Book Summary:
The latest research into the neuroscience behind happiness and how to program your brain to focus on the positive.
Related Book Summaries:
The Motivation Manifesto – Brendon Burchard – Book Summary
A Guide to the Good Life – William B. Irvine – Book Summary
Quotes:
The negativity bias doesn’t mean you can’t be happy. But if your happy, your happy in spite of it.
Book Summary Notes:
- We as humans have an inbuilt negativity bias, we’re drawn to negative news.
- Even among a sea of positivity we tend to focus on the one negative we find.
- A study in 2001 found that people tend to focus more on angry faces than happy ones.
- Brains are able to relearn to focus on happiness. Particular brain activities are able to strengthen the parts of the brain that focus on happiness.
- Evolution has lead our brain to focusing on the small stressors we experience everyday. The permanent stress of modern life activated the same pathways that our fear of death uses. To our brain a work deadline and out running a hungry lion are one and the same.
- The natural result of a triggering of our fight or flight response is to pump the body full of adrenaline and cortisol, this in turn makes us react with fear and aggression to even the smallest issues that trigger this response.
- When things start going badly and stress is rising you can use positive inputs to help calm the system.
- Stop for a moment to let yourself feel good about even small accomplishments.
- To help train your brain keep a box which you need to write something positive that happened that day and put inside it. If you need a pick me up, just reach into the box.
- Our brains still carry much of the hardwiring from many generations ago when life was more of a struggle. We must actively focus on trying to rewrite our brains for happiness to combat all the stressors of modern life.
