September 3, 2012
Yes, there’s a science to happiness, and it has its own math: For each negative encounter in a day, people need five positive interventions to keep up their happiness quotient, says Caroline Adams Miller, an executive coach and author of “Creating Your Best Life.”
But for that dynamic to work, people have to respond positively to the intervention. “It is a voluntary behavior or thought change that takes you from either negative to neutral, or neutral to positive, or positive to even more positive,” Miller said. In other words, scowl at Adibpour and his sign-toting friends and you’ll have to put up with the rest of your miserable day.
And even though the group’s signs provide only a brief moment of cheer, people shouldn’t write off the good effects, Miller said. A sign that jogs feelings of gratitude or contentment triggers a mind-set that will encourage good feelings throughout the day.
“Those fleeting moments . . . add up throughout the day to generate other positive emotions and offset the negative ones,” Miller said. Read Article.
