May e-news

Dr Suzy Green & Associates

Welcome back again! I've got a bee in my bonnet! Yes, even a "Positive Psychologist" can be irritated, annoyed, and irascible! (thanks Gordy!) Lately, everywhere I look there is advertising selling "happiness" as if it's a commodity to be purchased! Whilst "sex sells" or so they say, "happiness" is a strong competitor! Whilst most of us want to be happy most of the time, it's just not normal to be in this elated "yellow, smiley-face state" all of the time! I believe that if we continue to seek this emotional state as a constant, we run the risk of increasing rates of depression in the community when we continue to not find what we seek!

It might all come down to semantics and I understand that the term "happiness" often means different things to different people. However, my understanding is that "happiness" is just one of the primary emotions - the others being sadness, anger and fear. Recent research has shown that "flourishing" individuals have a ratio of approximately 3:1 positive to negative emotions. This clearly shows that the so-called "negative" emotions are still part of the equation! Thus, it's important for us to recognize that there is a place in the "good life" for all emotions, even the "unwelcome" ones!

And more on happiness… This week I'm off to the "Happiness and Its Causes" Conference (http://www.happinessanditscauses.com.au) to be held at Darling Harbour in Sydney. Last year there were over 3000 people in attendance - all wanting to know what happiness is, what causes it and how to get it. My experience last year was that many people weren't seeking "happiness" alone. More often than not, they were looking for "meaning". Given the statistics on depression in the community it makes sense why people would want to be "happy" more often however those that suffer from depression will often describe a state of "hopelessness" or "meaninglessness". Latest research from psychology tells us that we need both "happiness" and "meaning" for our psychological well-being. I will continue my discussion on this in future e-news….

Hope to see you at the conference as I highly recommend attendance. There are some significant international speakers including Professor Martin Seligman, one of the founding fathers of Positive Psychology and Dr Tal Ben-Shahar, who teaches the largest and most popular course at Harvard - on positive psychology of course! Please come and say "hi" if you can spot me in amongst the crowds!

Last month I spoke about emotional intelligence and the ability of "perceiving emotions". So - how are you feeling? Great, good, no-so-bad, not great! These are common responses to the question we are confronted with on a regular basis. As a psychologist, I ask this question a number of times daily and find that some people are able to clearly recognize how they're feeling whilst others are somewhat oblivious or out of touch with their emotional state. Hopefully through raising your awareness of the ability of "perceiving emotions" you are now paying more attention to your own and others emotional states.

Month 5 - 2008 - Emotional Intelligence - Part 2 - Using Emotions

Historically it was thought that emotions interfered with our rational thinking ie "Calm down, let's look at this rationally!" Current research however shows that emotions can work together with thought in effective ways. Thus emotions can be utilised to enhance our thinking, enhance problem-solving and aid reasoning.

For example, recent research from the field of Positive Psychology has shown that "positive" emotions can assist us to think more broadly, be more solution focused and overall be much more creative and innovative. Note though that the "positive" emotions extend beyond "happiness". They also include curiosity, gratitude, joy, elevation (a positive moral emotion) and others.

It's also important to note that the so-called "negative" emotions such as fear, anger and sadness can also be beneficial. Yes, you heard me right - there are benefits to not being happy! Research has shown that if we are in a negative mood, we focus better on detail and are better at solving deductive reasoning problems eg proofreading documents for errors.

This Month's Action Plan - "Get in the Mood"

The ability to "use emotions" can assist us in our daily lives particularly if we consider the task at hand. For example, if you are experiencing a "good mood" ie more positive emotions than negative, you would be in a prime position to do some "big picture" visioning, hold a brainstorming session or attend to anything that requires the creative juices to flow! And similarly, if you were in more of a "somber state" then that might be the perfect time to attend to the detailed report you need to proofread.

Thus knowing what emotional state you are in and then using that state effectively is one approach you can take to increase your overall effectiveness. Another approach would be to "switch" moods. You mean you can snap yourself in and out of emotional states? Well yes, think about a time when perhaps you've been yelling quite angrily at someone at home and then the phone rings - "Hi, yes good, how are you?" In this situation you've been able to switch quite rapidly into another emotional state although it might take a couple of minutes before the past emotion disappears completely.

Actors have finely tuned skills in this ability. Whilst most of us may not be actors, learning this skill can be useful depending on the task at hand. Some of the strategies that actors have relied on, particularly utilising the Stanislavsky (1989) approach, include

1. Start with a relaxed state.
2. Use visualisation techniques to imagine scenes.
3. Generate emotions congruent with the scene.
4. Be mindful of the physical sensations associated with each emotion - use your body to affect your mood!

Another approach is to use PETS (performance enhancing thoughts). Ask yourself - How do I need to be thinking to feel happy, excited, assertive or reflective etc? For example: I'm feeling really good today; things are looking up; there's a lot to be grateful for; I've overcome obstacles before; I know I can do this; It might be uncomfortable but I won't die; Where do I need to place my attention today?

Repeat these PETS silently to yourself until you feel your emotional state shift. Use your body to assist eg to induce fear: tense up, hold your breath, pull back; to induce sadness: drop your lip, drop your shoulders and look down; to induce assertiveness (healthy anger): tense up, tighten your lips, push forward; and finally to induce happiness: stand tall, smile and look up!

Next Month…I'll be continuing my discussion on how emotional intelligence can be utilised to create a more contented and flourishing life.

This glorious sadness that brings me to my knees…

Sarah McLachlan

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