Greetings!
It has taken some time to wade through the abundant emails we received in response to our inaugural issue of HAPPINESS HEADLINES but I loved every minute of it! I am so humbled by your compliments and truly grateful for your warm wishes and support. Every email, letter, phone call, and smile makes a difference to me. Indeed, my greatest joy comes from spreading the word that happiness matters! This monthly, electronic newsletter helps us do just that, and keep you posted on the progress of our documentary, H-Factor...Where is Your Heart?
In keeping with the Thanksgiving holiday, our theme this month is gratitude. To that end, we profile Professor Richard Emmons whose seminal work brings gratitude to the foreground. We also take a look at the controversy over happiness education in public schools, and let Kayla test a happiness theory. As always, we welcome your feedback and are eager to give your personal reflections on happiness a headline here, so send them in. Let's make this two-way street a lively one!
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 In early October, I flew to Washington, D.C. to attend the 2007 Global Well-Being Forum featuring the International Positive Psychology Summit and new insights from the Gallup World Poll. The 428 attendees at this conference represented 28 countries, 70 businesses and organizations, and 140 educational institutions. I was, at first, a little intimidated by the caliber of scholars, leaders and decision-makers gathered to present their research but my discomfort quickly vanished as I focused on the incredible information the presenters were sharing about global well-being and human strengths. H-Factor will feature the best film clips I captured at this heady gathing of happiness experts. By the second day, conference organizers opened up to the H-Factor project and we began talking about sharing video material, especially what Gallup is producing on the economics of global well-being.
While in DC, I went to the Viet Nam Memorial in somber pursuit of happiness in the context of loss and grief. Can happiness survive in a bereft heart? I didn't know what I would find there or who would talk to me with that massive wall of fallen loved ones as a backdrop, but two very gracious visitors to the Memorial opened up on-camera and will share their stories of happiness post mortem in H-Factor...Where is Your Heart? |
 
Psychologist Robert Emmons, a UC Davis Professor and editor of The Journal of Positive Psychology, says gratitude is the forgotten factor in happiness research. At the October Gallup Summit on Global Well-being Emmons presented stunning findings on the psychology of gratitude and personal goals and how each is related to happiness and a healthy, integrated personality. Look for Professor Emmons insights in H-Factor.
If you'd like to know more right now, check out Dr. Emmons first book, The Psychology of Gratitude, and his latest tome, THANKS!: How The New Science of Gratitude Can Make You Happier. You'll learn how gratitude contributes to emotional serenity, pleasure, richer personal relationships, and greater health. Emmons also shines a light on ingratitude, which, he says, results from grudging resentment of one's own dependence on others. The book wraps with his 10 tips on cultivating an attitude of gratitude. You can also take Dr. Emmons' Gratitude Quiz and compare your score against a random sample of 1,200 other respondents.
http://www.beliefnet.com/section/quiz/index.asp?sectionID==105 |
Guess what the Brits are doing? Happiness classes in public schools! The Sunday Times reported on the controversy surrounding the British Education Secretary's recent announcement that happiness classes will soon be compulsory in public high schools. The move came after research found that teaching the subject in 300 primary schools boosted students' concentration by helping them understand their emotions. The program, called SEAL (Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning), encourages young people to express feelings openly, empathize with others, and identify areas of gratitude in their lives.
Proponents say there is hard science behind the teaching of happiness and that SEAL will lead to long-term improvement in emotional wellbeing and academic success. They point to a substantial body of psychological research showing that young people can be taught "emotional resilience, self-restraint and healthier ways to live."
Dr. Martin Seligman, widely acknowledged as the founder of the positive psychology movement and author of The Optimistic Child, argues that children can be taught to be more positive about themselves and events. Earlier this year, a group of British teachers participated in a University of Pennsylvania crash course on how to teach a resiliency program, developed by Seligman and his team. The program is purported to have reduced depression and antisocial behavior among teenagers in three different countries.
Opponents of compulsory happiness education counter that this "psychotherapeutic froth" is sweeping real education reform from the priority position it deserves. They point out that "happiness is a byproduct of satisfaction with achievement. Children are happy when they are challenged by new knowledge, not when they sit around meditating in a circle with their eyes shut."
A recent survey revealed an interesting disconnect: British children scored near the bottom in actual math achievement yet they ranked themselves near the top when asked to rate how good they were at math. This, says one opponent of happiness classes, shows that "self-esteem based on success is good; self-delusion encouraged by politicians isn't."
Psychologist Carol Craig, director of Glasgow's Center for Confidence and Wellbeing, says these classes may harm some children. Her research shows that focusing "on the self can create an obsession with how you feel and can lead in some kids to depression. SEAL may work for some children but this is not like arithmetic or grammar. If it doesn't work it will lead to psychological problems."
Anthony Seldon, a pioneer of happiness curriculum counters that "trying to help people with long-term coping skills," can't be bad for anybody. "I don't think there is any sane way to exist as a human being except to get in touch with your feelings and thoughts."
Some pundits say that SEAL "looks like a panic measure" to tackle problems highlighted earlier this year by the Unicef Table of Child Wellbeing in which Britain came in at the bottom out of 21 industrialized countries. FYI, the United States ranked just above Britain at #20 in the Unicef index (which measured material well-being, health and safety, educational well-being, family and peer relationships, behavior and risks, and subjective well-being)
Rounding out the debate, here's a British kid's perspective on the controversy: "As weird as these lessons seem, they will be good for kids. Adults drum into our heads that we need grades and a high-flying job to prosper. Everyone is forgetting what living is all about. Money doesn't make you happy. Children should be taught about how to be positive and this will help them decide whether they want to spend their lives slaving away for a paycheck or actually do something that makes them happy and fulfilled. This will lead to a brighter, more positive generation. Just watch and wait--you'll see."
We'll do just that, and bring you updates on this story as they develop... |
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Our showcase for happiness art created by young students at the Children's Education Center at Cal Tech in Pasadena. We welcome your artistic expression of happiness.
We'll gladly feature your H-Art print in an upcoming issue.
Aryel Kamen
8 years old
"Smile"
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Our December issue will feature highlights from my Thai adventure and excerpts from my interview with scientist and Buddhist monk, Matieu Ricard, AKA the happiest man on earth. Until then, we offer you this food for thought:
"Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the experience of living every minute with love, grace, and gratitude." Denis Waitley
Giving thanks,
Lisa & Kayla Kamen & the staff of
H-Factor...Where is Your Heart? |
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  Wow! I came up with a happiness theory that I want to test in the film. I told my mom about it and she's says we can do it! You know I love shopping, right? (and chocolate, but) shopping really makes me happy. Well, here's what I'm thinking...we do an experiment...I go into different stores and ask the store clerks: "If I buy this thing will I be happy?" I'll actually pick out two or more things and ask different clerks: "If I bought this XX as oppose to that YY, would it make a difference in my own happiness?'' I may even dress up in different disguises to see if store clerks choose something else based on what I'm wearing or who they think I am. My theory is that money can't buy happiness, even for people, like me, who love to shop. Happiness comes from the inside, they all say, but testing this in the stores is a good way to prove it. We're going to try this. You can, too!
love, Kayla
P.S. My mom brought in the 30-minute version of H-Factor...Where is Your Heart to my school to share with the teachers. Now my teacher wants to show the film to my 5th classmates, so that's kinda cool. :-) |
Click the image above
for a sneak peek! |
Third International Conference on Gross National Happiness (GNH)
GNH challenges development models dominated by GDP (Gross Domestic Product) and offers creative platforms for exchange, networking and policy development aimed at individual, community, national and international transformation.
November 22-28, 2007
Bangkok, Thailand
http://www.gnh-movement.org/
Happiness & Its Causes 2008
Keynote presentation and workshop
by Positive Psychology founder,
Professor Martin Seligman,
and Daniel Gilbert,
author of Stumbling on Happiness.
May 8-9, 2008
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Lisa is off to Thailand this month, accompanying H-Factor...Where is Your Heart? for its first public premiere at the 3rd international Conference on Gross National Happiness in Bangkok, November 27th. Before and after the conference, she's planning to engage (and film) some Thai citizens, including sex workers, in a discussion of happiness from their unique perspectives. Knowing Lisa's indomitable spirit the way we do, she'll get what she's after! |
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Written and edited by
Rachel Ross
H-Factor's Content Development Specialist
& Resident Skeptic
Designed by
Dustin Zahn
Dzahn Design
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