'Giving' - one of the '5 a day' needed to improve well-being and happiness
During a brilliant conversation, between Craig Fenton (Google, UKI) and Nic Marks (Happiness expert) a great deal of insight was shared ... including the brilliant '5 a day' list to improve happiness and well-being:
- Connect
- Be Active
- Take notice
- Keep learning
- Give
and here's just one of the many additional key messages I picked up ...
Happiness is mainly a 'social emotion' .... and the first and the last in the 'list of 5 a day' are social activities ... 'Connecting' and 'Giving' ...
The last one, 'Giving', points to the importance and power of psychological well-being, the happiness yielded by doing good for others and seeking a meaningful life ... which is supported by my studies into well-being which cast fresh perspectives/insight into 'pleasure', 'happiness', 'meaning' and 'fulfilment' and which can be briefly summarised below:
"Pleasure can lead to happiness, but a happiness that is fleeting (e.g. eating chocolate) ... whilst having meaning in one's life can lead to fulfilment and a happiness that is lasting (e.g. doing good for others) ...
... the former refers to hedonistic well-being and the pursuit of pleasure for oneself, whilst the latter refers to psychological well-being and the pursuit of a fulfilled and meaningful life, by doing good for others and having a purpose beyond oneself ...
For this reason, and perhaps counter intuitively, the pursuit of pleasure/happiness rarely results in lasting happiness ... and it's only the pursuit of meaning and a purpose beyond oneself that does"
I loved this video and all evidence is starting to point in the same direction.
The Good Turns Foundation has a mission of 'creating a world where good is valued and people and communities thrive' ... and to bring this mission to life we are re-thinking the way we see the world to find unique ways to eliminate problems ... e.g. the current mental health crisis, where psychology, philosophy, sociology and economics are all joining forces to find solutions capable of eliminating the problem ... by directly, systematically and permanently boosting psychological well-being (which is behind much of the rapid growth in anxiety and depression) ... rather than trying to create yet more capacity to try to alleviate its symptoms (e.g. drugs, therapy) …
David Clift, Founder of the Good Turns Foundation
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