If you know me, you know I’m pretty obsessed with the pursuit of happiness. I cannot think of anything more worthwhile than the pursuit of what makes us shine from the inside out. It seems so essential and important to our well being to be living (or chasing after) the things that make us the happiest.
This isn’t just some selfish trend. Focusing on our own personal happiness has been scientifically proven to make us better workers, citizens and contributors to our communities and the world around us. Pursuing and focusing on our personal happiness, and the happiness of other around us, can make us more positive, more successful, healthier and more effective.
Defining Happiness
What is Happiness? Happiness, as defined by the Dali Lama for example, is human connection. Happiness is found in the quality of our interpersonal relationships. In a study of global happiness by the UN, countries which are considered the happiest are those in which the majority of the population feels that they have ‘someone they could count on in a difficult situation’ or that they are supported activity by their community.
Happiness in the Workplace
Happiness makes you feel energized, which means you’ll work longer and more consistently than if you were unhappy. Unhappiness can make you feel groggy, unmotivated, etc.
University of Warwick Department of Economics 2014 study with more than 700 participants found that happiness makes people 12% more productive overall than their unhappy counterparts. Professor Andrew Oswald [of the study] said: “Companies like Google have invested more in employee support and employee satisfaction has risen as a result. For Google, it rose by 37%, they know what they are talking about. Under scientifically controlled conditions, making workers happier really pays off.”
Dr. Sgroi, of the same study, added: “The driving force seems to be that happier workers use the time they have more effectively, increasing the pace at which they can work without sacrificing quality.”
Productive Connections
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the United States analyzed the email traffic and financial success of 2,600 IBM employees and found that those workers with strong electronic communication links with their manager and colleagues earned more money for IBM than those who were more distant — an average of 948 US dollars for every email contact. The results come as no surprise to Sue Langley of The Langley group. “If we create a flourishing environment, we actually get flourishing people and output.”
Connecting more with our coworkers, employees and staff will increase our happiness in the workplace. This will increase our overall productivity and ultimately our own success within the workplace. This is something to strongly consider for those who might be starting their own business, looking to work as a digital nomad or trying to get the most out of a new or current job. How can we connect more with the people whom we work with, or who work for us? How can we maximize and strengthen these essential human conniptions for the betterment of ourselves and everyone around us?
Positive Thinkers Will Change the World
Happiness will make you more productive — that’s been proven. Your output will be higher due to an improved mental state and mental stamina. Did you know that on top of that however, happiness can change our outlook?
Happy people tend to be positive thinkers, and positive thinkers approach problems in a different way than negative thinkers. Where a negative thinker might run into an obstacle and think — well that’s it. A positive thinker will see that obstacle as a challenge which they are prepared to actively and creatively confront. In other words, a positive outlook can be the difference between overcoming an obstacle and the obstacle overcoming you.
Positive thinkers are more creative. They don’t get stuck in patterned thinking, while negative thinking is a hallmark of following the same thinking pattern. This means positive thinkers are more likely to be playful and flexible in their thinking — aka more creative. Hence, positive thinkers will be more likely to come up with better, newer or more innovative solutions to difficult problems.
Health Matters
You know those days when it starts to get cold, and your muscles begin to ache and you’re mind becomes absolutely sure that you’re coming down with something? That is a negative thought expression of a cold, which, in many cases, will really turn into a cold. If you enter in the same situation, however with the positive thought process that you’re incredibly healthy and there is no way that you’re really coming down with something, it’s just cold out and you’re body is feeling the difference, than you are much more likely to stay healthy. That’s the power of positive thinking.
Happiness brings about positive thinking. It brings about the mental capacity to support yourself even when things get difficult. Happiness even make you more capable of supporting your own health and immune system through positive thoughts.
Back to business terms, that means positive thinkers are less likely to take sick days, and will spend less money on doctors, medical care or health insurance. Welcome to bottom line savings for you and your company, all thanks to the pursuit of happiness.
Originally published at www.thehotelyogini.com on May 19, 2016.
Originally published at medium.com