Worrybirds,
The Get Afraid Journal is now available through Barnes & Noble!
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For any new subscribers, my name’s Jed. If you want to get in touch, hit reply.
Yale’s Science of Well-Being
It’s the most popular course Yale has ever offered.
It also inspired a podcast, a ton of listicles, cheat sheets, and distillations.
Last week, I finished the 10-week program. It featured a number of exercises, quizzes, and lectures to increase well-being and form productive habits.
Scientific studies are all cited in the class, so I won’t waste your time by mentioning them here.
I was encouraged to measure my happiness before and after doing the course.
Before I reveal my happiness scores, I want to share a warning.
“Life Hacks” are seductive. They tempt us with tricks to gain contentment, make money, or find more time.
Self-help makes me feel like, “There has to be a better system out there. A new framework. A better to-do list. A different app. I just have to find it.” There’s always a new productivity guru or another book to read.
Maybe I should write one?
An obsession with productivity is just another form of procrastination. I fall into this trap all the time. You don’t have to spend 10 weeks searching for a pot of gold if you’re already feeling good.
Knowledge Isn’t Enough
Right from the start, Yale Professor Laurie R. Santos explains that knowing what to do is not enough.
You’ve probably heard these activities before. Keep a gratitude journal, get some sleep, savor things, and exercise more. The problem is, we have trouble following through. There’s just never enough time, energy, or money.
Knowing what to do is not enough. We have to act. We need to figure out a way to form habits around actions that make us happy.
Habit Formation
In one of my favorite books, The Power of Habit, Charles Duhigg explains that the easiest way to form a new habit is to stack it on an existing habit.
So if you want to floss more, you should add flossing right after you brush your teeth.
You can also swap out an existing habit with a new one. If you eat a cookie every afternoon, try using that time to take a break to check in with coworkers instead.
He also talks about the power of cues, rewards, and routines.
When, ______ happens, I will ______, because it provides me with ______.
I’m getting sidetracked. We’re supposed to be talking about well-being!
Miswanting and Distractions
The first half of Yale’s course is mostly about the things we think will make us happy.
Money
Awesome stuff
Beauty
True love
These shiny things can provide a boost, but they have diminishing returns. We tend to overestimate the impact, intensity, and duration of things we think will make us happy. Marriage has a honeymoon period. A new car is fun, but you get used to it. Hedonic adaptation is the problem. Everything levels out with time.
One of the biggest revelations for me was the idea that awesome stuff never changes. It just sits there. You walk by it every day until you don’t even notice it anymore. You just get bored with it.
On the other hand, experiences have an end. They create memories. And memories inspire stories worth sharing.
You know, like “Try it for the story.”
Other Gotchas
Social comparisons can spark envy or shame
Underestimating our ability to cope
Forgetting about our resilience and the tools we have to adapt
Professor Santos recommends avoiding social media altogether.
What makes me happy?
According to a study mentioned in the course, happiness is 50% Genetics, 40% Actions/Thoughts, and 10% Life Circumstances.
…our genes, our life circumstances, and our activities aren’t three isolated factors that influence our happiness directly. They can also influence each other, muddying those distinctions."
Recent research puts genetics in the 70–80 % range.
I could probably find a study to support whatever I’d like.
All I know is, I sleep better and feel better if I exercise and drink less caffeine. You might be different. Not every action mentioned in the course will work for everyone. And if it does work, it might not work forever.
What are my strengths?
Professor Santos encouraged students to embrace their strengths. The course provided this quiz to help identify them.
My Signature Strengths
Prudence
Love of Learning
Judgment
Humor
Of course, most people taking a class for fun will have a “Love of Learning.”
My Happiness After 10 Weeks
After completing a number of well-being challenges, here are my results.
Overall Well-Being (Out of 10)
6.06 to 6.4
Authentic Happiness (Out of 5)
2.21 to 3.25
It’s not a huge jump, but I’m trending in the right direction.
What’s Next?
The course recommended more than a few techniques to help improve well-being. We’ll take a closer look at those next time.
Until then, try taking the class for yourself on Coursera.
— Jed
Oh, by the way, I finished that Flu book. I learned this guy went to Alaska in 1951 and 1997 to dig up frozen human remains in the hopes of collecting tissue samples to identify the Spanish Flu of 1918. It actually worked and the strain was synthesized and evaluated after the book was published.
Why wasn’t that story turned into a movie?
See you fearly soon. 🙄
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