A presentation on how to increase happiness and overall well-being - given at Navitas English Brisbane on 2nd of September 2016 in conjunction with RUOK Day.

2.  What is your definition of HAPPINESS?
 What would make you truly HAPPY?
 What prevents you from being HAPPY?
WHAT IS HAPPINESS?

3. HAPPINESS
Happiness does not mean:
 Having all our personal needs met
 Feeling pleasure all the time
 Never feeling negative emotions, pain,
sadness, anger etc.

4. DEFINITION OF HAPPINESS
According Sonja Lyubomirsky,
professor of psychology at UC
Riverside:
“The experience of joy, contentment
or positive well-being, combined with
a sense that one’s life is good,
meaningful and worthwhile”

5. WHAT DETERMINES OUR
HAPPINESS?
According to research by Sonja Lyubomirsky:
 50% of our happiness comes from our genes
 10% life circumstances
 40% intentional activity

6. MONEY AND HAPPINESS

7. MONEY AND HAPPINESS
 Research by Ed Diener: Money indeed increases the
level of happiness when it helps to lift people out of
poverty!
 Earning up to $75,000 (in the U.S.) makes people
happier but when that level is reached our happiness
seems to be unaffected with more income!

8. WHAT MAKES US HAPPY?
 Proven Facts: Good sleep patterns,
regular exercise and achievements!
 Social connections
 Romantic relationships
 Family & friends
 Compassion & kindness
 Mindfulness

9. R U OK?

10. SOCIAL CONNECTIONS
 Brene Brown: connection
gives us meaning and
purpose in life.
 Research by Ed Diener and
Martin Seligman – social
relationships form a necessary
but not sufficient condition for
high happiness

11.  Recent studies show many
physical and emotional
benefits of touch
 Touch activates the feelings
of reward and compassion
 Appropriate touch by
teachers resulted higher class
participation among students
BENEFITS OF TOUCH

12. TOUCH DEPRIVED?
Psychologist Sydney Jourard observed
friends having conversations in cafes & how
many times they touched each other 1 hour:
 180 times in Costa Rica
 110 times in France
 2 times in the USA
 0 times in England

13. PRACTICE

14. WHAT IS MINDFULNESS?

15. MIND WANDERING
Study of 15,000 people by Matt
Killingsworth:
 47% of the time we are thinking
something else than what we
are currently doing
 Strong relationship between
mind-wandering now and
being unhappy a short time
later

16. WHY DO WE NEED
MINDFULNESS?

17. BENEFITS OF
MINDFULNESS
Clinical research shows effectiveness of
mindfulness in:
 Reducing psychological stress, anxiety,
depression and pain (Goyal et.al. 2014; Hofmann et.al.
2010)
 Enhancing cognitive performance
(concentration & memory) & emotional
intelligence
 Increasing resilience and self-awareness
 Improving relationships, happiness & overall

18. STRESS MANAGEMENT

19. PRACTICE

20. GUIDED MEDITATION

21. TIPS
 Get enough sleep (7-8 hours a day)
 Connect with friends & family
 Exercise regularly
 Do what excites you
 Practice Mindfulness

22. MORE INFORMATION
www.consciousbeginnings.com.au
www.meetup.com/West-End-Mindfulness-Circle