I love the emphasis on micro-supports. The more I read and practice what I learn from Dharma Lab, Healthy Minds, ServiceSpace, or other mindfulness programs, the more I find myself able to pause and switch my perspective, from what may be going wrong in my day to all the amazing things that have gone right! It was helpful for me to learn in prior episodes how our brains are wired to remember what goes wrong (for survival), and now it's easier to catch myself when negative rumination strikes. Pausing for gratitude throughout the day is such a simple and powerful way to help keep my perspective wider.
I wonder if, aside from experiencing more positive moments, these practices remind people to take agency over life-responsibility even, to choose a focus on purpose instead of just being reactive. I wonder if it helps people take their worth and power back. It probably begs the question: If I can create joy « on purpose, » what else can I do? I think we often talk about self-care or wellness as if it makes sense for everyone to do, but for the many (I’d wager most) with a precarious sense of self, much of their focus is on being reactive (in thoughts/feeling/actions) instead of knowing how to take charge of these things (often without realizing they’re not taking charge, or that it’s « a thing » to do). Accessible practices like this, and knowledge of meta awareness/mindfulness and how to make it so, I think is nothing less than what’s required to make a big world change toward cooperation (and away from competition and the victim/reactive mindset that drives it). 💜
I love that we have research going towards this work, that in itself is awe inspiring. I’m a huge fan of micro moments and how it can be life changing to weave these practices into your daily life. I find that the first step is for people to become aware, the noticing aspect vs just being on autopilot. Once you’re able to notice your thoughts, body sensations, feelings, then you can be present enough to recognize the beauty, the awe, the gratitude you can share with someone. Thank you to all who are working to make this more mainstream.
This is brilliant. Wonderful study and wonderful results. And so easy and user friendly. I personally am a fan of the gratitude practice. And will try the other proposals. Thank you so much. This is really inspiring
Gratitude, perspective-shifting, acts of kindness, dwelling in awe: these are not new discoveries. They are the daily practices of yogic and contemplative traditions that have been running their own longitudinal studies for several thousand years. What this research does is translate them into a language modern institutions can act on, which matters. But it is worth naming what is happening: practices are often deemed credible only once they pass through a Western scientific framework. The knowledge itself predates the measurement by millennia.
Hello Cort. Thank you so much for sharing these results.
1 question: Is there a plan to perform such a study with a control group?
The results of this study are in the line of your advices about short practices of awareness that result in greater resilience. This is so wonderful to see that it does not take that much to improve well-being and that anyone can do it!
The findings are real but the design limits what they can tell us.
17,000 people who voluntarily enrolled in a joy project reported feeling better after seven days of doing joyful things. That's not surprising. Without a control group, you can't separate the effect of the specific practices from the effect of simply paying attention to your wellbeing for a week. Any intentional positive practice might produce the same result.
The measurement is entirely self-reported via questionnaire, immediately after the intervention ends. No follow-up. No behavioral measures. No way to know whether anything changed six months later.
The study is honest about being a single-group pre-post design. The question worth sitting with: what would the results look like at week four, month three, year one? That's the measurement that would tell us whether something actually changed, or whether people felt better for a week because they were paying attention
What a wonderful study! It reminds me of the concept from Dr. Gottman for couples about "small things often." These make a big difference, not just now, but into the future.
I love the emphasis on micro-supports. The more I read and practice what I learn from Dharma Lab, Healthy Minds, ServiceSpace, or other mindfulness programs, the more I find myself able to pause and switch my perspective, from what may be going wrong in my day to all the amazing things that have gone right! It was helpful for me to learn in prior episodes how our brains are wired to remember what goes wrong (for survival), and now it's easier to catch myself when negative rumination strikes. Pausing for gratitude throughout the day is such a simple and powerful way to help keep my perspective wider.
I wonder if, aside from experiencing more positive moments, these practices remind people to take agency over life-responsibility even, to choose a focus on purpose instead of just being reactive. I wonder if it helps people take their worth and power back. It probably begs the question: If I can create joy « on purpose, » what else can I do? I think we often talk about self-care or wellness as if it makes sense for everyone to do, but for the many (I’d wager most) with a precarious sense of self, much of their focus is on being reactive (in thoughts/feeling/actions) instead of knowing how to take charge of these things (often without realizing they’re not taking charge, or that it’s « a thing » to do). Accessible practices like this, and knowledge of meta awareness/mindfulness and how to make it so, I think is nothing less than what’s required to make a big world change toward cooperation (and away from competition and the victim/reactive mindset that drives it). 💜
I love that we have research going towards this work, that in itself is awe inspiring. I’m a huge fan of micro moments and how it can be life changing to weave these practices into your daily life. I find that the first step is for people to become aware, the noticing aspect vs just being on autopilot. Once you’re able to notice your thoughts, body sensations, feelings, then you can be present enough to recognize the beauty, the awe, the gratitude you can share with someone. Thank you to all who are working to make this more mainstream.
This is brilliant. Wonderful study and wonderful results. And so easy and user friendly. I personally am a fan of the gratitude practice. And will try the other proposals. Thank you so much. This is really inspiring
Gratitude, perspective-shifting, acts of kindness, dwelling in awe: these are not new discoveries. They are the daily practices of yogic and contemplative traditions that have been running their own longitudinal studies for several thousand years. What this research does is translate them into a language modern institutions can act on, which matters. But it is worth naming what is happening: practices are often deemed credible only once they pass through a Western scientific framework. The knowledge itself predates the measurement by millennia.
Hello Cort. Thank you so much for sharing these results.
1 question: Is there a plan to perform such a study with a control group?
The results of this study are in the line of your advices about short practices of awareness that result in greater resilience. This is so wonderful to see that it does not take that much to improve well-being and that anyone can do it!
The findings are real but the design limits what they can tell us.
17,000 people who voluntarily enrolled in a joy project reported feeling better after seven days of doing joyful things. That's not surprising. Without a control group, you can't separate the effect of the specific practices from the effect of simply paying attention to your wellbeing for a week. Any intentional positive practice might produce the same result.
The measurement is entirely self-reported via questionnaire, immediately after the intervention ends. No follow-up. No behavioral measures. No way to know whether anything changed six months later.
The study is honest about being a single-group pre-post design. The question worth sitting with: what would the results look like at week four, month three, year one? That's the measurement that would tell us whether something actually changed, or whether people felt better for a week because they were paying attention
What a wonderful study! It reminds me of the concept from Dr. Gottman for couples about "small things often." These make a big difference, not just now, but into the future.
Aspire for Bliss (Anandamide, Gamma Brain wave). - Dawson Church book, Bliss Brain.
Learn and Practice Heart Coherence.
- HeartMath Institute