamable, until full release of the body. Aspect of life: puberty, sadness, knowing, mind. Lyrical Once Chaos has been processed by the body and mind, it creates space for freedom. Lyrical sets the tone for a lighter and playful dance with simpler repetitions and patterns yet aiming for the dancer to feel grounded, creative and empowered. Aspect of life: maturity, joy, seeing, soul. Stillness The vibrancy of the dance floor slowly falls into silence. Stillness is the end of the journey in five Rhythms and where all of the other stages converge. It's characterized by slow motions eventually arriving to meditation. Aspect of life: death, compassion, healing, spirit. Why movement meditation might work for you Even though arriving to stillness is one of the aims of 5Rhythms, the experience is good for those who struggle with the idea of sitting still directly and meditating. The reality is that there are different types of meditation that work for different types of people. 5Rhythms features five stages that mimic different aspects of life Dr. Herbert Benson, director emeritus of the Benson-Henry Institute, says that a combination of two things result in effective meditation: repetition of a word, a sound or a movement, and the ability to turn off everyday thoughts. The body then naturally triggers the relaxation response. “Good endings mean taking responsibility for the whole journey, distilling wisdom from our experience so that we may begin our next wave.” 5Rhythms.com Likewise, Dr. Melinda Ring, director of Northwestern Medicine’s Osher Center for Integrative Medicine says many activities work as long as the practitioner has the intention of being present and focusing on the body-mind connection. After a long journey through 5 Rhythms in which you’ve integrated and tapped into your body, sweat, breath and intuition, you're ready to ride the next wave in or out of the dance floor! ● References: (2010, July 30) Use It or Lose It: Dancing Makes You Smarter, Longer. Richard Powers https://socialdance.stanford.edu/syllabi/smarter.htm (2018, February 5) Why Exercise Boosts Mood and Energy https://www.everydayhealth.com/fitness/workouts/boost-your-energy-level-with-exercise.aspx (2017, September 17) How to Meditate when you can’t sit still, Chicago Tribune http://www.chicagotribune.com/lifestyles/health/sc-fam-how-to-meditate-1017-story.html (2014, November 20) The Many Health Benefits of Dancing by Berkeley Wellness http://www.berkeleywellness.com/fitness/active-lifestyle/article/many-health-benefits-dancing (2003, June 19) Leisure Activities and the Risk of Dementia in the Elderly http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa022252 Main image: Colourbox.com Written by Guest Author We're happy to publish articles by guest authors that will broaden the perspective and bring new insights. If you are interested in publishing an article here on happiness.com, please contact us.

Sustainable development goals aim to improve the living conditions, health, education, work conditions and ecosystems of the planet, both on land and at sea. But, as Ed Gould asks, what are they exactly and how do they function? It was under the leadership of Ban Ki-moon, the former Director-General, that the United Nations adopted a comprehensive programme of sustainable development goals, or SDGs as they are sometimes called. They built upon a previous framework for sustainable development entitled 'The Future We Want', a non-binding commitment and product of the UN's 2012 Rio Conference. Some in the UN, including Ki-moon, saw that this was not enough and continued to press the matter. In 2015 the UN General Assembly adopted a paper entitled 'Transforming Our World: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development'. This document included a number of sections, one of which focused on sustainable development goals. There were 17 of these adopted by the UN when the paper was published. The sustainable development goals are split up further by a number of associated targets. If each of the relevant targets is hit, so the connected goal or goals should be achieved. At the time, Ki-moon said that the sustainable development goals he wanted the world to adopt would help to ensure not only its viability but also its long-term survival: “We do not have a plan B because there is no planet B,” he memorably quipped. Peace and justice for all: goal number 16 What are the 17 sustainable development goals? Each of the UN-adopted sustainable development goals has a number as well as a title, which gives you a fair indication of what it's trying to achieve, even if you need to drill down a little further to understand how it will do its job. The principle behind them is that all of the countries of the Earth are signed up to similar goal-orientated aspirations: Goal 1 – No Poverty Goal 2 – Zero Hunger Goal 3 – Good Health and Well-Being for People Goal 4 – Quality Education Goal 5 – Gender Equality Goal 6 – Clean Water and Sanitation Goal 7 – Affordable and Clean Energy Goal 8 – Decent Work and Economic Growth Goal 9 – Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure Goal 10 – Reduced Inequalities Goal 11 – Sustainable Cities and Communities Goal 12 – Responsible Consumption and Production Goal 13 – Climate Action Goal 14 – Life Below Water Goal 15 – Life on Land Goal 16 – Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions Goal 17 – Partnerships for the Goals Although when they're described by their headlines only, some of the sustainable development goals can sound a little wishy-washy, as soon as you look at the principles behind them, you can see what each is trying to achieve. For example, climate action is described as: “Taking urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts by regulating emissions and promoting developments in renewable energy.” Likewise, the second SDG of 'Zero hunger' is set to be achieved by improving food security measures and by promoting a more sustainable form of agriculture. “We do not have a plan B because there is no planet B.” Ban Ki-moon talking about Sustainable Development Goals Although some critics have pointed out that some of the sustainable development goals might impinge upon one another – for example, improved infrastructure projects might make life on land less sustainable – the key to the approach taken by the UN is the international way in which sustainable development must be undertaken in the future. After all, the entire global population's well-being, happiness – and even its survival – may require greater cooperation among the people of the world to ensure the planet is fit to live on for centuries to come. Essentially, the sustainable development goals try to offer a blueprint as to how all countries should regulate their citizens and organizations in order to do the best by the planet and its people. Doctor's orders: good health and well-being is another goal Why were sustainable development goals created? With increasing worldwide trade, many considered that globalization could have a negative impact on those people around the world who could not access its benefits. In addition, it was thought that an international approach to solving sustainable social and economic development was required in the post-Kyoto Accord world. This was due to the perception that as burgeoning economies around the planet were making great strides, they might be doing so without necessarily working with all of the regulatory safeguards that more established industrial economies have in place. Ultimately, the 17 sustainable development goals were developed in order to try and create a better future and more sustained happiness. As such, the proposals started to be acted upon by as early as 2016. How are sustainable development goals implemented? In just about every country of the world, individuals, educational institutions, governments, local authorities and non-governmental organisations have been taking on all kinds of work on the sustainable development goals that are relevant to them. As you might expect, the greatest responsibility for action plans resides with national governments. The governments of each country must translate the goals into a legislative framework which all businesses and individual citizens need to comply with. Furthermore, a national plan of action must be developed with establishes targets against any budgetary considerations. Part of the final sustainable development goal is to promote international action, and this can be seen in the way that richer countries are encouraged to seek out partners. This is because it was thought from the outset that poorer countries would need the support of more affluent nations in order meet all of their commitments under the programme. “The entire global population's well-being, happiness – and even its survival – may require greater cooperation among the people of the world to ensure the planet is fit to live on for centuries to come.” It's fair to say that not all of the burden of meeting sustainable development goals comes down to the actions of individual governments. The Council of the Baltic Sea States decided to make their plans in cooperation with one another and published their proposed actions in a document known as the Baltic 2030 Action Plan, for instance. In India, a policy think tank, known as the National Institution for Transforming India, was charged with coming up with many of the proposals that would see the country meet its ongoing SDG commitments. However, individual states within India have already begun implementing their own proposals in a way that's relevant to their particular circumstances and needs. As such, implementation of sustainable development goals is very varied, operating at both the sub and supranational state levels. Goal 4: quality education for all Who uses sustainable development for their goals? Despite the good work that's already underway with SDGs around the world, there is some variation with its take-up so far. According to the World Economic Forum (WEF), countries like Canada, the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Australia and New Zealand are all performing quite well. That organization gave all countries which were signatories to the UN programme an index rating between zero and 100 to better judge its actions by. As you might expect, these countries and others like them, such as Spain, Japan and Denmark, were all categorised as 70 or above. When they measured their performance across all 17 goals – some which they might have been meeting due to EU policy directives anyway, thereby giving them a head start over other countries – European countries did especially well. Sweden was found to be the best-performing nation with an index of 84.5. Canada was the top country outside of the EU, in 13th place with an index of 76.8. RELATED: Social justice isn't just for superheroes Equally unsurprisingly, the war-torn Central African Republic and troubled Liberia were at the bottom of the WEF's list of achievers with sustainable development goals. In fact, with the exception of Haiti and Afghanistan, they found that nearly all of the lowest-achieving countries were in Africa. As such, the WEF has called for international mechanisms to come into effect that will assist those at the bottom of the pile to meet their commitments by the programme's deadline of 2030. That organization suggested direct foreign investment, technology sharing and a tranche of global tax reform measures as ways forward. Among the key players in any UN-sponsored global programme is inevitably the United States. According to the UN's own information, the US has taken a large number of steps toward fulfilling its commitments, not least with a statewide sustainability programme for the whole of Hawaii. In addition, US schemes like the Bridge Initiative have sought to improve social and economic development across several sub-Saharan countries. Despite these measures – and more – the US still ranks as only a middling performer among countries, according to the WEF. At the UN, it's hoped that one of its major partners in many areas of international cooperation will see a dramatic improvement when it comes to sustainable development goals prior to the 2030 deadline which moves ever closer. ● happiness.com | The fine art of being: learn, practice, share Are you a happiness.com member yet? Sign up for free now to: ■ enjoy our happiness magazine with practical life tips ■ share and support others in our happiness forum ■ learn with free online classes in our happiness Academy Sustainability | Global income distribution | Human rights Written by Ed Gould Ed Gould is a UK-based journalist and freelance writer. He is a practitioner of Reiki.

New research suggests that meaning in life or purpose is related to values and motivation. But do motivations of intimacy and friendship rate higher or lower than financial success? And do men and women have different values when it comes to meaning in life? According to three Polish researchers, the values that we all come to realise in life are drawn from our personal strivings and our own motivations. Their work suggests that as a result, people are able to attain a greater level of meaning in their lives, so long as they remain motivated. For some, this might seem an obvious proposition: being motivated by your values means that you'll achieve a greater sense of meaning in life. However, the hypothesis had not been fully tested until Zuzanna Siwek and her co-authors, Anna Oleszkowicz and Aleksandra Słowińska, first published their research paper into the subject in 2016. Values and motivation: established theories According to Siwek and her colleagues, their work – which was carried out on a sample of Polish university students – started out from the point of view of two commonly accepted theoretical ideas in psychology. The first was developed by Deci and Ryan, which is often referred to as self-determination theory (SDT). Their idea is that motivation in individuals addresses issues of competence, relatedness and autonomy. For psychologists, competence is the term used for our desire to control outcomes. Relatedness is best described as our innate desire to connect and care with others. Finally, autonomy is our desire to be the agents of control in our own lives. You can think of it as the ability to make decisions for ourselves. Both extrinsic and intrinsic motivation is dealt with under SDT. For most psychologists, motivation is not a single concept but something that changes, depending on the situation. What might motivate you at work might not be the same as at home, for example. Your path in life: finding meaning is key to staying motivated Since the 1970s, psychological studies have referred to intrinsic motivation as our natural desire to face new challenges and engage in play with things we are curious about. Conversely, extrinsic motivations are not innate. These are motivations that come from outside of our inner selves, such as rewards for performance or mere praise. To break it down greatly, SDT claims that people will grow and function optimally when competence, relatedness and autonomy are working in harmony. Competence is when we try to control the outcome of something and relatedness is how connected to others we are in our actions. Finally, autonomy describes the degree of agency we have over ourselves. “Being motivated by your values means that you will achieve a greater sense of meaning in life.” Siwek's other theoretical inspiration came from the so-called logotherapy that was first developed by the esteemed psychologist Victor Frankl. His theory is based on the reasonable assumption that human beings are motivated by their search for a sense of life purpose. According to Frankl, logotherapy is merely a word that represents the search for a purposeful meaning in life. RELATED: 11 science-backed truths about finding happiness By building on these theoretical ideas, the three Polish researchers were able to build a study that utilised Personal Striving Assessments (PSAs), a system developed by Robert Emmons, a Professor of Psychology based in the US. Her teams' findings used these theories to demonstrate that meaning in life is indeed closely related to motivation. It is also related, they found, to a number of other personal values that participants responded to in their assessments which were often manifested in their personal strivings in life. Life motivation and values: difference between the sexes The Polish psychologists had a good sample size for their study. No less than 353 students took part, 159 women and 194 men. Interestingly, the study's authors claimed that the meaning in life that men and women reported was important to them was different. Men, for example, were more likely to ascribe financial success as being important in life, an extrinsic motivation, whereas women were more likely to value relationships, both intimate ones and friendships, intrinsic motivations. All of the respondents in the study were under the age of 25 and enrolled in full-time education which, the authors freely admit, means that their research is not a reflection of society as a whole. • JOIN US! Learn more about human connection and psychology • The research paper reported that behaviour and strivings of intrinsically motivated individuals are, more often than not, directed toward their own interests, a significant new finding. As a result, it was found that people are more willing to engage in personal development as a result of their autonomous motivation. Indeed, Siwek et al. claim that such people are characterised by a greater vitality, improved creativity and better levels of happiness. Men and women have different life values and motivation Moreover, Siwek's team found that different values in personal strivings facilitated differing scores for meaning in life, according to their respondents' own assessments. Although personal motivations varied between men and women in the study, the relationship between them and meaning in life was consistent regardless of gender. RELATED: Money can't buy happiness (except when you spend it like this) Another extrinsic value, that of physical appearance, appeared to make no difference to meaning in life or to happiness, whichever group was being looked at. As such, it seems that happiness cannot be wrought from a sense of self-worth that is based on looks alone. Summing up, Siwek claimed that meaning in life is most directly associated with the intrinsic motivation of intimacy and friendship although extrinsic factors, such as reward motivation and financial success, also form direct correlations with a sense of life meaning. She went on to add that although these gender differences were notable, no explanation could yet be offered as to why they exist and that further research would be needed to offer one. ● Do you agree with the authors of the study? What motivates you in life? Share your comments below. Written by Guest Author We'e happy to publish articles by guest authors that will broaden the perspective and bring new insights. If you're interested in publishing an article here on happiness.com, please contact us.

In a mainstream news agendum that seems to be increasingly focused on negativity, here is Ed Gould's round-up of the top nine positive news stories from the month of March. Read these heartwarming stories and get happy! 1. Cigarette Butts Can Be Recycled They might be just waste to many, but a company in the US has developed a way of recycling old cigarette butts. New Jersey-based Terracycle has found the cellulose acetate used in cigarette filters can be 'upcycled' into nappies, special packaging and – you may have guessed it already – new filters for cigarettes. At present, most butts go to landfill and are not recycled in any way. The company is set to build partnerships with other well-known brands, like Subaru, as it expands. 2. Indian Beach Sees Transformative Power of Volunteers Turtles have returned to the beach of Versova close to Mumbai following the work of a local volunteer, Afroz Shah, and a team of dedicated helpers. Ridley turtles have now been spotted on the beach for the first time in years, according to The Times of India. The two-mile stretch of beach had been covered in rubbish until Shah decided to begin clearing it up on his own. After several weeks, others joined in, leading to one of the world's largest volunteer-led clean-up operations. Around 45 tons of plastic were removed from the beach during the operation. Isn't people power amazing? Turtles in Versova, India, returned to beaches thanks to a huge clean-up operation by humans 3. Plastic Straw Usage Sees Another Blow The use of plastic straws for drinks consumption may not be very trendy at the moment but they are still in widespread use. Thankfully, some rather large organisations have seen that consumers are demanding their withdrawal in many areas. In March, more hope was gained for campaigners on the issue when the restaurant giant McDonald's announced that it would withdraw plastic straws from all of the 1,300 outlets it runs in the UK from May. According to Sky News, paper straws will replace single-use plastic ones. 4. Townsfolk Rescue Dolphins Trapped By Ice Few news stories offer a greater sense of happiness than a successful animal rescue mission. Thanks to the good people of Trinity Bay in Newfoundland, that is exactly what happened when heavy excavation machinery was used to smash up ice that had formed in the bay to allow trapped dolphins to escape to the open ocean beyond. According to reports on CBC Canada, the local fire service was called in to help a group of dolphins escape with local people cheering their efforts on. 5. Scientific Breakthrough Could Protect Delicate Reefs The downward cycle in one of the ocean's most delicate habitats – coral reefs – could face an upward turn thanks to a new scientific development. The Australian Institute of Marine Biology has come up with a system which acts as a barrier against the sun's overly strong rays. Forming something of a sun shield for the life forms below, the barrier will sit on the surface of the sea but won't interfere with normal marine life. Trials with the material found that fewer incidences of so-called reef bleaching were discovered when the barrier, which filters harmful ultraviolet rays, was used. Coral reef comeback: a new barrier can block the harmful UB rays from the sun that destroy reefs 6. People With Multiple Sclerosis Offered New Hope Scientific researchers have announced a new therapy may be around the corner for those living with multiple sclerosis (MS). Dr Matt Craner, the clinical lead from the University of Oxford which ran trials of a new programme, said in the UK press that the study was a “potential landmark” in the fight against the condition. Impacting on two and a half million people globally, MS may now be able to be treated with stem cell therapy. In trials, researchers saw less brain 'shrinkage' in those who were given the treatment compared with those who took a placebo. 7. Environmental Engineer Develops Fuel From Human Excrement In positive news for anyone who wants to see a sustainable way of dealing with waste as well as creating forms of energy that don't rely on fossil fuels, a US environmental engineer has come up with a novel approach to the problem. Andrew Foote has developed a system whereby burnable briquettes are made from human poo, at his venture in Kenya, as reported by Reuters. Lower in carbon than other alternatives, his fuel offers a longer-lasting alternative to charcoal. Set up with the Norwegian Refugee Council, his organisation could help people in refugee camps globally. 8. Total Solar Power For Diu, India More positive news from the environment was reported by The Times of India in March when an entire district was found to have been powered by solar rays for the first time. Thirteen megawatts of renewable energy were created in Diu district, formerly part of Portuguese India. The entire population of 56,000 inhabitants received electrical power derived from sunlight in March and – what's more – also saw a reduction in their domestic energy bills. Solar savings: increased sun-power in this part of India also led to a decrease in electricity bills! 9. Cancer Detection Now Possible In Pen Form A handheld 'pen' may revolutionise cancer detection, making it much easier for doctors to make diagnoses of certain cancers, according to technology developers. The MasSpec Pen, as it's called, is said to have a 96 percent success rate with detections. Developed in the US, the pen could be used anywhere in the world and would be especially good in the field where other medical equipment might not be viable. As reported in the French newspaper, Le Figaro, the pen can make a diagnosis within just ten seconds. ● Written by Ed Gould Ed Gould is a UK-based journalist and freelance writer. He is a practitioner of Reiki.

Among the coldest months of the year, February can appear to have little by way of happiness or positive news about it! However, the fact is that February 2018 has been a superb month from a news angle, with plenty of hope and human achievement to warm your heart. Ed Gould rounds up his top ten positive news story from the month. 1. Happiness is up in the UK The Office for National Statistics (ONS) announced a small but discernible amount of increase in happiness in the United Kingdom. According to reports in The Guardian in February, the ONS data – which covers the period up to September 2017 – shows that British people rated their happiness at 7.52 out of 10 on average, a rise from 7.29 in the previous survey, proving that there is hope for us all to feel happier. Where people were asked how 'worthwhile' they felt, the ONS survey revealed another upturn, which is even more positive news for people living in the UK. 2. Excessive supermarket packaging being addressed There's been plenty of media exposure in recent months to the concept that supermarkets are wrapping up our food in too much packaging. The war on excessive packaging in much of the Western world gathered pace in February when a Danish supermarket became the first ever to introduce a plastic-free aisle. Shoppers can now head there and buy wrapped, clean, healthy food, but in a retail environment that is devoid of all plastics. According to The Washington Post, the move was warmly welcomed by environmentalists and it's hoped the idea, which includes no less than 700 different grocery items, will be replicated elsewhere. That's (not) a wrap: a supermarket in Denmark has introduced a plastic-fee aisle 3. Fast food moves away from disposable cups It must be that food packaging became something of a hot topic in February, because one of the globe's largest fast-food suppliers, McDonald's, announced that its foam beverage cups and trays would be replaced in every territory it operates in throughout the world. The giant restaurant business plans to have totally recycled cups in place soon, according to Business Insider. The company's move is widely seen as a response to people power, whereby its own customers and pressure groups have informed the conglomerate's executives of what it should be doing to help protect the environment. 4. Circus animal ban in Wales looks likely According to Wales Online, a move to outlaw the use of circus animals in the region will come into force soon. Similar bans exist in other parts of Europe and, for many, the sight of a circus animal is one that only brings to mind welfare issues. Only travelling circuses operate in Wales, but the Welsh government confirmed in February that it's looking at the legal position that allows for such entertainment. The move follows a similar one put in place by another devolved administration in the UK, in Scotland, and an outright ban on circus animals in Ireland which came into force this year. 5. MIT says volcanoes will solve future construction needs The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is one of the world's leading scientific research centres. According to the Journal of Cleaner Production, MIT scientists working in Kuwait have begun developing ways of harnessing the power of volcanoes to make new forms of concrete which will help to build the cities of the future. Their work centres on the 'embodied energy' of volcanic ash which can be fashioned into concrete with much less energy than current methods. The result would be buildings that are constructed with a much lower carbon footprint than ever before. Blowing up: ash from volcanoes could be used to create new forms of concrete 6. Brussels set to improve airborne pollution A busy city in the heart of Europe, Brussels – like many other metropolitan areas – suffers from airborne pollution when there are lots of cars on the road. Add to this the city's inhabitants love of wood burning stoves and there's little positive news for people who are susceptible to particulates in the air. According to The Guardian, city officials will make public transport completely free to use on days when pollution is predicted to be high. The use of stoves may also be restricted on such days, according to the news story. 7. Mindfulness leads to better computer programming According to Science Daily, the practice of mindfulness is not just good for inner well-being and emotional intelligence and overall happiness, it's good for solving computer programming problems, too. Researchers from the University of Seville in Spain have demonstrated that frequent meditation sessions lead to improved performance with a variety of computer programming tasks. Students involved in the study did better with their subsequently set problems and often solved their tasks quicker than those who had not been involved with any meditation sessions. 8. Egypt announces world's most ambitious solar power station Egyptian authorities announced a joint private and public initiative to create the globe's biggest solar power complex in February. Officials said that the Benban Solar Park would create a photovoltaic plant that could generate up to 1.65 gigawatts of electrical energy. According to the Egypt Independent and other media outlets, the plant will boost the renewable energy supply in the country from a small fraction to 37 per cent by 2035. Panel power: the world's biggest solar panel plant looks set to be built in Egypt 9. A pessimistic outlook may be beneficial, study suggests According to a Reader in Health Psychology at the University of Sheffield, there's now an overwhelming body of work in the field of human science that suggests there are advantages to being pessimistic. Strictly speaking, Fuschia Sirois' work focusses on a certain kind of pessimism which harnesses negative thoughts for positive outcomes. She suggests that this is a human strategy that helps people to overcome things like anxiety that would otherwise hold them back. It shouldn't be confused, however, with the sort of pessimism that blames oneself for anything that goes wrong or is negative. Her work suggests that hope is there for all, no matter how you see the half-filled glass. 10. New research into peanut allergies is positive news for sufferers Anyone who has a peanut allergy or knows somebody with one will know just how severe the results can be. New research by an American company, Aimmune Therapeutics, has shown that a treatment may now be on the cards which will be able to help affected people. According to the Financial Times, around two-thirds of those who were involved with the trial responded well to it. More research is required before the programme can be turned into a fully-fledged therapy, but the company concerned is hopeful that one can be developed once the authorities sign off on further field trials. ● Written by Ed Gould Ed Gould is a UK-based journalist and freelance writer. He is a practitioner of Reiki.

As one of the most important figures in the fields of mindfulness, meditation and Zen Buddhism, Thích Nhất Hạnh has had a major influence around the world. We share some of his best quotes and take a deeper look at his teachings. Thích Nhất Hạnh is recognised internationally as one of the most influential figures in the fields of mindfulness, meditation and Zen Buddhism. Having been ordained as a monk in 1949, Nhất Hạnh has since written more than 100 books and has travelled the world, imparting wisdom and sharing his philosophy on life. Over a period of almost 70 years, Nhất Hạnh has built a lasting legacy through his lessons on meditation, self-awareness, understanding, peace, love and non-violent conflict resolution. Thích Nhất Hạnh: engaged Buddhism 'Engaged Buddhism' is a term coined by Thích Nhất Hạnh, with its first known usage coming in his 1967 book, Vietnam: Lotus in a Sea of Fire. As a philosophy, it was heavily influenced by the Buddhism practised and taught by Master Tai Xu, who was influential in helping to reform Chinese Buddhism. While Tai Xu advocated what he referred to as human-life Buddhism, Nhất Hạnh developed this philosophy further. Essentially, the 'Engaged Buddhism' he teaches focuses on using the insight gained through meditation and dharma teachings to ease economic, social and political suffering within society. “When bombs begin to fall on people, you cannot stay in the meditation hall all of the time. Meditation is about the awareness of what is going on — not only in your body and in your feelings, but all around you.” Thích Nhất Hạnh The quote above actually originates from an interview with Lion's Roar magazine and perfectly captures Thích Nhất Hạnh's core belief in 'Engaged Buddhism', which became especially important to him and his spiritual community in the midst of the Vietnam War, during which they aided those that were experiencing the horrors. Thích Nhất Hạnh: an influential figure in the fields of mindfulness, meditation and Zen Buddhism Nhất Hạnh saw the help they provided as being part of their mindfulness and meditation practice, rather than something separate from it. What this particular quote demonstrates is the belief that meditation can (and should) extend beyond the self, due to the insight and perspective it provides. The Enemies of Man Over the years, Thích Nhất Hạnh has often used his influence and wisdom to stress the importance of recognising the fact that the true 'enemies of man' are ideological, rather than physical. The most famous example of this philosophy being put into words came in the mid 1960s, in a letter written to Martin Luther King. RELATED: Jack Kornfield – mindfulness teacher and author In it, Nhất Hạnh wrote that the enemies of monks in Vietnam were not man, but "intolerance, fanaticism, dictatorship, cupidity, hatred and discrimination". He also opined that in the civil rights struggle in the US, Martin Luther King's enemies were not specific human beings, but "intolerance, hatred and discrimination". “When another person makes you suffer, it is because he suffers deeply within himself, and his suffering is spilling over. He does not need punishment; he needs help. That's the message he is sending.” Thích Nhất Hạnh This quote is an interesting extension of the basic 'Enemies of Man' teaching. Once again, it centres on the idea that we should not see those who do wrong as our enemies, or as people in need to punishment or retribution, but instead as people who can be helped, or who are in need of help. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, Nhất Hạnh continued to promote the virtues of non-violence, even in retaliation to violent actions. These words help us to understand the deep-rooted beliefs that made this possible for him. Thích Nhất Hạnh: embracing science Another key teaching that has come to define Thích Nhất Hạnh's philosophy is his view that traditional Zen Buddhist practices can work in conjunction with science. In particular, he has embraced Western psychological research and utilised aspects when teaching Buddhist Psychology at Vạn Hanh Buddhist University and Cornell University. It's only through embracing science in this way that ancient wisdom can play a meaningful role in the modern world. This concept is explored in several of Nhất Hạnh's published works, including the 1992 book, The Diamond That Cuts Through Illusion and Understanding Our Mind from 2001. “Aware of the suffering created by fanaticism and intolerance, we are determined not to be idolatrous about or bound to any doctrine, theory, or ideology, even Buddhist ones. Buddhist teachings are guiding means to help us learn to look deeply and to develop our understanding and compassion. They are not doctrines to fight, kill, or die for.” Thích Nhất Hạnh Appearing in his 1987 book entitled Being Peace, this quote emphasises the extent to which Thích Nhất Hạnh discourages dogmatic adherence to any particular set of teachings, because such inflexible attitudes inevitably lead to conflict and, ultimately, suffering, rather than happiness, peace and contentment. Instead, one of Nhất Hạnh's most important philosophies is related to the value of being open to new ideas, being willing to challenge existing ones and being adaptable to new research, evidence and technology. There is, after all, wisdom in letting go of bias and recognising that the concept of 'truth' can be fluid, rather than absolute. Thích Nhất Hạnh has travelled all over the globe, sharing his knowledge Love and infatuation In more recent years, Thích Nhất Hạnh's teachings have placed an emphasis on the concept of love and on defining precisely what it is. In his 2015 book How to Love, he argues that the ideas of 'love' and 'understanding' are inextricably linked. "Understanding is love's other name," he writes. RELATED: Who is Jon Kabat-Zinn, master of mindfulness? With this as the starting point, Nhất Hạnh is able to de-construct the difference between love and infatuation. Love, he says, is about understanding another person and their suffering. Infatuation, on the other hand, is a distraction from one's own suffering and understanding is replaced with fantasy, illusion and projecting ideas onto someone. “If our parents didn't love and understand each other, how are we to know what love looks like? The most precious inheritance that parents can give their children is their own happiness.” Thích Nhất Hạnh Finally, this quote, which also appears in Thích Nhất Hạnh's 2015 book How to Love, neatly sums up one of the most significant conclusions he draws, which is that love is something which can be seen and learned. "If we have happy parents, we have received the richest inheritance of all," Nhất Hạnh writes. As Maria Popova points out, this is in-keeping with what psychologists know about the role of 'positivity resonance' in learning how to love. Once again, this quote shows how Thích Nhất Hạnh's traditional Zen Buddhist philosophy can operate in perfect harmony with modern scientific research and reasoning. ● Images: d nelson - arrival, CC BY 2.0, Duc (pixiduc), CC BY-SA 2.0 and mettabebe - Thich Nhat Hanh at festival in Da Nang, CC BY-SA 2.0 Written by Guest Author We're happy to publish articles by guest authors that will broaden the perspective and bring new insights. If you're interested in publishing an article here on happiness.com, please contact us.

January is often regarded as something of a downbeat month after the holiday season, with little to recommend it. However, in fact, there were plenty of positive news stories that made it into the press this January. Ed Gould shares his top ten inspirational news items that are full of hope and happiness. 1. Belize Ends Oil Operations In an effort to protect one of the largest barrier reefs on the planet, the state of Belize has banned all oil operations in its territorial waters. According to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the suspension of drilling and exploration for oil – which came into effect in January – will help to safeguard the future of around 1,400 different species. According to a WWF reef scientist, the government of Belize has stepped up to become a world leader in ocean protection by ending all oil industry activity in its waters. The move marks a significant step forward for 'people power' and was brought about by a public campaign supported by around 450,000 people. The WWF is now expected to target other governments with valuable reef colonies in its oceanic waters. 2. World Record Wind Power in Denmark According to an announcement made by the Danish Ministry of Energy, Utilities and Climate, the country is on track to exceed its carbon reduction target set by the European Union thanks to its take up of wind power. Reuters reported that the use of wind power has been so successful in the country that it accounted for 43.4% of all the electricity consumed there last year. The International Energy Agency praised Denmark's efforts, which mark it out as a global leader in de-carbonisation. Wind turbines: almost half of all electricity consumed in Denmark was generated by wind power 3. Robots Take Over Blood Deliveries in Africa The Guardian reported in January that a robotics firm has helped to slash the delivery times of blood needed for transfusions in Rwanda thanks to their innovative drone delivery systems. Zipline, a tech company in the US, teamed up with the Rwandan health ministry to deliver blood parcels in rural areas of the state. In many cases, this brought down the number of time patients had to wait for their precious blood for as little as 30 minutes. The high-tech drone deliveries are thought to have saved many lives – including those of infants in childbirth – since the work began. The government of Tanzania is currently in talks with Zipline about providing similar services to their population. 4. Passenger Air Travel Continues to Set Safety Records The Civil Aviation Safety Review for 2017 was released in January. According to the Netherlands consultancy that produced the industry-wide report, passenger air travel has never been better. In positive news that all nervous flyers will want to take on board, in fact, jet passenger travel in 2017 was the safest on record. The report's author stated that the chance of a passenger on a jet being involved in a fatal accident is now as low as one in 16 million, making air travel just about the safest of all transportation options. 5. LGBT Weddings Boost Congregation Numbers Although it's often reported how congregation numbers across the Western world are in a steady decline, a positive news story in the Telegraph may offer hope to faithful worshippers who feel they are becoming increasingly sidelined. Their report focused on a study by the University of Leeds and York in which churches which carry out LBGT weddings and who actively engage in that community tend to pick up more followers. By opting into the LBGT community, the study argues, churches are successfully able to market themselves as inclusive places of worship. By attracting the LGBT community, churches are appearing to become more inclusive 6. Brain Functions Similar in Friends, Science Reveals Have you ever noticed how close friends might finish off each other's sentences or know how the other is thinking without exchanging words? It might not just be pure empathy, but to do with our neural networks, according to a report in the LA Times. Following a study programme that placed people in an MRI machine, it was found that similarity in brain functions was associated with an increased likelihood of friendship in a correlation that the scientists called 'dramatic'. The work was conducted by a team from UCLA and Dartmouth College. 7. Ear Growth Hope for Children With Microtia According to the esteemed journal Ebio Medicine, Chinese researchers have found a new way to help children suffering from microtia. The condition means that their outer ears do not develop normally or, in some cases, form at all. The scientific work has led to a new way of creating a prosthetic ear that the body won't reject. Basically, health professionals use a 3-D printing model using cells taken from the body of the patient. Not only does it bring happiness to the children who undergo treatment, but it helps to improve hearing function, too. 8. Curry Improves Memory, Study Shows For some, nothing brings greater happiness than a delicately spiced curry. Indian cuisine is popular all over the globe, but new research indicates that curcumin, a chemical found in turmeric, may improve memory functions. In a double-blind, placebo-controlled study that ran for 18 months, a 28% memory improvement was found in tests given to those involved with the trial. Doctor Gary Small, the director of geriatric psychiatry at UCLA's Longevity Centre, said that the outcome may be as a result of curcumin's noted ability to reduce brain inflammation. Curry: tastes great and may boost your memory power too! 9. Fur Farming Ban Announced in Norway There were some 340 fur farms operating in Norway with no limit on their future until the Norwegian Animal Rights Organisation announced in January that the activity would soon be outlawed. Thanks to a 30-year campaign against farming animals for their fur, the practice will be banned. Reuters reported that farming of animals such as fox and mink will no longer be possible from 2025. 10. Humpback Whales Spotted in New York New York City may not seem the obvious place to see these majestic ocean-going creatures. However, according to Popular Science magazine, humpback whales are now often spotted in the waters surrounding one of the world's greatest metropolises. Demonstrating just how clean the city has become and how little water contamination there now is, the return of humpbacks to this area means that sufficient food must be available to them. It's thought the whales feed on zooplankton in the ocean around the city whilst migrating to the Caribbean Sea. Legislation that led to cleaner waters has taken time to yield results, but campaigners point out that the numerous sightings of humpbacks represent a long-term success. ● Photos: Colourbox.com, Unsplash Written by Ed Gould Ed Gould is a UK-based journalist and freelance writer. He is a practitioner of Reiki.

Minimalism is a great way to unclutter your life, gain more space, and also deal with less stress. Happiness.com's Tine Steiss shares her simple rules of minimalism, and – like the practice itself – they are pretty minimal too! Minimalism is a great way of making space for the new year; for change, personal growth and development. Here's how to unclutter your life and make room to breathe and to be yourself. Think about your belongings like this: Everything needs to have a purpose. It can either be beautiful or useful or both. It is beautiful if you look at it several times a week and it makes you smile. It is useful if you use it several times a week. Put the other things in a box. Put the box aside for some weeks. You can take things you need out again. After some weeks, label the box and put it away.Take it out after several months. If you haven’t opened the box meanwhile, donate it without opening it again. You will create space in your life. You will establish character, time and priorities and most of all, by sticking with the useful and beautiful, you will become more yourself with less. Let go of the old – make space for something new! ● Main photo: colourbox.com Written by Tine Steiss Tine is part of the happiness.com team. She's an artist, meditator, media engineer and MBSR teacher. If she's not traveling she's working on turning her rooftop terrace into a garden paradise. Find out more about her on: Instagram.

The past year wasn't all doom and gloom, even if the mainstream news agenda suggested otherwise. In fact, there were plenty of positive news stories in 2017. Here, Ed Gould picks out his top ten. When looking back over the last calendar year, it's sometimes difficult to pick out those news stories which have offered hope and happiness. There's something intrinsic about human nature that focuses on the negative, and, in 2017, there was more than enough to cause worry and concern. Nevertheless, there were also a huge number of positive news stories out there in the last 12 months. Here's our selection of the top ten positive news stories from 2017. 1. More quality time leads to greater happiness In a scientific study that came out in the summer, researchers found that individuals showed more significant signs of happiness when they opted for saving time on chores in favour of relaxing and enjoying themselves. The psychologist who led the work, Dr Elizabeth Dunn from the University of British Columbia in Canada, said that people often carry out lots of tasks themselves rather than paying for them to be done by someone else. Her research suggests that life satisfaction increases when we try not to do everything ourselves and merely pay for specific services, like cleaning around the home, to be done. Crucially, her work points out that such money is well spent and is indeed better for our mental well-being than buying a material product. 2. Rare cats spotted in Eastern Tibet for the first time According to the Xinhua news agency in China, the rare snow leopard has been sighted in Eastern Tibet for the first time, an area that was previously thought to be extinct of such creatures. Officially classed as a vulnerable species by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the snow leopards were even filmed roaming in this wild habitat using remote infra-red cameras. Zhao Xiang, head of the Shan Shui Conservation Centre, told the press that their protection efforts had gained positive results. The images include those of baby leopards with their mother which indicates the future of the troubled species may be a little more secure than previously thought. The cat is back: snow leopards in East Tibet have reemerged 3. Nervousness and fatigue lessens when we view nature documentaries In positive news that the likes of David Attenborough can surely feel good about, research published in March showed that people feel greater levels of happiness when they sit down to watch a well-produced natural history programme on TV. In a worldwide study, it was found that women in particular often experienced a dramatic emotional change when viewing the natural world on television. Anyone in the age range of 16 to 24 showed the greatest reduction in nervousness, overburden and even fatigue, according to the research undertaken by the University of California Berkeley. 4. Huge forestation scheme planned in the Amazonian Basin An American environmental organisation has announced plans to plant trees in a huge area of 74,000 acres in Brazil. The scheme will reforest an area which has previously been cleared of its tropical hardwood trees. The not-for-profit organisation, Conservation International, announced in November that it plans to restore a whopping 73 million trees on land close to the Amazon river by 2023. It's hoped that the planting will lead the way in what is known as the 'arc of deforestation' in the region. Deforestation has had a big impact on the flora of Brazilian states such as Amazonas, Acre, Pará and Rondônia. The CEO of Conservation International said that the project was good for “the region's inhabitants, its countless species and [for] the climate of our planet.” 5. Children spend more time with parents, study finds In research undertaken across some Western countries, figures show that children are more likely to spend time in their parents' company than they would have done 50 years ago. According to Giulia Maria Dotti Sani of the European University Institute and Judith Treas of the University of California, children will, on average, spend twice as much time with one or other of their parents than similar research was undertaken in 1965 indicated. Perhaps this study pushes back against the idea that modern children are left to their own devices. The work was conducted with around 68,500 mothers and 53,700 fathers in the USA, Canada, Denmark, Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, France, Italy, Spain, Slovenia and the UK. Family affair: kids are spending more time with their parents 6. Waste plastic to find new use in road building We all know about the huge amounts of plastics that are discarded every day around the world. Unfortunately, much of the rubbish created from plastic products and packaging ends up in the sea, polluting the world's oceans and being ingested by creatures. Thanks to a Dutch company, there are now plans to collect this debris from the oceans and turn it into something useful: roadways in the city of Rotterdam. According to the developers, their plastic roadway will have a higher endurance than other systems and be able to withstand extreme temperatures as low as -40 C. What's more, the manufacturers think their plastic road surface sections will take less time to install. Indeed, they will be capable of including channels in their design so that things like telecommunications cables can be fitted easily beneath them. 7. Man makes children's prosthetics from his garden shed Stephen Davies, a British engineer and charity organiser, realised there was a need for relatively cheap prosthetic limbs for children who often outgrow what can be provided for them as their bodies develop. Rather than turning his 3D printing designs into a business, he opted to give away his work at cost price and to share the details of his designs online. Offering hope to an untold number of children with his brilliant prosthetic arms and legs, the engineer kept costs down by doing all of the work in his humble garden shed. Davies was featured in a Channel 4 awards show for his shed which houses a miniature production line. Modern prosthetic limbs can cost tens of thousands of pounds, but Davies' designs at Team UnLimbited cost as a little as £20, making them ideal for little ones who will soon outgrow theirs. “We’ve produced Iron Man designs, as well as Harry Potter, Lego and Spider-Man,” said the designer. “The key is making something a child actually wants to wear.” 8. Oceans face cleaner future thanks to billionaire philanthropist A Norwegian businessman who started out from humble beginnings as a fisherman to become one of the country's wealthiest men has donated the lion's share of this fortune to clean up the world's oceans. Kjell Inge Røkke had a well-deserved reputation for his hard-nosed approach to business, but his legacy is likely to be in the construction of a 596-foot marine research ship, first announced this year. The so-called Research Expedition Vessel (REV) will learn more about the seas, offering oceanographers a home when they conduct their research. However, that's not all, because the REV will also be designed to capture lots of plastic pollution as it moves around. In what will be the largest private yacht afloat once built, the REV should be capable of collecting up to five tons of plastic per day from the sea and then melt it down for storage until it returns to port. The REV will carry 60 scientists and 40 crew when surveying marine areas. Sea change: cleaner oceans are on the horizon 9. Gene therapy offers many scientific breakthroughs There are some fields of medical science that are offering hope to patients of all kinds at the moment. However, according to Science, the esteemed journal, few have been so prolific in 2017 as the field of gene therapy. Although astronomy was their chosen winner of the '2017 Breakthrough of the Year', the work going on in gene therapy was a runner-up. The journal commended research going on in several fields such as a research project which has shown that intravenous AAV9 gene therapy can prevent spinal muscular atrophy 1. Furthermore, two cancer treatments have been developed this year using similar techniques. In these, a patient’s immune cells are genetically modified outside of their body and then re-injected into them, surely something that can offer renewed hope to thousands of individuals. 10. Successful trial of new drug capable of slowing Huntington's disease In December, scientists announced hopeful news for sufferers of Huntington's disease. In a new study, published by the University College London, a sample group of patients with the debilitating condition were enrolled in the first human trial for a novel drug therapy. Administered through the patients’ spinal fluid, the drug was found to be safe and tolerated by those who received it. Furthermore, it successfully diminished the level of the harmful protein associated with the condition that impacts so negatively on the brain’s nervous system. Professor Tabrizi, who led the work, said the trial was of 'ground-breaking importance' for Huntington’s Disease patients and their families. ● Main image: Jasper Boer on Unsplash Written by Ed Gould Ed Gould is a UK-based journalist and freelance writer. He is a practitioner of Reiki.

Practicing gratitude is a simple way to deal with bad situations and is scientifically proven to have a positive pay off on your health. Arlo Laibowitz examines the ways to be thankful and the benefits. The benefits of practicing gratitude are many. When we're going through tough times, or don’t feel satisfied with life, it's natural to focus on what we lack and take the things that we do have for granted. That's a missed opportunity. Many studies have shown that one of the keys to living a happy and fulfilled life is gratitude. So, how can we develop a gratitude practice? And what are the advantages of being grateful? What is gratitude? Gratitude is the affirmation of goodness in the world, of the gifts and benefits we receive, and the recognition that the source of this goodness is outside of us. Gratitude allows us to: Celebrate the present. Handle toxic or negative emotions better. Be more resistant to stress. And have a higher sense of self-worth. .embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; } Gratitude practices and programs One of the leading researchers on gratitude is Robert Emmons. He's developed gratitude programs and practices that centre around: Keeping a gratitude journal of three or five things you're grateful for, and thereby developing a daily gratitude practice. Remembering the bad. To be grateful in the now, it helps to remember hardships you've overcome. Asking yourself three questions. “What have I received from __?”, “What have I given to __?”, and “What troubles and difficulty have I caused?” Learning prayers of gratitude, or looking for secular alternatives to express gratitude for existence on a regular basis. Coming to your senses. Appreciate everything you can see, smell, taste, and hear. Using visual reminders, to help you appreciate what you have. Making a vow to practice gratitude, which could be as simple as a piece of paper saying “I vow to count my blessings each day.” Minding your language. Use words like 'blessing', 'fortune', 'abundance', and so on. Focus on your speech on others instead of yourself. Going through the motions. Doing grateful actions will make you more grateful; smile, say thank you, and write letters of gratitude. Thinking outside the box. Look for new situations and circumstances to feel grateful. On a practical level, your gratitude practice can consist of many things, from writing a handwritten ‘thank you’-letter, to creating an appreciation calendar, saying “I’m grateful” for everything you touch on a given day, calling your parents or children and expressing your appreciation, sharing a positive post of gratitude on social media, or giving your time or money to a cause or charity. Good stuff: be grateful, feel better! What are the benefits of a gratitude practice? The benefits of gratitude practices range from physical benefits, like having a stronger immune system, lower blood pressure, and better sleep, to psychological benefits like higher levels of positivity, more alertness, joy, and pleasure, to social benefits like being more helpful, generous, compassionate, forgiving, and more connected. People who experience the most gratitude (and therefore the positive effects) tend to: Feel a sense of abundance in their lives. Appreciate the contributions of others to their well-being. Recognise and enjoy life's small pleasures. Acknowledge the importance of experiencing and expressing gratitude. In short, developing and maintaining gratitude practices radically transforms your outlook and experience of life. Practice gratitude on a regular basis, and start reaping these benefits for yourself! ● happiness.com | The fine art of being: learn, practise, share Are you a happiness.com member yet? Sign up for free now to enjoy: ■ our happiness magazine with practical life tips ■ share and support in our happiness forum ■ self-develop with free online classes in our Academy Stress management | Mindfulness | Burnout Written by Arlo Laibowitz Arlo is a filmmaker, artist, lecturer, and intermittent practitioner of metta meditation and morning yoga. When not dreaming about impossible projects and making them happen in the most impractical ways possible, he journals, listens to jazz, or cuddles with his better half.

Fed up with the almost constant stream of bad news that seems to flow into your consciousness? If so, you're not alone. Read on to discover just a few of the brighter things that happened over the course of November 2017 in our positive news round-up from Ed Gould. 1. Dogs love human smiles Humans might be the only animals capable of smiling, but dogs can recognise the facial alteration in humans they know and, therefore, detect happiness. What's more, they respond positively. Research at the University of Helsinki has revealed that dogs seeing their owners smile will prevent them from feeling fear and improve their emotional well-being! The professor who led the study said that the effects of smiling promote dog-human communications no end. The key to the way in which dogs focus on their visual world, and see their owners smiling, is a hypothalamic neuropeptide oxytocin, which also affects the social behaviour of other mammals, including humans. Furry good news: canines can detect – and share – happiness in their owners 2. Origami inspires engineering breakthrough Scientists from Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have used techniques drawn from the ancient Japanese art of paper folding, origami, to develop new lightweight engineering techniques. Developing robot muscles and skeletons for limbs means needing a light, but stable structure and using paper folding methods has led to some remarkable results in the field of robotics. 3. Woman with Downs Syndrome breaks down barriers US beauty pageants may not be everyone's thing, perhaps because they seem to promote conformity to a particular look or lifestyle. However, one entrant to a pageant in Minnesota in November broke the mould because she entered even though she has Downs Syndrome. In a first for America, it turns out that Mikayla Holmgren was the first entrant in Miss USA to have any form of disability. Holmgren won Miss Minnesota Junior Miss Amazing in 2015 and is now set to continue her career. 4. Irish scientists offer hope to those with Parkinson's Disease A debilitating disease for those who have it and their loves ones, Parkinson's patients have been offered a ray of light thanks to work conducted at the National University of Ireland in Galway. Publishing their findings in the academic journal Scientific Reports, the team claimed that brain repair for people living with Parkinson’s can happen. Their method means replacing the dead brain cells they find and transplanting healthy ones in their place. In more positive news, Niamh Moriarty, a PhD student who has been working on the project, was recently given a highly competitive Travel Award from the Campaign for Alzheimer’s Research in Europe in recognition of her contribution. 5. New generation of insecticides will not harm bees Bee-friendly insecticides are being developed which will allow farmers to keep their crops safe from pests while protecting bees. Professor Ke Dong, an insect toxicologist at Michigan State University who co-authored a report into the new generation of insecticides, said that his team's observations “open the possibility” of designing a range of new methods of controlling insects which are pests whilst protecting those which are not, namely bees. Buzzing news: essential new insecticides are being developed which will not harm bees 6. Technology used to help reduce suicide risk The social media giant Facebook announced in November that it was starting to use artificial intelligence algorithms to detect whether a user might be at risk of suicide. Essentially, the algorithm it has put together identifies whether a user is showing signs of suicidal thoughts or might be considering self-harming. The idea is for Facebook to then step in, if necessary by alerting emergency services. According to the Times of India, the system is being rolled out from the US to other countries. 7. Research offers new hope to bald people Going bald can be a traumatic thing for both men and women, especially when there's little that can be done about it. However, new scientific work has led to a discovery that may bring some happiness back to those afflicted. A protein that is known to be responsible for hair loss in androgenetic alopecia, the most frequent form of baldness in adults, has been identified. By controlling the protein with a yet-to-be-developed therapy, it should be possible to treat this type of baldness in people in future. In the meantime, the research team has developed a treatment that has been shown to promote follicle growth among mice in the laboratory. 8. Firefighters perform a festive good turn When a man who was hanging up his Christmas lights fell from his ladder, the emergency services in his part of America needed to be called out. Unfortunately, the man in question had to be rescued and then hospitalised due to his injuries. However, the firefighters who came to the scene were not content with that and finished the job of arranging his festive lighting for him to come home to. Now that's real festive spirit! Let there be light: firefighters shared the Christmas spirit when they were called out to a man's home 9. Burns victims face improved recovery According to research undertaken in the UK, something as simple as a vitamin D pill could help untold numbers of people to recover from burns with less scarring. The study has shown that patients with higher levels of vitamin D in their body face fewer complications when they are recovering from a burn injury. Anything from major burns to a little sunburn will be less affected by permanent scarring if patients top up on their vitamin D intake, it's claimed. 10. Cancer modelling may lead to diminished numbers of animal tests The Institution of Engineering and Technology awarded a prize fund that will be used to create three dimensional engineered functional cancers, following a breakthrough in the technology. Professor Rui L Reis, who is based at the University of Minho in Portugal, won the prize to continue his modelling work which, it is hoped, will mean fewer animals are tested in medical laboratories when regenerative therapies need to be assessed. That has to be positive news for all animal lovers. ● Photos: Colourbox.com Written by Ed Gould Ed Gould is a UK-based journalist and freelance writer. He is a practitioner of Reiki.

It's all too easy to snap at our friends and family when they upset us, but by practising nonviolent communication (NVC), Arlo Laibowitz argues that we can make our communication friendlier and ourselves happier. "Hi! Sorry, I’m late." – "You are always late and unreliable!" – "Oh really?! That’s because you want to meet at impossible hours!" – "Why do I even try to be on time?! You egoist!!" – "I hate you!" – "I hate you more!” Personal relationships contribute to our happiness. But sometimes things can go wrong: we say and do things that create conflict between our loved ones and us. Well, there's a way to avoid or resolve conflicts, developed by psychologist Marshall Rosenberg. It's called nonviolent communication or NVC. How does this method work, and how does it help us to be happier in our relationships? Watch the video on nonviolent communication: "I care." "I'm concerned." "I understand." “I sympathise.” .embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; } Nonviolent communication and compassion Nonviolent communication is based on the idea that we all have the capacity for compassion, and that we only use violence or harmful behaviour when we don’t have a more effective way to meet our needs. Nonviolent communication tries to find a way for everyone to get what matters, without the use of coercive or manipulative language. "I want to be loved." "I want to show I feel with you." "I want to be seen.“ “I want to be happy" Three aspects of communication Nonviolent communication focuses on three aspects of communication: self-empathy (awareness of your own experience) empathy (understanding of the other with your heart) honest self-expression (expression that inspires compassion in others) Practitioners of NVC focus in their communication on four aspects: Observation What are you seeing, hearing or touching, without evaluating or judging? Feelings What are your emotions, without thoughts or stories added? Needs What do you desire, without thinking of the strategy to get there? Requests What specific action would you like to ask, without demanding it? NVC: constructing communication The components of nonviolent communication work together. A typical nonviolent communication way of expressing something would be: When you do A [observation] ... … I feel B [feelings] ... … because I want C [needs] ... … I would appreciate it if you would be willing to do D [request]. For example, “When you are late, I feel neglected, because I want to use my time well. I would appreciate it if you could let me know when you’re running late.” Nonviolent communication is useful for connecting with others and living in a way that is conscious, present, and in tune. And that, in the end, makes up all happier! ● happiness.com | The fine art of being: learn, practise, share Are you a happiness.com member? Sign up for free now to enjoy: ■ our happiness magazine with practical life tips ■ share and support others in our happiness forum ■ self-develop with free online classes in our happiness Academy Anger management | Resilience | Leadership Written by Arlo Laibowitz Arlo is a filmmaker, artist, lecturer, and intermittent practitioner of metta meditation and morning yoga. When not dreaming about impossible projects and making them happen in the most impractical ways possible, he journals, listens to jazz, or cuddles with his better half.

So many negative news items were presented in October, but, in fact, the month was a great one for tales of positivity and human endeavour. Ed Gould shares his top ten positive news stories from the month. 1. New Research Improves Chances of Predicting and Preventing Ebola Outbreaks A scientific breakthrough establishing a link between deforestation events and Ebola outbreaks in Central and West Africa could help to predict future Ebola outbreaks or prevent outbreaks from occurring. The new research was published in Nature.com's Scientific Reports online journal in October. Over the course of the study, remote sensing techniques were utilised to assess 27 Ebola outbreak sites, and it was established that outbreaks were strongly linked to forest losses within the past two years. The research offers hope that areas at risk can be identified earlier, improving medical readiness, while other outbreaks can be prevented. 2. Scientists Complete the 'Atlas of Life' to Assist With Animal Conservation Efforts Early in the month, scientists from the University of Oxford and Tel Aviv University published their research on the global distribution of more than 10,000 reptile species. This data can be added to existing data on amphibians, birds and mammals, to create an 'Atlas of Life', which will help with animal conservation efforts globally. Indeed, the information has already helped the team to identify new hotspots where conservation action is needed, and the research could be crucial in helping to protect snakes, lizards and turtles, in particular. The scale of things: reptile tracking to help conservation 3. Breakthrough: On-Demand Organs For Transplants Are One Step Closer A new technique, pioneered by the US biotech firm Miromatrix, could represent a significant breakthrough in the creation of replacement organs used for human transplants. The process involves dissolving cells in a pig organ and then re-infusing the remaining protein scaffold with cells from the new one. So far, the firm has been successful in creating whole livers from pig cells, and the researchers have already started the process of attempting to create organs from human cells. This offers fresh hope that we could soon be able to create organs for life-saving transplant procedures on demand. 4. Gratitude Wall Goes On Tour in the UK After Research Shows It Can Boost Happiness A new 'gratitude wall' is going on tour in the United Kingdom, inspired by research carried out at Coventry University. The research found that writing a gratitude diary can significantly boost happiness and positivity, while at the same time reducing anxiety and levels of depression. Passers-by are urged to write something they are grateful for on the wall, which began its tour on 16th October at the Herbert Art Gallery in Coventry. The research was carried out as part of the university's HOPE programmes, which use evidence-based activities, like mindfulness and gratitude diaries, to support happiness and well-being. 5. New Zealand's Government Announces Plans to Plant 100 Million Trees Per Year The new coalition government in New Zealand, led by prime minister Jacinda Ardern, has announced a series of ambitious environmental initiatives intended to reduce the country's net greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2050 and generate 100 percent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2035. Among the specific schemes outlined by the new government are a commitment to plant 100 million trees every year and to transition the government's vehicle fleet to green vehicles within the next decade. Green gains: New Zealand will plant 100 million trees a year 6. NFL Star Chris Long Agrees to Donate His Entire Salary to Education Charities Professional sports stars sometimes get a bad rep for being over-paid and selfish, but in more positive news, NFL star Chris Long, who plays for the Philadelphia Eagles, has agreed to donate his entire salary for the current season to education charities, which he hopes will improve the life chances of children. Long, who has a base salary of $1 million, will be playing the entire season without collecting income, choosing instead to donate it all to charities in the three cities he has played football – Philadelphia, St. Louis and Boston. 7. The First 3D-Printed Bridge Opens For Cyclists in the Netherlands A new bridge, constructed with the use of 3D printing technology, has opened in the town of Gemert, in the Netherlands. The bridge, which is constructed from 800 layers of 3D-printed concrete, is the first of its kind anywhere in the world and can safely bear loads of up to two tonnes. The technology is particularly exciting for the construction industry because printers distribute materials only where they are needed. This results in less waste, fewer scarce resources being used up, and greater sustainability. 8. China and France Announce Joint Effort to Study Weather and Climate Change October also saw China and France unveil joint plans to improve our understanding of the weather and climate change by launching a satellite to study wind and ocean wave patterns. The project, officially known as the China-France Oceanography Satellite (CFOSAT), is the result of collaboration between the two nations' space agencies. The project represents positive news for climate change because it brings together two of the leaders of the Paris Climate Accord. In addition to helping scientists to improve their climate models, the satellite will also have a more immediate purpose in helping to forecast storms and cyclones, allowing for earlier detection. The new wave: using the ocean to track climate change 9. Virtual Reality is Shown to Reduce Phantom Pain Experienced By Paraplegics A new study published in Neurology shows that virtual reality can create a bodily illusion which can reduce phantom body pain in paraplegics. The phenomenon of phantom pain means that paraplegics often experience the sensation of pain in their legs, even though they have no feeling in them, and this pain is resistant to drug therapies. Participants in the study experienced a virtual reality illusion of their legs being tapped when in reality they were being tapped on the back. In positive news, they not only felt a sense of touch in their legs but also found phantom pain was reduced. It's hoped the research could form the basis for future therapy in this area. 10. New Research: Charitable Giving Gives Us Greater Life Satisfaction Finally, a new report, published by the Women's Philanthropy Institute in October, shows the positive impact that charitable giving can have on happiness. In fact, the Women Give 2017 Report's key findings was that giving to charitable organisations is directly related to higher overall life satisfaction. Charitable giving was shown to improve a household's life satisfaction regardless of marital status, with single men, single women and married couples all experiencing a boost in satisfaction. Moreover, the more a household gives as a percentage of their income, the higher the household's life satisfaction is likely to be. ● Main photo: colourbox.com Written by Ed Gould Ed Gould is a UK-based journalist and freelance writer. He is a practitioner of Reiki.

Young people often struggle with grief following a loss, but a new app, Apart of Me, could help change that. Tine Steiss sat down with co-founder Louis Weinstock to find out more about this exciting project. Louis Weinstock is the co-founder of Bounce Works, a London-based social enterprise that creates connected products to help kids thrive. Apart of Me is its latest project; a safe virtual space to help young people deal with grief. Designed by experts in child psychology and bereaved young people, Apart of Me is a ground-breaking mobile game which helps young people cope with life-limiting illness, death and loss. It enables users to record and securely store memories of loved ones, build emotional resilience, and turn their suffering into a source of hope for others. The game was launched following a successful crowd-funding campaign in 2017. We sat down with Louis Weinstock to find out more about this now award-winning project. How did you come up with the idea for Apart of Me? Louis Weinstock: “I was working in St Joseph's Hospice in Hackney (London, UK), counselling both families where a parent had a terminal illness and also bereaved young people. I saw how the young people I was working with were just a tiny fraction of the numbers of young people around the world dealing with the death of a loved one without the means or support to process their often very difficult feelings. “I saw how unresolved grief can lead to much greater problems like drug addiction, mental illness and criminality further down the line. I also saw how bereaved young people had their digital memories of their loved one kept in chaotic ways on their phone amongst pictures they wouldn't want to share with their therapist or anyone over the age of 21! This made it difficult, awkward for them to honour, remember or talk about their loved one to other people.” Is it in any way comparable to the movie Inside Out, which was an excellent way to engage children in talking about emotions. “I loved the movie Inside Out. And in some ways using an animated medium is the best way to teach anyone about emotions, never mind just children. We do have a 'cave' in the game where the user catches fireflies in a net, and each firefly represents a different emotion. “The user is then supported to experiment with different strategies that can help them find peace with that emotion. But a key difference is that Inside Out is aimed mainly at younger children. Apart of Me is designed for teenagers, so we have used a more nuanced explanation of the emotions around grief, drawing on my experience as a child psychotherapist and 17 years working with children and families.” Watch how Apart of Me works What was the inspiration? “The inspiration was a boy I worked with at the Hospice. He was 15 when I started working with him. His dad had died from liver cancer six months before we met. This boy had been badly affected by his dad’s death: he got kicked out of school, started having around with the wrong crowd, was struggling with his emotions, and had no support. He showed me what happens when a young person doesn't have the right support to find a way through grief. “That’s when I realised we needed to create a highly effective, interactive, therapeutic game to help bereaved young people cope with grief. I'm pleased to say that that boy became an ambassador of Apart of Me and is now doing well. I spoke to him yesterday, and he told me he loved his college course, and he was teaching himself to play the guitar on his dad’s old guitar!” Fantastic! So, what is Apart of Me about? “Apart of Me is based on a character you control, who lands on a beautiful and peaceful island, to meet the Oracle, your wise guide. The Oracle explains that he has been through something similar to you, and he wants to help you to train up to become an Oracle too. Your job is to explore the island, complete the quests, and go through different levels to train to become an Oracle yourself, so that you can share your wisdom with other bereaved young people around the world.” And what's the main mission of the project? “The primary mission is to help young people find hope and courage when someone close to them dies. Too many don’t. Did you know that 25 percent of under 20s who commit suicide have experienced a bereavement in childhood? And that 41 percent of young offenders have lost someone when they were younger? Alongside this mission, we want to help families feel more comfortable talking about death. Being aware that life is precious, a gift can help us all to make the most of each moment.” Which solutions does Apart of Me offer? “So, we have four features in the game at the moment. The images below are probably the best way to demonstrate what we've done so far. Cave: which is about wisdom. The inside of the cave is a mysterious place for catching fireflies, exploring emotions, and hearing user stories from other young people around the world. Message in a bottle: which is about connection. Each day, a new bottle arrives on the island, containing a quest for the hero. These quests encourage face-to-face connections with your parent(s) so that you can co-curate a beautiful treasure-chest of memories, and check in with these memories whenever you want. This feature is a digital version of the 'memory box' practice commonly used in grief counselling. Waterfall: which is about peace. The Waterfall is a place to find some peace with our mindfulness meditations designed to support the grieving process. Perspective on death: What happens when we die? Explore this big question by searching for the mysterious rocks on the island, listen to perspectives old and new, and develop your understanding. Who is the target group? “The primary target group is disadvantaged young people who have a parent who is dying or has already died.” How are those solutions specifically tailored to children? “These solutions are tailored to young people. Traditional counselling is two people sat in a room. While this can be very effective, a lot of young people are more comfortable these days in digital spaces. These are the worlds they inhabit. So all the solutions in this game are based on tried and tested therapeutic techniques, just put into a medium and in a way that young people find highly compelling.” What is the motivation of the people behind this non-profit? “We're motivated by the growing crisis in young people’s mental health. We believe that we need scalable solutions that give young people the perspectives, the understanding, and strategies they need so that they can be free from their suffering and find hope and meaning in their lives.” Which parts of modern research regarding resilience are incorporated and how? “Well, first, it's crucial to say that resilience in grief is difficult to define. What do we mean by resilience? Do we mean feeling better, less sad, or happier? Grief takes so many different forms that it's unhelpful in my clinical opinion to map out a straight line with grief at one end and ‘end-of-grief’ at the other. I love the psychotherapist Patrick O’Malley’s simple clarity: that the depth of a person’s sadness in grief is often a measure of how much love was in that relationship. When somebody close to you dies, life takes on a new meaning, a new story and grief often become a part of that new story. “Most modern research into resilience takes into account the resilience of the system around the young person. So, a young person who has two very supportive parents, a supportive wider family, and a caring school, community or society which allows time and space for people to grieve… that young person is far more likely to find a way through the grief without having scars that are too deep. “So, in the game, we encourage the user to build relationships outside of the game with people they can trust. We are also designing features which allow bereaved young people to support each other in safe and meaningful ways. “Finally, and this is probably the most important, one of the things that breed huge hope and build resilience is when someone who has suffered finds a way to turn their suffering into a source of hope and wisdom for others. In the game, the user’s objective is to train to become an Oracle so that they can upload their wisdom and use that to help other young people who are earlier on in their journey.” How do you plan to move the project forward? What are the next steps? “So, we are about to launch a crowd-funding campaign on Indiegogo. We hope we're going to raise a lot of money, so we can realise the very exciting and important plans we have, including creating a version of this resource for refugee children who are bereaved.” ● 2019 update: Apart of Me is now freely available in the UK, EU, Canada, Australia and New Zealand from both the iOS App Store and on Google Play. Bounce Works are hoping to release Apart of Me in the US and other territories in the near future. They are also planning to create localised versions translated into various languages. If you're interested in helping to customise Apart of Me for young people in your country, please get in touch. Written by Tine Steiss Tine is part of the happiness.com team. She's an artist, meditator, media engineer and MBSR teacher. If she's not traveling she's working on turning her rooftop terrace into a garden paradise. Find out more about her on: Instagram.

After growing up in a household where sex was shamed, discovering BDSM helped Sienna Saint-Cyr to find self-acceptance and enjoyment when it came to her sexual life. Coming to grips with being kinky when you've been raised in a religious or very conservative household isn't easy. When sex is shamed, let alone any exploration outside of missionary style intercourse, finding out even what's hot can be a challenge. Yet most of the kinkiest people I know have come from these sorts of family and societal dynamics. Indeed, many find self-acceptance through BDSM. So, you’re kinky, now what? You can explore without jumping right in. One thing that helped me — though my fear of exploration came from being abused — was with reading stories and seeing if they turned me on. This meant I explored a lot of topics. Some were more dominant/submissive related, others were about rough sex, some were about bondage... then there’s fetishes… I explored many areas and found that most of them were hot for me in some way or another. Though I didn't always know why they why did appeal to me, they just did. “When sex is shamed, let alone any exploration outside of missionary style intercourse, finding out even what's hot can be a challenge.” I did a lot of reading of both fiction and non-fiction books. Both are important because as I read the fiction and found it hot, a lot of it wasn't realistic. Therefore, the non-fiction came in to explain how things should really happen. It was also helpful in figuring out the 'why' portion. The books that helped me most were The New Bottoming Book and The New Topping Book by Janet W. Hardy and Dossie Easton. As well as SM 101 by Jay Wiseman. For fiction, I suggest going to literotica.com, or one of the other free sites, at least in the beginning. Experimentation and exploration Once you've explored with reading (and/or movies) and are fairly certain that you want to know more, that’s when I suggest asking around. While some venues can offer introductory courses and demonstrations, I've personally found this avenue riskier in the beginning. To start with, try an internet search on kink/BDSM 'munches'. Munches are for meeting people and asking questions. No actual scenes take place. Chances are, you’ll find others there that have been raised in similar environments. Once you've met some good and trustworthy people, then find a venue to watch demos. If you take things slowly and gradually lower into kinky waters, you’re going to have an easier time adjusting and backing out if you feel overwhelmed. When we've been taught — or even brainwashed — to believe that enjoying ourselves sexually is sinful or inappropriate, we have to face our shame and guilt eventually. This is why talking to others that have been through similar situations is helpful. Because this kind of shame and guilt is nonsense and serves no purpose other than to make us feel bad. Open minds lead to self-acceptance Owning who we are is beautiful, and accepting ourselves divine in its own right. So, try not to judge yourself. Instead, remain open to what you feel based on the things you read, discuss, and later witness or take part in. Accepting ourselves means we get to experience a level of joy free of the guilt and shame we’d walked around with previously. This isn't limited to our sexual exploration but can also apply to all areas of our lives. “Owning who we are is beautiful, and accepting ourselves divine in its own right. So, try not to judge yourself. Instead, remain open to what you feel.” When we accept our kinky side and find self-acceptance, it means we get to be conscious about our choices rather than have that side sneak out in non-consensual ways. We get to express ourselves without judgement, have better sex, and more fun. In my experience, I've found almost everyone is kinky in some way. So, be brave, explore, and experience the joy that comes with accepting and loving who you are! And always remember: listen to yourself, explore, and know that it's OK to change your mind at anytime. ● Main image: Colourbox.com Written by Sienna Saint-Cyr Sienna Saint-Cyr is an author, advocate, and the founder of SinCyr Publishing. She speaks at conventions, workshops, and for private gatherings on the importance of having a healthy body image, understanding enthusiastic consent, using sexuality to promote healing, navigating diverse or non-traditional relationships, having Complex PTSD, and more. Sienna loves sharing her journey of healing and finding happiness with her readers. Along with writing erotica and romance, Sienna speaks at conventions, workshops, and for private gatherings on such sex-positive topics as a healthy body image, using sexuality to promote healing, and navigating diverse or non-traditional relationships. She writes for several websites. Find out more at https://siennasaintcyr.wordpress.com/.

We don't know anyone that actually likes saying sorry. Indeed, admitting you're wrong takes courage. But, in fact, giving an effective apology is a skill that can be learnt. Here, Rae Bathgate explains the six steps on how to say sorry... and be forgiven! Regardless of who you are, where you’re from, or what your favourite colour is, one thing is constant: apologizing is hard. To say you’re sorry means to stare your mistakes dead in the eye and call them by their name, which is already hard enough, let alone for the apology to be sincere. Even then, in a tense atmosphere, it’s easy to have a hard time getting your point across: you could be completely earnest and make the situation even worse. Yet, apologies are often the first step towards resolving any dispute: if altercations were to be followed with a sincere apology, it would open the door for forgiveness, and allow for a happier relationship. So, what's the best way to say 'I'm sorry'? A new study in the business and human resources sector has found six steps to make the process more efficient. Published in Negotiation and Conflict Management Research, Vol. 9, No. 2 in 2016, the study was led by Roy Lewicki, lead author of the study and professor emeritus of management and human resources at the Ohio State University’s Fisher College of Business. His co-authors were Robert Lount, associate professor of management and human resources at Ohio State and Beth Polin of Eastern Kentucky University. “Apologies are often the first step towards resolving any dispute: if altercations were to be followed with a sincere apology, it would open the door for forgiveness.” For their results, Lewicki and his colleagues conducted two separate and differently constructed tests, using different demographics. In these studies, the researchers examined how 755 participants reacted to apologies. Each apology was created to contain anywhere from one to all six of the relevant elements to make an apology as effective as possible. So, what's the best way to give an effective apology. Just how should you 'sorry'? Fight snub: learn to stop arguing and make an effective apology The six key elements of an effective apology Perhaps the most significant takeaway is that the more of the following elements you include, the more effective the apology will be. The six key elements to an effective apology are: 1. Expression of regret 2. Explanation of what went wrong 3. Acknowledgment of Responsibility 4. Declaration of repentance 5. Offer of repair 6. Request for forgiveness While in the best possible scenario, you would use all six elements when saying sorry, some elements are more necessary than others. Lewicki’s study showed that, first and foremost, for a effective apology, one should focus on number 3, “Acknowledgement of Responsibility.” Our findings revealed that the most critical component is an acknowledgement of responsibility. Say it's your fault, that you made a mistake,” Lewicki explained. Imagine someone immediately making excuses or, worse, deflecting responsibility; this does not make an effective apology. The second element to include was “Offer of Repair.” Often, just apologizing isn't enough. By at least proposing to rectify the situation, you are helping your cause. “One concern about apologies is that talk is cheap. But by saying, ‘I’ll fix what's wrong,’ you’re committing to taking action to undo the damage,” Lewicki continued. The next most effective thing to do was a tie of three elements. In fact, just to be safe, it might not be a bad idea to include all three. In no particular order, the elements to include are expression of regret, explanation of what went wrong, and declaration of repentance. The least effective element of a real apology? Asking for forgiveness. This is understandable, considering that, in most cases, this will benefit you more than the person you are apologizing to, even if the desire to be forgiven comes from a place of remorse and contrition. .embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; } The School of Life's take on how to say sorry Apologizing: the tests TEST #1: adults The first test involved 333 adults recruited online through Amazon’s MTURK program, a workforce platform. In it, each participant read a scenario in which they were the manager of an accounting department that was in the process of hiring a new employee. The scenario further stated that at a previous job, the employee had filed an incorrect tax return, one that understated the client’s capital gains income. In this scenario, when confronted about the altercation, the job candidate apologized. Rather than construct an apology using these entities, the researchers just told the participants how many of the elements mentioned above the apology contained. Half of the participants were told that this incorrectly filed tax return was related to the applicant’s competence, meaning that he was not knowledgeable in all relevant tax codes. In other words, an honest mistake. The other half of the participants involved were told that the mishap was related to the individual’s integrity: for whatever reason, he knowingly filed the tax return incorrectly. Then, using a scale of 1 (not at all) to 5 (very), the subjects were asked to rate how effective, credible, and adequate the apology would be. TEST #2: undergraduate students The second test was done using 422 undergraduate students. The students read the same scenario, in which as the manager of an accounting department they were considering a job applicant who had made a mistake in their previous job. As with the previous Amazon MTURK study, half of the involved participants were also informed that the incorrectly filed tax return was due to the applicant’s competence, while the other half were told that in this scenario, the document wasn't correctly filed due to the job applicant’s integrity. Kiss and make-up: follow the six steps. © colourbox.com The difference, though, was that this time, the participants weren't told what elements the apology contained; instead, they were shown. They read an actual apology that included anywhere from 1 to 6 statements based on the six key elements mentioned above. For instance, as regards “Acknowledgement of Responsibility,” the apology statement included “I was wrong in what I did, and I accepted responsibility for my actions.” Again, they then rated how effective, credible, and adequate the apology would be. The results While the results were not identical, they were at least very similar, Lewicki explained. The results showed that, in both studies, the more of these six elements that the effective apology contained, the more effective it was perceived as, by both the MTURK participants and the undergraduate students. Then, Lewicki and his team evaluated each element one at a time. The team saw that there was a general consistency in how important each element was, in both studies, with some slight variations. Still, in both studies, including a “Request for Forgiveness” was rated as the least important. Effective apologies: does motive matter? As a matter of fact, it seems like it does. As per the study, it appears that the value of the six components to include in an apology was the same, regardless of whether the apology was related to failures of competence or those of integrity. This means that regardless of whether you meant to forget your spouse’s birthday or to give your friend that terrible haircut, the most important thing is still to acknowledge that you are responsible for the issue. The least important aspect of doing remains to ask them for forgiveness. “Overall, though, the two studies showed that participants were, in fact, less likely to accept an apology, even in their imaginary scenario, when the job applicant was shown as having a lack of integrity versus lack of competence.” It’s also important to remember that, while both of these tests polled a broad sample of different demographics in two different ways, there are still elements that have been left out. Lewicki notes that, in this work, the subjects of the test simply read the apology statements. Professor Lewicki further states that emotion and voice inflexion, during a spoken apology, may have substantial and notable effects as well. “ Things like eye contact and appropriate expression of sincerity are important when you give a face-to-face apology,” he said. How does this help us with effective apologies? As the adage goes, everybody makes mistakes. While this should, of course, not serve as an excuse for acting in one’s own best interests only or for thoughtless behaviour, the chances are that – if you’re reading this – you’re going to come across many more situations which will warrant you apologizing. If you’re still not convinced, there are a plethora of songs about the subject to help. Knowing and acknowledging this opens up a little more room for learning how to handle the situation well. After all, if it’s so common, why shouldn't apologizing – as long as it’s heartfelt, and doesn't border into manipulation – be treated like a skill? There are elements that Lewicki and his colleagues' two studies don’t necessarily acknowledge. As previously mentioned, the participants of the studies read written apologies, which, as the researchers noted, is indeed different than a spoken apology. In a face-to-face apology, interpersonal communication elements (like voice inflexion, appropriate expression of sincerity, and eye contact) may also play a significant role. What’s more, study participants were presented with a relatively impersonal scenario. An apology from a potential employee (and a fictitious one, no less) may be different than an apology from your partner, from a friend, or from a family member. Said effective apology is also related to a unique situation. Saying you’re sorry for an inappropriately-filed report (especially if the participants had no significant invested interest in accounting and properly-crunched numbers) is not an emotionally charged situation. This is an effective way to conduct a study but may not serve as the best litmus test for many other real-life situations. So, what can I do? The study illustrated that participants were more likely to accept an apology from someone who made an honest mistake and displayed a lack of competence, than from someone who acted out of malice. In other words, without oversimplifying the matter - follow the golden rule and integrate as many of the five elements in your effective apology as possible: Expression of regret Acknowledgement of Responsibility Offer of repair Explanation of what went wrong Declaration of repentance For example: “It’s my fault.” Second, offer repair, for instance: “I'll help you by ______” or “I'll fix it by helping you to ______.” As the third most important elements to include seem to all be of equal efficacy, the three next ones you should include are the expression of regret, explanation of what went wrong and declaration of repentance. One example of this could be, “I'm so sorry, I regret what I did. It happened because I misunderstood what was said.” As discussed, the least important element and the one that doesn't have to be included for an effective apology is asking for forgiveness. Flower power: if all else fails... Lastly, if you’re on the receiving end of the apology try to be gracious and understanding. And, if you ever recognize these six elements, used in the appropriate order, remember that the person who’s apologizing to you is at least well-informed! Can apologizing make us happier? The correlation may not be the most direct, but it's there. Relationships, be they with friends, family, partners or coworkers, are always messy, and to work towards never even needing to apologize is unrealistic: a much more achievable goal is, while of course trying to avoid hurtful situations, to learn to mend them effectively when they arise. Additionally, and perhaps most importantly, a life filled with healthy and happy relationships is not only the key to happiness: it's also the key to physical and emotional well-being. Research has proven time and time again that not only are connections with others one of the most basic prerequisites for life satisfaction, but that those relationships must be balanced and uplifting: not a power struggle, but a series of connections. And often, what may be perceived as a weakness (as per the famous John Wayne quote) is actually one of the hardest virtues to uphold. Apologizing is hard, and those who face their faults are more courageous than many. After all, as Leon Uris once wrote: "The ability of a person to atone has always been the most remarkable of human features." ● Main image: colourbox.com Written by Rae Bathgate Rae Bathgate is an American journalist based in Barcelona, where she enjoys sunlight, yoga, and bookbinding.

Rae Bathgate takes a look at a new study focusing around the words associated with happiness. Just what exactly do people relate the word 'happiness' with? The results can teach us how to be more joyful. What does happiness mean to you? Every person is their own world, so every answer is different: you may conjure up a memory, I may think of one person, while some even relate it to a smile or a laugh. But how often does happiness make you think of others? One study asked 521 female participants the following question: what three words come to mind when you think of happiness? While not the most original question, a new study titled “What does happiness prompt in your mind? Culture, word choice, and experienced happiness", conducted between Korea and the United States, shows that it may be worth to sit down and ask ourselves this question more often. The method used in this study was free-association, shown to be an accurate indicator of one’s own self, and in it, evidence surfaced that one type of answer mattered more than others when it comes to happiness. Unsurprisingly, it’s not money, success, fame, glamour, nor is it, sadly, raindrops on roses or warm woollen mittens. Rather, the most revealing words are social words, interpersonal words – in short, those related to other people. Group gains: can friendships boost your happiness? While knowing how often you associate these words with happiness seems to be a telling indicator of how happy you might be, the good news is that you can choose who these other people are (meaning that you can build your own social circle). This phenomenon seems to exist in a positive feedback loop, where fuelling social behaviour – especially helping others – may be the key to a higher life satisfaction. Words associated with happiness The study, conducted by the Yonsei University in Korea and the University of California, Santa Barbara (by researchers Ji-Eun Shin and Eunkook M. Suh, and Kimin Oem and Heejung S. Kim respectively) asked 521 female participants from both countries the following question: “What three words come to mind when you think of happiness?” The test was conducted as a free association task, meaning that subjects were to produce some words (in this case, three) that came to mind related to a prompted cue (in this case, the word “happiness”). Researchers focused on answers they categorised as “social:” These social words, as viewed by the researchers, were ones that simply referred to things like interpersonal relationships. Some examples of the words used were: for abstract values (e.g., “love") specific person (e.g., “friend" or “family") relationships (e.g., “dating”) The ties that bind Out of 1,563 words in total, Koreans wrote down social words more often (42 per cent of the time) as opposed to Americans, who associated social words with happiness only 32 per cent of the time. The most common word among Korean participants was also a social word (“family”) compared to the American words “smile” and “laugh.” Even when looking specifically at Americans’ preferred social words, they tended to be more on chosen social ties, with the words “friends” and “friendship.” This difference between our ideas of happiness is not new and had even been predicted by the researchers. What’s more, the study further mirrored findings that connected loneliness to a lack of family ties in collectivist societies, like in Korea, whereas in America loneliness was more often associated with a lack of friends and confidants. “This phenomenon seems to exist in a positive feedback loop, where fuelling social behaviour – especially helping others – may be the key to a higher life satisfaction.” Rather, the central question to be tested was whether participants who used more social words associated with happiness were, in fact, happier. It turns out the answer is yes. “In both cultures, those who mentioned more social words enjoyed significantly higher life satisfaction,” reported the researchers. This suggests that “defining happiness in social terms is beneficial to happiness in both cultures,” conclude researchers, adding that, “the current finding affirms in a novel way that social experience is indeed a core block of happiness.” RELATED: Money can't buy happiness – except when you spend it like this So, how can we move towards greater social connection (whatever that may mean to you) and consequently, towards a happier life? The answer may be simple. Participants who had a higher incidence of social words and a higher reported level of happiness also reported engaging in activities to help others more often, and previous studies have shown that altruistic activities seem to make us happy. Net gains: group activity, such as fishing, is important While researchers acknowledge that the results of this study are mostly correlative, not causative, they suggest that participating in such activities will start a positive feedback loop, thereby making you happier, teaching you to associate happiness with social connectivity, leading you to seek out and provide social support, causing you to be happier, and so on. Haven't we studied this before? Happiness, its causes, and its components have long been a source of research interest. In academia, there has been extensive documentation and widespread agreement "that positive social experience is one of the most significant predictors of happiness,” as written by Shin, Suh, Oem and Kim. Some researchers even go as far as to suggest that social experience was the only condition for happiness, other than the absence of psychopathology (Diener and Seligman, 2002). “Participants who had a higher incidence of social words and a higher reported level of happiness also reported engaging in activities to help others more often.” Previously used methods have been yes/no questionnaires, or longer, free-form essays; while both accurate to an extent, these methods often proved either too restrictive or not enough so. While seemingly simple, free-association, on the other hand, has yielded powerful results in the world of psychology, proving itself an accurate predictor of personality aspects and demographic characteristics. This, according to researchers, is because, “Words that are called up when we think about happiness are a sort of cognitive 'package,' created based on our upbringing, culture and personal experiences.” Shin, Suh, Oem and Kim’s work also asked participants to report on their level of happiness and social involvement. Global happiness was measured using the most widely used method, the Cantril’s Self-Anchoring Scale, while the rest of the study focused on establishing "the person’s level of interest, desire, and competence for developing a relationship with others,” with concepts like: emotional support belonging loneliness optimism efficacy interpersonal closeness How others make you happier Researchers Shin, Suh, Oem and Kim specify that their study is to be taken as a complement to previous work, noting that the primary objective is to draw a parallel between "beliefs about happiness and how they relate to actual experiences of happiness,” by delving into two countries’ deeply-held beliefs about the subject. So, does linking happiness to social relationships give you a more positive outlook on life? Not necessarily. The study showed that in both ascribed (e.g. “family”) and self-chosen (e.g. “friends”) relationships, there was no difference in optimism by those who used more social words. Better together: social connectivity is one key to happiness However, these subjects reported feeling significantly less lonely, as researchers Shin, Suh, Oem and Kim note: “They believed that their selves overlapped more with others, desired more social belongingness, and presumably as a consequence, were less lonely.” Indeed, this stronger social connection (or, as the researchers put it, the content of happiness) seems to indicate a higher level of happiness: in other words, if your definition of happiness is to spend quality time with others, the chances are that you will be happier. RELATED: Happiness in different cultures This held true for both American and Korean participants, indicating that “holding a socially rich theory of happiness is beneficial to the mental health of both Americans and Koreans,” explain the researchers, who conclude that, “Fulfilment of social need seems to be a universally necessary condition of happiness.” What does it all mean? Social interaction is a tricky thing: for each person, some days and nights lend themselves to picnics, bonfires, dancing and socialising, and days that are fabricated more for some alone time with a book. With their study, Shin, Suh, Oem and Kim aren’t suggesting that the real key to happiness is only through social interaction. Rather, their research supports the idea that those who associate happiness with the notion of strong, reliable social relationships seem to be the happiest. So, how does one change one’s beliefs about what happiness means? Well, apart from continuing to read up on the subject of the key to happiness, you can jump-start a positive feedback loop by engaging in activities that foster strong relationships, preferably ones where you (yes, you!) can help someone else. Cultivating social ties, especially those where you can give back as well are proven to make you happier –or at least, less lonely – which in turn may change your whole perspective on what happiness means. ● Main image: colourbox.com happiness.com | The fine art of being: learn, practise, share Are you a happiness.com member yet? Sign up for free now to enjoy: ■ our happiness magazine with practical life tips ■ share and support in our happiness forum ■ self-develop with free online classes in our Academy Positive psychology | Life purpose | Motivation Written by Rae Bathgate Rae Bathgate is an American journalist based in Barcelona, where she enjoys sunlight, yoga, and bookbinding.

Although Sienna Saint-Cyr tried many types of yoga, she couldn't find her perfect pairing. Then she discovered trauma sensitive yoga and everything clicked into place. Here's her take on this healing practice. After hearing how healing and peaceful yoga can be, I developed a real interest in it. I've spent a lot of time going to different gyms and trying yoga videos I purchased or found on YouTube, but none gave me the peacefulness I was promised. Sure, they stretched my body, but there wasn't the calm afterwards that I desperately desired. It all felt so body-specific. For me, this was a problem, and kept me from fully embracing the healing aspects of having a daily yoga practice. One day I attended a class with a friend while out of town and my entire view on yoga changed. The instructor did a lot more with focusing on proper breath through the movements as opposed to the poses themselves, and I left feeling so euphoric and relaxed. The sensation stuck with me for hours, and as a person with high anxiety and Complex PTSD, this feeling of peace and relaxation was more than welcome. Discovering trauma sensitive yoga I went home and tried to find a class like that in my area, but the price was either too high or I couldn't find what I was looking for. Because of my PTSD, I don’t do well with people touching me or larger classes. So, my therapist suggested I try trauma-sensitive yoga (TSY) — a type of yoga focused on people with mental trauma — created by David Emerson. My therapist sent me to a nearby studio that taught Emerson's methods, then helped me get a scholarship. For the next three months, my world changed for the better. Bend yourself better with trauma-sensitive yoga At first, I thought I’d hate it. But trauma sensitive yoga was different from other types of yoga such as compassion yoga or gratitude yoga. The instructor, Morgan Vanderpool, didn't do fancy poses or show off like other teachers I’d seen. In fact, I learned very few actual yoga poses during the class. It was all about focusing on breath and being present in our bodies. One of the ways she’d keep us present is to tell us to focus on how it feels when our palm touches the floor. Or she’d ask us to be aware of what parts of our body were really feeling the pose, then to breath into that area. I learned quickly that much of the reason I’d hated yoga was because I hadn't been truly present. My mind was wandering constantly, so I never practised properly. “Trauma-sensitive yoga was different from other types of yoga. It was all about focusing on breath and being present in our bodies.” I also felt no pressure to take part in poses that were triggering for me, a problem I’d had in many other classes. Nor did I feel the need to talk to others. The class I attended had a maximum of eight people per session and we were able to leave at any time if we needed to. My trauma sensitive yoga instructor also had experience working in therapy, so she knew how to respond to my triggers. She was warm, always calm and used a quiet voice, and she kept my focus on listening to my body. Respecting my body and listening to it Respecting my body is difficult for me. I was so used to disassociating from it that I often ignored the pain in my body. I even ignored tiredness, hunger, thirst, and desire. My instructor helped me to be present in my body without fear. In fact, my first class with her helped me realize how little I was present in my body or in the moment. Her constant reminder to feel my contact points — hands on floor, feet on floor, butt on floor, pressure in each location — kept me re-engaging when I’d drift. I remember after the first session, lying back on the floor and as I stared up at the ceiling, I felt like I could drift away in that moment. I’d gone into the class full of tension and fear, and in that moment I didn't want to get up. I wanted to stay there and feel all of that release. The feeling was so strong that when I left the studio I called one of my partners because I felt too dizzy to drive! He talked to me about my experience and how I felt after coming through it and all I could do was cry. I had literally released so much that I didn't want to stop. The more I let go of, the lighter I felt. Stretch yourself: trauma sensitive yoga can heal During the session, I let my body do what it needed. I pushed as far as I felt I should, got into positions that my body felt good in, and when I got overwhelmed, I sat in silence until I felt I could rejoin the group. I honoured my body, and in doing so, took my first steps toward respecting my body and healing the trauma that I’d stored there most of my life. The class changed me. Now, I can participate in many types of yoga and feel the benefits in a physical and mentally calming way. I even use the methods when I get triggered or full of stress. I stop, focus on my feet touching the ground, the pressure in my leg muscles, the tension in my back, then I breath it out. The more I've practised this, the more I've come to understand that in order to truly be happy in life, I needed to be present all the time. “I learned very few actual yoga poses during the class. It was all about focusing on breath and being present in our bodies.” Trauma-sensitive yoga started me on my path to finding and creating my own practice. Some days I incorporate gentle dance. Other days I do more meditation than movement. It just depends on the day and what my needs are in that moment. And that’s what being present means. Honouring the moment. Deep stuff: breathe into your bodily tension during trauma-sensitive yoga While I've still had small bouts of depression or moments of stress and anxiety, I now have the tools to release those negative emotions and get back on track with being present. When I'm living in the moment, I'm not stressed. I'm not focused on the tasks that need doing in the following week or the annoying incident that happened last week. I'm focused on the moment. When I'm present, I'm happy. Trauma sensitive yoga helped me achieve this. I can’t recommend it enough, no matter your level of trauma or PTSD. Happiness is achievable regardless of our circumstances when we are in the moment and not allowing ourselves to live elsewhere! ● Images: colourbox.com Written by Sienna Saint-Cyr Sienna Saint-Cyr is an author, advocate, and the founder of SinCyr Publishing. She speaks at conventions, workshops, and for private gatherings on the importance of having a healthy body image, understanding enthusiastic consent, using sexuality to promote healing, navigating diverse or non-traditional relationships, having Complex PTSD, and more. Sienna loves sharing her journey of healing and finding happiness with her readers. Along with writing erotica and romance, Sienna speaks at conventions, workshops, and for private gatherings on such sex-positive topics as a healthy body image, using sexuality to promote healing, and navigating diverse or non-traditional relationships. She writes for several websites. Find out more.

Finding happiness isn't always as simple as opening a box labeled joy. Some people find it in the most unexpected places, like BDSM submission. Sienna Saint-Cyr shares her personal journey of overcoming a troubled past and finding her inner peace... What is happiness? It doesn’t come in a neat little package titled, “open me for joy”. So, I had no idea how to find it. As with many girls I knew growing up, my thoughts of happiness centered on marriage, having kids, and owning a charming house with a white picket fence. Happiness, according to everything I knew at this time, came in the form of having things that other people could see. Happiness was external. Yet as I got older and achieved these goals, I realized that I still wasn’t happy. And this was confusing. My whole life I heard that if I had these things, followed this plan, then everything would be OK. That I would be happy. So I got those things, followed that plan and was most definitely not happy! While I loved my husband dearly and adored my children, the problem was still there, and it wasn't going anywhere. Then I had my 'eureka' moment. I realized this whole time that I had looked outwards for happiness when I should have been looking inwards. But for me, looking inwards caused a problem... inside, I was an emotional mess. “My thoughts of happiness centered on marriage, having kids, and owning a charming house with a white picket fence.” Many years ago I’d experienced a lot of trauma and my inside was not such a happy place. Certainly, not somewhere I'd look for happiness anyway. While in therapy I actively began to deal with my diagnosis of Complex PTSD. We've all heard of soldiers coming back with PTSD, but Complex PTSD is a bit different. It generally starts earlier in life but not always. It's a trauma brought on in the form of a power dynamic struggle between the sufferer from a caregiver (or other interpersonal relationship) and is long-term. Letting go of control To cope with my pain, I kept part of me kept closed off, in order to stay safe. On the other hand, this also cut me off from being able to find joy in life. I was in a constant state of defence, sometimes known as 'fight or flight' mode. This constant state of stress was protecting me from getting better. In order to heal on a fuller and deeper scale, I needed to let down my walls. I understood what I should to do, but I’m stubborn. To be that vulnerable was scary. Not because I didn’t trust the people in my life, but because it meant letting go of my control. Staying in control is what kept me safe, or so I thought. Spelling it out: PTSD Reaching out for help After trying many different approaches and having discussions with my therapist and husband, we decided that sexual submission might be good for me. It would be a way to get me out of my comfort zone and let go of control in a safe and consensual environment. But my husband wasn’t into domination to that extent, so I began looking elsewhere. Since my husband and I are polyamorous (meaning we are in an open relationship), I ended up finding a Dom that I met through networking with others. We began talking, and soon, I was submitting to him full time. My Dom focuses on helping his submissive partners become better versions of themselves. His focus for me was about helping me be the best mom, wife, and friend I could be. While at the same time, helping me to find joy and success in life. My Dom's focus was to help me find the happiness I was missing. To help me overcome my reliance on external things for happiness. He helped me to find the inner happiness I couldn't find through all the external things I'd acquired. My Dom helped me relearn how to find internal happiness. BDSM submission as a tool Without sexual submission, I still wouldn't be happy now. Using it as a tool, I found peace. I found a more fulfilling way to love, that inner happiness I was searching for all those years. Finally, I found joy. And all through BDSM submission. By using it as a tool to heal. In handing over my control to him, I allowed myself to trust others. This external trust is what led to my growth and healing. My Dom created a safe space for me to deal with my trauma— both physically and emotionally. He helped me re-contextualize the horrible memories I had. “Without sexual submission, I still wouldn't be happy now. Using it as a tool, I found peace.” Creating new memories and contexts for the old hurtful ones was only possible through having this safe space. It wouldn’t have been possible without handing over my control to him. Complete submission meant I could get out of my head and allow someone else to take the lead. To help me process and heal. So that, in the end, I could find happiness and learn to trust in others again. This also gave me power. I was choosing to give my control to someone else. This turned things around. It became my choice to allow my Dom to be in control. Submission is a choice. It's never forced, and that is the difference between my past and now. My first steps toward happiness Taking the initial steps wasn’t easy, though. While my husband was supportive, I received a lot of judgment from someone close to me at the time. And criticism came from all around. A lot of people challenged my political beliefs. They told me I wasn’t a feminist anymore. Many claimed that what I was doing wasn’t safe. Mostly because they didn't understand what it was that we were doing. People told me that I wasn’t as powerful if I submitted. And I almost listened. I almost gave in and ran the other way. Overcoming things that certain people said was a big part of what I had to do. I also had to deal with my own self-judgment which came after. Which is often harsher than any external criticism. There were judgements coming at me from all angles. In the end, part of me finding happiness meant accepting who I am fully. A big part of who I am that brings me inner happiness, is as a submissive to my Dom. BDSM submission taught me to let go in a way that I couldn't before. It helped me to release trauma and pain so I could replace it with joy and pleasure. Submission changed my life in many positive and healing ways. It brought me the happiness I sought for so long. Submission allowed me to look inward instead of outward for my joy. I no longer fear the darkness inside me. It’s safe to look inside myself. Through BDSM submission, I’ve learned to be a more supportive and loving wife, a better mom, and a true friend. ● Main image: Colourbox.com Written by Sienna Saint-Cyr Sienna Saint-Cyr is an author, advocate, and the founder of SinCyr Publishing. She speaks at conventions, workshops, and for private gatherings on the importance of having a healthy body image, understanding enthusiastic consent, using sexuality to promote healing, navigating diverse or non-traditional relationships, having Complex PTSD, and more. Sienna loves sharing her journey of healing and finding happiness with her readers. Along with writing erotica and romance, Sienna speaks at conventions, workshops, and for private gatherings on such sex-positive topics as a healthy body image, using sexuality to promote healing, and navigating diverse or non-traditional relationships. She writes for several websites. Find out more.

Many people believe that mindfulness makes us happier. But how does mindful living improve our authenticity (sense of self), or our happiness? New research sheds light on some of these fascinating questions. Does mindfulness really make us happier? If you've been working on living a mindful life, you may instinctively want to answer yes. Perhaps you've reduced the stress in your life, or at least improved your ability to handle it. You may have focused your effort on the things that really matter to you. Or maybe you just feel a greater sense of confidence and comfort in yourself. Although many of us can feel the benefits in our lives, there hasn't been a lot of scientific evidence so far to back up these ideas. However, that's starting to change. New studies are shedding light not only on whether mindfulness affects psychological well-being but also how. Two recent studies from researchers in Australia and the United States have examined the ways in which mindfulness affects our sense of self and behaviour. Both studies provide fascinating insights into the ways in which mindful living can affect fundamental parts of our identity. Mindfulness and sense of self A 2016 study carried out by researchers at the University of Utah investigated the "self-concept clarity" of university students. Self-concept clarity (SCC) is the extent to which an individual has a clear definition of their own beliefs and traits which remain consistent over time. Individuals with high SCC have a strong sense of self – a clear image of who they are. This view isn't necessarily accurate, of course – SCC isn't the same thing as self-knowledge, but it's stable. “The evidence so far suggests that authenticity may be one of the most important connections between mindful living and well-being.” There is an association with high SCC, positive relationships, high self-esteem and a greater sense of independence. Not much is known about where exactly it comes from. However, this study suggests that the connection is with intentional and non-judgmental awareness. In other words, mindfulness. The study revealed that more mindful participants had greater SCC, and that both mindful living and strong sense of self were correlated with psychological well-being. In fact, the relation between a mindful disposition and well-being through SCC was higher than the correlation between mindfulness and well-being alone. The authors of the study conclude that mindful individuals may improve their well-being in several ways. These individuals avoid conflicting self-images, which can lead to distress. They may more frequently identify behaviour that will improve their psychological well-being and sense of self-esteem. Mindfulness and authenticity A second study, conducted by researchers at the National University of Australia and Catholic University of Australia in 2016, shows some results that reveal further information about the connection between mindful living and values-based actions. According to the study, values-based action – action and behaviour consistent with an individual's values and beliefs – are an important part of the relationship between a mindful disposition and psychological well-being. Individuals who were more mindful tended to act more consistently with their own values and therefore tended to be happier. In fact, the researchers found that the connection between mindfulness and well-being through values-based action was much stronger than the direct link. Mindful individuals saw an increase in well-being primarily when they showed authenticity in action. Lesson to learn: authenticity equals happiness! © Ingram Image Psychological well-being Both studies suggest a correlation between mindful individuals and psychological well-being. It's worth taking a moment to examine the concept in a little more detail. Psychological well-being (PWB) basically reflects what we would think of as happiness: an individual's level of satisfaction with various aspects of their life. It's not a simple concept, though. Well-being breaks down into two further categories: hedonic and eudaimonic well-being. Hedonic well-being focuses on experiencing pleasure and avoiding pain. When we're comfortable, well-fed and enjoying ourselves, our sense of hedonic well-being is high. Eudaimonic well-being bases itself more on the happiness that comes from self-actualisation. Our sense of eudaimonic well-being is high when we feel that what we are doing is worthwhile and that we can fulfill our potential. Authenticity of action is vital to this sense of well-being. Relating authenticity and self-image Both studies may show some of the connection between a mindful disposition and well-being. In the University of Utah study, mindful individuals did not suffer from some of the distress that can come from a confused or contradictory sense of self. In fact, they had clearer ideas of who they were. This may have allowed them to select actions and relationships that satisfied their values. In the Australian study, well-being came from authenticity: individuals who acted on their values tended to be happier. “Individuals who were more mindful tended to act more consistently with their own values and therefore tended to be happier.” But, of course, the two are inseparable. A strong sense of self is vital to values-based action, since people with lower self-concept clarity may not even really be sure of their own values. Putting it into practice Of course, these are just two studies, and, as always, further research is needed. But the evidence so far suggests that authenticity may be one of the most important connections between mindful living and well-being. Maintaining a mindful disposition can make us more aware of ourselves and our values, which is vital. But these values won't contribute as much to our well-being unless we put them into action. By identifying what our core beliefs are – what's really important to us – we can identify the actions that we need to carry out to put those beliefs into practice. Hopefully, putting our core beliefs into practice makes the world a better place. But it's also an important part of building our sense of well-being. When we act with authenticity – when we're true to our own sense of self – we develop the habits that contribute to our own happiness. ● Main image: Ingram Image Written by Guest Author We're happy to publish articles by guest authors that will broaden the perspective and bring new insights. If you're interested in publishing an article here on happiness.com, please contact us.