Materials for students of the course "Psychology of Happiness"
Lesson 1. Psychological strategies for happiness.
Think of 5-7 moments in your life when you were happy or felt good. Describe them in your diary. Think about what is common between these moments. Record your findings in a diary.
Lesson 2. Hormones of happiness and regulation of pleasure.
1. Dopamine. Do you have a big goal? Try to break your goal down into smaller goals that fit into the larger goal. Describe how you feel when you think about these goals 1-2 days later.
2. Endorphins. Describe the sensations in the body that occur after exercise. Don't overdo the loads.
3. Oxytocin. What sensations in the body appear when you hug with loved ones? Describe your feelings in a diary.
4. Serotonin. Celebrate some of your accomplishments. Come up with a small ceremony to celebrate the achievement of the goal. What experiences arise when you celebrate success? Think about the aspects in which others are guided by you, consider you an authority.
Lesson 3. Technologies of happiness.
Documentary film "Technologies of_happiness" (The results of the longest scientific experiment in the history of psychology called "Harvard study of adult development", which started in 1938 and continues to this day , allow scientists to assert: "The only thing that really matters in life is our relationships with other people." Svetlana Drugoveyko-Dolzhanskaya.)
Lesson 4. Reflection of happiness
Check out the materials for the Harvard Psychology of Happiness course by Dr. Tal Ben-Shahar. You can download the materials at the link: https://avidreaders.ru/download/nauchitsya-byt-schastlivym.html?f=pdf
The book contains many useful exercises that allow you to develop the skills necessary for happiness.
Perform the exercise "Four Sectors" (type the name of the exercise in the search in the book). Record the results in a diary.
Video interview about happiness (right)
Lesson 5. Happiness and physicality
1. Select 3-x people from your environment and watch their breathing. Ask them to breathe through their mouths and observe the thoracic, diaphragmatic, and abdominal areas. Pay attention to the phases of inhalation (acceptance of others) and exhalation (acceptance of yourself). Is breathing free and easy or intermittent and strained? Compare the features of the respiratory cycles of each. Listen to their breathing and pay attention to your response experiences, associations, fantasies and sensations. Note which zones (chest - feelings), diaphragm - integration of feelings and passions, stomach - passions) are actively involved in the process of their respiration, and which remain practically without movement. Do the chest and stomach move in sync? Record the results of your observations in your diary.
2. Ask someone to observe your breathing according to the scheme from point 1. Record his feedback in a diary. Think how your breath reflects your current life situation. Are you breathing like a happy person?
Read more about breathing here...
Lesson 6. Emotions and experiences of happiness. Focusing.
Recall one emotionally difficult situation for yourself. Close your eyes and immerse yourself in memories.
Stage 1. Search for movement. Pay attention to your bodily sensations. What movement do you want to make in the process of remembering? Try to surrender to this process and express your feelings in motion. Repeat the found movement several times. Try to strengthen it as much as possible.
Stage 2. Word search. Choose the most appropriate word that reflects this movement. First choose 3-5 words. Then call these words in turn and check with bodily sensations. Which of these words is more suitable for the sensations and movement found in step 1.
Stage 3. Write down the received words in a diary. What associations do you have with this word? Take a break for 1-2 days and return to this word and associations again. What thoughts, ideas, dreams, fantasies did you have during this time related to the found word and this exercise? Write in a diary.
Remember that joy is an indicator of the correctness of the chosen path!
For the next lesson, take the test by answering the questions in the "Sheet1" tab. The test can be downloaded here -
Lesson 7. Emotional factors of happiness (click on photo)
Recall 3 situations when you emotionally broke down or failed to respond correctly
• what type of reaction do you have prevailed in each of these moments? (affect, ambivalence, apathy or optimum)
• if your reactions are shifted towards hypertonicity (affect and ambivalence), then what can relax and calm you down in similar situations? If the reaction is shifted towards hypotonicity (apathy), then think about what can emotionally charge you and what experiences preceded this state
•compare with the test results (ODES) now (test above):
Before the next lesson, complete a new test -
Lesson 8. COMMUNICATIVE FACTORS OF HAPPINESS
• Allocate at least half an hour for this task. On a clean sheet of paper, write down a thought that has been bothering you lately. For example, "I can't sleep!".
•Then, under this thought, write any associations that you have in your head. Write the first thing that comes to your mind. At the same time, take into account the previous messages you generated. Write down your thoughts in the form of a dialogue. For example:
“Maybe you don’t need so much sleep?”
- But I want to sleep!
"Maybe you don't deserve that much sleep?"
- In terms of?! Is it because I am not doing something?
•Reread your internal dialogue. Notice what form of communication prevails (monologue, unequal dialogue, equitable dialogue, chaotic communication). Compare with the test result. Think about how you can reformulate your messages into an equal dialogue (if necessary). Repeat this task every other day, taking into account the experience. Video lecture at the link...
Session 9. Behavioral happiness strategies.
1. Pass the ODES test and determine your most striking destructive forms of behavior.
2.Download Jose Stevens' book "Train Your Dragons":
https://avidreaders.ru/book/priruchi-svoih-drakonov.html
3. Identify your "dragons" and read about them. Do some exercises to curb the "dragons" from the book.
4. Write down your thoughts and experiences in the process in a diary. Return to your "dragons" after a few days. What do you think about them and their place in your life. Have you started the path of curbing them?!
Lesson 10. HAPPINESS: SELF-REALIZATION AND ITS DISTORTION.
1. Choose a few quotes from the ODES test (from those that we have not considered) and sort them out on the basis of the essential and infernal on their own.
2. Analyze a few statements of your favorite characters from books or films according to the same criteria.
3. Think about whether there are many signs of infernality in your communication. Write down your thoughts in a diary
Based on the tasks you completed in your diary for each topic and lecture material, write an essay on the topic: "What I learned about my happiness or how I can be happy." The essay must be sent to the mail joysysikoch@gmail.com before 4.12.20. After that, you need to defend your essay at the seminar (make a presentation and answer questions).
Lesson 11. Happiness as overcoming.
Download test for class...
1. Write down your thoughts in the form of a dialogue. To do this, allocate some free time. Make yourself comfortable and so that no one interferes with you. Try to keep track of what you're thinking. Catch a thought and start writing it down. In the process of writing , separate each thought with a “-” sign and write it on a new line to form a dialogue.
2. Track criticism. If you notice criticism in the dialogue, then evaluate what it gives you. If nothing constructive, then do not take it to heart. Ask a question to the criticizing authority and clarify what it proposes. If the answer is also not constructive (evaluative or directed to the past), then once again offer this authority to give you practical advice. For example:
_cc781905- 5cde-3194-bb3b-136bad5cf58d_ - Ты идиот !
_cc781905- 5cde-3194-bb3b-136bad5cf58d_ - Это мило but what is wrong and what do you suggest?
_cc781905- 5cde-3194-bb3b-136bad5cf58d_ - Нужно было do otherwise!
_cc781905- 5cde-3194-bb3b-136bad5cf58d_ - Ок, tell and formulate what you recommend to do next time.
3. Reread your dialogue. What feelings does it evoke in you? Запишите в дневник. _cc781905-5cde-3194- bb3b-136bad5cf58d_ Найдите инфернальные стратегии в своем диалоге. What is your infernal part taking you away from? Write your thoughts in a diary.
Lesson 12. Levels of happiness: from a fool to a scoundrel.
1. From your favorite movie or book and choose 3 characters. Analyze to what type (from 4 discussed in the lecture) they belong.
2. Think about who in your environment is most related to one or another type. How can this knowledge be applied in your relationship.
3. Write down your thoughts in a diary.
Lesson 13. Cinemalogy
1. Watch the performance of the psychological amateur theater Deboche "Friend of the Baskervilles Dog" https://youtu.be/ xQYXxntVbM0
2. Analyze the characters in the play by determining their typical level of personality (fool, possessed, deceiver, or scoundrel). Why do you think so? Think about who is happy among these characters and what might happen to them next.
3. Write down your thoughts in a diary.