Book Summary: The Happiness Advantage: The Seven Principles of Positive Psychology That Fuel Success and Performance at Work

Here is Amazon link if you want to check it out: https://www.amazon.com/Happiness-Advantage-Principles-Psychology-Performance/dp/0307591549

One of the key factors that impact happiness levels is perspective about things in life. Author calls out his own experience where he had an eye opening experience when he visited a school in Africa and asked kids “who here likes doing school work” hoping that most of kids would not raise their hands. To his surprise, 95% did as attending a school or studying is a previledge for them. Author compared this his experience at Harvard where students were unhappy due to various reasons.

Below image sums up the mindset and meaning of happiness for me. It is not about what you don’t have as you will never have everything.

Coming back to the book and the seven principles:

Principle #1: The happiness advantage

There are some excellent stories in the chapter. Some of the suggestions to improve happiness levels were: Meditate (self-explanatory), find something to look forward to (e.g., anticipate a future reward), commit conscious acts of kindness, infuse positivity in your surroundings (does your office space inspire you?), exercise or work out, spending money on experiences or to help others, leveraging your signature strength (if you are good at baking, baking will result in a burst of positiveness; another example is learning something new).

Principle #2: The fulcrum and the lever

This chapter focuses on how much potential power we believe we have and the mindset with which we generate the power to change. The more we move our fulcrum (our mindset), the more power we generate (and the more our lever lengthens, creating a positive flywheel). It is also easy to develop a negative flywheel by not managing the direction of your fulcrum. Move the fulcrum to a positive mindset, and you can magnify its power. If you are down, this chapter is worth reading, as examples will inspire you to change your mindset.

Principle # 3 The Tetris effect

If you play Tetris long enough, everything will look like Tetris shapes. The idea of this chapter is to apply a positive spin. If we scan for and focus on the positive, we benefit from three of the most important tools available to us: happiness, gratitude, and optimism. Of course, there is a need for balance, and not everything needs to be looked at through rose-tinted glasses.

Principle # 4: Falling up

This chapter is about capitalizing on the downs to build upward momentum. It is about not letting any crisis go to waste (using the crisis as a catalyst) and using any failure as an opportunity for growth. One of the approaches that I found interesting was ‘changing the counterfact,’ where instead of describing the situation as bad luck, select a counterfact that makes us feel fortunate. One systematic model is the ABCD model of interpretation: Adversity, Belief, Consequence, and Disputation. Adversity is the event we can’t change; it is what it is. Belief is our reaction to the event, why we thought it happened, and what we think it means for the future. If we see adversity as a short-term thing or an opportunity for growth, we maximize the chance of a positive Consequence. Disputation involves us telling ourselves that our belief is just that—a belief, not fact—and then challenging (or disputing) it.

Principle # 5: The Zorro circle

It talks about limiting focus on small, manageable goals. I saw this as, instead of being stuck in analysis paralysis, finding the most actionable thing so you can regain control (or feeling of control), building confidence, and expanding the circle as we accumulate the resources, knowledge, and consistency. It is also important to know what things you have control over vs. not. You can’t sprint your way to the marathon, or there is no elevator for success, and you have to get there step by step.

Principle #6: The 20-second rule

To build a positive mindset, you also need positive habits, and this chapter talked about removing friction and building those habits, e.g., sleeping in gym clothes. Common sense is not a common action, so we must work hard (exercising is good, but how many do exercise).

Principle #7: Social investment

Social support is our greatest asset. There is a good story about Joe Montana, who relied on his offensive line to be a Hall of Fame quarterback.

Here are some happiness habits that Shawn recommends:

1. 3 Gratitudes: Write down three new things you are grateful for daily—rewire your brain for greater optimism.
2. The Doubler: Spend two minutes describing a meaningful experience over the past 24 hours—double the meaning in your life.
3. Fun Fifteen: Add 15 minutes of fun, active cardio—create a cascade of success.
4. Meditation: Spend two minutes training your brain to watch your breath—this will undo the negative effects of multitasking.
5. Conscious Act of Kindness: Take two minutes to write an email thanking one person in your social support network—this will increase the greatest happiness predictor.