Happier in 15 Seconds (and 3 More Science-Backed Hacks)

Why does one bad comment outweigh thirty good moments? Because your brain is wired with a negativity bias. In this animated explainer, we unpack the research behind it, why happiness depends more on how often you feel good than how big the moments are, and four research-backed brain hacks that take seconds, not hours. You'll learn: • Why "bad is stronger than good," and what lottery winners teach us about big moments • Hack 1: Stretch the good moment (savoring) • Hack 2: Talk to yourself by name (distanced self-talk) • Hack 3: Add one sentence (the surprising power of tiny connections) • Hack 4: Three good things, the 2-minute nightly exercise • How to stack all four into one ordinary day CHAPTERS 0:00 Thirty good sips, one bad sentence 0:42 Why the bad stuff wins 1:40 The surprising key: how often, not how big 2:47 Hack 1: Stretch the good moment 4:05 Hack 2: Talk to yourself by name 5:06 Hack 3: Add one sentence 6:08 Hack 4: Three good things 7:16 Your 4-hack day 7:45 A reality check 8:08 Maya's day, again (and your challenge) Which hack are you trying first? Tell us in the comments. RESEARCH IN THIS VIDEO • Baumeister, R. F., Bratslavsky, E., Finkenauer, C., & Vohs, K. D. (2001). Bad is stronger than good. Review of General Psychology, 5(4), 323–370. • Gottman, J. M. (1994). What Predicts Divorce? Erlbaum. • Diener, E., Sandvik, E., & Pavot, W. (1991). Happiness is the frequency, not the intensity, of positive versus negative affect. In Subjective Well-Being. Pergamon. • Brickman, P., Coates, D., & Janoff-Bulman, R. (1978). Lottery winners and accident victims: Is happiness relative? JPSP, 36(8), 917–927. • Hanson, R. (2013). Hardwiring Happiness. Harmony. • Bryant, F. B., & Veroff, J. (2007). Savoring: A New Model of Positive Experience. Erlbaum. • Jose, P. E., Lim, B. T., & Bryant, F. B. (2012). Does savoring increase happiness? A daily diary study. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 7(3). • Nawijn, J., Marchand, M. A., Veenhoven, R., & Vingerhoets, A. J. (2010). Vacationers happier, but most not happier after a holiday. Applied Research in Quality of Life, 5(1), 35–47. • Moser, J. S., et al. (2017). Third-person self-talk facilitates emotion regulation without engaging cognitive control. Scientific Reports, 7, 4519. • Kross, E., et al. (2014). Self-talk as a regulatory mechanism: How you do it matters. JPSP, 106(2), 304–324. • Sandstrom, G. M., & Dunn, E. W. (2014). Is efficiency overrated? Minimal social interactions lead to belonging and positive affect. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 5(4), 437–442. • Sandstrom, G. M., & Dunn, E. W. (2014). Social interactions and well-being: The surprising power of weak ties. PSPB, 40(7), 910–922. • Epley, N., & Schroeder, J. (2014). Mistakenly seeking solitude. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 143(5), 1980–1999. • Seligman, M. E. P., Steen, T. A., Park, N., & Peterson, C. (2005). Positive psychology progress: Empirical validation of interventions. American Psychologist, 60(5), 410–421. • Emmons, R. A., & McCullough, M. E. (2003). Counting blessings versus burdens. JPSP, 84(2), 377–389. • Lyubomirsky, S., Sheldon, K. M., & Schkade, D. (2005). Pursuing happiness: The architecture of sustainable change. Review of General Psychology, 9(2), 111–131. Positive Psych Toons: the science of a good life, one toon at a time. Subscribe for more. #PositivePsychology #Happiness #Psychology