How to be Happier - An Exercise from Positive Psychology and the book The Power of Moments

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Today, we're diving into the wonderful world of positive psychology and discussing a powerful practice that’s a simple but transformative exercise that can bring a lot of joy and connection into your life. And you could probably do it in 15 minutes. So, let's jump right in!

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Look, you can’t just make yourself feel good all the time, it’s not possible and it often backfires, but like a seed, you can grow happiness through consistent choices. What we consistently do is what we become, and today we’re going to talk about a simple, simple action that positive psychology research has shown to be super effective at helping people feel really good and lasts for weeks. I feel like this is something that happy people do frequently without thinking about it too much, but the rest of us have to learn this skill.

This exercise is called a “Gratitude letter”. I learned about it from the book “The Power of Moments”. It’s a quick exercise designed by Martin Seligman, one of the founders of positive psychology and his whole focus was helping people become more resilient and overcome depression.

Research shows that people who write the gratitude letter experience greater levels of life satisfaction and happiness than those who don’t, they have less negativity in their lives, and an improved sense of connection with others. They also had reduced levels of anxiety or depression and the coolest thing is that research found that people who did this exercise weren’t just happy right after doing it, but also one month and three months later. As the authors of “The Power of Moments” say ‘This is a stunning finding. There are a lot of pleasures in the world that can spike our happiness for an hour -a warm doughnut comes to mind-but few that can still provide an afterglow a month later.’ That’s why I love this exercise.


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Therapy in a Nutshell and the information provided by Emma McAdam are solely intended for informational and entertainment purposes and are not a substitute for advice, diagnosis, or treatment regarding medical or mental health conditions. Although Emma McAdam is a licensed marriage and family therapist, the views expressed on this site or any related content should not be taken for medical or psychiatric advice. Always consult your physician before making any decisions related to your physical or mental health.
In therapy I use a combination of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Systems Theory, positive psychology, and a bio-psycho-social approach to treating mental illness and other challenges we all face in life. The ideas from my videos are frequently adapted from multiple sources. Many of them come from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, especially the work of Steven Hayes, Jason Luoma, and Russ Harris. The sections on stress and the mind-body connection derive from the work of Stephen Porges (the Polyvagal theory), Peter Levine (Somatic Experiencing) Francine Shapiro (EMDR), and Bessel Van Der Kolk. I also rely heavily on the work of the Arbinger institute for my overall understanding of our ability to choose our life's direction.
And deeper than all of that, the Gospel of Jesus Christ orients my personal worldview and sense of security, peace, hope, and love https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/c...

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