tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-45963856366368111562024-03-13T12:00:02.129-07:00Happiness Alliance BlogHappiness Alliancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05592467282941426227noreply@blogger.comBlogger214125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4596385636636811156.post-44329920852243204352021-04-12T21:29:00.015-07:002021-06-24T13:01:34.318-07:00Happiness Index Survey Taker FAQs<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #6aa84f; font-family: times;"><b> Questions People who take the <span style="color: #6aa84f;"><a href="https://survey.happycounts.org/survey/directToSurvey" target="_blank">Happiness Index</a> </span>Frequently Ask & their Answers (FAQs)</b></span></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;">What is the Happiness Index? And what do you mean by happiness?</span></h4><div style="text-align: left;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-a2c591c5-7fff-99ba-56a8-d02b626e43b5" style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Happiness Index, is a <a href="https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/jsc/vol9/iss1/2/" target="_blank">scientifically validated survey</a></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> that accurately reflects happiness and generates results that reflect quality of life in ten specific areas. When you take the Happiness Index, you get your own personal scores. When many people take it, it </span></span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">accurately</span><span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> reflects the happiness of the group of people who took it. </span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><span><span style="font-family: times; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times; white-space: pre-wrap;">We define happiness in terms of your satisfaction with life, your feelings, your psychological well-being (also called flourishing or thriving) and your satisfaction with the circumstances of your life, also called the domains of happiness. The circumstances of your life matter because they impact your satisfaction with life and how you feel. The domains are community and social support, work, standard of living, time balance, health, environment, lifelong learning and culture, government and psychological well-being. We can use other terms like well-being or quality of life. There are other efforts to measure happiness that employ a similar approach, for example The <a href="https://worldhappiness.report/" target="_blank">World Happiness Report</a> and <a href="http://www.oecdbetterlifeindex.org/#/11111111111" target="_blank">OECD Better Life Index</a>.</span></div><p><span style="font-family: times;"><b>Isn't happiness highly personal?</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">What makes you happy is unique to you, and at the same time, people</span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> are happier when the circumstances of our life support our happiness. Because we all share certain needs, we all benefit when circumstances allow us to meet those needs. For example, you may find happiness in your work or in your family, in nature or in community, in leisure or in activity, in volunteering or in </span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">exercising - in all of these or none of these, but when your life circumstances allow you to do</span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> what makes you happy - well, you are happier, and you are likely to be more satisfied with your life. You can look at it from the opposite perspective: if you lost your job and had no way to support yourself and your loved ones, your environment were so toxic it made you sick or endangered your life in other ways, your government so corrupt you feared for your life on a daily basis (we could go on, but you probably get the point), well, you would be pretty unhappy - miserable, in fact. So while what you do to be happy is entirely unique to you, everyone benefits when the conditions of life allow them to be happy. </span></span></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;">Can I trust the Happiness Index with my data? Why do you want to know my scores? What will you do with my data?</span></h4><p><span style="font-family: times;">The Happiness Index data is collected by the Happiness Alliance. We follow the European Union's <a href="https://gdpr-info.eu/" target="_blank">General Data Protection and Regulation </a>(GDPR) which is the strongest code we know of for protecting personal data. In simple terms: all of your responses are kept anonymous; data is kept only for as long as it is useful, we never sell or trade your data, we only use it (and always in an anonymized format) for its original purpose. When you take the Happiness Index to contribute to gathering data for an area, project or purpose in partnership with another organization or entity, we make sure that our partners agree to the GDPR, and we share only anonymized data. Sometimes our partners give you the option to enter your name, email or other information for follow up, and in these cases, you have the option of not answering the question (you have the option of not answering any question actually) and we separate personal identification data like your email from the rest of the data set to protect anonymity. </span></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;">Can I trust what the Happiness Index measures? Who put together the Happiness Index? How do I know it is a valid instrument?</span></h4><p><span style="font-family: times;">The Happiness Index was developed by a group of psychologists at San Francisco State University led by psychology professor and researcher <a href="https://howell.socialpsychology.org/" target="_blank">Ryan T. Howell</a> for the Happiness Alliance. All of the questions in the Happiness Index measure factors that influence your satisfaction with life. You can read the <a href="https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/jsc/vol9/iss1/2/">methodology here</a>. It is inspired by Bhutan's <a href="http://grossnationalhappiness.com/" target="_blank">Gross National Happiness </a>Index, a version of which we used when we first started gathering data! We added the domain of Work, and with our project <a href="https://www.ourheritageourhappiness.org/" target="_blank">Planet Happiness,</a> questions about tourism for using the Happiness Index in the tourism sector. The Happiness Index has passed Internal Review Boards (IRB) at universities, a rigorous process that ensures surveys do not harm humans. </span></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;">Why should I take the Happiness Index? What is in it for me?</span></h4><p><span style="font-family: times;">When you take the Happiness Index, you receive your own personal assessment of your well-being. After you take the survey, you will see the average of all the questions you answered for each domain compared to the average of all survey takers who have taken the survey using the link you used. By taking the survey, you also contribute to the Happiness Movement, a global effort to raise awareness about the importance of happiness for all beings. You can learn more about the Happiness Movement on our page, <a href="https://www.happycounts.org/happy-community-toolkit.html" target="_blank">The Happy Community Toolkit</a>.</span></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;">What if my Happiness Index scores are low? What if they are lower than everybody else? Isn't that depressing? </span></h4><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: times;">Low scores do not necessarily mean that you are unhappy, and can mean that you are not satisfied with some elements of your life, or that you are going through a time when things are more challenging. For example, if you scores are lower than everyone else in time balance, but you are working on a big project, then a low score can be a reminder to take some time to restore when the project is done. On the other hand, if you chronically do not have enough time, then it might be a good idea to think about what changes in your life you can make so that you don't get burnt out and end up less satisfied with your life. </span></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: times;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: times;">Over the years, many people whose scores are lower in the areas of satisfaction with life and psychological well-being than others have asked what they can do about their unhappiness and so we have developed a set of tools that you can find on our <a href="https://www.happycounts.org/how-to-be-happy.html" target="_blank">How To Be Happy </a>page. including the<a href="https://www.slideshare.net/TheHappinessInitiative/feeling-sad-feeling-happy-38676227" target="_blank"> Feeling Sad, Feeling Happy, the Dr. Bliss Doctrine for Happiness</a>, <a href="https://www.slideshare.net/TheHappinessInitiative/happiness-for-the-depressed" target="_blank">Happiness Lessons for when you are Depressed,</a> and others.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>None of these tools is intended to replace mental health services or the help of a therapist, and we wholeheartedly agree with one of the key findings by economists and psychologists in the happiness movement about the importance of mental health services (see chapter three in the<a href="https://www.happinesscouncil.org/report/2018/?fbclid=IwAR2Vt6QGawdZuWHY3Fg56ckJzJGibfD1JXqZ30UQQrXilXpVlwocJfb-GLY" target="_blank"> 2018 Global Happiness Policy Report</a>). <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"><br /></span></span></p><h4 style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;">A person can't really change how happy they are, can they?</h4><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: times;">Scientists have identified three determinants of happiness: genetics, life circumstances, and your mind (we include how you think and what you do as "mind," realizing this is a deep subject, so pardon our simplicity here!). Findings about the power each determinant has on your happiness vary. Their research finds that about <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3858957/" target="_blank">33%</a> or <a href="https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s10902-019-00128-4.pdf" target="_blank">50%</a> of your happiness may be determined by genetics, which may mean that if you were born with a cheerful or grumpy disposition, there is not much you can do about it - <b><i>maybe</i></b>. We think that it is likely that there is a lot of overlap and blurriness in how much genetics, life circumstances, and your choices about how you think and what you do contribute to your happiness. </span></p><p class="gmail-p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: times;"><br /></span></p><p class="gmail-p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: times;">What is certain is that you can change how happy you are because you have a degree of control over your circumstances, and you do have control over your mind. We realize neuroscientists and others have important contributions to the question about how much control we have over our minds, and the question of free will is not resolved, so again, pardon our simplicity. All that said, one of the simplest, albeit not easy ways to change how happy you are is to train your mind and body. So, the answer to this question is: yes, you can change how happy you are.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: times;"><b>What can I do with my Happiness Index Scores? Why don't I get a personal happiness plan? </b><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: times;">You can use your scores and the Happiness Index as a way to think about your happiness and to get a new perspective. You can also use the Happiness Index as the basis for conversations about what happiness is and about the purpose of life. They can also be used as a starting point to learn more about the Happiness Movement and to spark conversations about the purpose of government. </span></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: times;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: times;">We would love to be able to give you your own personalized happiness plan based on your scores. If you or someone you know would like to fund or volunteer to develop this for us, please contact us at info@happycounts.org. In the meantime, you can gather resources and information for addressing low scores from the <a href="https://www.happycounts.org/personal-happiness-roadmaps.html" target="_blank">Personal Happiness Roadmaps</a>, The <a href="https://issuu.com/happycounts/docs/personal_happiness_handbook2020?fr=sZDliYjE3MDgwMzg" target="_blank">Personal Happiness Handbook</a>, and the <a href="https://issuu.com/happycounts/docs/family_happiness_handbook?e=33431794/63674003" target="_blank">Family Happiness Handbook</a>. </span></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: times;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: times;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b>Do people tell the truth or lie when taking well-being surveys?</b></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Research has found that data from subjective well-being surveys is reliable (1).There are various ways that the reliability has been tested. One way is to compare the survey data to objective data. For example, in the instances whereby people who report that their health is good, and the objective data reveals that the same people are not ill, obese or otherwise in ill health, then on can assume the subjective data is reliable.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Another way is to do correlational analysis between various ways of measuring well-being. For example, when people report high levels of satisfaction with life, as well as high levels of well-being in other domains, this indicates the data is reliable. Note that not all domains need to be high, and some of the domains are more highly correlated, meaning that some domains have more or less of an impact on satisfaction with life.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">One of the concerns with survey-based data is whether the data is biased by the way the question are answered. The <a href="https://www.oecd.org/statistics/oecd-guidelines-on-measuring-subjective-well-being-9789264191655-en.htm">OECD Guidelines on Measuring Subjective Wellbeing (2013) </a> give clear guidance for ordering of questions, stating that satisfaction with life questions should always come first, as questions about other dimensions (or domains) of life can influence people’s response to a satisfaction with life question. For example, one may bias responses to satisfaction with life if asking questions about trust or sense of corruption in government, or feelings of safety, depending on the circumstances.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Another concern is that people are lying. In general, random sampling is more reliable than online convenience sampling, but also in general, online convenience sampling is reliable, meaning one can trust the data (Kim, S., Weaver, D., & Willnat, L. (2000). Media Reporting and Perceived Credibility of Online Polls, Journalism & Mass Communication, 77 (4) 846-864, doi <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177%2F107769900007700408">10.1177/107769900007700408</a>). One way to manage reliability is through large samples. As more data is collected, the outliers count less. Another way is through ground truthing. One can take the data from a small convenience sample and compare it to data collected for the same or similar question collected for a random and large sample. When the data is similar or the same, it can be counted on to be reliable.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Another concern is when a group, entity or individual hacks a survey by bombarding it with respondents. This may be detected by checking the IP Address, which is a unique identifier for a device. A clever hacker will find a way around this. In this case, one should examine the data for unexpected results. For example, if for an area there is a large portion that reports very high trust in government, when historically and in other areas scores are low for trust in government, and the data is surprising, then one can make adjustments to the data.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p></div><span style="font-family: times;"><br /><br /></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://survey.happycounts.org/survey/directToSurvey" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="987" data-original-width="995" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bNgqtU0ixzM/YHYYJmKuYRI/AAAAAAAAFu8/QLgnM8gvRBQuSir2vMVavf7DFcXQmbgwACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Happiness%2BIndex%2BPeta%2BViz.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://survey.happycounts.org/survey/directToSurvey" target="_blank">Take The Happiness Index</a></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><br /></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><br /></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;">Written by Laura Musikanski and Chi Lo</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;">April 12, 2021</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;">(1) (1). (Kreuder, A. & Schkade, D., (2008). The reliability of subjective well-being measures. Journal of Public Economics, 92(8-9), 1833-1845, doi 10.1016/j.jpubeco.2007.12.015; Napa Scollon C., Prieto CK., Diener E. (2009); Experience Sampling: Promises and Pitfalls, Strength and Weaknesses. In: Diener E. (eds) Assessing Well-Being. Social Indicators Research Series, vol 39. Springer, Dordrecht; Lee, Y., Hofferth, S.L., Flood, S.M. et al. Reliability, Validity, and Variability of the Subjective Well-Being Questions in the 2010 American Time Use Survey. Soc Indic Res 126, 1355–1373 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-015-0923-8).<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p>Happiness Alliancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05592467282941426227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4596385636636811156.post-66181218182704939942020-12-23T18:14:00.001-08:002020-12-23T18:14:03.323-08:00 Why is well-being important to AI?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZqKp1oo1uIc/X-P5MvMowGI/AAAAAAAAFWI/maLIb6KtkuwH9veVjiC6fKymKDhWlMBDACLcBGAsYHQ/s1856/Screen%2BShot%2B2020-12-23%2Bat%2B5.57.58%2BPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1112" data-original-width="1856" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZqKp1oo1uIc/X-P5MvMowGI/AAAAAAAAFWI/maLIb6KtkuwH9veVjiC6fKymKDhWlMBDACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h240/Screen%2BShot%2B2020-12-23%2Bat%2B5.57.58%2BPM.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span id="docs-internal-guid-fedc2511-7fff-325a-954d-4a9da0df16be"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Whether your work is in community development, well-being, or Artificial Intelligence (AI), the link between these fields might not be immediately clear. The goal of this short essay is to provide a perspective for why the work on well-being is critically important for the field of AI and therefore the need to bridge the gap between these epistemological frames.</span></span></p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">As I type these characters on my clunky device, as you read these words, without a doubt I think we will both agree on one thing - time is passing. How we spend our time has a remarkable impact on our lives and the lives of everyone around us. Sitting in a Deep Learning class at Stanford, CA in 2016, I remember the prominent AI professor Andrew Ng speaking to Time as our most important resource when developing an AI algorithm. Deep Learning is a branch of AI which has to do with pattern recognition - the ability of a computer program to learn to recognize patterns in large amounts of data. Deep Learning algorithms have given rise to some of the biggest success stories in AI through solving problems related to image recognition, language generation and processing, and others. </span></span></p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div><span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KOP4nyq0kjs/X-P455iQ9sI/AAAAAAAAFV8/aB5SK7DSe3AXotremuHuIFIjB6oMvFhuQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1874/Screen%2BShot%2B2020-12-23%2Bat%2B6.08.45%2BPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="784" data-original-width="1874" height="168" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KOP4nyq0kjs/X-P455iQ9sI/AAAAAAAAFV8/aB5SK7DSe3AXotremuHuIFIjB6oMvFhuQCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h168/Screen%2BShot%2B2020-12-23%2Bat%2B6.08.45%2BPM.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Back in 2016, I was a working as a Senior Machine Learning engineer at an innovation lab in the Bay Area and had spent several years trying to solve complex problems through developing AI algorithms. I was constantly learning through trial and error and actively challenging the traditional approach to algorithm design which I was taught in University by questioning what is the best use of our time as AI engineers. To me, the answer to that question has always been related to our ability to envision the end goal and multidimensional impacts of the AI algorithms we are working on. </span></span></p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Oftentimes engineers are part of large and highly specialized teams which work on specific components of complex technologies. Existing organizational culture and structure incentivize speed and complexity which make it challenging and often impossible for an individual engineer to understand the larger so-called socio-technical context of their work - the social implications of the technical work they are doing. Asking the question “What is the best use of my time?” invites us to question our motivation for the work we are doing. For example, some of the challenges in designing AI algorithms stem from the business need to create systems that work at scale. Traditionally, the main metric for success is the so called ability of an AI model to generalize i.e. to perform the task it was developed for in new contexts which differ from the development context. To solve for that, engineers often need to make tradeoffs in deciding what experiments will allow them to learn the most about how the AI algorithm they are developing will behave in unseen and dynamic real world contexts. For example, should they collect more data on which to test their algorithm, what kind of data should they collect, should they modify the parameters of the AI algorithm, what algorithm should they try next, etc. It is often easier to solve a problem in a context we are familiar with. This, however, may lead us to forget the complexity of the real world impact of the systems we develop and instead see that impact reduced to numerical AI optimization errors we are trying to minimize. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">By keeping present our deep motivation for the work we are doing, we have an opportunity to see how AI changes the fundamental nature of human experience. Seeing ourselves as participants in that change helps us realize our responsibility for the visible and invisible ways in which the work we do impacts the well-being of people and other beings. Understanding AI impacts is perhaps beyond the cognitive capacity of any single individual and therefore invites us to seek collaborations especially with people from interdisciplinary fields. Adopting a well-being lens in the work on AI holds a promise to bring more clarity, integrity, and response-ability that could enable us to collaboratively design systems that are better aligned with our individual and broader societal values.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Guest post by<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/bogdanarakova/" target="_blank"> Bogdana Rakov</a>a, Member of the Board of Directors of the<a href="https://www.happycounts.org/" target="_blank"> Happiness Alliance</a></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Read more about AI and Well-being in the </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://link.springer.com/journal/42413/volumes-and-issues/3-4" target="_blank">Special Issue: Intersections of Artificial Intelligence and Community Well-Being</a></span></p></span>Happiness Alliancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05592467282941426227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4596385636636811156.post-61055109305428994112020-11-20T23:19:00.003-08:002020-11-20T23:20:54.426-08:00How to Survive the Holidays<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">How to Survive the Holidays </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>save this post - share it too</i></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0JcH6aDS7aU/X7i9CzSjRsI/AAAAAAAAFOE/n219TJtEjy06MM_6TDsxe6UPd4q7WvHWgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1882/winter%2Bsad.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="748" data-original-width="1882" height="159" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0JcH6aDS7aU/X7i9CzSjRsI/AAAAAAAAFOE/n219TJtEjy06MM_6TDsxe6UPd4q7WvHWgCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h159/winter%2Bsad.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">For most of us, thoughts of the holidays bring a mixture of memories and expectations. Times when we gathered with our dear ones in a warm house full with sweet smells and open hearts. Hopes and plans to make this year’s holidays full of love, care and peace.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>What makes the holidays so special is they are a time of gathering together with those near and dear to our hearts but often far from our daily lives.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>What makes the holidays so difficult in any year is matching those hopes and expectations with reality.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">With the pandemic, this year our reality is quite horrible. We are being robbed of our hopes, expectations and opportunities to have the most important part of the holidays. We are now seeing how much we have taken as granted all our lives. It’s a big deal, and it will have an impact on all of us.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">One of the secrets of the happiness movement is that it is not all about happiness. It is as much about misery and unhappiness because in order to be happy – as an individual or as a community, you have to heal your misery. We wanted to share some of the ways we are getting ready for the holidays. Here are three tips for surviving the holidays.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--rM8aRE2bRo/X7i-IhwBcaI/AAAAAAAAFOg/KxggVMQ316EBy5RVB9SyMhc3dMdXLbQPwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1756/holidays.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="978" data-original-width="1756" height="223" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--rM8aRE2bRo/X7i-IhwBcaI/AAAAAAAAFOg/KxggVMQ316EBy5RVB9SyMhc3dMdXLbQPwCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h223/holidays.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span class="Apple-converted-space"><br /></span><p></p><div><h3 style="font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><b>Grieve your loss</b></h3><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Covid-19 is the ultimate grinch. It has taken so much from us already, and now it’s taking our holidays. It is making it unsafe for use to do what we humans have done throughout history – gathering at special times to prepare food and share it with each other, sing songs, exchange news and gifts, unwind and enjoy each other.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">The grief process is the way that we come to terms with something we cannot change and do not want. Grief allows us to accept the unacceptable. When we process our grief, we find silver linings. This is called resiliency. We process our grief through feeling our emotions and talking about them with another person who accepts who we are and does not judge us. <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Grief comes in waves of emotion, some tsunami-sized, some tiny ripples. You already know the stages of grief as denial, anger, bargaining, sadness, and acceptance. You already know that the waves do not necessarily come in order and are often jumbled together. You can process grief at one point, then find you are doing it all over again. It takes time to process grief. <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">When we do not process our grief, feelings come out sideways. Take anger for instance. It is normal to be angry at Covid-19 and its spread, but it does not make sense. So perhaps you stuff your anger. You may find that you are irritable and unreasonable with people or in situations that would normally not bother you, even getting annoyed at someone who is trying to help you. You may find yourself raging - and fully convinced that the object of your rage deserves all of your hate - when it’s not normal for you to indulge in temper tantrums. Perhaps you are spending an inordinate amount of time obsessing or seething over something that happened in the past or someone who is not really that big a part of your life. These are just a few ways that the anger can come out sideways.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YwrxoTZJUkQ/X7i-ZDZhlRI/AAAAAAAAFOo/Je0MZhS5RoMk6veYqnZqFd2E6lZJqzdXwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2068/alone%2B.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="978" data-original-width="2068" height="189" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YwrxoTZJUkQ/X7i-ZDZhlRI/AAAAAAAAFOo/Je0MZhS5RoMk6veYqnZqFd2E6lZJqzdXwCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h189/alone%2B.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p class="p2" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Turning your back on your sadness can also come out sideways. Feelings do not go away if you ignore them.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Sadness ignored can fester into anxiety or depression. “She drowns in those uncried tears” is the way Annie Lamott describes being stuck in sadness in her book <i>Small Victories</i>.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>It’s a myth that suicide rates increase over the holidays (<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/suicide/holiday.html"><span class="s1" style="color: #0079cd;">CNC, 2013</span></a>), but not a myth that the pandemic is precipitating suicide (<a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/article-abstract/2764584"><span class="s1" style="color: #0079cd;">Reger, Stanly & Joiner, 2020) </span></a>. One cause is isolation and loneliness, which exacerbates all the conditions of unprocessed grief. Depression and anxiety are completely convincing, so convincing that some of us take our own lives. Depression and anxiety <a href="https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/depression/symptoms-causes/syc-203560"><span class="s1" style="color: #0079cd;">come in many forms</span></a> – from apathy, sluggishness, insomnia, physical pain, and carelessness about your own safety to restlessness, agitation, feelings of worthlessness and suicidal thoughts. There is nothing wrong with any of these feelings, and there is everything right with getting help when you have them. See your doctor (masked up in-person or visit online) and talk about how you are feeling. If your doctor won’t listen or you don’t feel like they care, find a doctor who does listen, who you feel like does care about your feelings and who understands that your feelings and your health are directly connected. Talk to friends. If anyone in your life (friend, family, work) – even someone in your ancestry – has had a problem with alcohol, join an Al-Anon online meeting and attend regularly. (Al-Anon is not the same as AA. It is for anyone who has been in a relationship with an alcoholic, addict, or abusive person).<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>You can find an Al-Anon meeting by searching with your city, town or region and Al-Anon or on the <a href="https://al-anon.org/al-anon-meetings/electronic-meetings/"><span class="s1" style="color: #0079cd;">Al-Anon world service website</span></a>. It is more available and less expensive than therapy and can be as helpful for many.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">It may seem antithetical that guidance for the happiness in holidays is to allow yourself to feel angry and sad, but it’s true. At the Happiness Alliance we have lots of tools (in the form of presentations you can view and download) for how to be happy when you are feeling sad on our <a href="https://www.happycounts.org/how-to-be-happy.html"><span class="s1" style="color: #0079cd;">How to Be Happy</span></a> page.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qRORUaIn204/X7i-kP5-8-I/AAAAAAAAFOs/YCpY9ZhbA4oZdeqz3IXvLqdFqBPY-H9FgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1086/tools%2Bfor%2Bhappiness%2Bwhen%2Bsad.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="276" data-original-width="1086" height="101" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qRORUaIn204/X7i-kP5-8-I/AAAAAAAAFOs/YCpY9ZhbA4oZdeqz3IXvLqdFqBPY-H9FgCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h101/tools%2Bfor%2Bhappiness%2Bwhen%2Bsad.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p class="p2" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b>Re-define Giving<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></b></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">We usually equate holidays with gifts. Giving and receiving gifts wrapped up and full of promise that bring a smile to your face. This year will be different. Many of us have been soothing ourselves with online buying and don’t need much.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>But for many, Covid-19 has brought economic strife and much suffering. In particular, for low-income families in your area, as well as communities in developing nations that relied on tourism, are in dire straits and are suffering. So is wildlife in the areas where tourism supported conservation. This year, for those people in your life who don’t need or want anything and will appreciate it, donate in their name.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Research has shown that giving to charities actually makes people feel good for longer than any other kind of gift (<a href="https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Publication%20Files/Prosocial%20Behavior%20PDF_8679b98f-3ff7-4090-bbd7-f811f03b3910.pdf"><span class="s1" style="color: #0079cd;">Dunn, Whillans, Norton & Aknin, 2019</span></a>).<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>That said, we are happier about a donation when we have a choice. So be inventive about your giving – and give your gift recipients a choice about who to donate to in their name. You can find choices by searching for the name of their city, town or region and “charities that help low income families and children” or “non-profits needing help.”<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>You can find international choices in organizations such as <a href="https://secure2.oxfamamerica.org/page/contribute/donate?&adgroupid=61974898493&utm_term=oxfam&utm_campaign=1400171002&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_content=432481751278&hsa_tgt=kwd-24291640&hsa_grp=61974898493&hsa_src=g&hsa_net=adwords&hsa_mt=e&hsa_ver=3&hsa_ad=432481751278&hsa_acc=8955072673&hsa_kw=oxfam&hsa_cam=1400171002&gclid=CjwKCAiA7939BRBMEiwA-hX5J8tMc7RusJwtjqJ2UCnexVrd9l9qLcDp5ykU_jNu_NtWL0u1C_APJxoCisIQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds"><span class="s1" style="color: #0079cd;">OxFam</span></a>, and smaller grassroots non-profits like The <a href="https://www.themaatrust.org/"><span class="s1" style="color: #0079cd;">Maa Trust</span></a> in Kenya, <a href="https://nourishbangladesh.us/"><span class="s1" style="color: #0079cd;">Nourish Bangladesh</span></a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>(two nonprofits we personally know are directly helping people) or by searching for nonprofits operating in the remote areas you have visited or would like or visit.</p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-H9MHMtfKIJc/X7i-6VdgXjI/AAAAAAAAFO4/uPJmgVhqTpo5pLAN_8lFNRHlgbjijfXQACLcBGAsYHQ/s800/gifts.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="492" data-original-width="800" height="246" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-H9MHMtfKIJc/X7i-6VdgXjI/AAAAAAAAFO4/uPJmgVhqTpo5pLAN_8lFNRHlgbjijfXQACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h246/gifts.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p class="p2" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">This holiday season, redefine what it means to give with an internal paradigm shift too. Give yourself the gift of time abundantly, deliriously, cheerfully and without remorse. Waste your time – a ton of it. Do things that are utterly unproductive and completely pointless. If you live with roommates or your family, start a new tradition of a completely useless and utterly consuming pastimes like card games, board games, or reading plays together (<a href="https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=651829738722761"><span class="s1" style="color: #0079cd;">here is a fun example, but with movie stars</span></a>).<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Jigsaw puzzles work equally well for wasting time if you live alone or with others. Do stuff that you love to do but never have the time to do because it is too trivial or maybe even stupid – or better yet, something you want to do but do not because you don’t think you are good enough at it. If gaming is your thing, dive into those games that leave you feeling happy and generous and give you good dreams when you detach from the keyboard.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Give to yourself in other ways. Take your vitamins, especially vitamin C and D (make sure to visit your doctor for your annual preventative exam to see if you have deficiencies). Sleep like a cat. Take walks like a dog, seeking out things to be curious about and finding wonder in the shape of a tree or your neighbor’s decorations.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Finally, if you still have time to give, volunteer for a nonprofit. With Covid-19, it’s harder to give your time, but most, if not all, nonprofits are having a harder time these days. If you don’t have one in mind, the map app on your computer or smartphone can help when you put in the term nonprofit or charity and choose <i>search near me</i>.</p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-18y7sww-V8Q/X7i_CI5SsxI/AAAAAAAAFO8/H3PFvXXEkUIt8geSseJ32APhvDQXixWlQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1792/dream%2Btravel.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="942" data-original-width="1792" height="210" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-18y7sww-V8Q/X7i_CI5SsxI/AAAAAAAAFO8/H3PFvXXEkUIt8geSseJ32APhvDQXixWlQCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h210/dream%2Btravel.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p class="p2" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><h3 style="font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><b>Plan but Don’t Do</b></h3><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">A lot of us are planning to avoid this year’s holidays by getting away. It can be a really good strategy sometimes, but this year – don’t.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Instead make plans for a crazy fantastic all expenses paid wonderful trip – dream, storyboard, plan it all out. Fantasize, find out the ticket prices...do everything except actually travelling to another area, city or country.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">There are two major reasons for not traveling. First, particularly if you are planning to travel to an exotic location - the area you probably want to visit does not have adequate health care coverage for vulnerable populations and can’t afford an outbreak of Covid-19, and is low on the priority for vaccines when they are finally available. The people who will be serving you are members of the vulnerable populations or live and care for elderly and often can’t afford to fully socially distance due to their work.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Even if you test negative for your flight, there is no guarantee that you won’t end up being a super spreader – and super spreader tourists are already causing <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-latin-america-54965865"><span class="s1" style="color: #0079cd;">devastating effects</span></a> on remote communities. The second reason is travel bans. It may not seem like such a bad deal if you get stuck on your dream island, but if you play out all the consequences in your head, you’ll have another think.</p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JoZ_Nut__7I/X7i_LdoAVtI/AAAAAAAAFPE/MZC6By503HYtP8J3ep-2mi95YC2qu_tzACLcBGAsYHQ/s1892/planning.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="742" data-original-width="1892" height="156" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JoZ_Nut__7I/X7i_LdoAVtI/AAAAAAAAFPE/MZC6By503HYtP8J3ep-2mi95YC2qu_tzACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h156/planning.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p class="p2" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">So instead make plans. Making plans is good for you. It helps you to build your capacity for patience, which is one of the ingredients of resilient and happy people. It also brings your focus on what you want, which makes it more likely you will get the essence of what you want and is good for you. Don’t limit your planning to a vacation. Plan out a crazy improbable and fantastic future for yourself. Make a story about how the next month, year and decade will be.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Let it be messy. Don’t be realistic. Put away any expectations. If ever a thought comes up about what you should do or accomplishment or how you measure up, tell that thought to get screwed and make your plans even more improbable, crazy and impossible. Build your castle in the sky as high up and as big as you possibly can – with lots of detail.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Have super fun with it. Occasionally reflect on your plans. (This goes back to wasting time). Ask yourself what the themes and patterns are in your plans, and what they tell you about yourself. In this reflection you will find hidden gems – love gifts from you to you.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-72_BNdd83Cc/X7i_Q7vw7dI/AAAAAAAAFPI/2OyktNt40zw6pbveFB57fFbqCPG3Rh_UgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1910/math.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="542" data-original-width="1910" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-72_BNdd83Cc/X7i_Q7vw7dI/AAAAAAAAFPI/2OyktNt40zw6pbveFB57fFbqCPG3Rh_UgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/math.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p class="p2" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><h3 style="font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><b>Sums</b></h3><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">In sum, our three tips for the holidays are:<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0px 36px; text-indent: -18px;">1.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>be sad + be mad + be disappointed = grieve the loss of this holiday season</p><p class="p3" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0px 36px; text-indent: -18px;">2.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>put a spin on giving = donations 4 presents + wildly waste time</p><p class="p3" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0px 36px; text-indent: -18px;">3.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>stay home and build castles in the sky.</p><p class="p4" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0px 18px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Next year will be better – or may be better. We don’t really know, but it probably will be. This year sucks. We hope these tips are useful to you. If they are not, we get it. However, know that we really are in this together and we give you these tips out of love and with a desire to help – you and ourselves.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>And we would love to hear your tips for surviving the holidays, and will share them in our next newsletter: <a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScNQasPlfTRYroXOAmUEUKKbpFhOlsCUiXgRbnND4pTSEThdA/viewform"><span class="s1" style="color: #0079cd;">Let us know here!</span></a> <span style="font-size: 12px;">https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScNQasPlfTRYroXOAmUEUKKbpFhOlsCUiXgRbnND4pTSEThdA/viewform</span></p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div><br /></div></div></div>Happiness Alliancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05592467282941426227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4596385636636811156.post-46686925427919923292020-09-07T05:08:00.004-07:002020-09-07T05:08:53.386-07:00Two Happiness takeawaysEarly September 2020, Laura Musikanski, Executive Director of the Happiness Alliance, gave a talk on the application of the construct of happiness and well-being in the tech sector. Here it is for you:
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Two little know facts about happiness are that (1)happiness and well-being is a well understood and accepted concept among academia, governments and society and (2) happiness and well-being can and does serve as the basis for strategy, goals and management through data and indicators.
Let’s take a high-level look at the history. First - in the happiness movement, we use the terms happiness and well-being interchangeably. In a sense, our understanding of happiness as a goal for government and life goes back to ancient history- reflected in the Western culture by Aristotle’s statement that happiness is the sole aim and purpose of life. More recently Maslow, whom you are familiar with through the concept of a hierarchy of needs, established the now robust study of well-being in the psychological field. In our generation Seligman and Csikszentmihalyi came along and gave rise to the field called positive psychology, formalizing the study of what makes us happy. With the turn of our century, some economists turned to a more complex idea of happiness and well-being in lieu of the singular aims of profit, personal wealth and economic growth as the goals of economies, government and life. In 2012, the first <a href="https://worldhappiness.report/" target="_blank">World Happiness Report</a> was issued, which you have probably heard about when you see reports about the world’s happiest county. The next year, the OECD, which issues the reports about nations GDP levels each year, definitively answered the question of whether happiness can be measured with the OECD guidelines on measuring subjective well-being. This followed important work <a href="https://www.grossnationalhappiness.com/" target="_blank">Bhutan</a> had done as the first nation in the world to both measure and use happiness as the purpose of government – from its constitution to its planning. Today every nation in the EU and every member state of the OECD is measuring some aspect of happiness and well-being many of them more than one aspect. One more recent development is <a href="https://treasury.govt.nz/publications/wellbeing-budget/wellbeing-budget-2019-html" target="_blank">New Zealand’s use of well-being</a> in its national budgeting.
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By now you are probably wondering about the intercept of subjective (survey) based and objective indicators for happiness and well-being. Look in the direction of the 247 indicators for the Sustainable Development Goals –the SDGs – and<a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs42413-018-0012-2" target="_blank"> the gaps in them filled by subjective indicators</a>.
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If you take the <a href="https://survey.happycounts.org/survey/directToSurvey" target="_blank">Happiness Index</a>, you get a direct experience of how subjective indicators can both inform you about the definition of happiness and well-being as well as provide knowledge and ideas about how to safeguard and improve your happiness and well-being with the happiness index. As you can see, with subjective data we can understand what people think about their own lives, such in this infographic, we see that this group is suffering in time balance and the environment and doing well in psychological well-being and standard of living, which shows us where there is room for improvement and gives us clues about how to get there – which strengths to build on. We could look into the data and see how certain demographic, for example race, economic status, education level, compare to others, giving us a way, to define through data, difficult issues such as social injustice.
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Finally, on operationalizing happiness and well-being as a construct and with indicators and data, look at IEEE 7010-2020. This project is one of many inspired by the <a href="https://standards.ieee.org/content/dam/ieee-standards/standards/web/documents/other/ead1e-overview.pdf" target="_blank">Ethically Aligned Design </a>program, and give you a knowledge base, a process as well as a robust bank of indicators for understanding, measuring and managing the impact of AI on human well-being – you can now access <a href="https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/browse/standards/reading-room/page" target="_blank">IEEE 7010Recommended Practice for Assessing the Impact of Autonomous and Intelligent Systems on Human Well-Being freely through IEEE’s reading room</a> (scroll down, create a profile, and login - it take sa minute but is better than the alternative of paying about $300 USD to access).
In conclusion the two takeaways:happiness and well-being are a well understood and accepted concept and happiness and well-being can be a basis for strategy, goals and management through data and indicators.
Happiness Alliancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05592467282941426227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4596385636636811156.post-26062820365832247492020-07-16T04:01:00.003-07:002020-07-16T04:01:46.285-07:00The Covid-Blues: sometimes it's not good to be happy<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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July 15, 2020, many schools in <a href="https://www.wusa9.com/article/news/local/dc/back-to-school-plans-dc-maryland-virginia/65-7a8bac06-7c3c-4b1b-b05e-038c9b56e23b" target="_blank">Maryland and DC</a> announced a virtual learning year in 2020-2021 for children. Major companies have extended <a href="https://www.shrm.org/hr-today/news/hr-news/pages/covid19-a-few-large-companies-prolong-work-from-home-to-september-and-beyond.aspx" target="_blank">work from home</a> for months. As if to compound the misery and anxiety, someone decided it was news (it is <a href="https://slate.com/technology/2020/07/bubonic-plague-squirrel.html" target="_blank">not,</a> its <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/plague/transmission/index.html" target="_blank">been known </a>for years) that <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/squirrels-bubonic-plague-colorado-test-positive/" target="_blank">squirrels carry bubonic plague</a>. The news can't seem to get enough of people<a href="https://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/florida-walmart-shopper-pulls-gun-on-man-in-dispute-over-mask/2262461/" target="_blank"> pulling out guns </a>when asked to wear masks. And it goes on and on. It is overwhelming, anxiety provoking, gut wrenching. If you seep yourself in the news, it will steal your peace of mind, your sleep, and your well-being. You have probably already experienced this, and found ways to modify your diet of news.<br />
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At the same time, there is good news. <a href="https://www.msn.com/en-gb/health/medical/antibody-that-inhibits-the-new-coronavirus-discovered-in-patient-who-had-sars-17-years-ago/ar-BB14gNSc" target="_blank">A cure </a>for COVID-19 may be in the works may be in our future, and maybe even a<a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2020-07-15/oxford-s-covid-19-vaccine-is-the-coronavirus-front-runner" target="_blank"> vaccine</a>. You probably hear this news with caution. Perhaps you allow yourself to believe a cure and vaccine will come true, and start to feel a little choked up. But then you probably reel yourself in.Then perhaps a flood of conflicting feelings comes up. In a way, you don't want things to go back to normal, but you do want the pandemic to end.<br />
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There have been silver linings to the pandemic. Life slowing down. Less traffic and no commutes - at least for most of us. A time to pause and reflect - even a time of retreat. A time to reconnect (virtually) with loved ones, and with oneself. A healing of the planet, with the air clearing and night skies sparkling like they have not for decades in cities, and the birds having a ball this spring. Pet shelters have emptied and puppies are filling the streets, happy to go on walks with their new human parents.<br />
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Sometimes it's not appropriate to be happy. But that does not mean you can't feel happy. There is so much to grieve about the pandemic. There is also a lot to learn.<br />
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What if we took this time to really focus on how we are feeling and to allow for feelings in their moment. Feelings make themselves known by how they come up in the body. You probably feel anxiety in your belly and chest - a racing heart, breathlessness, and tight stomach. Maybe a stomach ache. You probably feel sadness in your heart - that heart break feeling. A feeling of hope probably fills you with warmth in your chest, and a feeling of not wanting to lose something may appear with a pull in the muscles of your arms to reach out. The happiness you feel about reconnecting with loved ones may be in the belly connection to the earth, and if you got a pet, your love for the little one may fill your entire body with a tingling live feeling.<br />
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Feelings can be hard to discern, because the mind gets really active. The mind can try to explain, control, suppress or change a feeling. It can try, but never really succeed because feelings are truths in themselves. While feelings are ephemeral and do not define who or what a person or situation is, they do define what they are and do not go away when the mind tells them to. Instead they go underground inside you, which often leaves the body with a feeling of numbness or disconnection.<br />
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We are complex. Feelings can be conflicting, which makes feelings even more confusing. You can feel anxiety and hope, love and dread, heart broken and calm, or any other combination. This can make it even harder to accept and learn from feelings. Yet, feelings have a lot to teach us. A way to learn from feelings is to first accept and allow the truth of what they are in you, without having to change or act on them.<br />
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This is hard work. But it may be the most powerful way to get through this time, right now, when there is so little we have control over beyond our own actions.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-i23rUV4fjm0/XxAzdPHfBII/AAAAAAAAFA0/IJko1XUJB5If021-Svh57apAgCt6OVAKQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2020-07-16%2Bat%2B4.00.43%2BAM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="428" data-original-width="900" height="190" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-i23rUV4fjm0/XxAzdPHfBII/AAAAAAAAFA0/IJko1XUJB5If021-Svh57apAgCt6OVAKQCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Screen%2BShot%2B2020-07-16%2Bat%2B4.00.43%2BAM.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
So here is a thought. What if we are each of us a part of the expression of the universe, and what if how we expressed ourselves made a difference - even if we do not see it in the moment. Then wouldn't we choose a universe that accepts all with love and acts in wisdom out of love, and so do this for ourselves? Wouldn't we to aspire to love and accept the feeling that is arising right now, and in the next moment, and in the next? <br />
<br />
Maybe this is one small way we can find happiness amidst all this hardship, and maybe one way to fortify ourselves for the actions we take to help ourselves and others with all the heartbreak.<br />
<br />
-- Laura Musikanski, Happiness Alliance<br />
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Happiness Alliancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05592467282941426227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4596385636636811156.post-39518538697754034562020-03-25T02:15:00.004-07:002020-03-25T02:15:44.247-07:00An invitation to share on happiness<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">What is Your Happiness and Health Wisdom?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Hi Friend, </span><div>
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: medium;">With so much in the news that is frightening, so much that is outside of our control, and so many people and organizations giving different advise, we feel it is important to reflect and learn from our own wisdom. So we ask:</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: medium;"><b><br />What are you doing for your happiness and health?</b></span><div>
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdw8OhTDfF-B1OlqnbV24wtDOfnxcXBFCGh_7BqebLWrNm-qQ/viewform" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc;">Let us know by clicking here</span>,</a> and in our next newsletter, we will share your wisdom for how to be healthy and happy now. </span></div>
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<img align="none" alt="boarder 1" border="0" class="CToWUd" height="37" hspace="0" src="https://ci3.googleusercontent.com/proxy/A2LID_12QN2lhD5bhGWewJLJR2tjfepBxxideFQr7c7mdknxXoNLv3juWPufOCMKyit_am9LHBYoV1o5TVNmR7WcRiHg-UsGaoPaVPDBEsucu2b1JCvopjV3d6_yYTCmgjnlDf5gnMW_TeIDDjT0X_LKrM8c=s0-d-e1-ft#http://img-ak.verticalresponse.com/media/3/a/7/3a7ccc09d4/adde8afde9/boarder%201.jpg?__nocache__=1" style="height: 37px; width: 597px;" title="boarder 1" vspace="0" width="597" /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Join a Happiness & Health Conversation - an Open Forum Hour on Wednesdays until Earth Day </span></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;">March 25 and April 1, 8, 15 & 22 (Earth Day)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">12 pm PT/3 pm ET /7 pm GMT</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">In these days of physical isolation, it's important that we find new ways to socially connect. It's also important to be able to name and talk about your feelings.</span><div>
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">We are hosting a weekly hour for open discussion on how you are feeling and why & what you are doing for your happiness just now. We will begin with short introductions, and each person will have 3 minutes to share how they are feeling and why, and, if they like, one thing they are doing for their happiness and health these days.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Join via zoom: </span><span style="font-size: medium;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://zoom.us/j/709331423&source=gmail&ust=1585186950333000&usg=AFQjCNHDVxDgqzWjWWohX9_2JjYa5pUoNg" href="https://zoom.us/j/709331423" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">https://zoom.us/j/<wbr></wbr>709331423</a></span></div>
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<div>
<span style="font-size: medium;">Meeting ID: 709 331 423</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">One tap mobile </span><span style="font-size: medium;">+16699006833,,<wbr></wbr>709331423# US </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Dial by your location </span><span style="font-size: medium;">+1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: medium;">Meeting ID: 709 331 423</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: medium;">Find your local number: <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://zoom.us/u/aqxUA075Y&source=gmail&ust=1585186950333000&usg=AFQjCNEQrhrVOJ2QyTPGMJypA6oHkj5F5Q" href="https://zoom.us/u/aqxUA075Y" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">https://zoom.us/u/aqxUA075Y</a></span></div>
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<img align="none" alt="boarder 2" border="0" class="CToWUd" height="40" hspace="0" src="https://ci4.googleusercontent.com/proxy/yHQlHUf-VsnSIK1KMi6s_TZbjnxehwLywcecFeBHcHbDvxX5HwA4CjYpk75R_29O0aiWiMvUYrYrb6xeS8nFpW62Z5SWFGZbNsB0cHwMZNbR0NAmDMKfeICTFUrmZ6SkET9_CzWTuBPlvyMCSF3WI--5w4rj=s0-d-e1-ft#http://img-ak.verticalresponse.com/media/3/a/7/3a7ccc09d4/adde8afde9/boarder%202.jpg?__nocache__=1" style="height: 40px; width: 597px;" title="boarder 2" vspace="0" width="597" /></div>
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What I am doing for my happiness and health: a message from Laura, our Executive Director. </h2>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Here in Seattle we have been in self-quarantine for a little over a week. The parks are still open for walks, so I have been taking long walks everyday, and spending time among the trees, seeking and soaking peace from them.</span><div style="font-size: 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-size: 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Some days are worse than others, and I find myself feeling anxious, Yesterday I found <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PcZwg10WYx0" target="_blank">this talk by Tara Brach</a> to be particularly useful. </span></div>
<div style="font-size: 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-size: 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">As night, I curl up on the couch with my sweetie and we watch comedy shows, nature shows or feel-good movies. We have a news curfew, and also a Covid-19 discussion curfew. </span></div>
<div style="font-size: 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-size: 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">I have reached out to the elders in my life and helped them to learn how to use online meeting technologies, encouraging them to participate in online groups and have daily face to face online interactions. </span></div>
<div style="font-size: 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
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These are just a few things<span style="font-size: medium;">.</span> <a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdw8OhTDfF-B1OlqnbV24wtDOfnxcXBFCGh_7BqebLWrNm-qQ/viewform" target="_blank">I look forward to learning and sharing what you are doing to be happy and healthy.</a></div>
<div style="font-size: 10pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-size: 10pt;">
- Laura Musikanski, Executive Director of the Happiness Alliance </div>
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<img align="none" alt="boarder 3" border="0" class="CToWUd" height="43" hspace="0" src="https://ci4.googleusercontent.com/proxy/NwFtBzWmTsHUwNnFSAjYt3QJS4VrJqoPLDf4rQX1tgPg49HH9PLoae8NWUsDAvE5vha9nl_qRpaWgMoImupmAc37d5c0Budl4QSe3YO_C6TmNVubC6poLqkIkcyeGyn5z4Su2XwxdzOxJCwTx2sQinM4gcoy=s0-d-e1-ft#http://img-ak.verticalresponse.com/media/3/a/7/3a7ccc09d4/adde8afde9/boarder%203.jpg?__nocache__=1" style="height: 43px; width: 597px;" title="boarder 3" vspace="0" width="597" /></div>
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<img align="none" alt="boarder 6" border="0" class="CToWUd" height="101" hspace="0" src="https://ci5.googleusercontent.com/proxy/aih-ZSDLjFzvudTknlsMRgUdUVAM6nmuCEDzJTUSRBKEcnolzBiFlsT_aRzvzE3ODlZbyrzDqNFYDDSH1wQW4daix6_FaaaNm0Siu0PbMi-jVGa8fFQENEI4Yko57V0iSe23KUKhKRUgvuBy046agX7Mki1e=s0-d-e1-ft#http://img-ak.verticalresponse.com/media/3/a/7/3a7ccc09d4/adde8afde9/boarder%206.jpg?__nocache__=1" style="height: 101px; width: 597px;" title="boarder 6" vspace="0" width="597" /></div>
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The Loneliness, Happiness and Health Connection</h2>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">We do not know how long social distancing and self-quarantine will be necessary, but we probably all expect it to last a while. </span><span style="font-size: medium;">We also do not know if we or our loved ones will survive. This is so scary. Let's not bear this fear alone or let it rob us of our happiness and the enjoyment of our lives. </span><div>
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br />We humans are social creatures, even the most introverted of us needs connection with others. <b>Loneliness is not good for us.</b></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: medium;">Right now, quality of life - our happiness - is really important. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: medium;">We looked at data for people who are often or always lonely and people who are rarely or never lonely, and found a few similarities and a few differences. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: medium;">Self-perceived health is one place where there is a big difference, as well as feeling postive about oneself, satisfaction with life, and satisfaction with opportunities to enjoy nature. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: medium;"><b>People who are not lonely are feel more positively about themselves, are more satisfied with life, are more satisfied with their opportunities to enjoy nature, and feel that they are healthier </b></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: medium;">We think that some of these differences may be reflected in<a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdw8OhTDfF-B1OlqnbV24wtDOfnxcXBFCGh_7BqebLWrNm-qQ/viewform" target="_blank"> your answers</a> to what you are doing for your health and happiness. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: medium;">We also feel strongly that we need to do all we can to not be lonely at this time when the threat to our health is so strong. This is why we are starting our Happiness & Health Conversations. </span></div>
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<img align="none" alt="lonliness graphic" border="0" class="CToWUd a6T" height="709" hspace="0" src="https://ci6.googleusercontent.com/proxy/zUfJWeYwApAS3wqu9UHJZBfbyVDcoUKYN5-Mo0SYG9atsMfZ9ffm649kv_GfH1Wg7IJDXlbS-VrdA_CAG6UhEj_nR0KPImQ83i5AZbD025173YYgoT5j-vCDtwalX_Iye7H0gaOlX82eEi6bUNm4mUdUE3FPJ-8PyEEWrwU=s0-d-e1-ft#http://img-ak.verticalresponse.com/media/3/a/7/3a7ccc09d4/adde8afde9/lonliness%20graphic.jpg?__nocache__=1" style="cursor: pointer; height: 709px; outline: 0px; width: 597px;" tabindex="0" title="lonliness graphic" vspace="0" width="597" /></div>
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<img align="none" alt="boarder 4" border="0" class="CToWUd" height="36" hspace="0" src="https://ci5.googleusercontent.com/proxy/Nl7XuKpANm0WGpoSuEm3hp-4stHDcD7K2zHdcx8reRb9bvT54TgJftMXNzatXmYgW1Hox31E37FUtCAZj-Idrxv_QEthK-FT2r0u01TWZIrst1xk3weV9E4RWJ7tulp17tsMwiTpN6Q-uzAPLVYAU7cwq21G=s0-d-e1-ft#http://img-ak.verticalresponse.com/media/3/a/7/3a7ccc09d4/adde8afde9/boarder%204.jpg?__nocache__=1" style="height: 36px; width: 597px;" title="boarder 4" vspace="0" width="597" /></div>
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Happiness Alliancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05592467282941426227noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4596385636636811156.post-68868188286369784912020-03-02T19:39:00.001-08:002020-03-02T21:51:01.400-08:00Health, Happiness and the Coronavirus<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
On behalf of Bliss Medical Center and the
Happiness Alliance, <a href="https://issuu.com/happycounts/docs/health_and_happiness-_tips_for_preparation_to_viru?fr=sYmE5MTEyMzMyNA" target="_blank">here is short presentation</a> with advice for
staying healthy and happy in the face of the novel coronavirus.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://issuu.com/happycounts/docs/health_and_happiness-_tips_for_preparation_to_viru?fr=sYmE5MTEyMzMyNA" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="1424" data-original-width="1010" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-z6s3VCeRTmU/Xl1dmVYz2FI/AAAAAAAAEuI/HFWq70oZajMXO4n9BKcrSD5To4biZbC5ACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Screen%2BShot%2B2020-03-02%2Bat%2B11.24.43%2BAM.png" width="226" /></a></div>
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<br />
<br />
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
<b>A bit more about prevention: </b></h3>
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<div class="gmail_quote">
<div dir="ltr">
<div style="text-align: left;">
Sanitary
techniques that prevent spread of infection including hand washing,
hand sanitizing, not touching your face, and wearing masks and taking
care not to cough or sneeze near other people remain important.
However, these measures and more aggressive measures (such as
quarantine) have failed to stop the spread of the virus. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
As
there is no vaccination, no definitive treatment, and preventative
measures have generally failed to stop the spread, most people,
regardless of their degree of interaction with other people, can be
expected to eventually contract the virus. And because the novel corona virus is potentially lethal, even in those who are otherwise healthy, it is easy to feel powerless and afraid.<br />
<br />
While the following techniques will not prevent the spread of the virus, they are sound health advice that can help you maximize your personal health and maintain a positive outlook for you, your friends and family.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>What does the data say?</b></div>
<div dir="ltr">
<b><br /></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">We pulled data all the Happiness Index in 2019 for those who answered the question about their perception of their health (12,486 respondents). We separated the data for people who said their health was very good or excellent (2,975 respondents) from those who said their health was good, fair or poor (9,511 respondents). </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The visualization bellow tells a story. Those who perceive themselves to be healthy are much happier as well. When compared,</span><span style="font-size: small;"> those with a very good or excellent perception of their health scored higher in each of the other domains of happiness, by a wide margin of 14.2 points on a 100 point scale.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-D2gfpEXyYME/Xl3wNaCErJI/AAAAAAAAEvU/YUpuM3VA0M0Qzx7gTmfPl8-Ah7X2ZHYVQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/health%2Band%2Bhappiness.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1040" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-D2gfpEXyYME/Xl3wNaCErJI/AAAAAAAAEvU/YUpuM3VA0M0Qzx7gTmfPl8-Ah7X2ZHYVQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/health%2Band%2Bhappiness.jpg" width="412" /></a></div>
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What does the visualization say? </h3>
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People who perceive themselves to be in very good or excellent health are more satisfied with their exercise and feel they live in a healthy environment. This indicates that a connection to nature and spending time in nature, when your environment is healthy, and spending time is good for your health. These are findings that science backs up (<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-44097-3" target="_blank">White et al., 2019</a>)</div>
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It also says that people who perceive themselves to physically healthy are also psychologically healthy. They are more satisfied with their lives, more likely to feel their lives are worthwhile, more optimistic and more likely to feel their lives have a purpose and meaning. They are also happier. </div>
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What is more, these people are less lonely and feel more of a sense of belonging to their community.</div>
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What does this mean to you?</h3>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hiDYMQIV0sQ/Xl3OaaXsREI/AAAAAAAAEuk/oLkWXDiznrg3E_GtfgUsr6GtGUrsNDBsgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2020-03-02%2Bat%2B7.25.43%2BPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="1600" height="173" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hiDYMQIV0sQ/Xl3OaaXsREI/AAAAAAAAEuk/oLkWXDiznrg3E_GtfgUsr6GtGUrsNDBsgCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Screen%2BShot%2B2020-03-02%2Bat%2B7.25.43%2BPM.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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Spend time in nature. Go for a walk in a park. Garden. Go skiing. Admire your neighbors garden. Go to the beach or a lake. Take the time to do whatever it is you love to do in nature. </div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f-PhRBlt780/Xl3PG5_-7yI/AAAAAAAAEuw/60JAAXDGYBYY5IIFiITNbwHek7rbl798QCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2020-03-02%2Bat%2B7.29.00%2BPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="926" data-original-width="1600" height="231" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f-PhRBlt780/Xl3PG5_-7yI/AAAAAAAAEuw/60JAAXDGYBYY5IIFiITNbwHek7rbl798QCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Screen%2BShot%2B2020-03-02%2Bat%2B7.29.00%2BPM.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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Take good care of yourself. Learn about how to change your habits (of thought and deed) and change your mind <a href="https://www.happycounts.org/how-to-be-happy.html" target="_blank">by developing happiness skills.</a> Talk with a friend or a therapist about the things you feel ashamed about or have grief over - life is hard and most everybody goes through things that are too hard to process alone. Join an Al-Anon group if your life is affected by someone (past or present) with addiction. </div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-934y5buwWRQ/Xl3Q7GJ8niI/AAAAAAAAEu8/FEPuPm6dcFAKAkwdBFH7TQSOXngbIBWmQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2020-03-02%2Bat%2B7.36.51%2BPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="616" data-original-width="1600" height="153" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-934y5buwWRQ/Xl3Q7GJ8niI/AAAAAAAAEu8/FEPuPm6dcFAKAkwdBFH7TQSOXngbIBWmQCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Screen%2BShot%2B2020-03-02%2Bat%2B7.36.51%2BPM.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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Spend time with the people you love. Taking precautions for your health does not mean you should isolate yourself. Follow good health practices, but don't isolate yourself for long periods of time. Instead, spend extra time when you feel afraid for your health with the people you love and who love you. </div>
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With love and our hope for your health and happiness,</div>
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The Happiness Alliance</div>
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<a href="http://happycounts.org/">happycounts.org</a></div>
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Happiness Alliancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05592467282941426227noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4596385636636811156.post-31900440283231821232020-02-25T16:21:00.002-08:002020-02-25T16:23:38.986-08:00Who Trusts National Government in USA? Hmm...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: small;">One of the six factors that the <a href="https://worldhappiness.report/" target="_blank">World Happiness Report</a> examines to understand what makes people happy is perception of corruption in government. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Our<a href="https://survey.happycounts.org/survey/directToSurvey" target="_blank"> <span style="color: #1155cc;">Happiness Index</span> </a>measures perception of corruption, sense that public officials pay attention to what people think, as well as trust in national and local government. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Trust in government, sense of corruption and sense that public officials pay attention to what people think are more important to happiness than most people think (</span><a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11205-010-9719-z" target="_blank">Ott, 2011</a><span style="font-size: small;">).</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">A few propositions why good government is important to happiness:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Trust </b>in government sets a tone. <b>When you can trust your government,</b> <b>you are more likely to trust </b>other institutions: businesses, schools and colleges, nonprofits. When you live in a nation where you feel you can trust institutions, you are more likely to be trustworthy yourself and more likely to trust other people. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Honesty</b> (as opposed to Corruption) allows people to <b>feel safe and secure</b>. We all know that <b>safety and security are basic human needs</b>. Safety in our personal live is tied to safety in our systems, including governmental, economic and social. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Paying attention to what you think </b>is an important aspect of esteem. <b>Esteem and respect </b>are also basic human needs. A government that cares about what you think about has the information it needs to secure and protect your inalienable right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">This month's happiness report focuses on sense of corruption in local government and trust in national government. We look at the <a href="https://public.tableau.com/profile/happycounts#!/vizhome/TrustinNationalGovernmentIntheUSA/ConnectingHappinessandGovernment" target="_blank">data gathered in 2019</a> for people who responded that they live in the US. This comes to 4,687 people. </span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-size: large;">In Most States People Think Local Government is Not Corrupt</span></div>
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<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://cts.vresp.com/c/?TheHappinessAlliance/45024de20a/28784cbc83/d23be9b4c8/publish%3Dyes&source=gmail&ust=1582718793171000&usg=AFQjCNFB8l1Fcb_uzFni0WyrPWwd2ssueg" href="http://cts.vresp.com/c/?TheHappinessAlliance/45024de20a/28784cbc83/d23be9b4c8/publish=yes" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"><img align="none" alt="sense of corruption in local government" border="0" class="CToWUd" height="343" hspace="0" src="https://ci5.googleusercontent.com/proxy/PzU3zhtQCjV2ZvAMOI37Fvs25pzTFgccGl6IZ2nDlDa1IG19Pntbx4swH0Qk19-fUwajcqDacSoqoYI1FfkoClZFfPzRjTfJNoLLbDzISU557eDwwI6A3alkTf1iiUzFKYjIfQw6L4df9tBjv8X9J2Q5AEcrFWeD9lk7H5aIc966m56ojly9hND7fQZfLoC5Q03icFIGKHMqg4P05Fujyso=s0-d-e1-ft#http://img-ak.verticalresponse.com/media/3/a/7/3a7ccc09d4/45024de20a/dcaa2dd7be/library/sense%20of%20corruption%20in%20local%20government.jpg" style="height: 343px; width: 597px;" title="sense of corruption in local government" vspace="0" width="597" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">State by State, Trust in National Government is Low</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Scores for <b>sense that local government is corrupt</b> are, for the most part a bit above neutral, meaning people generally do not think government is corrupt, but would not say with certainty that it is <b>not </b>corrupt. The average score for all states is 51.9- <b>not bad, but not good</b>. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Not so for trust in national government. The average score is 30.03, meaning <b>people do not have confidence in national governmen</b><b>t.</b> </span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-size: large;">The Wealthy Think A Bit Better of Local Government</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Wealthy or Poor, Trust in National Government is not Great</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Income level does not make a big difference when it comes to trust in national government or sense that local government is corrupt. There is a slight trend up, meaning as your income goes up, your trust goes up a little, and your sense of corruption in local government goes down. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">The average score for <b>sense of corruption across all income levels is 56 out of 100. </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">The average score for <b>trust in government across all income levels is 30 out of 100. </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Men Trust National Government a Bit More than Women</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Please indicate how much confidence you have in the following organizations:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">National Government</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">(We ask the question for Local Government as well, and will focus on that in another report.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">The possible answers are:</span></div>
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<ul>
<li style="margin-left: 15px;"><span style="font-size: small;">No confidence</span></li>
<li style="margin-left: 15px;"><span style="font-size: small;">Not very much confidence</span></li>
<li style="margin-left: 15px;"><span style="font-size: small;">A fair amount of confidence</span></li>
<li style="margin-left: 15px;"><span style="font-size: small;">Quite a lot of confidence</span></li>
<li style="margin-left: 15px;"><span style="font-size: small;">A great deal of confidence</span> </li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><br />A score of 0 would be the lowest, and a score of 50 would be for a fair amount of confidence. </span></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="font-size: large;">All Genders Are Fairly Neutral About the Question of Whether Local Government is Corrupt</span></span></div>
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Gender has little to do with sense of corruption in local government </h3>
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<img align="right" alt="sense of corruption by gender 2" border="0" class="CToWUd" height="555" hspace="7" src="https://ci3.googleusercontent.com/proxy/UKqkabFHRWEG2HsxgiFZydGnAYZ81TrHTJphQSmoW_e-SRxk_W2tdAHmyN1uddgzjnUCKosdXR7DZSdocmcy-eYuxZnJbHExtl5BMAIvzxBf3H7FMusVhmdY8x-ITulDgN2kB7MvwReyTFIF1cE5MgDcrYDqilcnPzq_v_pe4piIRquWBeQn6PloIOGc9TojXrGuLzau0IAF=s0-d-e1-ft#http://img-ak.verticalresponse.com/media/3/a/7/3a7ccc09d4/45024de20a/3283cc2219/library/sense%20of%20corruption%20by%20gender%202.jpg" style="height: 555px; width: 200px;" title="sense of corruption by gender 2" vspace="7" width="200" /><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">The question is:</span><br />
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<div style="padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;">State your level of agreement with the following statement:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Corruption is widespread throughout the government in my city or town.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">The possible answers are:</span></div>
<div style="padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="padding: 0px;">
</div>
<ul>
<li style="margin-left: 15px;"><span style="font-size: small;">Strongly disagree </span></li>
<li style="margin-left: 15px;"><span style="font-size: small;">Disagree</span></li>
<li style="margin-left: 15px;"><span style="font-size: small;">Neither agree nor disagree</span></li>
<li style="margin-left: 15px;"><span style="font-size: small;">Agree</span></li>
<li style="margin-left: 15px;"><span style="font-size: small;">Strongly agree </span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-size: small;">A score of 0 is the lowest score, for strongly agree that corruption is widespread, and a score of 50 is for neither agreeing or disagreeing. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">You can interact with the data by clicking the image <a href="https://public.tableau.com/profile/happycounts#!/vizhome/TrustinNationalGovernmentIntheUSA/ConnectingHappinessandGovernment" target="_blank">or here.</a></span></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: purple;"><b>Next month we will explore more data for happiness and government, and give you some suggestions for how to make a difference. </b></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: purple; font-size: small;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: purple; font-size: small;"><b>In the meantime - Vote! </b></span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-size: small;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: purple;"><b><span style="font-size: small;">& if you voted, Thank you</span><span style="font-size: small;">!</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">About the Data</span></h2>
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<span style="font-size: small;">All of our data is from a convenience sampling. It reflects the people who took the survey, and may or may not reflect the general population, The more data we have, the better picture we get of the state of happiness.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: small;">In some states, we have very little data. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: small;">How can you help? Encourage people to take the <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://cts.vresp.com/c/?TheHappinessAlliance/45024de20a/28784cbc83/a1ad2b9666&source=gmail&ust=1582718793171000&usg=AFQjCNEY_KOEc9Q9TV7OWKMPUOFszpnEug" href="http://cts.vresp.com/c/?TheHappinessAlliance/45024de20a/28784cbc83/a1ad2b9666" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Happiness Index. </a> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.happycounts.org/donate.html">Donate!</a><span id="goog_1943819501"></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/"></a><span id="goog_1943819502"></span> Your Donation Makes Happiness Work.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Did you know</b> we are a 100% volunteer organization. And it takes money to keep us alive.<b> Your donation is necessary </b>for us to continue contributing towards world change. </span></div>
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<a href="https://www.happycounts.org/donate.html"><img align="none" alt="donate" border="0" class="CToWUd" height="299" hspace="0" src="https://ci6.googleusercontent.com/proxy/r1TXQ79K1pdyBfhTWZ24ypjjZLF8VhkZ72iEYTuFv1cfCHlCYrHLTXccbWf9eg_pnSrhTLJRkc8nBQgiZiQu6fldFnM9R4cdKOjYsnzaqldJiVgPYGwdT0q7unKcSTmaSr4QiW0v1tggTM3HNaUAV5XZJdNs=s0-d-e1-ft#http://img-ak.verticalresponse.com/media/3/a/7/3a7ccc09d4/45024de20a/0de09f8e65/library/donate.jpg" style="font-size: 10pt; height: 299px; width: 299px;" title="donate" vspace="0" width="299" /></a></div>
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Happiness Alliancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05592467282941426227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4596385636636811156.post-60087679522098031692020-01-31T17:17:00.003-08:002020-01-31T17:28:39.735-08:00Happiness Index Scores for 2019: Not So Happy<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: large;">Was 2019 a hard year for you? If so, you are not alone. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Happiness Index Scores for 2019 are in & it's not looking so good. </span></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tu_FNqrWKOs/XjTJ0_SdK3I/AAAAAAAAErE/58XocTFH750HND5RGdIh6vEGVcHbpeN_ACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2020-01-31%2Bat%2B4.35.29%2BPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="364" data-original-width="1600" height="144" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tu_FNqrWKOs/XjTJ0_SdK3I/AAAAAAAAErE/58XocTFH750HND5RGdIh6vEGVcHbpeN_ACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Screen%2BShot%2B2020-01-31%2Bat%2B4.35.29%2BPM.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">In most every domain of happiness - community, education, health and many others, Happiness Index scores declined between 2017 and 2018. Particularly concerning are the declines in satisfaction with life, psychological well-being and community because these are the domains, in simple terms, matter most to a happy life. The domains with the lowest scores compared to the other domains - government and time balance - saw a smaller downward slope, but there is little solace in this. <a href="https://public.tableau.com/profile/happycounts#!/vizhome/HappinessIndexScoresfor2019/Story1"> Interact with the scores here. </a></span><br />
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<a href="https://public.tableau.com/profile/happycounts#!/vizhome/HappinessIndexScoresfor2019/Story1"><img border="0" data-original-height="1294" data-original-width="1260" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FXn09EoWnh4/XjTKnjIYBPI/AAAAAAAAErQ/UvRcvNtrplYm7xwg0_5Nb3SuBx8FAVGmwCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Screen%2BShot%2B2020-01-31%2Bat%2B4.38.37%2BPM.png" width="619" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://public.tableau.com/profile/happycounts#!/vizhome/HappinessIndexScoresfor2011-2018/Story1">Happiness Index Scores in 2017</a> in many domains took a dip down, with some recovery in 2018. We asked our newsletter recipients for their happiness wisdom with the question: What do you need for your happiness? (<a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScdPhpVGnFxo3Z9_LKzzwts6G1CyDsCJa1hNqI28lPvHGcJMw/viewform?usp=sf_link">You can answer too</a>)</span><br />
<a href="https://public.tableau.com/profile/happycounts#!/vizhome/HappinessIndexScoresfor2011-2018/Story1"><img border="0" data-original-height="378" data-original-width="1600" height="147" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-06TdFSTmikk/XjTJXM3cwgI/AAAAAAAAEq8/vHQuhE1R42I21Y33wBb4IyRQ_RWq2gBvQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Screen%2BShot%2B2020-01-31%2Bat%2B4.40.48%2BPM.png" style="text-align: center;" width="640" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Some of the answers we got were:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><span style="font-size: large;">More Connection.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">More planned community activities (and better advertising for these events and gathering).</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Shift the news both on TV and in the papers to a more positive perspective. Until that happens, though, just stop watching TV news and buying newspapers.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Improve housing opportunities for the poor. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Safety, access to green spaces, transportation ease in order to spend more time with family and friends instead of commuting. </span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We will share more answers in our next <a href="https://www.happycounts.org/#happinessreportcard">Happiness Report Card </a>(<a href="http://oi.vresp.com/?fid=8f2903d4c2">sign up for our newsletter</a> so as not to miss one). </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">In 2019, data was gathered from 12,480 surveys taken, with about 68% of people living in the US. The data is from a convenience sampling, meaning people chose to take the <a href="https://survey.happycounts.org/survey/directToSurvey">Happiness Index</a>. </span><br />
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Happiness Alliancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05592467282941426227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4596385636636811156.post-29693542401908362392019-09-05T18:40:00.000-07:002019-09-05T18:40:02.421-07:00Announcing: The Happiness Policy Handbook<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="text-align: left;">
Happiness is and should be the purpose of government. The word government comes from Greek <span style="background-color: white; color: #001320; font-family: Cardo, GentiumAlt, "Galilee Unicode Gk", "Galatia SIL", "Palatino Linotype", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 17px;">κυβέρνησις </span>meaning to steer a ship. Inherent to the idea of steering, and governing, is the notion that there is a destination. The north star of those steering, or governing, any nation, is the happiness of the people. </div>
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But how does a government steer the nation towards happiness when, for most, the concept is fuzzy at best? The same way anyone finds their way when they are lost. By tethering themselves to something they know. Sometimes you have to look back to find the way forward. </div>
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For some, government seems like a ship lost at sea, bobbing about this way and that with the tides and storms. They need a chart. They need a way to understand whether people really are happy or not, who is suffering, and how to alleviate misery and safeguard happiness.</div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
Looking backwards to the founders of modern democracy, in the words of John "the happiness of society is the end of government" (meaning the purpose, not the demise - in fact, when happiness is not the purpose of government, it can start to feel like the end of opportunity and quality of life). </div>
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Looking back at the work we at the Happiness Alliance have been doing since 2010, working with small and national governments, with community organizers, researchers and businesses, and looking forward to a future where happiness is not only the purpose but also the business of government, we wrote the Happiness Policy Handbook. </div>
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It is choke full of lessons, experience-based knowledge and tested tools and resources for transforming how we think about- and do- business. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
We hope you will buy this book and feel empowered to change your town, city, region and nation for world were all people have equal opportunity to be happy, and no one is left in misery. Buy on <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Happiness-Policy-Handbook-Well-Being-Government/dp/0865719241/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3QL4Z8WVXK1PA&keywords=the+happiness+policy+handbook&qid=1567733779&s=gateway&sprefix=happiness+policy+%2Caps%2C205&sr=8-1">Amazon,</a> or directly from our most wonderful publishers, <a href="https://www.newsociety.com/Books/H/The-Happiness-Policy-Handbook">New Society Publishing</a>,</div>
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Happiness-Policy-Handbook-Well-Being-Government/dp/0865719241/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3QL4Z8WVXK1PA&keywords=the+happiness+policy+handbook&qid=1567733779&s=gateway&sprefix=happiness+policy+%2Caps%2C205&sr=8-1"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1355" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ydvMKgh23e0/XXG395bht2I/AAAAAAAAEbY/bkxPDXkrj1wv033K-1ud99poT2dhsE5lQCLcBGAs/s320/happiness%2Bpolicy%2Bhandbook%2Bcover.png" width="271" /></a><span id="goog_1576102872"></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/"></a><span id="goog_1576102873"></span></div>
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Happiness Alliancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05592467282941426227noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4596385636636811156.post-42122563819552274802019-07-14T21:37:00.002-07:002019-07-14T23:27:07.805-07:00 5 guides for mindful embodied happiness<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b>5 Guides for Mindful Embodied Happiness </b></div>
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by Laura Musikanski</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yIQH6QTtMPA/XSvr0U5BruI/AAAAAAAAEVw/cavx3Jogi6IOkFoLR9l4L7Pyqres5cHEgCLcBGAs/s1600/kisspng-chakra-meditation-watercolor-painting-yoga-yoga-5ab9a4e29065a9.4679116515221158105915.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1069" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yIQH6QTtMPA/XSvr0U5BruI/AAAAAAAAEVw/cavx3Jogi6IOkFoLR9l4L7Pyqres5cHEgCLcBGAs/s320/kisspng-chakra-meditation-watercolor-painting-yoga-yoga-5ab9a4e29065a9.4679116515221158105915.png" width="239" /></a></div>
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In the teachings of mindfulness, called the Dharma by Buddhists, there are five guidelines. These are called the five precepts. The guides are intended to help you life your life without causing yourself misery. After all, life is hard enough. We don't need to put stumbling blocks in our own way to happiness. Like the ten commandments, they are still relevant today when understood in today's context. Like the ten commandments, they are easily lost when translated literally or with ancient understandings. Let's do an experiment to see if this is true.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XUfas002z_s/XSvS1rQxE1I/AAAAAAAAET8/c9-ajgWpJ20a2lq2TuoWfEsqm-GsAv1vACLcBGAs/s1600/kisspng-outline-of-the-human-nervous-system-human-body-cen-5b3261d3b2f897.1713951715300284997331.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="691" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XUfas002z_s/XSvS1rQxE1I/AAAAAAAAET8/c9-ajgWpJ20a2lq2TuoWfEsqm-GsAv1vACLcBGAs/s320/kisspng-outline-of-the-human-nervous-system-human-body-cen-5b3261d3b2f897.1713951715300284997331.png" width="277" /></a></div>
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Let's start first the nervous system first. Where ever you are right now, notice the state of your nervous system. Are you tranquil just now, or slightly on edge? Perhaps you feel at ease, but your shoulders have a slight ache, or there is a tightness in your jaw and front of the neck that you would like to go away. Just notice the degree to which your body is tense, tired, uneasy, relaxed, calm or at ease. Now, if you can, close your eyes or allow your eyes to lose focus of any particular thing. Take three deep breathes, making the inhale and exhale last as long as you can. Allow there to be a slight pause between in breath and out breath, without holding your breath. If breathing does not work to calm you, imagine yourself in a place especially for you. Somewhere safe and beautiful. Perhaps this is a valley in the mountains, where you can see everything around you, and there is nothing but beautiful nature. Perhaps it is a summer field, with wind blowing through the blossoms, or on a lake. Allow yourself to be fully there, fully embraced by your peaceful, safe place.<br />
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Here, in this place and state of calm, we explore the first guide. This is called the guide to not be intoxicated, or, more precisely, the guide to be calm and aware in the present. With your imagination, envision your nervous system, how it travels your entire body with its nexus in your brain. Now notice how your entire body feels right now, without going into detail about the different parts. Notice how your mind is working, without going into details about the thoughts that are occurring. Bring your imagination again to the nervous system, and envision it.<br />
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Now cast your mind to a desire for something to eat, drink or do that will change how you feel. Coffee is an easy one. Remember how it feels to need a coffee. The sluggishness of the brain. How the muscles feel like they are being dragged by some force outside yourself in order to move. Allow your body to be filled with the feeling of the need for caffeine. Now cast your mind to something else, perhaps something a little less socially acceptable that you regularly use to change your mood. A cigarette, alcohol, weed, sex or something else. Imagine the moment when you are wanting or needing it, when you have made the decision to light the cigarette, pour the drink, etc. Now, envision your nervous system with this desire. How does it feel? How will it feel once you indulge? Different? Better? No longer on edge. No longer desiring. The brain will calm down. The body will relax. You'll get some relief.<br />
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The first guide for mindful embodied happiness is to train yourself to be calm without the drink, smoke, or whatever your favored intoxications are. It is for relief and ease to be your normal state of being. To get here, think of this guide (like all the others) as a learning process. The way you learn is by noticing as often as you can:<br />
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<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>When you are calm without intoxication, how does your nervous system (and the brain) feel?</li>
<li>When you are desiring something to change your mood, how does your nervous system feel?</li>
<li>How does your nervous system feel once you have partaken of your favorite intoxicant?</li>
<li>Does indulging in the intoxicant really make things better in any lasting way?</li>
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This may be the hardest of all the guides, but if you cast your mind to the times when you were calm and not wanting to change your state, you will see that in those moments you had a capacity to be present and loving, and you were less likely to do things you regretted later, or wish you had done differently or not at all.<br />
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The first guide is in the head, specifically the brain and nervous system, and it is to be calm, without intoxication, and so to be present in the moment.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">credit for image Dr. Clancy <a href="https://clancy-ent.com.au/procedures/microlaryngoscopy/">https://clancy-ent.com.au/procedures/microlaryngoscopy/</a></span></td></tr>
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For the second guide, we go to the throat. The throat is where we speak from. Bring your attention to your throat, specifically, to your voice box. If you cannot envision your voice box, put you hand on your throat just below the chin where a little bump is. Just feel into that part of your body. When you speak, words are formed by all different parts of your body. A sight or sound may give rise to a thought, or something someone says may trigger a feeling in your gut and memory buried somewhere deep inside you. The mind and body work together to form words, but the words come out through the voice box.<br />
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Keeping all this in mind, imagine what your body feels like when you hear words or sounds that feel good. Someone saying they love you, someone reassuring you, a pet purring or happily panting. Then bring to memory how your body feels when someone says something hurtful or mean to you. Without going into it, remember how the mind starts to think, and remember the feeling in the body. Likely the shoulders tense, maybe the right arm too, in a reflex to strike back. Maybe it feels like the wind has been knocked out of you.<br />
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Now imagine how it feels when you say unkind things or speak in anger, even if you feel it is justified or needed. Again, without going into it, remember how the blood rises or how a sense of strength, conviction and righteousness fills the body when you speak out of indignation, anger or fear. Last, bring your memory to times when you said words you know were loving, kind and healing. Perhaps this was to a small child or pet. Remember how these words effected your body, and how you felt while and after you said these words.<br />
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The second guide in the throat, and it is not speak lies, or more precisely, to not use words that cause harm. One of the keystones in following this guide is learning that any words, when spoken in any shade of anger or fear, from indignation to rage, concern to terror, can cause harm. This does not mean that you don't speak to stop harm coming to yourself and another in the moment when not doing so would be harmful, like yelling stop when someone is about to crash, but that you train yourself to refrain from any speech that could cause harm. <br />
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To follow this guide, you train yourself to first notice how you are feeling before you speak (or email, text, tweet, or message), and when you are feeling a shade of anger or fear, you stop and ask yourself, could these words cause harm? If there is any chance they could, then you train yourself not to say or send them by first noticing the harm they cause when you say or send them anyway, and later, as you learn, by not sending or saying them. As you are learning this guide, you will find that you will say or send words you should have known were harmful. When this happens, you learn this guide more deeply by reflecting on the feelings of shame and regret, without punishing yourself. When you reflect on these feelings, you learn how to predict when future words would be harmful and refrain from speaking or sending them.<br />
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For the third guide, we go to the heart. The heart is the home of love and life. We go to the heart because this guide is to do no harm. In Buddhism, it is the first on the list, and is taught as not to kill any living thing. This way of teaching is often interpreted as being a vegetarian and not going to war, but Buddha is said to have ate meat when it was given to him (he even is said to have died in his eighties from eating a meal of bad meat) and most people do not get to control whether there is war or not. Instead of struggling over how to interpret this precept from Buddhism, we can understand this guide in a different way by going to our heart.<br />
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In our heart, we know when we are hurt and we know when we are loved and loving. Bring your attention to how your heart is feeling right now. Imagine it pumping blood, taking in the blue blood starved of oxygen, pushing out the red blood full of oxygen, over and over. Now bring to mind a time when you were safely and fully in love. It does not matter how that love turned out, just keep your mind on the time when you felt completely in love. It may be when you fell in love with a partner, when you were a child or just had a child, or a memory of a cherished and long departed pet. Allow the feeling of love to fill you, and sense how your heart feels. Feel the expanse of the heart, how it feels big it is in your chest. Breathe into that expanse, not allowing the mind to wander away into thoughts, but keeping it focused on the expanse of the heart. Close your eyes and stay with that feeling as long as you can.<br />
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When you recognize that the memory is gone, perhaps because your mind strayed, you fell asleep or something disturbed your thoughts, bring your mind to the opposite. Remember a time you felt betrayed, hurt or heart broken. Without going into the details of the memory, notice how your heart feels right now with this memory. Were you betrayed? Did you feel stabbed in the back? If you did, it was in the heart region, because in the heart is where we feel betrayal, hurt and heart broken. We feel it in other places too, but the core of the feeling is in the heart. That is how it feels to have harm done, and that is how it feels when we do harm.<br />
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From the heart we can learn to follow the third guide: to do no harm. It is at the center for all five guides, and so we put it between the other four guides and situate it in the heart. To follow this guide, you train yourself to become more and more attuned to your heart. As you learn to recognize the pain and harm others do to you with their actions and words, or inactions and silence, you learn also how to recognize when your actions, words, inactions and silence are doing harm.<br />
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To use this guide in your life, you can use the golden rule, and ask if you would want to be treated the way you were treating someone else. If you are not sure, have a habit of treating yourself harshly, or expect yourself and others to be tough, you can use a different form of the golden rule, and ask yourself if the other person would want to be treated in such a way.<br />
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For the fourth guide, we go to the belly. The belly is the most vulnerable part of our bodies. This may be because when animals eat each other, they bite into the belly first. Bring your attention to your belly. When you do this, you may have a reflexive feeling of shame, or fear. Maybe your belly is a place in your body you do not want anyone to touch or look at. Or maybe you feel proud of your belly, or feel that your power comes from your belly. Allow your attention to rest on whatever your feeling is about your belly.<br />
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Next bring your attention to your stomach. How hungry are you? Does bringing your focus to your stomach bring rise to an idea that a little nibble of something would be nice just now? Or did you just eat, and feel full, or eat too much and feel stuffed? Perhaps you are hungry and have decided not to eat for a while. Notice how feelings of being hungry rise, and then pass, and then you feel satiated for a little while without eating anything, and then feelings of hunger rise again.<br />
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The belly is where want comes from. Someone who can't be satisfied, in food, money, success or anything else is said to have an insatiable appetite. We depict greedy people as having big bellies not because of body size, but because want that cannot be satisfied is symbolized in the body as a belly that can never be full. A more apt description might be a skinny belly that no matter how much it takes in, cannot be filled.<br />
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When you eat too much, you have discomfort. If you eat more than too much, you will have pain in your belly and wish that you had not eaten so much. When you eat too little, or starve yourself, you will also feel pain in the stomach, and desire for food will dominate your mind. If you and your loved ones are starved too much and for too long and survive starvation, you will likely find yourself unable to feel you have enough, no matter how much you have.<br />
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If you eat when you are hungry, and eat until you are satiated and not more, you will not be possessed by thoughts of food, or find yourself always trying but never able to fill a metaphorical empty belly. This is the same for all the other things in life. When you work to have enough money to buy the things you need, and then rest instead of working more to buy more than enough, you take from yourself and the world no more than what is needed. Similarly, when you collect enough things to have the objects you need to enjoy your past times, and then spend time enjoying yourself, instead of collecting more than you need or confusing collecting things with enjoying yourself, you take no more than is needed. Conversely, you do not deprive yourself of food, things, or ways of enjoying yourself in healthy and harmless ways because it is not ecologically sustainable.<br />
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The forth guide is to take only what is needed to be healthily satiated. This guide has been interpreted as not stealing but it is possible to take something without stealing and do harm. This is the case with excessive consumption, use of natural resources, and manufacturing of things in harmful conditions. This is why we go to the belly to follow this guide. To follow this guide, when you are going to eat, buy, or use something, you ask yourselves if you need it, how much of it you need to be satiated, and if it will bring you joy. You can also ask yourself if you do not need it, or if not having it will bring you sorrow. You ask these questions lightly, without judging yourself harshly for needing things, and seek for the answer in a feeling in your belly. You give yourself permission to have enough of everything, and set a boundary for yourself for having too much. You can do this with everything that buy, consume, use and dispose of; seeking always to have just enough to be satisfied, and never so much that you are too full.<br />
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The fifth guide is situated in the loins. It is a guide for our sexual nature, our strongest drive. This drive is so overpowering that if we do not train ourselves to manage it, we make a mess of our lives. It is a confusing drive, because speaking openly about it is forbidden in many circumstances. To understand this guide, first bring your mind to the area of your body we call the groin. Noticing the feeling in the groin, notice the energy in this area. Now, bring your mind specially to the part of your groin that identifies your gender to you. Putting aside your sexuality, bring your mind to your gendering organs, and allow your mind to rest on awareness of your organs as organs. What ever gender you were born, and what ever gender you identify as, without getting carried away by thoughts of gender, notice that you have gender organs. Next, bring your mind to the feeling of life in your organs. Notice what that feeling is for you, whether desire, lack of desire, or any other feeling. Notice how quickly the mind goes to thoughts about what is or is not desired, or memories and fears, and bring your mind back to the sensation in your loins. Notice how strong the feelings and thoughts are, whether positive, negative, or numbness.<br />
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The fifth guide is to use our sexual nature in ways that are loving and never do harm. This guide means we do not violate, force or exploit someone into a sexual act, or behave in oppressive or biased ways against people because of their gender, gender identification, sexuality or choice of partner. It also means we do not use our sexuality in ways that are unfair or manipulative. This guide applies to all genders of all sexual orientation. We can explore this by contemplating our assumptions about our own gender, both the dark side and the good side, and about other genders, both the good and dark sides, and by ultimately realizing that each of us encompasses all of these aspects, good and bad. When we see our assumptions more clearly, we put ourselves in better state to make better choices about how we act.<br />
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To follow this guide, we also contemplate deeply how our sexual drives and gender assumptions effect our actions and ask ourselves if any of our actions are disrespectful or harmful to others. This does not mean we do not take direct action to protect someone who is being violated if they are clearly needing help, or if they are being harassed and have expressed a desire to be protected. It also means that when we act to protect, we do not do so in a way that causes harm when no harm is necessary, do not exact revenge on someone because of their gender, or justify harming others based on gender or sexual orientation. We treat women, men, trans, gender fluid, non-binary, and all other genders without intent to harm, and with intent to be loving, kind, and caring.<br />
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The five guides are:<br />
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From the brain and nervous system, to be calm and aware in the present.<br />
From the throat, to not use words that cause harm.<br />
From the heart, to do no harm.<br />
From the belly, to take only what is needed to be healthily satiated.<br />
From the loins, to use our sexual nature in ways that are loving.<br />
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When we follow these five guides, we are less likely to create misery in our lives. We are less likely to do things we regret, and that cause harm to others and to ourselves. We sleep better. We need intoxication less. We treat ourselves better. We eat better. We exercise in healthy ways for us. We are better friends and lovers. We are more likely to find happiness.<br />
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Copyright (c) 2019 by Laura Musikanski </div>
Happiness Alliancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05592467282941426227noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4596385636636811156.post-14887891582315621792019-02-18T18:27:00.002-08:002019-02-18T18:27:31.142-08:00Bridging the Gap - new article!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="background-color: #fcfcfc;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-size: 17px; letter-spacing: 0.102px;"><b><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">A</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">nnouncing a new article that shows how Sustainable Development and Happiness Indicators work together.</span></b></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; font-size: 17px; letter-spacing: 0.102px;">Published by Springer and <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs42413-018-0012-2">download for free!</a> (Usually $39.99)</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #333333; font-size: 17px; letter-spacing: 0.102px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Abstract:</b> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #333333; font-size: 17px; letter-spacing: 0.102px;">International institutions, national governments and communities are promoting and measuring happiness in various ways. However, as of the writing of this article, there is not an agreed upon <b>happiness index </b>that institutions, governments, and communities use to gather and compare data. </span></span><span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; letter-spacing: 0.102px;">On the other hand, the <b>Sustainable Development Goals</b> (SDGs), which have a set of indicators commonly shared by institutions, governments, and communities, do not explicitly consider happiness even though SDG Goal 3: Good Health and Well-being references well-being. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; letter-spacing: 0.102px;">In this article, we construct an <b>Aggregated Happiness Index (AHI) </b>based on five indices in use and applied at different governance levels. Based on common domains and indicators from these indices, the AHI is composed of twelve domains, thirty-one indicators and distinguishes between objective and subjective indicators. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; letter-spacing: 0.102px;">The AHI domains and indicators are benchmarked against the SDGs goals and indicators respectively using a grading schema based on a traffic light. Our analysis reveals that at the domain level the SDGs cover 66.7% of the AHI, however the coverage at indicator level drops to 48.6%. The SDGs indicators cover 61.1% of the AHI objective indicators and 17.9% of the AHI subjective indicators. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; letter-spacing: 0.102px;"><b>Major gaps are found in the domains of community & social support, subjective well-being and time balance. </b>We found a lack of subjective metrics in other domains, including economic standard of living and health. We discuss the opportunities and drawbacks of approaching SDGs and happiness metrics separately or synergistically. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; letter-spacing: 0.102px;">Given the potential benefits of integrating both approaches, we propose the framework we term </span><em class="EmphasisTypeItalic " style="background-color: #fcfcfc; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; letter-spacing: 0.102px;"><b>SDGs for Happiness</b></em><span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; letter-spacing: 0.102px;"><b> </b>composed of 18 indicators of which 61.1% are subjective that should be considered in addition to the SDG indicators to measure happiness within the SDGs.</span><br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AUaW4XS3HTc/XGtpg8XrYEI/AAAAAAAAEIs/Ape6IuklBd4SOUkXohypQcNOuW4WT3mhQCLcBGAs/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2019-02-18%2Bat%2B6.26.50%2BPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="513" data-original-width="1600" height="203" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AUaW4XS3HTc/XGtpg8XrYEI/AAAAAAAAEIs/Ape6IuklBd4SOUkXohypQcNOuW4WT3mhQCLcBGAs/s640/Screen%2BShot%2B2019-02-18%2Bat%2B6.26.50%2BPM.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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Happiness Alliancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05592467282941426227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4596385636636811156.post-88143076576398131562018-10-24T17:36:00.000-07:002018-10-24T20:25:44.405-07:0010 years left<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wYqpNn4wUR0/W9EPHToGuYI/AAAAAAAAD9s/4AowvJdioNIpuj84Dk-w9uaRP9x4VWwCwCLcBGAs/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-10-24%2Bat%2B5.31.57%2BPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="568" data-original-width="1600" height="140" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wYqpNn4wUR0/W9EPHToGuYI/AAAAAAAAD9s/4AowvJdioNIpuj84Dk-w9uaRP9x4VWwCwCLcBGAs/s400/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-10-24%2Bat%2B5.31.57%2BPM.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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The recent<a href="https://www.ipcc.ch/pdf/special-reports/sr15/sr15_spm_final.pdf"> IPCC report </a>gives us 10 years to get our act together. If we don't we can expect life to change dramatically. In 1972, almost half a century ago, Donella and Dana Meadows forecasted the changes that will happen using five inputs, calling it <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Limits_to_Growth">Limits to Growth:</a><br />
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Population growth<br />
Industrial production<br />
Use of natural resources<br />
Food production<br />
Pollution & Waste<br />
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They used a simulation <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/sep/02/limits-to-growth-was-right-new-research-shows-were-nearing-collapse">to predict</a> what would happen at stages along the way. According to their predictions, in about 10 years sea level rises, deforestation, pollution impacts, resource constraints and other impacts that will change life drastically, will fall into place. It turns out that's what the IPCC says too.<br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kI5JlpNgAGc/W9EPizd5_hI/AAAAAAAAD90/obSEdlJH1eU49JQRy8MBHUBI90yVJNEGQCLcBGAs/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-10-24%2Bat%2B5.33.56%2BPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="541" data-original-width="1600" height="135" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kI5JlpNgAGc/W9EPizd5_hI/AAAAAAAAD90/obSEdlJH1eU49JQRy8MBHUBI90yVJNEGQCLcBGAs/s400/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-10-24%2Bat%2B5.33.56%2BPM.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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It's looking pretty grim. Maybe playing around with happiness is a dumb idea. Shouldn't we be preparing for what looks like the inevitable? Collapse of our food system, floods and landslides, pandemics....<br />
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Why bother with happiness?<br />
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Because it turns out that happiness is a way to get us out of this mess, if we are able to make the changes the IPCC (and the Meadows) are calling for, and happiness will be the way to manage the catastrophes if - more like when - they come.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YawTt_JJrxA/W9EQCB2bNpI/AAAAAAAAD-A/ChZiEy53EXIOcvZ36Zf5CA1j4qGa-ILTQCLcBGAs/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-10-24%2Bat%2B5.36.00%2BPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="392" data-original-width="1600" height="97" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YawTt_JJrxA/W9EQCB2bNpI/AAAAAAAAD-A/ChZiEy53EXIOcvZ36Zf5CA1j4qGa-ILTQCLcBGAs/s400/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-10-24%2Bat%2B5.36.00%2BPM.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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Why?<br />
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First - now: If we were to use wider measures of well-being, such as the <a href="https://www.happycounts.org/">Happiness Index</a>, we would have the metrics to manage our way into sustainability and well-being. Measurements like the Happiness Index encompass ecological health and point the way for de-growth, rolling back consumption, and putting our health, each other, and our planet first.<br />
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Second - then: wider measures of well-being point the way for meeting needs in a resource constrained world, and in a world where others, including people, animals, and ecosystems, are hurting. The answers will be simple, most likely, and involve caring for each other, nurturing the earth, and being as loving as we can in each moment.<br />
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That is why happiness really is important now.<br />
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Written by Laura Musikanski<br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-H1wv54pRU1Y/W9EPyRAD7QI/AAAAAAAAD94/Y-rc03hs8F02LzbsaMjmjNl_NM1lTcWbQCLcBGAs/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-10-24%2Bat%2B5.34.56%2BPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="305" data-original-width="1600" height="76" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-H1wv54pRU1Y/W9EPyRAD7QI/AAAAAAAAD94/Y-rc03hs8F02LzbsaMjmjNl_NM1lTcWbQCLcBGAs/s400/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-10-24%2Bat%2B5.34.56%2BPM.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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Happiness Alliancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05592467282941426227noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4596385636636811156.post-90146902980833530222018-08-30T16:54:00.002-07:002018-08-30T16:54:42.853-07:00The Air That You Breathe<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: #14adfa; font-size: 14pt;">Happiness Data Report for August: Air That You Breathe</span></div>
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<b>We are all connected through the air we breathe.</b> The air you breathe is the same air that your ancestors breathed and that future generations will breathe. It is the same air your neighbor breathes, the same air breathed by seven billion people on our planet - and all other beings. </div>
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<b>Air knows no boarders, no boundaries, makes no distinctions. </b></div>
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Thank goodness. </div>
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We humans can't survive more than three minutes without air. Try holding your breathe, and you'll have a direct experience of how connected your well-being is to air.</div>
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What does air have to do with happiness?</h2>
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One of the questions in the Happiness Index is: <b>How satisfied are you with the air quality in your environment?</b><div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">The map below (</span><a href="http://cts.vresp.com/c/?TheHappinessAlliance/5e84ea3604/f7bfee5e69/ffd8b38df8" style="font-size: 13.3333px;">click here to interact with the data</a><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">) shows darker blue where people have higher satisfaction with air quality, and lighter colors where there is lower satisfaction with air quality. (Where there is data, there is a dark grey circle with the color inside. Light grey is where there is no data yet). </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">Overall, in 2017, people were fairly satisfied with the air quality in their environment. </span></div>
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<a href="http://cts.vresp.com/c/?TheHappinessAlliance/5e84ea3604/f7bfee5e69/9325072ce9"><img align="none" alt="Air Quality Satisfaction MapJ" border="0" height="541" hspace="0" src="https://3a7ccc09d4-custmedia.vresp.com/5e84ea3604/Air%20Quality%20%20Satisfaction%20MapJ.jpg" style="height: 541px; width: 602px;" title="Air Quality Satisfaction MapJ" vspace="0" width="602" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;">Objective data (data that can be observed) can help give a balanced picture when compared to subjective data. </span></div>
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<br />Objective data is data that can be observed, like particulates in the air. </div>
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Subjective data is gathered through surveys, like the Happiness Index.</div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;">The </span><a href="http://cts.vresp.com/c/?TheHappinessAlliance/5e84ea3604/f7bfee5e69/fda99d09dc" style="font-size: 10pt;">Real Time Air Quality Index</a><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> provides objective data for air quality. </span><span style="font-size: 10pt;">In areas where people are fairly satisfied (or not dissatisfied) with air quality, the air quality (measured in terms of pollutants, pollen, ozone and other factors of air quality,) is only moderately good in many areas (yellow) and unhealthy or very unhealthy in other areas (red and purple respectively). </span></div>
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<a href="http://cts.vresp.com/c/?TheHappinessAlliance/5e84ea3604/f7bfee5e69/fe11c4f0c6"><img align="none" alt="Air Quality Index" border="0" height="302" hspace="0" src="https://3a7ccc09d4-custmedia.vresp.com/5e84ea3604/Air%20Quality%20Index.jpg" style="height: 302px; width: 600px;" title="Air Quality Index" vspace="0" width="600" /></a></div>
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<b style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: darkorange; font-size: medium;">Comparing the data suggests there may be a disconnect between how satisfied we are with our air quality and our actual air quality; and an even deeper disconnect with how we feel today about our air quality, the future of our air quality and our happiness. </span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: darkorange;">We can't say that for sure, because of many factors. But we can suggest that this is an area worth investigation.</span> </span></b></div>
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Why look at the differences between air quality measured in terms of pollutants and people's satisfaction with air quality? </h2>
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<li style="font-size: 13.3333px;">Because since the industrial revolution, <b style="font-size: 13.3333px;">overall air quality has gotten worse</b><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;"> (even though since the 1970s, in some areas </span><a href="http://cts.vresp.com/c/?TheHappinessAlliance/5e84ea3604/f7bfee5e69/c13ecb2577" style="font-size: 13.3333px;">it is getting better</a><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">), and we can't be certain that nature will bear </span><a href="http://cts.vresp.com/c/?TheHappinessAlliance/5e84ea3604/f7bfee5e69/e59e5d780b" style="font-size: 13.3333px;">every nation catching up</a><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;"> so that it gets better in all areas. </span></li>
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<li>Because with the impacts of <b style="font-size: 13.3333px;">climate change such as water scarcity, forest fires and </b><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;"><b>desertification</b></span><b style="font-size: 13.3333px;"> in some areas, and longer growing seasons with high pollen counts in other areas, </b><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">we can expect some major impacts on air quality. </span></li>
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<li>Because we humans are <b style="font-size: 13.3333px;">gifted and cursed</b><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;"> with an ability to </span><b style="font-size: 13.3333px;">adapt </b><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">and a </span><b style="font-size: 13.3333px;">preference for short term thinking</b><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;"> over long term thinking. </span></li>
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<li>Because we often don't think of the connection between air quality and happiness until we can't hardly breathe. </li>
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<li>Because we often wait to <b style="font-size: 13.3333px;">take action until we reach a personal or societal crisis.</b><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;"> </span></li>
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<li>Because it feels <b style="font-size: 13.3333px;">overwhelming. </b></li>
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<b>So what can you do right now to make a difference?</b></div>
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How You Can Take Action Today:</h2>
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<li><b style="font-size: 10pt;">Share the <a href="http://cts.vresp.com/c/?TheHappinessAlliance/5e84ea3604/f7bfee5e69/dddf41dbc3/e=33431794/63899072">Happiness Report Card</a> </b><span style="font-size: 10pt;">and this month's report about air quality with your mayor, elected council members, city or town manager, governor and senator. Ask to have a conversation with them about the Happiness Movement. (You can find resources, including a white paper on the Happiness Movement <a href="http://cts.vresp.com/c/?TheHappinessAlliance/5e84ea3604/f7bfee5e69/14c28c29eb">here</a>)</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Ask your friends and colleagues to take the <a href="http://cts.vresp.com/c/?TheHappinessAlliance/5e84ea3604/f7bfee5e69/6b05e14536">Happiness Index</a> and </span><b style="font-size: 10pt;">c</b><b style="font-size: 10pt;">oordinate conversations to discuss their happiness scores.</b></li>
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<li>If you are a researcher, conduct an investigation into the connections between objective and survey-based data for air quality and happiness. (You can use the Happiness Index data; email info@happycounts.org). </li>
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A Bit More On Data...</h2>
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<span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">Looking at the differences in satisfaction with air quality between ages, the </span><a href="http://cts.vresp.com/c/?TheHappinessAlliance/5e84ea3604/f7bfee5e69/23663c0bfc" style="font-size: 13.3333px;">Happiness Index</a><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">,</span><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;"> data shows that except for very few 85-89 year olds, </span><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">we were satisfied with our air quality in 2017. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">A lot more youth took the survey than adults, and a lot fewer older people took the survey than adults or youth. If this were a random sampling, the few people in the 85-89 year old bracket might be called outliers, and their data would not be included. But our data comes from a convenience sampling, meaning everyone who takes the Happiness Index made the personal decision to do so. </span></div>
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<a href="http://cts.vresp.com/c/?TheHappinessAlliance/5e84ea3604/f7bfee5e69/c63b9085d6"><img align="none" alt="Air Quality Satisfaction by Age J 2" border="0" height="629" hspace="0" src="https://3a7ccc09d4-custmedia.vresp.com/5e84ea3604/Air%20Quality%20Satisfaction%20by%20Age%20J%202.jpg" style="height: 629px; width: 600px;" title="Air Quality Satisfaction by Age J 2" vspace="0" width="600" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;">Looking at the differences between income levels, except for the 43 people whose household income is between 240,000-250,000USD a year (they were more satisfied), most everybody was pretty satisfied with the quality of their air. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;">Other than that, the differences between the very wealthy and poor were small, but many more people on the low income spectrum took the survey than people in the wealthy income brackets. </span></div>
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(A score of 5 means very satisfied, a score of 3 means neither satisfied or dissatisfied, and a score of 4 means satisfied.)</div>
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<a href="http://cts.vresp.com/c/?TheHappinessAlliance/5e84ea3604/f7bfee5e69/3bf0bed01b"><img align="none" alt="Air Quality by Income J" border="0" height="711" hspace="0" src="https://3a7ccc09d4-custmedia.vresp.com/5e84ea3604/Air%20Quality%20by%20Income%20J.jpg" style="height: 711px; width: 600px;" title="Air Quality by Income J" vspace="0" width="600" /></a></div>
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and...FYI:</h2>
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Happiness Agoras: Stream, Participate, Play</h2>
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<b><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: red;">Luis Gallardo's Happiness Agoras are open to everyone online for a low price of 39.99. </span><a href="http://cts.vresp.com/c/?TheHappinessAlliance/5e84ea3604/f7bfee5e69/f3cee452e0" style="color: red;">Sign up</a> <span style="color: darkorange;">for one week of inspirational sessions online the week of International Day of Happiness (March 21) in 2019. </span></span></b></div>
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<b style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: violet; font-size: medium;">Not sure? <a href="http://cts.vresp.com/c/?TheHappinessAlliance/5e84ea3604/f7bfee5e69/0a31a6689d">Get a taste for free.</a> Sign up and stream the </span><span style="color: purple; font-size: medium;">Journey To Agoras </span><span style="color: violet; font-size: medium;">online classes. </span></b></div>
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<a href="http://cts.vresp.com/c/?TheHappinessAlliance/5e84ea3604/f7bfee5e69/ce1a54815d"><img align="none" alt="happiness agoras" border="0" height="395" hspace="0" src="https://3a7ccc09d4-custmedia.vresp.com/5e84ea3604/happiness%20agoras.jpg" style="height: 395px; width: 600px;" title="happiness agoras" vspace="0" width="600" /></a></div>
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With love from the Happiness Alliance</h2>
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<b><span style="font-size: medium;">All Grassroots. All nonprofit. <a href="http://cts.vresp.com/c/?TheHappinessAlliance/5e84ea3604/f7bfee5e69/b13d9271eb">Donate </a>or <a href="http://cts.vresp.com/c/?TheHappinessAlliance/5e84ea3604/f7bfee5e69/a79ef5d7d1">Volunteer</a> today. </span></b></div>
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<a href="http://cts.vresp.com/c/?TheHappinessAlliance/5e84ea3604/f7bfee5e69/60346bfe92"><img align="none" alt="air that you breathe" border="0" height="258" hspace="0" src="https://3a7ccc09d4-custmedia.vresp.com/5e84ea3604/air%20that%20you%20breathe.jpg" style="height: 258px; width: 600px;" title="air that you breathe" vspace="0" width="600" /></a></div>
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Happiness Alliancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05592467282941426227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4596385636636811156.post-37485270959720240452018-07-27T23:17:00.000-07:002018-07-27T23:17:06.201-07:00Why I Created 5 Minutes to Less Stress<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><b>Why I Created 5 Minutes to Less Stress</b></span></div>
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By Alice Vo Edwards</div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-h498GyZZUrI/W1wJSjx7NpI/AAAAAAAAD20/Ygxkkp3lOoYETc7If00wSmm4yPCEMXjeQCLcBGAs/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-07-27%2Bat%2B11.11.18%2BPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1033" data-original-width="1600" height="257" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-h498GyZZUrI/W1wJSjx7NpI/AAAAAAAAD20/Ygxkkp3lOoYETc7If00wSmm4yPCEMXjeQCLcBGAs/s400/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-07-27%2Bat%2B11.11.18%2BPM.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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As a volunteer for the Happiness Alliance and advocate for happiness and wellbeing, managing stress is something I know to be important. It's been repeated over and over again in studies as beneficial for everything from health to job satisfaction. Stress is a mind game - of course I want to get control of my mind and manage my stress! Why not? Yet with my own hectic life, I have found it nearly impossible to find time for regular stress-reduction classes outside the home, such as yoga, or meditation. </div>
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*<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=https://youtu.be/AKhY1o0M3C0&source=gmail&ust=1532843610370000&usg=AFQjCNE5VDLY6Ci3TwjNHqWcez3dJJi0mA" href="https://youtu.be/AKhY1o0M3C0" style="color: #1155cc; font-size: small;" target="_blank">short video</a><span style="font-size: x-small;"> of why I created the class for those who don't like reading*</span></div>
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When I was a girl, a nearby neighbor would host yoga glasses in her home for $5 and we could just stop by. These days, most of us don't even know our neighbors, and prices for classes have gone up considerably.</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_YgnObjHks0/W1wKJdp30JI/AAAAAAAAD3E/sT4k6335BAgGS0j8UKHm7TDgmHoAC-gyACLcBGAs/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-07-27%2Bat%2B11.15.32%2BPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1016" data-original-width="636" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_YgnObjHks0/W1wKJdp30JI/AAAAAAAAD3E/sT4k6335BAgGS0j8UKHm7TDgmHoAC-gyACLcBGAs/s320/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-07-27%2Bat%2B11.15.32%2BPM.png" width="200" /></a>Whether it be budget or time constraints or concerns that meditation or yoga takes too long (many people seem to think that these types of practices require a half our or more of focused time), I realized I was not alone in finding it difficult to balance work, family and self-care. I also realized that I was not the only person who wanted usable practices that did not require half an hour to an hour of my time, plus the drive time to go back and forth. Over time, I found a number of techniques and even developed one of my own that I call Responsive Tension Release(tm) that can all be done in 5 minutes or less. I've tested them with my kids, with friends and colleagues, and with a few groups of in-person classes, and have now made them all available online in an online course. </div>
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To me, learning stress management techniques including meditation is the first step towards being able to be more of the "me" I want to be. With meditation, I am better able to keep from saying things I'll regret, or raising my voice, when I'm tired, frustrated, or angry. It also helps me handle the stress of public speaking and other stressful times in my life.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">My hope is that the class will inspire others to be able to see that meditation and stress management is not impossible, hugely time consuming, or overly formal, ritualistic, or religious. Being able to practice the type of self-reflective behavior that meditation helps build in one is a valuable skillset that I wish everybody had - we'd all be happier and the world would be a better place for it. Hopefully, with this class, a few more people will gain it.</span></div>
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5 Minutes to Less Stress is an online course that includes 7 basic and easy stress management techniques that are great for people with busy lives and little formal training in stress management methods. I also share all the resources I've found to help me practice meditation regularly, while being able to mix it up and keep myself from getting into a boring routine. </div>
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You can check it out at <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=https://www.udemy.com/5-minutes-to-less-stress/&source=gmail&ust=1532843610371000&usg=AFQjCNEJjJVb24PcKRBEei8hezYz34qX4A" href="https://www.udemy.com/5-minutes-to-less-stress/" style="color: #1155cc; font-family: HelveticaNeue; font-size: 12px;" target="_blank">https://www.udemy.com/5-<wbr></wbr>minutes-to-less-stress/</a> where using the coupon code <span style="color: black; font-family: HelveticaNeue; font-size: 12px;">LAUNCH2018 will get you a discounted price of $9.99 for the full course.</span></div>
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Happiness Alliancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05592467282941426227noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4596385636636811156.post-52620126904350137692018-05-21T06:56:00.002-07:002018-05-21T06:56:56.221-07:00How Cats Make Us Healthier And Happier People<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Guest Post by Emily Parker</span><br />
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<span lang="EN">Whether it's a vacation or getting off the
couch to exercise more often, there are a lot of simple things you can do in
your everyday life to start bringing you more happiness. I’m all for huge
personal transformations, but I love it when the little things just increase
your quality of life and happiness in a way that you feel each and every day. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN">But there’s one thing we can do to hugely
increase our chances of a happier (and healthier) life that I don’t hear talked
about nearly enough. There are studies backing it, millions of people enjoying
the benefits right now, and it’s not all that difficult or costly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN">That one thing, of course, is bringing a cat
into your life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN">For example, if you're in the market for great
entertainment that will boost your mood, spend a few minutes watching your cat
play. According to research studies, doing so can boost your mood just as much
as if you were with a spouse or best friend, and it's also been shown to help
people suffering from mild to moderate depression. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN">And if you find yourself going nonstop each
day and getting more and more stressed out, take a moment to observe your
kitty. Chances are if they're not playing or eating, they're curled up taking a
nap. By following your kitty's example and taking a quick power nap, you'll
feel refreshed and ready to take on the world yet again. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN">Owning a friendly feline can help you make new
friends, too, and friends have a massive influence on our mood! Whether you
strike up a conversation with someone who's also standing in the pet food aisle
trying to decide what Fluffy wants for supper or start talking with a fellow
cat lover in the waiting room of a vet's office, you'll be around others who
share your love of cats. As a result, the foundation for a beautiful friendship
has been laid. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN">If you’d like to learn more about the health
and happiness benefits of adopting a cat, check out the infographic below, or
see <u><span style="color: #1155cc;"><a href="https://www.catological.com/22-ways-cats-make-people-happier-healthier/"><span style="color: #1155cc;">the original article here</span></a></span></u> on
Catological.com.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Happiness Alliancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05592467282941426227noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4596385636636811156.post-16992183697479685322018-04-22T20:58:00.001-07:002018-04-22T20:58:20.837-07:00Nature and Happiness <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Did you know the Happiness Alliance, and our happiness index, is born from the sustainability movement? We got our start in 2010, as a project of Sustainable Seattle (Sustainable Seattle is the first community based non-profit to create regional sustainability indicators).<div>
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Some say the happiness movement represents a jump from sustainability, but we say that <b>our happiness is founded on sustainability</b>, and intrinsically tied to our natural environment. <span style="font-size: 10pt;">And our happiness data backs us up. </span></div>
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This month's Happiness Data report is about the connection between our access to nature and happiness in terms of our sense of purpose and meaning in life.</div>
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We wondered if <b>people with a greater access to nature have a greater sense meaning in life</b>. Data from over 11,000 people who took our happiness index tells us that people who are satisfied or very satisfied with their access to nature have a greater sense of purpose and meaning in their lives. </div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Why Getting Out into Nature or Bringing Nature to Your Life will bring you Happiness</span></div>
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So why should you care that people who are more satisfied with their access to nature are happier?<div>
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Because overall, our happiness scores for feeling that things in our life are worthwhile are not so great. This means <b>one way to increase our sense of feeling worthwhile is to reconnect with mother nature.</b> And because we know that sense of meaning in life and satisfaction with life are tied, in all probability, we an increase our sense of satisfaction with life by increasing our access to nature. </div>
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About the data</h3>
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<img align="right" alt="Earth Day Stat Report 2" border="0" class="CToWUd" height="150" hspace="7" src="https://ci5.googleusercontent.com/proxy/Fq2zHyVgJ2hM67ltz8Njx-ZH6dMG5NGV982LWid6MC5RN1RuG7zuQGDkM6zEekQyZbXaG1w-7OnDr39OVfVDdeBRDjAR9u4XgOYvErqEaEyp4PvqlZsTfJKmEd_eGZ1RDrE_UjGVpqbmtZWpPe_GqZ-kwwa5BS_7srDWjnNBW_kvX8MjfZDw4x9jZDGE69f0wg=s0-d-e1-ft#http://img-ak.verticalresponse.com/media/3/a/7/3a7ccc09d4/d2a20cec6f/c1977db377/library/Earth%20Day%20Stat%20Report%202.jpg" style="height: 150px; width: 294px;" title="Earth Day Stat Report 2" vspace="7" width="294" />Data gathered via the Happiness Alliance's Happiness Index online with a convenience sampling of 11,398 respondents taking the survey in 2017 reveals a positive correlation between satisfaction with access to nature and sense of purpose and meaning with a d=.461 and p< .0005. <div>
<i>Caveat: Further research is needed to understand what underlying factors may be influencing our findings. </i></div>
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What You Can Do For Mother Earth and Your Happiness</h2>
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We hope our data report inspires you to talk action to increase or maintain your happiness by connecting to nature. <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://cts.vresp.com/c/?TheHappinessAlliance/d2a20cec6f/72282ed784/54fbc53dc4&source=gmail&ust=1524542263303000&usg=AFQjCNHybU2JSwIplHJN0RrtBeMpZBrVPw" href="http://cts.vresp.com/c/?TheHappinessAlliance/d2a20cec6f/72282ed784/54fbc53dc4" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Here are a few ideas </a>for taking action today. </div>
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When we put our happiness first in a holistic and balanced manner, we come to know that <b>our health, well-being and quality of life is a reflection of the sustainability of our natural environment</b>. <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://cts.vresp.com/c/?TheHappinessAlliance/d2a20cec6f/72282ed784/ffd00832bf&source=gmail&ust=1524542263303000&usg=AFQjCNFNdzSuKFRxQoXCprYK2wIFFH-UVg" href="http://cts.vresp.com/c/?TheHappinessAlliance/d2a20cec6f/72282ed784/ffd00832bf" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Here are a few ideas for Community Organizers and Policy Makers </a>to contribute to people's happiness through environmental action. </div>
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Teaching and talking about our connection to nature is a great way to remind yourself about <b>how important mother earth is to our happiness</b>. <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://cts.vresp.com/c/?TheHappinessAlliance/d2a20cec6f/72282ed784/b033cc843f&source=gmail&ust=1524542263303000&usg=AFQjCNE_xIecoGZCvOuqkn72CVuundCbJw" href="http://cts.vresp.com/c/?TheHappinessAlliance/d2a20cec6f/72282ed784/b033cc843f" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Here are three ways </a>to engage the child in your life - or the child in you - with nature. </div>
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Earth Day 2018 Happiness Data Report by Alice Vo Edwards and Laura Musikanski.</div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Happy Earth Day. With Love. Happiness Alliance. </span></div>
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Happiness Alliancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05592467282941426227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4596385636636811156.post-88383078019413239052018-04-10T17:04:00.001-07:002018-04-10T17:04:19.559-07:00The Wisdom of Taxi Cab Drivers<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; letter-spacing: -0.063px;">Recently, I was at conference held at UN speaking on a panel about Ethical Design for Artificial Intelligence. One of the hot topics in artificial intelligence is automated driving. In all the weighting of the costs and benefits of automated driving</span>, I have yet to see the wisdom of taxi cab drivers figured in.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">The moderator for the panel and I were on our way to dinner with the other panelists. We were taking a stroll to stretch our legs after the long flight to Geneva. Google maps app has lead, or rather mislead, us about a mile out of the way. Dinner was starting in 10 minutes. We hailed a cab. My French is passable, and I love talking to cabbies. The cabbie driver spoke French with an accent almost as pronounced as I, but not the same. Turns out he was from Spain, and he had been driving taxis in Genev</span>a for 35 years. His wife was Swiss, and they had two children. I asked what he liked best about his job and he responded that what he enjoyed the most was meeting different people and hearing a little bit about their lives. He added the caveat that this was the case for visitors to the country or other immigrants, like him, but usually not for Swiss nationals. They, he said, generally would not speak to him except to give directions. His gestures and tone spoke of a certain sadness and resignation. We talked a little about the importance of connecting as humans, and how not making that connection can feel devaluing.</div>
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The cab ride was short, and I was unable to tell him that the most recent World Happiness Report revealed the very truth that he spoke of. Immigrants, whether living in a country for most of their lives and married to a national, or just arriving, are happier when they are treated as part of the fabric of a country and culture, instead of separated or ostracized. This does not mean that cultural differences should be eradicated, but rather that differences can be a point of connection through curiosity and respect.</div>
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The World Happiness Report for 2018 points to a sense of belonging as key to happiness for migrants. In countries where social exclusion is the norm, migrants suffer from discrimination and unhappy because of it. According to the World Happiness Report for 2018, ninety percent of people who migrate do so voluntarily. Only ten percent of migrants are refugees. Most people migrate for economic reasons, for career or educational reasons, or to enjoy greater freedoms, such as religious or political expression.<a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="http://wikiprogress.org/data/dataset/assessing-community-wellbeing-through-open-data-and-social-media" href="http://wikiprogress.org/data/dataset/assessing-community-wellbeing-through-open-data-and-social-media" rel="noopener" target="_blank"> A study</a> done using the Happiness Alliance data found that reversing discrimination had a big impact on people’s happiness, and that everybody is happier; the people who suffered discrimination and those whose minds go from being prejudiced and biased to open.</div>
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At our panel dinner, we were joined by an ambassador, who invited us to his home the next night. The next day, around 6:30 pm, we hopped into a cab, and thus began my second sip from the cup of the wisdom of cab drivers.<br />
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This time, the cab ride was longer, and so the conversation richer. This cab driver came from Portugal, his wife also was Portuguese. They had two adult children and two grandchildren, all born in Geneva. His father had taken him to Brazil when he was a teen-ager to escape being drafted into war. He had migrated to Switzerland when he was in his twenties, seeing an opportunity to make a higher income than he could have in Brazil or Portugal. Now, 40 years later, he feels torn between one sense of home and another sense of home. His sisters and extended family live in Portugal, and he longs to be with them. He feels most at home in Portugal next to his sisters, nieces, nephews and other family members, but his children, born in Geneva, have no plans to migrate. He misses the warmth of his homeland, and feels shut out by a sense of cultural coldness. If he had his life to do again, he would not have chosen a higher income over family.</div>
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He could have been a spokesperson for the World Happiness Report. In South America, people generally experience the feeling of happiness, called “positive affect” by researchers, more than in other countries. Part of the reason for this is that family ties are strong and people’s concept of happiness are often founded on family. For example, if you ask someone from one of these countries what makes them happy, they are most likely to respond “family.” Migrating away from your family to make more money, or even to send money home, may seem like a good idea economically, but will probably lead to long term heartache. A short-term migration to save money and return home would probably have been a better option, but even that kind of migration can be hard in terms of feelings on both the person who migrates and the family left behind.</div>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5uKOXuqI6a0/Ws1Quxec4EI/AAAAAAAADtw/GgfjsuBU3FIPL7wSHfZcCy8DP3VTNmYMQCLcBGAs/s1600/DSC03841.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5uKOXuqI6a0/Ws1Quxec4EI/AAAAAAAADtw/GgfjsuBU3FIPL7wSHfZcCy8DP3VTNmYMQCLcBGAs/s320/DSC03841.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
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My next cab ride was from a Tunisian. I was happy to talk to him, as I was born in Tunisia. We had about 20 minutes to chat, and quickly he revealed his wisdom to me. He railed about the rich getting richer at the expense of the poor, and how the richer a person gets, the more they want. I egged him on, citing the Easterlin Paradox, by which after a certain level of income, returns on happiness are marginal. Before I was done with my explanation, he finished my thoughts saying that after a man makes a million dollars, he needs two million to make him as happy, then after that 10 million and so on so that at no point does he ever experience a sense of enough. We agreed so vehemently, we were both kind of yelling with enthusiasm about our mutual point by the end of the cab ride.</div>
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This point is one of the key lessons from the happiness movement: the Easterlin Paradox. In simple terms, money only buys happiness up to the point where you are able to meet your needs — from basic needs of sustenance and shelter, to needs of entertainment, creative outlet and learning. After that, there are only marginal increases to happiness, meaning it takes a lot of money to get a little bit of happiness.</div>
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The Tunisian cabbie seemed like a relatively happy person, and when I asked him if he was happy, he said some days, yes, somedays no, but our conversation had made him very happy. A lesson in the 2018 World Happiness Report regarding income levels, migrants and happiness has to do with social comparisons. People who migrate from poverty to a place of plenty experience a change in referenced point. After a relatively short point, while their income in the new country may seem extravagant compared to back home, it may feel like a pittance compared to the people around them. This is called social comparisons. Just because all of a sudden you can afford new Nike tennis shoes, you won’t necessarily be happier if most of the people around you are wearing the latest Stephano Ricci sneakers.</div>
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I took my last cabbie ride to the airport, early in morning. I am a homebody, and had been feeling homesick the entire trip, so was really looking forward to being home. </div>
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The cabbie was from Haiti. We talked about what made for happiness in a country. His wisdom was that every type of government is more similar than different. For example, he said, in a dictatorship or in a democracy, the law is the law and when you break the law, you are punished. Food, jobs, housing is what makes people happy, he told me. A government that ensures people have food in their belly, jobs to work, and a place to live is the most important thing, according to him. He said that when his country was run by Papa Doc, people had food, jobs and housing. Life then, from his experience, was no different than in the democracy he lived in today. Food, jobs, housing he recited. The cab ride ended before I could ask him about the darker side of Papa Doc’s reign.</div>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zDDWIAxzNYg/Ws1Q5RoU7RI/AAAAAAAADt4/pvl1V-vGhdgs6nzgXIdBFeQ1BROIKKX_QCLcBGAs/s1600/DSC03308.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="212" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zDDWIAxzNYg/Ws1Q5RoU7RI/AAAAAAAADt4/pvl1V-vGhdgs6nzgXIdBFeQ1BROIKKX_QCLcBGAs/s320/DSC03308.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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A discussion of the failures of democracy as a form of government in African nations is part of the 2017 World Happiness Report. It sites unmet expectations as one reason for the dissatisfaction with democratic forms of government and general unhappiness. Meeting needs — from the basic ones of food, jobs and shelter — to the higher needs of a sense of belonging, purpose and meaning, are all foundational to our happiness, so in a way, the Haitian cabbie had it right.</div>
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A long flight later, my little voyage was over and I was so glad to be home. For me, like for so many, family and home is where the heart is, and what makes me happy.</div>
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Read the <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="http://worldhappiness.report/" href="http://worldhappiness.report/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">World Happiness Report</a> here. </div>
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Happiness Alliancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05592467282941426227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4596385636636811156.post-84275153976634507672018-03-09T23:46:00.001-08:002018-03-09T23:50:44.371-08:00Are we failing our children? <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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The nation has been shocked and saddened by the recent shooting in Florida, and our hearts go out to all those involved. As we ask ourselves what could have been done to prevent such horrific action from a troubled <span class="il">youth</span>, we ask ourselves, is he an outlier, or a symptom of a larger problem?</div>
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To delve deeper into this question, we reviewed the data survey respondents across the nation provided during 2017. Many schools and other groups encourage <span class="il">youth</span> to participate, so we have responses from people as young as age 79. If you're familiar with the term midlife crisis, then you might understand that as researchers, we expect to see a u-shaped curve when we are looking at happiness, with that "midlife" group in the lowest bracket compared to the younger (12-17 & 18-26) and older (70-79) age groups. </div>
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<a href="https://public.tableau.com/profile/happycounts#!/vizhome/Youth2017/Story1?publish=yes"><img border="0" data-original-height="1414" data-original-width="924" height="640" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Nk137vA-dIU/WqOLQiDC6iI/AAAAAAAADrg/IvRrLOCsQyoBJoIBbR1Z9d3JkjzGAIzvwCLcBGAs/s640/Happiness%2BUshapes.jpg" width="417" /></a></div>
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Here's what we found:</div>
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<b>Purpose and Meaning:</b></div>
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<span class="il">Youth</span> are not experiencing greater sense of purpose and meaning compared to their parents, and don't have a comparable sense of meaning compared to the elderly. This may be somewhat anticipated as they are often still seeking to determine where they fit into the greater scheme of life. Parents can help their children increase their sense of having a meaningful life by encouraging them to think about how their life impacts others around them in the now, rather than focusing on the distant future. </div>
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<b>Feelings of Anxiousness:</b></div>
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A worrisome pattern emerged when we looked at the question, "Overall, how anxious did you feel yesterday?" 18 to 26-year-olds were more anxious by far than 46 to 49-year-olds, and 12 to 17-year-olds were more anxious then 46-48-year-olds as well. This suggests that our <span class="il">youth</span> are bearing a disproportionate emotional burden worries that may be difficult for them to process. Parents can help by talking to their children to assess what might be causing them concern, and seeking to help them alleviate any burden of anxiousness and the situations and conditions they are dealing with that give rise to anxiety.</div>
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<a href="https://public.tableau.com/profile/happycounts#!/vizhome/Youth2017/Story1?publish=yes"><img border="0" data-original-height="1426" data-original-width="926" height="640" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XU_boW14kvo/WqOM2vBQE0I/AAAAAAAADr0/jfm3ADnEAgY_3C0W6RTRftVFpEuLOjg7ACLcBGAs/s640/Youth%2Bhappiness%2Blevels.jpg" width="414" /></a></div>
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<b>Happiness and Life Satisfaction:</b></div>
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The questions regarding overall happiness and life satisfaction both demonstrated a more u-like shape, suggesting that overall levels of happiness and satisfaction with life are fairly good for our <span class="il">youth</span>. </div>
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<b>A Worthwhile Life:</b></div>
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<span class="il">Youth</span>-rated only slightly better than mid-life adults when it came to whether they felt that the things they do in life were worthwhile; this rating was far below the senior group. The importance of a sense of worth in your daily actions cannot be undervalued. <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4152398/&source=gmail&ust=1520753724489000&usg=AFQjCNHb26wiYIblZ8bX3OG8cocSAJeH8A" href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4152398/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Studies of self-worth in <span class="il">youth</span></a> have shown that increased levels of self-worth serve a preventative function in reducing behavioral problems, problems with academic performance, and problems with emotional behaviors--exactly the type of problems we see occurring in this unfortunate incident. As parents, it is important that your child's sense of self-worth be supported to reasonable levels, and reasonable expectations of worthiness established and supported that are external from how other people treat them. </div>
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<b>What Can We Do?</b></div>
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It is a complex question and one that will take many parties and much effort, but one thing you can do is to set a good example and helping children and youth to find their happiness. Every child, youth and adult has the capacity, need and right to feel worthy, have a sense of purpose and meaning, and and to not be visited by anxiety on a regular basis. You can help children find greater levels of self-worth, purpose, and inner happiness, by developing your own self worth, finding and following your life's purpose, and cultivating your own happiness. </div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Use and share the </span><a href="https://www.slideshare.net/TheHappinessInitiative/heros-journey-how-to-be-happy-for-introverts-extroverts" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Happiness and Becoming Who You Are Born To Be </a><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">infographic</span></div>
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Happiness Alliancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05592467282941426227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4596385636636811156.post-30074005228484882382018-02-19T13:01:00.003-08:002019-07-14T13:58:03.197-07:00Planning for Happiness: Indonesia's Recipe for Happiness<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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This past week, at the <a href="https://www.worldgovernmentsummit.org/annual-gathering/2018/sessions/discovering-indonesia's-happiness-pyramid">Dialogue for Global Happiness</a> in Dubai, Bambang Brojonegoro, the Minister of National Development Planning of Indonesia, presented his nation's recipe for happiness. It is an approach that will likely be quickly followed by other countries.<br />
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Indonesia is about one fifth the size of the USA. About 87% of the population are Muslim. With approximately 253 million people, the population is about 78% of that in the USA. Imagine the population of the USA increasing four fold, from 323 million to 1.6 billion and you have an idea of the population density in Indonesia. On the Indonesia archipelago, over 300 language are spoken. The <a href="http://www.ifitweremyhome.com/compare/US/ID">average income</a> is 90% less than that in the USA. This means many of the people in Indonesia live in poverty.<br />
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Indonesia's<a href="https://templatearchive.com/world-happiness-report/"> happiness ranking</a> is pretty low. Out of 155 countries, its happiness ranking is 81, with one being the highest (Norway). According to this happiness ranking, happiness is determined by six factors: Gross Domestic Product per capita (average income), social support (having someone to count on in times of need, generosity (donating but not volunteering), healthy life expectancy, perceptions of corruption in the government, and freedom to make life choices. In Indonesia, income, social support and generosity are the largest contributors to happiness, while perception of corruption does not figure for Indonesia's the rankings in 2017.<br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4vQ3HukTD1Y/Wor_4nzw6KI/AAAAAAAACz0/Yex5p8d_HOMmKgb9jMNeJG0ACRFU9j1QwCLcBGAs/s1600/happinessranking.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="428" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4vQ3HukTD1Y/Wor_4nzw6KI/AAAAAAAACz0/Yex5p8d_HOMmKgb9jMNeJG0ACRFU9j1QwCLcBGAs/s320/happinessranking.jpg" width="253" /></a></div>
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In light of this low score, at the Dialogue for Global Happiness, Bambang Brojonegoro posed the question: What to do? In the Indonesian government, the planning department is taking on the integration of happiness into sustainability and the operations of government. Their entry way is the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals (SGD), arranged in a pyramid. The pathway for their integration is the three core values of Muslim religion: 1) Hablum minalla: people to God vertical relationship, Hablum minannas: people to people horizontal relationship and 3) Hablum minal'alam: people to nature relationship. These values are translated into Indonesian culture as 1) harmony of people with people, 2) harmony of people with nature and, 3) harmony of people with the spiritual.<br />
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But what does this mean in terms of practical application at the governmental level. In the words of Bambang Brojonegoro, what to do?<br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Hlmy6Ql4vzc/Wor7uQpI81I/AAAAAAAACy0/EEO3u1hCCpYbNAohAg8EFRqCLWa2vsr-wCLcBGAs/s1600/SDG%2BPyramid.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="846" data-original-width="1414" height="191" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Hlmy6Ql4vzc/Wor7uQpI81I/AAAAAAAACy0/EEO3u1hCCpYbNAohAg8EFRqCLWa2vsr-wCLcBGAs/s320/SDG%2BPyramid.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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The pathway seems obvious for remedying a nation of people in poverty: economic development. But developing an economy aligned with the SDG goals that brings about the happiness and well-being of its people is not that obvious, as the economic development of many of the richest countries in the world well demonstrates (except maybe Norway...). Bambang Brojonegoror spoke of goals within the framework of economic development: employment, household income and self development through education and skill training. He also talked about realizing these goals through programs and policies aimed at increasing the happiness and well-being levels of his nation's people. "Happiness will bring economic growth ultimately" he said. He seems to have things backwards from the accepted point of view. Genius. It's a formula the rest of the world would do well to consider.<br />
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The measurement his government is using instead of GDP is a happiness index. Now, there are many happiness indices, from our own, the Happiness Alliance's <a href="http://survey.happycounts.org/user/signup">Happiness Index</a>, to Gallup's<a href="https://media.gallup.com/dataviz/www/WP_Questions_WHITE.pdf"> World Poll</a>, the OECD <a href="http://www.oecdbetterlifeindex.org/">Better Life Index</a>, and many others. But the Indonesian Planning Department decided to create their own. Maybe because they score so low on other indices, or maybe because the data would be more useful for their purposes, or maybe a combination of these and other factors, they have created what they call the Indonesia Happiness Index.<br />
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The Indonesia Happiness Index is composed of three parts: Life Satisfaction, Affect (feelings), and Eudaimonia (Meaning in life). This composition is aligned with the OECD <a href="http://www.oecd.org/statistics/oecd-guidelines-on-measuring-subjective-well-being-9789264191655-en.htm">Guidelines for Measuring Subjective Well-being</a>. In the life satisfaction dimension "personal relationship satisfaction and social relationship satisfaction" are measured. In the feeling dimension, "unworried feeling, happy feeling and un-depressed feeling" are measured. In the meaning of life dimension, "interdependency, self-acceptance, development and positive relation with other people" are measured.<br />
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The data will be used "so people's well-being...is the center of development" said Bambang Brojonegoro. Plans at the Department of Planning are to first focus on what people value the most in Indonesia: ways of strengthening families. This approach of focusing on strengths to address areas of weakness is considered to be the pathway for economic growth in the long run. Again, genius. <br />
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Bambang Brojonegoro ended his talk at the Dialogue for Global Happiness with a quote to explain the effect this approach has had on civil servants in the department of National Development Planning of Indonesia:<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">"Nothing makes us happier more than making others happy around us."</span></div>
Happiness Alliancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05592467282941426227noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4596385636636811156.post-55320563813791307652018-02-14T22:38:00.000-08:002018-02-14T22:41:10.466-08:00Unhappy? You are not alone<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">The Gross National Happiness Scores for 2017 are here and the news is not good. At first we were suspicious of the low scores: maybe most of the people who took the survey were </span><span class="il" style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">unhappy</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"> because of the current political situation We decided to test our data. It turns out that we are not the only ones finding that people's happiness in 2017 took a dip. Gallup, a consultancy group that randomly polls, </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://cts.vresp.com/c/?TheHappinessAlliance/4ee61aef71/f7bfee5e69/56980f3788&source=gmail&ust=1518762881528000&usg=AFQjCNE4Sb2CzNGJR4b_tMqFi--a1OEXaA" href="http://cts.vresp.com/c/?TheHappinessAlliance/4ee61aef71/f7bfee5e69/56980f3788" style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" target="_blank">corroborates our findings</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">, but also affirmed our suspicions: people who do not feel aligned with the current regime in the U.S. White House are suffering. </span><br />
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Who is taking the Happiness Index Survey?</h2>
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About 900 people a month take the Happiness Index survey. A little over half are women. The majority are between 25-65 years of age. Over 95% are from the U.S.A. although groups of people in Beirut, Kuwait, Japan, and Canada used our survey in 2017. Many educators also use it. (Anyone can, <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://cts.vresp.com/c/?TheHappinessAlliance/4ee61aef71/f7bfee5e69/08f3a2276c&source=gmail&ust=1518762881528000&usg=AFQjCNHU6Qvqltkj9xSDxB-wRCcBIkmkSw" href="http://cts.vresp.com/c/?TheHappinessAlliance/4ee61aef71/f7bfee5e69/08f3a2276c" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">by signing up</a>. It is all free). <br />
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That said, most of the people who took the survey learned about it from a google ad, as we are the recipient of a grant from google. Our plan for 2018 is to expand our reach to include people we had not reached before. <br />
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We will have more information about who took the survey and how happy (or <span class="il">unhappy</span>) they are throughout the year. </div>
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The bad news: where it hurts the most.</h2>
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The bad news about our happiness scores is that we are <span class="il">unhappy</span> where it hurts the most: our psychological well-being and our satisfaction with life. Psychological well-being is measured with a flourishing index that includes questions about <b>purpose, optimism, and positivity</b>. Satisfaction with life gets at the question: <b>are you are living a life that is right for you.</b> Historically, Americans score high in these areas even when they score low in the other domains of happiness.<br />
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This is concerning, because <b>when we are hurting psychologically, there are impacts on our health, families, engagement in community, job performance, and other aspects of our happiness and well-being. </b> </div>
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There is a strong message right now coming from the field of positive psychology that your psychological health is in large part under your control. The message goes something like this: "If you practice mindfulness, gratitude and generosity on a regular basis, you will be happier. If you don't, it's your own fault you are not happy." </div>
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We at the Happiness Alliance say that while you do have a choice about how you feel, it is only to a certain extent. <b>The conditions of your life, also called the domains of happiness, have a big impact </b>- particularly big when they are depleting instead of supporting your psychological well-being and satisfaction with life. So while it is good to develop your happiness skills, it is also crucial to do what you can to bring about the exterior circumstances that support your well-being. Having conversations about life's circumstances and the implications on your happiness and the well-being of others is the first step towards changing those conditions that are causing you to hurt. Then comes activism. <b> You can use our <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://cts.vresp.com/c/?TheHappinessAlliance/4ee61aef71/f7bfee5e69/c025560141&source=gmail&ust=1518762881528000&usg=AFQjCNEM9sonxranFjR6pXPAgAb_93Jhnw" href="http://cts.vresp.com/c/?TheHappinessAlliance/4ee61aef71/f7bfee5e69/c025560141" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">happiness index t</a>o spur these conversations and inspire action. You can use our <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://cts.vresp.com/c/?TheHappinessAlliance/4ee61aef71/f7bfee5e69/3e8d878ca7&source=gmail&ust=1518762881528000&usg=AFQjCNET4VMaoW3YFJVz-pTAb1UC4loekw" href="http://cts.vresp.com/c/?TheHappinessAlliance/4ee61aef71/f7bfee5e69/3e8d878ca7" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">policy tools </a>for taking action in your community for system change. </b></div>
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The good news </h2>
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One area that our scores have increased is in lifelong learning. This is great news because it means we are engaging in ways that are increasing our capacity for taking action.<br />
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<b>Learning is something we do throughout our lives.</b> We learn on many different platforms. Ken Wilber called them "modes of development." They are kinesthetic, strategic, emotional, interpersonal, intrapersonal, social and cultural, intellectual, artistics, moral, and spiritual. </div>
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<b>Learning empowers us to make change happen.</b> <span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></div>
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More about our happiness scores in our next newsletter</h2>
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We will send you more information about our happiness scores in our next newsletters. And...we welcome <b>collaboration</b>. If you are interested in joining our team or using our data for your research, email us at <a href="mailto:info@happycounts.org" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">info@happycounts.org</a>.<br />
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And you can always use our index for free - because w<b>e believe strongly that to see the change you have to be the change</b>, and so our index for a paradigm shift in our economy, society and government will always be free.<br />
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Happiness Alliancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05592467282941426227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4596385636636811156.post-29691556793692315212017-12-18T20:36:00.002-08:002017-12-18T20:38:52.064-08:00Do you feel loved? A Love and Happiness Data Story<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Do you feel loved? A Love and Happiness Data Story</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Post written by Alice Vo Edwards and Laura Musikanski </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Do you feel loved? </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />This is one of the questions in the Happiness Index. This month we look at data from November, 2017 for 968 people answering the question between November 1 and 30th on a five point scale. An answer of one means "I never feel loved l" and an answer of 5 means "I feel loved very often or always." </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />The most frequent and the average answer is "I feel loved sometimes" (290 people). 266 people responded that "I feel loved often," and 244 responded "I feel loved often or always." Only 5% said that they never feel loved. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So how about you? Do you feel loved never, rarely, sometimes, often, or very often or always. Your answer might be partly contingent on your age.<br /><br />Some ideas, based on the book, <i>The Five Languages of Love:</i> </span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Listen attentively without offering advice. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Doing something nice for them. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Give a small gift periodically out of the blue. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Taking time to hug or cuddle if they want that.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Tell them good things about them. </span></li>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Then ask for their feedback on your idea. Listen! Revise your idea based on their feedback, and ask again for their feedback. Do this until they say you do understand them.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />Set the intention to spend a little time each day demonstrating love, and do it. Pick up when you lapse. Everybody does. It's no big deal as long as you pick back up. </span></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DkaSZTLTszA/WjiVsGqCXeI/AAAAAAAACvc/0nw9Kj0RNKMjlRNgHL22DpUvkDjC2YA3gCLcBGAs/s1600/feel%2Bloved%2Bby%2Bage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="614" data-original-width="690" height="563" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DkaSZTLTszA/WjiVsGqCXeI/AAAAAAAACvc/0nw9Kj0RNKMjlRNgHL22DpUvkDjC2YA3gCLcBGAs/s640/feel%2Bloved%2Bby%2Bage.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b style="text-align: start;">Love & Age Takeaway:</b><span style="text-align: start;"> If you have a young person in your life, take some time to </span><b style="text-align: start;">reflect </b><span style="text-align: start;">on how you can interact with that person so they feel that they are loved. </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AMMpzl4l_lQ/WjiV4_Fb5_I/AAAAAAAACvg/dqnjps7kMbMr9W2AKqz8XO0PyUuMfr4gwCLcBGAs/s1600/one%2Bthing%2Bnov%2B2017.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="596" data-original-width="552" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AMMpzl4l_lQ/WjiV4_Fb5_I/AAAAAAAACvg/dqnjps7kMbMr9W2AKqz8XO0PyUuMfr4gwCLcBGAs/s400/one%2Bthing%2Bnov%2B2017.jpg" width="370" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The overwhelming majority of things that made people happy can be summarized in one word: Connection.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The things that made people happy involved their connections with other people primarily (family, love, friends, people, relationships), but also included our surroundings (nature) and animals.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">One outlier was that food made the #4 spot in November for "in one word, what makes you happy?" It would be interesting to know if those that answered "food" think of food in context with connecting with others -- is this about eating Hagen Daz alone at home, or Thanksgiving dinner with friends and family? Yet another example of how everything I learn just leaves me with more questions!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Also interesting to me that this data supports the national focus on building community and connections with others as being the top thing that can be done to prevent suicide. If you know of someone who might be lonely this holiday season, maybe invite them to dinner and give them a little food and connection at the same time. </span></div>
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<a href="https://public.tableau.com/profile/happycounts#!/vizhome/HappyCountsNov2011LoveHappiness/Story1"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Se</span><span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 13.3333px;">e the visualizations on tableau</span></a></div>
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Happiness Alliancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05592467282941426227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4596385636636811156.post-71386200582456393492017-12-18T20:01:00.001-08:002017-12-18T20:19:16.251-08:00Workplace happiness: Key factors to consider<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Workplace Happiness: Key Factors to Consider </span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><o:p>Post written by Lilli Hender</o:p></span><br />
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<span lang="EN-GB">Happiness isn’t always the easiest thing to
come by but attempting to find it is a worthwhile endeavour. Achieving
happiness in every aspect of your life is a daunting task to set yourself, so
it can be helpful to break down the human experience into separate categories. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">In <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwASai4hTZU">her Ted Talk</a> about
stress triggers for millennials, Allison Osborne refers to a ‘personal priority
pie’ that consists of: friends and family; significant other; work and career;
personal and spiritual development; health and wellness; and finally, fun and
leisure. They are all interconnected but working out the key ingredients you
want to focus on in your ‘pie’ can help you towards improving your happiness
levels.<br /><br />
When we spend on average <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/disturbing-facts-about-your-job-2011-2?op=1&IR=T/#-of-people-are-dissatisfied-with-their-jobs-1">90,000
hours at work</a> over the course of a lifetime, the work and career ‘slice’ is
naturally going to be a priority for many people. In terms of happiness in the
workplace and contentment with your career path, there are a variety of factors
that bear serious consideration. Lilli Hender, of Office Genie, recently wrote <a href="https://www.officegenie.co.uk/downloads/Office-Genie-Workplace-Happiness-Report-Whitepaper.pdf">a
whitepaper on workplace happiness</a> and she shares her insights.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">Job satisfaction</span></h2>
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<span lang="EN-GB">How comfortable you are in your job has a
significant impact on your overall happiness. If you’re not satisfied with your
working life, it can be <a href="https://www.huffingtonpost.com/alexander-kjerulf/happiness-tips_b_5001073.html">detrimental
to your health, your wellbeing and your relationships</a>. When Office Genie
surveyed 2,000 office workers they discovered the top five causes for
discontentment and stress are as follows:</span><br />
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-GB">Feeling overworked (47%)</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-GB">Feeling a lack of control over
my role (25%)</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-GB">Not feeling fulfilled (25%)</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-GB">Not feeling challenged (22%)</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-GB">A bad relationship with
management (21%)</span><br />
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">In terms of what would improve workplace
happiness, pay rises were voted the top solution. While pay rises can go some
of the way to tackling the above complaints, – if you’re feeling overworked for
too little pay, for example – there’s more that needs to be considered. Two
things in particular can go some of the way to helping: flexible working and fostering
a good relationship with your boss.</span><br />
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KzJPPKRmcpU/WjiQzRTda_I/AAAAAAAACu0/zwYqkyzET0szdyiAOX8CGmSTj4xXysBwQCLcBGAs/s1600/team%2Bwork.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1119" data-original-width="1600" height="222" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KzJPPKRmcpU/WjiQzRTda_I/AAAAAAAACu0/zwYqkyzET0szdyiAOX8CGmSTj4xXysBwQCLcBGAs/s320/team%2Bwork.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<h3>
<span lang="EN-GB">Becoming more flexible</span></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Not only can flexible hours <a href="https://jobs.theguardian.com/article/why-now-s-the-time-to-embrace-flexible-working/">boost
your engagement with work</a>, they allow you to have more control over the
role and, importantly, your life more generally. If you have to get the
children to school or need to book a doctors’ appointment, rather than
stressing about getting to work late or having to take time off, you can work
adapted hours and make up the time when you can. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">The right to request flexible working is
available to all UK employees provided they have been with the company for 26
weeks or more. Employers must respond within three months of the request and
the request encompasses: part-time employment; remote working; flexi-time;
staggered hours; and compressed hours. The better your work/life balance, the
happier you’re more likely to be.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9fERIsWLWX4/WjiSsIc4yEI/AAAAAAAACvI/sJ-p-Fuodh0norlYfChSs_dsX649fh68wCLcBGAs/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2017-12-18%2Bat%2B8.16.01%2BPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="811" height="233" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9fERIsWLWX4/WjiSsIc4yEI/AAAAAAAACvI/sJ-p-Fuodh0norlYfChSs_dsX649fh68wCLcBGAs/s400/Screen%2BShot%2B2017-12-18%2Bat%2B8.16.01%2BPM.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<h3>
<span lang="EN-GB">You and your boss</span></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">When you type “my boss is” into Google an
array of depressing search suggestions come up, the first three of which are
“my boss is crazy”, “my boss is mean” and “my boss is bullying me”. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bad relationships with managers have
been shown to <a href="http://smallbusiness.chron.com/effects-bad-management-employees-13378.html">lead
to stress and, on the flip side, apathy</a>. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Discussing the problems you have with your
boss isn’t an easy task: they are in a senior position and while they should
take criticism on board, it’s understandable to fear it will negatively impact
the relationship further. Honesty is very important, however, and sometimes
necessary if you want things to change. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">If your manager has an open-door policy,
make the most of it. Voice concerns in a measured manner and one which encourages
practical applications. Stressors such as the ones found in Office Genie’s
Workplace Happiness Report are too big to be overlooked. Your boss ultimately
wants you to do the best job you can, and if they can help, even if it means
them adapting too, they should and (generally) will. Have faith!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">To find out more about the relationship
between work and happiness, the Harvard Business Review note a range of studies
and literature on the subject in the article, ‘<a href="https://hbr.org/2015/07/the-research-weve-ignored-about-happiness-at-work">The
Research We’ve Ignored About Happiness at Work</a>’. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Sources:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwASai4hTZU">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwASai4hTZU</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/disturbing-facts-about-your-job-2011-2?op=1&IR=T/#-of-people-are-dissatisfied-with-their-jobs-1">http://www.businessinsider.com/disturbing-facts-about-your-job-2011-2?op=1&IR=T/#-of-people-are-dissatisfied-with-their-jobs-1</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><a href="https://www.officegenie.co.uk/downloads/Office-Genie-Workplace-Happiness-Report-Whitepaper.pdf">https://www.officegenie.co.uk/downloads/Office-Genie-Workplace-Happiness-Report-Whitepaper.pdf</a>
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><a href="https://www.huffingtonpost.com/alexander-kjerulf/happiness-tips_b_5001073.html">https://www.huffingtonpost.com/alexander-kjerulf/happiness-tips_b_5001073.html</a>
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><a href="https://jobs.theguardian.com/article/why-now-s-the-time-to-embrace-flexible-working/">https://jobs.theguardian.com/article/why-now-s-the-time-to-embrace-flexible-working/</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><a href="http://smallbusiness.chron.com/effects-bad-management-employees-13378.html">http://smallbusiness.chron.com/effects-bad-management-employees-13378.html</a>
</span></div>
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<!--StartFragment-->
<!--EndFragment--><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><a href="https://hbr.org/2015/07/the-research-weve-ignored-about-happiness-at-work">https://hbr.org/2015/07/the-research-weve-ignored-about-happiness-at-work</a>
</span></div>
</div>
Happiness Alliancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05592467282941426227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4596385636636811156.post-43145283677508902862017-09-10T01:20:00.002-07:002020-03-27T22:19:04.599-07:00Happiness Movement FAQ<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><br /></span></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial";">Happiness Movement Frequently Asked
Questions<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="font-family: "arial";">The happiness movement
represents a paradigmatic shift where the well-being, happiness and
sustainability of people and our planet matter most. Many do not understand
what the happiness movement is or even that such a movement exists. Here are
presented frequently asked questions and short answers for the visionaries working
in the happiness movement.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial";">Happiness can’t be measured, can it? <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: "arial";">The issuance of the World Happiness Report first in 2012, and
then again in 2013, 2015, 2016 and 2017 proves not just that happiness can be
measured, but also how to measure it. Further clarifying this issue is the
Organisation for Economic Co-operation (OECD)</span><span style="font-family: "arial";"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="background: white; font-family: "arial";">Guidelines
on Measuring Subjective Well-being</span></i><span style="background: white; font-family: "arial";">. Thus, the question is not whether
happiness can be measured and if it can be measured subjectively (yes) but what
to measure. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: "arial";">Links: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="background: white; font-family: "arial";">World
Happiness Report: <a href="http://worldhappiness.report/"><span style="color: windowtext;">http://worldhappiness.report/</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="background: white; font-family: "arial";">OECD
Guidelines on Measuring Subjective Well-being: http://www.oecd.org/statistics/oecd-guidelines-on-measuring-subjective-well-being-9789264191655-en.htm<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial";">Isn't happiness too “fuzzy” to measure?</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: "arial";">Happiness is defined and measured in three different ways;
feelings (affect), eudaimonia (the good life, or thriving), and satisfaction
with life and the conditions of life. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: "arial";">These three aspects provide different information that
informs different issues and reveals different implications. Affect can tell us
how a specific environment or situation impacts a person in the moment. For
example, are people happier or more anxious working remotely or in the office;
when commuting to work on the bus or in their car; or when married or not, etc?
Eudaimonia tells us what motivates people, and how resilient we are. For
example, do you have a sense of purpose in your life? So you feel like your
life is worthwhile? Are you optimistic about your future? Satisfaction with
Life and the Conditions of Life gives us information about our remembered
experience, which is fundamental to understanding why and how we will make
decisions. For example, will people perceive a neighborhood or city safer or
less safe, find one job satisfying or less satisfying than another, etc.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Resources and Links: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="background: white; font-family: "arial";">Diener,
E., Wirtz, D., Tov, W., Kim-Prieto, C., Choi. D., Oishi, S., &
Biswas-Diener, R. (2009). New measures of well-being: Flourishing and positive
and negative feelings.</span><span style="font-family: "arial";"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="background: white; font-family: "arial";">Social Indicators Research, 39,</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial";"> </span></i><span style="background: white; font-family: "arial";">247-266.</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="background: white; font-family: "arial";">Kahneman, D. (2010). The Riddle of
Experience Versus Memory. TED2010.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "arial";"><a href="https://www.ted.com/talks/daniel_kahneman_the_riddle_of_experience_vs_memory">https://www.ted.com/talks/daniel_kahneman_the_riddle_of_experience_vs_memory</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="background: white; font-family: "arial";">Kahneman, D., Fredrickson, B., Schreiber,
C., & Redelmeier, D. (1993). When More Pain is Preferred to Less; Adding a
Better End.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Psychological Science</i>. 4 (1993): 401-405.</span><span style="font-family: "arial";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial";">How do you measure happiness?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial";">To measure how someone is
feeling (called affect by scientists), you simply ask.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 13.0pt;">That the feeling of happiness
and other feelings can be measured through questions and that one can get a
response that one can rely upon to understand a person’s happiness is backed by
science (Frey & Luechinger, 2007; Pavot & Diener, 1993).</span><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 10.0pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial";">When asking about feelings, it is important to ask about one feeling at
a time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 13.0pt;">Diener
et. al. (2009) developed an affect scale that includes 12 feelings: positive,
negative, good, bad, pleasant, unpleasant, happy, sad, afraid, joyful, angry,
and contented. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tWzsxLKPrks/WbT0l_ydyOI/AAAAAAAAClA/rW8A72rhKlU_0hCDW5MruNuGiY4DJ796wCLcBGAs/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2017-09-10%2Bat%2B12.31.01%2BAM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="335" data-original-width="761" height="175" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tWzsxLKPrks/WbT0l_ydyOI/AAAAAAAAClA/rW8A72rhKlU_0hCDW5MruNuGiY4DJ796wCLcBGAs/s400/Screen%2BShot%2B2017-09-10%2Bat%2B12.31.01%2BAM.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 13.0pt;">That said, it is up to each person to define what happiness,
sadness, joy, anger, anxiety, calm, etc, is to them. Your sense of being happy
may be very different from the person next to you or on the other side of the
world, but both definitions are caught by the term</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 13.0pt;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 13.0pt;">happiness.</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 13.0pt;"> </span></i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 13.0pt;">In the United
Kingdom (UK), the Office of National Statistics (ONS) well-being survey
(formerly called happiness survey) includes questions for happiness and anxiety,
and, following the UK ONS, the Happiness Index (Happiness Alliance
–happycounts.org) does as well. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 13.0pt;">To measure eudaimonia, one commonly uses what
is called a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">flourishing scale</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Happiness Index’s flourishing scale
asks questions about areas of optimism, positivity, purpose, engagement,
accomplishment, and worthiness. The Happiness Index’s flourishing scale is
based on questions from the OECD <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Guidelines
on Measuring Subjective Well-being </i>and work by Huppert and So (2011). It also
includes the same question about worthiness that is in the UK ONS’ well-being
survey.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 13.0pt;">To measure satisfaction with life, one can use
the Cantril Ladder question, asking whether this life is the best or worse
possible life, as well as a question the question “Overall, how satisfied are
you with your life nowadays?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>These two questions together in a survey represent the best practice to
date. Both are included in the Happiness Index.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-snq21MZyqB8/WbT1aFevkPI/AAAAAAAAClQ/JlagVL_H_HchdOVyrYtWWcDlyzdud-g1QCLcBGAs/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2017-09-10%2Bat%2B12.37.18%2BAM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="548" data-original-width="750" height="290" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-snq21MZyqB8/WbT1aFevkPI/AAAAAAAAClQ/JlagVL_H_HchdOVyrYtWWcDlyzdud-g1QCLcBGAs/s400/Screen%2BShot%2B2017-09-10%2Bat%2B12.37.18%2BAM.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 13.0pt;">Satisfaction with Life’s circumstances begs
the question of what are life’s circumstances, also called domains. In the
nation of Bhutan, where Gross National Happiness is measured using a survey
instrument, the domains measured are: government, economy (standard of living),
environment, culture, community, health, education and time balance in addition
to measures for satisfaction with life, affect and eudaimonia. The OECD Better
Life Index measures the domains of housing, income, jobs, community, education,
environment, civic engagement, health, safety, work-life balance as well as
measures for life satisfaction. The Happiness Index measures the same domains
as Bhutan’s Gross National Happiness Index but includes the area of work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "arial";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial";">Resources & Links: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 13.0pt;">Better
Life Index: http://www.oecdbetterlifeindex.org/</span><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 13.0pt;">Bhutan’s
Gross National Happiness Index: http://www.grossnationalhappiness.com/</span><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 13.0pt;">Happiness
Alliance Happiness Index Methodology: http://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/jsc/vol9/iss1/2/</span><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 13.0pt;">Diener,
E., Wirtz, D., Tov, W., Kim-Prieto, C., Choi. D., Oishi, S., &
Biswas-Diener, R. (2009). New measures of well-being: Flourishing and positive
and negative feelings.</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 13.0pt;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 13.0pt;">Social Indicators Research, 39,</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 13.0pt;"> </span></i><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 13.0pt;">247-266.</span><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 13.0pt;">Frey,
B. & Luechinger, S. (2007).</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 13.0pt;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 13.0pt;">Concepts of happiness and their measurement</span></i><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 13.0pt;">.
Hessen, Germany: Metropolis Verlag</span><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial";">Huppert, F., & So,
T. (2011). Flourishing across Europe: Application of a new conceptual framework
for defining well-being. Social Indicators Research, 110, (3), 837–-861.
doi: 10.1007/s11205-011-9966-7</span><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial";">Pavot, W. &
Diener, E. (1993). Review of the Satisfaction With Life Scale. Psychological
Assessment,5(2),164-172.http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/1040-3590.5.2.164</span><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial";">Happiness is a frivolous matter and pursuit, isn’t
it? <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: "arial";">Happiness is the meaning</span><span style="font-family: "arial";"> </span><span style="background: white; font-family: "arial";">and the</span><span style="font-family: "arial";"> </span><span style="background: white; font-family: "arial";">purpose of life, the whole aim and end of
human existence” –</span><span style="font-family: "arial";"> </span><span style="background: white; font-family: "arial";">Aristotle,
</span><span style="background: white; font-family: "arial";">Nicomachean Ethics. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: "arial";">We know
this intuitively when we say that all we want for our children is that they are
happy and healthy. It is important to understand that Aristotle used the term <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">eudaimonia </i>as synonymous with <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">happiness.</i> Today the term <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">eudaimonia (</i>eu is Ancient Greek for
good, daimon is Ancient Greek for spirit or soul) can be interpreted as flourishing,
or reaching one’s full potential. It is important to note that this
interpretation of happiness encompasses the care of others, connection to
community, and civic duty.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: white; font-family: "arial";">Doesn’t prioritizing happiness put
pleasure seeking above all else?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: "arial";">Today,
science identifies four approaches to happiness: hedonism, eudaimonia,
chaironic happiness, and flow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Hedonism can be defined as seeking pleasure and avoiding pain. Jeremy
Bentham and John Stuart Mill, English philosophers, advocated for governments
and society to seek the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people
based on the hedonistic definition of happiness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Chaironic happiness is a sense of openness and connection to
God, spirit nature or a higher power. Philosophers ranging from Thomas Aquinas
to C.G. Jung explored and advocated for chaironic happiness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Flow, defined by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi,
is an experience of optimal experience or oneness with what one is doing.
Aristotle posed that eudaimonia is the goal for government, society and
personal life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Today’s definition
of happiness within the context of the happiness movement is most closely aligned
with eudaimonia, but this definition encompasses aspects of hedonism, flow and
chaironic happiness.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: white; font-family: "arial";">Happiness is not, and should not, be
the purpose of government, correct? <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: "arial";">The purpose
of government is to secure the happiness of its people, The underlying
assumption that governments globally have adopted since WWII is that strong
economic growth, personal income and wealth and high consumption rates are
highly correlated to happiness and there is a strong causal link). This
assumption was the basis for the systems and institutions resulting from the
post WWII Bretton Woods conference: International Monetary Fund, the World
Bank, pegging currency to the US dollar, the World Trade Organization, and
others.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This assumption is
partially but not completely true. Nations with higher per capita incomes have
happier people, but income, consumption and economic growth are causally
related to happiness only up to a certain level of personal income, commonly
called the Easterlin Paradox (based on longitudinal data collected by Richard
Easterlin), and loosely correlated to happiness (O’Donnell et. al., 2014). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: "arial";">The
assumption that income and economic growth are causally related to happiness
breaks down when considering income distribution. This was one reason for the
call for nations to adopt wider measures of well-being (i.e. happiness) by
French President Sarkozy in 2009, based on findings of the </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial";">Report by
the Commission on the Measurement of Economic Performance and Social Progress, </span></i><span style="font-family: "arial";">commonly known as the<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> <span style="background: white;">Stieglitz Report</span></i><span style="background: white;">. Scientific research, such as that recently conducted
by Andrew Clark and others (see post about <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Origins
of Happiness</i>) indicate that there are many other factors, including social
connection, strong communities, sense of safety, rewarding employment, and
mental health, that have as high or higher correlation values to happiness,
thus pointing directions for governmental policy that promote these goals as
well as the goals of economic growth. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: "arial";">Resources and
Links:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="background: white; font-family: "arial";">Easterlin
Paradox: <a href="http://huwdixon.org/teaching/cei/Easterlin1974.pdf">http://huwdixon.org/teaching/cei/Easterlin1974.pdf</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "arial";">Stigliz, J.,
Sen, A. & Fitoussi. J.P. (2009, September). <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Report by the Commission on the Measurement of Economic Performance and
Social Progress.</i> Commission on the Measurement of Economic Performance and
Social Progress. http://www.stiglitz-sen-fitoussi.fr/documents/rapport_anglais.pdf<span style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial";">Easterlin, R. (1974).
Does Economic Growth Improve the Human Lot? In P. David & R.. P. &
Reder, R. (Eds.), <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Nations and Households
in Economic Growth: Essays in Honor of Moses</i> (pp. 89–-125). New York,
NY: Academic Press, Inc. <a href="http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2008/04/16/business/Easterlin1974.pdf">http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2008/04/16/business/Easterlin1974.pdf</a></span><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial";">Easterlin, R. (2001).
Income and happiness: towards a unified theory. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Economic Journal, 111</i>(473), 465-484. doi:
10.1111/1468-0297.00646</span><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial";">Easterlin, R. (1995).
Will raising the incomes of all increase the happiness of all? Journal of
Economic Behavior and Organization, 27,(1), 35–-48.
doi:10.1016/0167-2681(95)00003-B</span><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="background: white; font-family: "arial";">O’Donnell,
G., Deaton, A., Halpern, D., Durand, M., & Layard, R. (2014). Wellbeing and
Public Policy. Legatum Institute. http://www.li.com/programmes/the-commission-on-wellbeing-and-policy<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="background: white; font-family: "arial";">Blog
post on Origins of Happiness: http://voxeu.org/article/origins-happiness<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: white; font-family: "arial";">What governments are measuring
happiness?<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
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<span style="background: white; font-family: "arial";">Thirty-nine
of the forty OECD member countries are measuring happiness, according to
Martine Durand, Director Employment Labor and Social Affairs and Chief
Statistician at the OECD. Many other countries that are not member of the OECD
are also measuring happiness in terms of affect, eudaimonia, satisfaction with
life and the circumstances with life (see the essay <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness</i>, link below). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: "arial";">Links:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="background: white; font-family: "arial";">Martine
Durand https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhNjD3bnMYg&t=38s<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="background: white; font-family: "arial";">Essay
compiling nations measuring happiness: Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of
Happiness - which countries and measuring happiness and
how. http://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/jsc/vol8/iss1/5/</span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">There are no examples of happiness
policy, are there?<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: "arial";">Bhutan has
promulgated many policies informed by and with the goal of the happiness of the
nation. See examples in the essay, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Happiness
in Public Policy</i>, for a compilation of some of these policies. That said,
these examples come from one small nation in which the culture is homogenous
and the country and population is quite small compared to most other nations.
The challenge today is how to use happiness data to inform policy, and the need
is for a government to take the lead, as identified by the EU BRAINPOoL Report
in 2015. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: "arial";">Links:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="background: white; font-family: "arial";">Happiness
in Public Policy essay on happiness policies <a href="http://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/jsc/vol6/iss1/5/">http://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/jsc/vol6/iss1/5/</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial";">Whitby, A., Seaford,
C., Berry, C., & BRAINPOoL Consortium Partners. (2014, March 31). BRAINPOoL
project final report: Beyond GDP: from measurement to politics and policy.
BRAINPOoL Deliverable 5.2, A collaborative programme funded by the European
Union’s Seventh Programme for research, technological development and
demonstration under Grant Agreement No. 283024. World Future Council. Retrieved
from http://www.brainpoolproject.eu/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/BRAINPOoL-Project-Final-Report.pdf</span><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: white; font-family: "arial";">If the purpose of government is the
happiness of citizens and residents, then government will dictate actions,
force people to be happy, and punish those who do not say they are happy,
right? </span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">The
purpose of government is to secure the conditions that enable people to become
or pursue happiness and to live a good life, not to dictate behaviors or
actions or force people to be happy. What brings happiness for any one person is
as unique as each person. When government aims to increase the happiness of
their people, its job is to assess and understand people’s state of happiness
and identify the policies and programs that will best provide opportunities for
people to take action or choose a behavior that they believe will increase
their happiness.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">What is the difference
between happiness and well-being?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Some
nations are using the terms synonymously, others use the term well-being in
lieu of happiness, and some propose that happiness is used to describe
subjective well-being measured through surveys (questionnaires, polls, etc.)
and well-being to describe the use of objective metrics.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gkttPTrIOqA/WbTzu0oxemI/AAAAAAAACks/k51iC9mGYho5Jda95D4BjGl23s0Lr3lsQCLcBGAs/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2017-09-10%2Bat%2B12.59.00%2BAM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="246" data-original-width="772" height="127" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gkttPTrIOqA/WbTzu0oxemI/AAAAAAAACks/k51iC9mGYho5Jda95D4BjGl23s0Lr3lsQCLcBGAs/s400/Screen%2BShot%2B2017-09-10%2Bat%2B12.59.00%2BAM.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Won’t happiness distract
governments and people from the ecological disasters from climate change,
ecosystem destruction, political and physical water shortage, soil depletion
and other ecological threats that we are facing? And what about social justice
and inequalities? Won’t happiness mean that some people are happy at the
expense of others?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">The
happiness movement represents a wider understanding of individual and national
wellbeing that includes the domains of our environment and society, and many
other domains listed above.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This
is why the measurement tools for happiness cover so many domains. This data is
also helping us understand how issues such as ecological health, social
support, income equality, meaningful employment, and many other aspects of
life, not considered when relying upon a single domain or a single economic
measure such as Gross Domestic Product (GDP), affect us. Happiness data also
reveals enlightening information about different groups of people, and help
point the way for policy that secures equitable opportunities for all people’s
happiness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><b><br /></b></span></span>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Do people tell the truth or lie when taking well-being surveys?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Research has found that data from subjective well-being surveys is reliable (Kreuder, A. & Schkade, D., (2008). The reliability of subjective well-being measures. Journal of Public Economics, 92(8-9), 1833-1845, doi <u>10.1016/j.jpubeco.2007.12.015; </u><span style="background: rgb(252, 252, 252); color: #333333; letter-spacing: 0.2pt;">Napa Scollon C., Prieto CK., Diener E. (2009) Experience Sampling: Promises and Pitfalls, Strength and Weaknesses. In: Diener E. (eds) Assessing Well-Being. Social Indicators Research Series, vol 39. Springer, Dordrecht; </span><span style="background: rgb(252, 252, 252); color: #333333;">Lee, Y., Hofferth, S.L., Flood, S.M. <i>et al.</i> Reliability, Validity, and Variability of the Subjective Well-Being Questions in the 2010 American Time Use Survey. <i>Soc Indic Res</i> <b>126, </b>1355–1373 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-015-0923-8</span>).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There are various ways that the reliability has been tested. One way is to compare the survey data to objective data. For example, in the instances whereby people who report that their health is good, and the objective data reveals that the same people are not ill, obese or otherwise in ill health, then on can assume the subjective data is reliable. Another way is to do correlational analysis between various ways of measuring well-being. For example, when people report high levels of satisfaction with life, as well as high levels of well-being in other domains, this indicates the data is reliable. Note that not all domains need to be high, and some of the domains are more highly correlated, meaning that some domains have more or less of an impact on satisfaction with life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One of the concerns with survey-based data is whether the data is biased by the way the question are answered. The OECD Guidelines on Measuring Subjective Well-being (2013, <a href="https://www.oecd.org/statistics/oecd-guidelines-on-measuring-subjective-well-being-9789264191655-en.htm"><span style="color: blue;">https://www.oecd.org/statistics/oecd-guidelines-on-measuring-subjective-well-being-9789264191655-en.htm</span></a>) give clear guidance for ordering of questions, stating that satisfaction with life questions should always come first, as questions about other dimensions (or domains) of life can influence people’s response to a satisfaction with life question. For example, one may bias responses to satisfaction with life if asking questions about trust or sense of corruption in government, or feelings of safety, depending on the circumstances.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Another concern is that people are lying. In general, random sampling is more reliable than online convenience sampling, but also in general, online convenience sampling is reliable, meaning one can trust the data (Kim, S., Weaver, D., & Willnat, L. (2000). Media Reporting and Perceived Credibility of Online Polls, Journalism & Mass Communication, 77 (4) 846-864, doi <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177%2F107769900007700408"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration-line: none;">10.1177/107769900007700408</span></a>). One way to manage reliability is through large samples. As more data is collected, the outliers count less. Another way is through ground truthing. One can take the data from a small convenience sample and compare it to data collected for the same or similar question collected for a random and large sample. When the data is similar or the same, it can be counted on to be reliable.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Another concern is when a group, entity or individual hacks a survey by bombarding it with respondents. This may be detected by checking the IP Address, which is a unique identifier for a device. A clever hacker will find a way around this. In this case, one should examine the data for unexpected results. For example, if for an area there is a large portion that reports very high trust in government, when historically and in other areas scores are low for trust in government, and the data is surprising, then one can make adjustments to the data.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0 , 0 , 0 , 0.85); font-family: "source sans pro" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif , "hiragino kaku gothic pro" , "meiryo" , "hiragino sans gb w3" , "noto naskh arabic" , "droid arabic naskh" , "geeza pro" , "simplified arabic" , "noto sans thai" , "thonburi" , "dokchampa" , "droid sans thai" , "droid sans fallback" , , ".sfnsdisplay-regular" , "heiti sc" , "microsoft yahei" , "segoe ui"; font-size: 21px;">Learn more about the Happiness Movement: http://www.happycounts.org/happy-community-toolkit.html</span></div>
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Happiness Alliancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05592467282941426227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4596385636636811156.post-6646773226050979382017-07-24T23:00:00.000-07:002017-07-24T23:00:41.831-07:00Working WIsdom for Global Change<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Last month, in preparation for a conference in Assisi, Italy, home of St. Francis, the Happiness Alliance asked newsletter friends, the Ad Hoc Happiness and WEllbeing Movement Group (convened at the 2012 UN High Level Meeting Happiness and Well-being: Defining a New Economic Paradigm), people on Quora and others the question: <i>What are your key recommendations for transformative global change based on spirituality and sustainability? </i><br />
<br />
The answers, along with wisdom gathered from the conference, are presented here:<br />
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What is working?</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Spiritual ceremony in community divested of language and rites that separate, and that focuses on commonalities and connections to all that is spiritual in us.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What is being called for?</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Religious experience and institutional orientation, process and delivery that gives opening to a spiritual experience regardless of belief or dogma.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Religious and spiritual, a-spiritual and contra spiritual leadership to forge connections based on commonalities and develop traditions and ceremonies that transcend identification with a belief system or creed.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Spiritual and religious ceremony and institutions connect and integrate love and care for our earth, oceans, all beings, and in particular the ecosystems, animals and people who are suffering in us.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Integration of spiritual and religious experience that connects and integrates love and care for all in all other areas (government, education, business, non-governmental organization (NGOs), etc.).</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What can individuals, communities, or organizations do?</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Bring ceremony into private and public life (for example, mindfulness practice before meetings, indigenous ceremony to open public events, process and outcomes guided by spirituality and values, etc.)</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Raise awareness about the need for spiritual ceremony (being the change you want to see and speak about it). </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Provide non-denominational or non-dogmatic and belief based modules for institutions to access and experience spiritual ceremony.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Use spirituality as a means to measure the success of projects, to assess the wellbeing of people and care for the earth, and to empower action for sustainability, social justice, peace, and all other work for wellbeing of people and other being and health of our ecosystem. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hold religious ceremony in nature and to restore nature through dire</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Petition for eco and community restoration through direct action, petition and symbols. </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What is working?</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Science-based understanding of status and trends of problems and threats to our earth and peoples on it; and identification of interventions to stave disasters, heal ecosystems and societies, and implementation of some interventions at individual, community, national and international level. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What is being called for?</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Interconnected and heart (adding to the intellect) based (i.e. Integral) understanding of the problems and threats facing our earth and us and the integration of integral, integrated, holistic, and interconnected ways into interventions already developed and development of integral interventions. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What can individuals, communities, or organizations do?</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Develop new narrative and experience that celebrate and grow love and an experience based knowledge of oneness with each other and our earth. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Adapt current interventions and innovate interventions. </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What is working?</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Local politics and local government. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What is being called for?</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Taking back the political process from the corporation control of campaigns and elected officials, special interests, and other corruption of the democratic or other participatory government process and institutions.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Campaign finance reform.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What can individuals, communities, or organizations do?</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Engage and support local political activities that are not entangled in any way with corporate finance. </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What is working?</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">New free or very inexpensive education and learning programs and opportunities, in person and online (apps, you tube, websites, TED talks, etc).</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What is being called for?</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">End of corporate control of education and innovation of new ways to bring in support and resources including money to support operations. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Re-democratization of higher education and equitable access to education for all people, particularly girls & women, muslim youth, and people trapped in urban poverty. Update our education system though shifting the mindset and underlying world view about what education is for education based on self inquiry, discernment, meta cognition, gratitude, compassion and care for all. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What can individuals, communities, or organizations do?</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">At conferences, summits, and other knowledge sharing events hold youth panels </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Participate in and innovate ways to provide learning opportunities. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Offer experience based, service learning, and job training opportunities.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Find ways to be in empathetic relationship with those who can't afford education; teaching in prison, teaching in poor urban environments, involving the police force, etc. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Participate in education in Africa. </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Transformation of political systems </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Our world view drives our behavior </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sanctification of nature, honor the Divine on every corner, </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Indigenous wisdom of people and the planet </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Preserving culture and language</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Gender as Mother Earth and </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What is working?</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Metrics drive policy, business and personal lives, and beyond gross domestic product (GDP), also called happiness or well-being, metrics, which aim to get us off the singular reliance on GDP (and economic growth and consumption) by government, profit by business and wealth or income by people, are in use by governments, researchers and communities around the world.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What is being called for?</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The use of beyond GDP metrics by communities and local governments to assess the wellbeing of peoples (and differences among people); inform and secure the circumstance in life that provide equitable happiness, well-being, sustainability and resilience for all; and share practices in ways that support greater learning and application by government, business and people of wider measures of wellbeing.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What can individuals, communities, or organizations do?</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Use happiness and well-being (beyond GDP) metrics at a community level and encourage local government to use beyond GDP metrics in lieu of GDP. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Raise awareness and support efforts to supersede the use of GDP metrics with happiness metrics. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Evolve happiness (beyond GDP) indicators to measure interconnected and universal value-based spirituality. </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What is working?</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Local economy, slow food and ecological businesses are providing ways for people to redefine ways to interact with business. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What is being called for?</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Childhoods without the influence of commercialization of a child’s development and mentality. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What can individuals, communities, or organizations do?</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Take logos off clothing and other articles. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ban advertising to children. </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What is working?</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Earth Charter and the Sustainable Development Goals (and other efforts) encompass a holistic perspective to our earth and what it means to be a part off the earth and have spurred the birth of sustainable business, and, increasingly government. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What is being called for?</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Earth jurisprudence whereby protection and restoration of the ecosystems, human rights, indigenous culture and communities is protected by law. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">End of biopiracy that strips indigenous people of culture and resources. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Transition from looking to nature as a resource to use to looking to nature with the goal of restoration. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What can individuals, communities, or organizations do?</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Creation of blueprint of model policies, regulations and laws for governments to consider when promulgating policy and laws for holistic sustainable nations. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Creation of model constitutional language for protection of earth, culture, community and other areas of sustainability and wellbeing. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Use of the earth charter as a checklist for business product decisions. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Promote the joining of Charter for Compassion and similar efforts in your city. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Bring spirituality and values into SDG and other UN institutions. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Issue an Apology to the future. </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What is working?</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sustainability instutions informing higher education (AASHE, etc)</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Education, from primary to higher, in nature, on farms, in gardens. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What is being called for?</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Transformation of education systems for integrated and interlinked disciplinary education; and a purpose of happiness, sustainability and spirituality in education. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Campuses with farms on campus and around campuses, sourcing food from the local farms and serving local food. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Education that teaches all aspects food systems (including small farming, food delivery, no food waste, composting etc), installing renewable energy, food justice, local indignation culture, ecosystem sciences, etc. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">End of university culture in which students are called customers </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What can individuals, communities, or organizations do?</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Spread and evolve curriculum in and for nature that reconnects us to the knowledge of being of and for the earth. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Adoption of all education institutions of a healthy, just and sustainable world as the primary goal of education, from education to financial investment. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Creation of practices and lessons learned for transforming campuses and education institutions for use by students and others. </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What is working?</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Celebrations and honoring of of sustainability, happiness, Mother Earth,and other aspects of our work through declarations of celebratory days (Earth Day, International Day of Happiness, etc)</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What is being called for?</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Joy and fun work in the sustainability, spirituality, wellbeing and happiness movement. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Allow students, and all people, to express grief. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What can individuals, communities, or organizations do?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Do our work in ways that allow and create fun. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Leadership that publicly shares feelings making it socially acceptable to others and investment in integrating into all institutions the ability to share feelings, not to sequester feeling in therapists offices. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What is working?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Innovative information technology is solving global, cultural and personal problems. For example language teaching apps are preserving and restoring indigenous languages, closed loop built environment energy and water systems, and grief processing artificial intelligence programs. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What is being called for?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Information technology that develops our compassion, spirituality, sustainability of our earth, social justice, happiness and wellbeing.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Guidelines for the creation of technologies that are brought to market. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What can individuals, communities, or organizations do?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Learn how to use and develop technology that develops our compassion, spirituality, sustainability of our earth, social justice, happiness and wellbeing.</span></div>
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Happiness Alliancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05592467282941426227noreply@blogger.com0