Two things you need to know to be happier today | Dr. Gillian Mandich | TEDxWindsor

Happiness is not a one-size-fits-all formula, and in this talk, Dr Gillian Mandich integrates her own happiness research and key information to share two of the most impactful things she has learned that can help you to be happier.

In this talk, you will learn why there is no one thing that is going to make you happier. You can understand why happiness is not a destination, but a product of a well-lived life, and how, regardless of how you are feeling right now, you have the power to be happier.

Dr Gillian Mandich has a PhD from Western University in Health Science, and her primary areas of research are happiness and health. She is the founder of the International Happiness Institute of Health Science Research, a top-rated keynote and TEDx speaker, and she appears as the resident Happiness Expert on the Social and Breakfast Television and writes for numerous print and online media.

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx

What makes you happy?

What comes to mind
when I ask you that question?

Did the answer come to you quickly,

or did you have to think
about it a little bit?

I mean, it seems like
a pretty simple question, right?

"What makes you happy?"

And it's a normal part
of the human condition

to want to be happy,

but sometimes, answering
that question, it's not so simple.

A few years ago, I started
to think a lot about happiness.

And I started to really
reflect on my own life

and ask myself questions about happiness.

And one of the questions
that I really started to think about was,

"Am I as happy as
I could possibly be right now?"

And I thought about it.

And when I got really honest with myself,
I realized the answer was no.

I wasn't as happy as I could possibly be.

And I started to think about why that was.

Because, you know, when you think about
your life and all of that,

we were never actually taught,
formally, how to be happy.

I mean, think about it.

When you're in school growing up,
you learn math, you learn science,

but we don't take classes
on how to be happy.

So, these things are sort of running
around - these ideas - in my mind,

these questions,

and at the same time, I was working
on my PhD in health science.

And because I couldn't answer
these questions about happiness,

I did what any researcher would do.

I looked to the research.

And I started learning about happiness.

And what I learned was so fascinating

that I actually ended up
switching research topics,

and I started to study happiness.

I wrote an entire thesis on happiness.

When we look at happiness,

there's so much data
that supports how important it is.

And yet, if you think about your life
and you check in right now,

no matter how happy or unhappy you are,

what research has shown us is

that it's absolutely possible
to be happier.

And if you don't live a life
where you're happier,

you're possibly living a life
where you're missing out

and not living the happiest life possible.

Think about that.

If you are living your life right now,
and it's not the happiest life you could,

it's kind of like if you're
experiencing life in analog

instead of living your life
in high definition.

So, as a happiness researcher, I get asked
a lot of questions about happiness.

And I would think the number one
question that I get asked is,

"Gillian, what do I need to know
or do or think or see,

what's that one thing,

what's the one thing I need to know
in order to be happy?"

And you know what?

The truth is, there is no one thing.

There's no magic pill for happiness.

You, you're the pharmacist.

It's up to you.

Nobody can write your prescription
for happiness except for you.

So, although I'm a happiness researcher,
I can't write that prescription for you.

But what I can do is I can share with you

two of the most impactful things
that I've learned in my research

that will help you to be happier.

So, the first thing I learned was that you
can't just hope for happiness.

Happiness doesn't just happen to us.

It requires work and intention and effort.

Happiness is not a destination.

It's a practice.

And all of the research
supports this idea,

and I've even seen it
in my own research data.

So, for my PhD, I partnered
with UC Berkeley

and created a four-week
online intervention

for students at my university.

And what they did every week
was they watched a series of videos

that they learned about things
like why happiness is important,

gratitude, mindfulness, friendships,
relationships, social connection.

And so, when I was doing my study,
I needed to recruit students.

And when I did my sample-size calculation,

I found out that I needed
60 students to be in my study

in order to get a big enough sample size.

So, I sent out an email to all
the undergraduate students at my school,

and I had 1,282 students -

1,282 - respond

that they wanted to be in my study.

So, not only was there
this interest in being happy,

but I also saw statistically significant
changes in the students' happiness

throughout my study.

When the students started, till the end -
you can see in the graph -

they were happier at the end of the study
because you can't just hope for happiness,

you have to take deliberate action
in order to be happy.

So, the second thing I learned
is that environment matters.

And what do I mean by that?

Well, there was a study done
at the University of Missouri.

And they brought
research participants into a lab,

and they had them listen
to a piece of music.

So, the first group came in,

and they listened to a piece
of Stravinsky's "The Rite of Spring."

And this song is described
as hedonically neutral.

So, what that means is

it doesn't really evoke a lot of positive
or happy or pleasure feelings.

And actually, I'll play you a clip.

It sounds like this.

(Music: "The Rite of Spring")

So, that one group,
half of the participants,

listened to that Stravinsky's
"The Rite of Spring,"

and the second half
of participants, they came in,

and they were played
a piece from Copland called "Rodeo."

And this piece is described
as hedonically positive,

or it's a happy piece of music.

It sounds like this.

(Music: "Rodeo")

So, what do you think?

Did that make you feel happier?

(Laughs)

So, once the participants were in

and they were either listening
to the ambiguous, neutral music

or the happy music,

the participants were further subdivided.

So, half of the participants were told,
"Just listen to this piece of music."

The other half were told,
"Listen to this piece of music

and try to be happier."

So, out of all four groups
that were possible in this study,

the only group that saw
an increase in their happiness

was the group that listened
to the positive music

and tried to be happy.

So, the group that listened
to the ambiguous, neutral music,

they didn't see the same increase
even when they were trying to be happy.

So, what does this teach us?

Environment matters.

Intention is not enough.

It's not enough to just want to be happy.

We actually have to create
an environment around us

that's conducive
to supporting our happiness.

So, when we think about that,
if you think about your life right now,

think about the environment
that you're around:

Who and what do you choose
to surround yourself with?

Who do you follow on social media?

What type of music or audiobooks
or podcasts do you listen to?

How much news do you watch?

And how do all of those
things make you feel?

All of those things,
they absolutely matter,

and they impact your happiness.

So, in closing, I want to invite you

to take an inventory
of how you feel right now,

how happy you feel.

Do you feel more happy, less happy?

However you feel, I can promise you

that it's absolutely possible
to feel happier.

And by remembering two things -

the first thing is that you
can't hope for happiness.

It doesn't just happen.

Happiness is not a destination.

It's a practice.

It's something that we have to work at
every single day if we want to be happy.

The second thing
is that our environment matters.

And when we choose deliberately,
as much as possible,

to create an environment around us
that's conducive to our happiness,

remembering those two things,

you can be certain that you're on the path
to living a happier life.

Because there is
no magic pill for happiness.

You are the pharmacist.

Thank you.

(Applause)