[Script Info]
Title: 
[Events]
Format: Layer, Start, End, Style, Name, MarginL, MarginR, MarginV, Effect, Text
Dialogue: 0,0:00:00.00,0:00:03.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,When I was seven years old and my sister was just five years old,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:03.00,0:00:06.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,we were playing on top of a bunk bed.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:06.00,0:00:08.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I was two years older than my sister at the time --
Dialogue: 0,0:00:08.00,0:00:11.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I mean, I'm two years older than her now --
Dialogue: 0,0:00:11.00,0:00:14.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but at the time it meant she had to do everything that I wanted to do,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:14.00,0:00:16.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and I wanted to play war.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:16.00,0:00:18.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So we were up on top of our bunk beds.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:18.00,0:00:20.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And on one side of the bunk bed,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:20.00,0:00:22.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I had put out all of my G.I. Joe soldiers and weaponry.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:22.00,0:00:25.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And on the other side were all my sister's My Little Ponies
Dialogue: 0,0:00:25.00,0:00:27.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,ready for a cavalry charge.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:27.00,0:00:29.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,There are differing accounts of what actually happened that afternoon,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:29.00,0:00:32.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but since my sister is not here with us today,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:32.00,0:00:34.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,let me tell you the true story --
Dialogue: 0,0:00:34.00,0:00:36.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Laughter) --
Dialogue: 0,0:00:36.00,0:00:38.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which is my sister's a little bit on the clumsy side.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:38.00,0:00:41.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Somehow, without any help or push from her older brother at all,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:41.00,0:00:43.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,suddenly Amy disappeared off of the top of the bunk bed
Dialogue: 0,0:00:43.00,0:00:45.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and landed with this crash on the floor.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:45.00,0:00:47.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Now I nervously peered over the side of the bed
Dialogue: 0,0:00:47.00,0:00:50.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to see what had befallen my fallen sister
Dialogue: 0,0:00:50.00,0:00:52.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and saw that she had landed painfully on her hands and knees
Dialogue: 0,0:00:52.00,0:00:54.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,on all fours on the ground.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:54.00,0:00:56.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I was nervous because my parents had charged me
Dialogue: 0,0:00:56.00,0:00:58.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,with making sure that my sister and I
Dialogue: 0,0:00:58.00,0:01:01.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,played as safely and as quietly as possible.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:01.00,0:01:04.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And seeing as how I had accidentally broken Amy's arm
Dialogue: 0,0:01:04.00,0:01:06.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,just one week before ...
Dialogue: 0,0:01:06.00,0:01:10.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:01:10.00,0:01:12.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,... heroically pushing her out of the way
Dialogue: 0,0:01:12.00,0:01:15.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of an oncoming imaginary sniper bullet,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:15.00,0:01:17.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:01:17.00,0:01:19.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,for which I have yet to be thanked,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:19.00,0:01:21.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I was trying as hard as I could --
Dialogue: 0,0:01:21.00,0:01:23.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,she didn't even see it coming --
Dialogue: 0,0:01:23.00,0:01:25.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I was trying as hard as I could to be on my best behavior.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:25.00,0:01:27.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And I saw my sister's face,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:27.00,0:01:29.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,this wail of pain and suffering and surprise
Dialogue: 0,0:01:29.00,0:01:31.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,threatening to erupt from her mouth and threatening to wake
Dialogue: 0,0:01:31.00,0:01:34.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,my parents from the long winter's nap for which they had settled.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:34.00,0:01:36.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So I did the only thing
Dialogue: 0,0:01:36.00,0:01:39.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,my little frantic seven year-old brain could think to do to avert this tragedy.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:39.00,0:01:41.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And if you have children, you've seen this hundreds of times before.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:41.00,0:01:43.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I said, "Amy, Amy, wait. Don't cry. Don't cry.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:43.00,0:01:45.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Did you see how you landed?
Dialogue: 0,0:01:45.00,0:01:48.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,No human lands on all fours like that.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:48.00,0:01:51.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Amy, I think this means you're a unicorn."
Dialogue: 0,0:01:51.00,0:01:54.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:01:54.00,0:01:57.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Now that was cheating, because there was nothing in the world my sister would want more
Dialogue: 0,0:01:57.00,0:01:59.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,than not to be Amy the hurt five year-old little sister,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:59.00,0:02:01.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but Amy the special unicorn.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:01.00,0:02:04.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Of course, this was an option that was open to her brain at no point in the past.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:04.00,0:02:07.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And you could see how my poor, manipulated sister faced conflict,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:07.00,0:02:09.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,as her little brain attempted to devote resources
Dialogue: 0,0:02:09.00,0:02:11.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to feeling the pain and suffering and surprise
Dialogue: 0,0:02:11.00,0:02:13.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,she just experienced,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:13.00,0:02:15.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or contemplating her new-found identity as a unicorn.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:15.00,0:02:17.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And the latter won out.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:17.00,0:02:19.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Instead of crying, instead of ceasing our play,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:19.00,0:02:21.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,instead of waking my parents,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:21.00,0:02:23.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,with all the negative consequences that would have ensued for me,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:23.00,0:02:25.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,instead a smile spread across her face
Dialogue: 0,0:02:25.00,0:02:28.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and she scrambled right back up onto the bunk bed with all the grace of a baby unicorn ...
Dialogue: 0,0:02:28.00,0:02:30.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:02:30.00,0:02:32.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,... with one broken leg.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:32.00,0:02:34.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,What we stumbled across
Dialogue: 0,0:02:34.00,0:02:36.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,at this tender age of just five and seven --
Dialogue: 0,0:02:36.00,0:02:38.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,we had no idea at the time --
Dialogue: 0,0:02:38.00,0:02:41.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,was something that was going be at the vanguard of a scientific revolution
Dialogue: 0,0:02:41.00,0:02:44.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,occurring two decades later in the way that we look at the human brain.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:44.00,0:02:47.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,What we had stumbled across is something called positive psychology,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:47.00,0:02:49.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which is the reason that I'm here today
Dialogue: 0,0:02:49.00,0:02:51.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and the reason that I wake up every morning.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:51.00,0:02:53.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,When I first started talking about this research
Dialogue: 0,0:02:53.00,0:02:55.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,outside of academia, out with companies and schools,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:55.00,0:02:57.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the very first thing they said to never do
Dialogue: 0,0:02:57.00,0:02:59.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is to start your talk with a graph.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:59.00,0:03:01.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The very first thing I want to do is start my talk with a graph.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:01.00,0:03:03.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This graph looks boring,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:03.00,0:03:05.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but this graph is the reason I get excited and wake up every morning.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:05.00,0:03:07.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And this graph doesn't even mean anything; it's fake data.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:07.00,0:03:09.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,What we found is --
Dialogue: 0,0:03:09.00,0:03:13.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:03:13.00,0:03:16.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,If I got this data back studying you here in the room, I would be thrilled,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:16.00,0:03:18.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,because there's very clearly a trend that's going on there,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:18.00,0:03:20.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and that means that I can get published,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:20.00,0:03:22.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which is all that really matters.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:22.00,0:03:24.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The fact that there's one weird red dot that's up above the curve,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:24.00,0:03:26.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,there's one weirdo in the room --
Dialogue: 0,0:03:26.00,0:03:29.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I know who you are, I saw you earlier --
Dialogue: 0,0:03:29.00,0:03:31.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that's no problem.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:31.00,0:03:33.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,That's no problem, as most of you know,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:33.00,0:03:35.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,because I can just delete that dot.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:35.00,0:03:37.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I can delete that dot because that's clearly a measurement error.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:37.00,0:03:39.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And we know that's a measurement error
Dialogue: 0,0:03:39.00,0:03:42.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,because it's messing up my data.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:42.00,0:03:44.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So one of the very first things we teach people
Dialogue: 0,0:03:44.00,0:03:47.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in economics and statistics and business and psychology courses
Dialogue: 0,0:03:47.00,0:03:50.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is how, in a statistically valid way, do we eliminate the weirdos.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:50.00,0:03:52.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,How do we eliminate the outliers
Dialogue: 0,0:03:52.00,0:03:54.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,so we can find the line of best fit?
Dialogue: 0,0:03:54.00,0:03:56.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Which is fantastic if I'm trying to find out
Dialogue: 0,0:03:56.00,0:03:59.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,how many Advil the average person should be taking -- two.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:59.00,0:04:01.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But if I'm interested in potential, if I'm interested in your potential,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:01.00,0:04:03.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or for happiness or productivity
Dialogue: 0,0:04:03.00,0:04:05.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or energy or creativity,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:05.00,0:04:07.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,what we're doing is we're creating the cult of the average with science.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:07.00,0:04:09.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,If I asked a question like,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:09.00,0:04:11.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"How fast can a child learn how to read in a classroom?"
Dialogue: 0,0:04:11.00,0:04:13.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,scientists change the answer to "How fast does the average child
Dialogue: 0,0:04:13.00,0:04:15.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,learn how to read in that classroom?"
Dialogue: 0,0:04:15.00,0:04:17.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and then we tailor the class right towards the average.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:17.00,0:04:19.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Now if you fall below the average on this curve,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:19.00,0:04:21.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,then psychologists get thrilled,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:21.00,0:04:24.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,because that means you're either depressed or you have a disorder,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:24.00,0:04:26.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or hopefully both.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:26.00,0:04:28.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We're hoping for both because our business model is,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:28.00,0:04:30.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,if you come into a therapy session with one problem,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:30.00,0:04:32.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,we want to make sure you leave knowing you have 10,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:32.00,0:04:34.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,so you keep coming back over and over again.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:34.00,0:04:36.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We'll go back into your childhood if necessary,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:36.00,0:04:38.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but eventually what we want to do is make you normal again.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:38.00,0:04:40.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But normal is merely average.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:40.00,0:04:42.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And what I posit and what positive psychology posits
Dialogue: 0,0:04:42.00,0:04:44.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is that if we study what is merely average,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:44.00,0:04:46.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,we will remain merely average.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:46.00,0:04:48.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Then instead of deleting those positive outliers,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:48.00,0:04:50.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,what I intentionally do is come into a population like this one
Dialogue: 0,0:04:50.00,0:04:52.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and say, why?
Dialogue: 0,0:04:52.00,0:04:54.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Why is it that some of you are so high above the curve
Dialogue: 0,0:04:54.00,0:04:56.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in terms of your intellectual ability, athletic ability, musical ability,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:56.00,0:04:58.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,creativity, energy levels,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:58.00,0:05:00.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,your resiliency in the face of challenge, your sense of humor?
Dialogue: 0,0:05:00.00,0:05:03.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Whatever it is, instead of deleting you, what I want to do is study you.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:03.00,0:05:05.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Because maybe we can glean information --
Dialogue: 0,0:05:05.00,0:05:07.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,not just how to move people up to the average,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:07.00,0:05:10.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but how we can move the entire average up
Dialogue: 0,0:05:10.00,0:05:12.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in our companies and schools worldwide.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:12.00,0:05:14.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The reason this graph is important to me
Dialogue: 0,0:05:14.00,0:05:16.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is, when I turn on the news, it seems like the majority of the information
Dialogue: 0,0:05:16.00,0:05:18.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is not positive, in fact it's negative.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:18.00,0:05:21.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Most of it's about murder, corruption, diseases, natural disasters.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:21.00,0:05:23.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And very quickly, my brain starts to think
Dialogue: 0,0:05:23.00,0:05:25.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that's the accurate ratio of negative to positive in the world.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:25.00,0:05:27.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,What that's doing is creating something
Dialogue: 0,0:05:27.00,0:05:29.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,called the medical school syndrome --
Dialogue: 0,0:05:29.00,0:05:31.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which, if you know people who've been to medical school,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:31.00,0:05:33.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,during the first year of medical training,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:33.00,0:05:35.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,as you read through a list of all the symptoms and diseases that could happen,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:35.00,0:05:37.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,suddenly you realize you have all of them.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:37.00,0:05:40.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I have a brother in-law named Bobo -- which is a whole other story.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:40.00,0:05:43.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Bobo married Amy the unicorn.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:43.00,0:05:46.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Bobo called me on the phone
Dialogue: 0,0:05:46.00,0:05:49.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,from Yale Medical School,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:49.00,0:05:51.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and Bobo said, "Shawn, I have leprosy."
Dialogue: 0,0:05:51.00,0:05:53.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:05:53.00,0:05:55.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Which, even at Yale, is extraordinarily rare.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:55.00,0:05:58.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But I had no idea how to console poor Bobo
Dialogue: 0,0:05:58.00,0:06:00.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,because he had just gotten over an entire week of menopause.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:00.00,0:06:02.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:06:02.00,0:06:05.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,See what we're finding is it's not necessarily the reality that shapes us,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:05.00,0:06:08.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but the lens through which your brain views the world that shapes your reality.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:08.00,0:06:11.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And if we can change the lens, not only can we change your happiness,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:11.00,0:06:14.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,we can change every single educational and business outcome at the same time.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:14.00,0:06:16.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,When I applied to Harvard, I applied on a dare.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:16.00,0:06:19.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I didn't expect to get in, and my family had no money for college.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:19.00,0:06:21.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,When I got a military scholarship two weeks later, they allowed me to go.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:21.00,0:06:24.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Suddenly, something that wasn't even a possibility became a reality.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:24.00,0:06:27.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,When I went there, I assumed everyone else would see it as a privilege as well,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:27.00,0:06:29.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that they'd be excited to be there.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:29.00,0:06:31.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Even if you're in a classroom full of people smarter than you,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:31.00,0:06:33.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you'd be happy just to be in that classroom, which is what I felt.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:33.00,0:06:35.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But what I found there
Dialogue: 0,0:06:35.00,0:06:37.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is, while some people experience that,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:37.00,0:06:39.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,when I graduated after my four years
Dialogue: 0,0:06:39.00,0:06:41.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and then spent the next eight years living in the dorms with the students --
Dialogue: 0,0:06:41.00,0:06:44.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Harvard asked me to; I wasn't that guy.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:44.00,0:06:48.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:06:48.00,0:06:51.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I was an officer of Harvard to counsel students through the difficult four years.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:51.00,0:06:53.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And what I found in my research and my teaching
Dialogue: 0,0:06:53.00,0:06:55.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is that these students, no matter how happy they were
Dialogue: 0,0:06:55.00,0:06:58.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,with their original success of getting into the school,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:58.00,0:07:01.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,two weeks later their brains were focused, not on the privilege of being there,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:01.00,0:07:03.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,nor on their philosophy or their physics.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:03.00,0:07:05.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Their brain was focused on the competition, the workload,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:05.00,0:07:07.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the hassles, the stresses, the complaints.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:07.00,0:07:09.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,When I first went in there, I walked into the freshmen dining hall,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:09.00,0:07:12.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which is where my friends from Waco, Texas, which is where I grew up --
Dialogue: 0,0:07:12.00,0:07:14.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I know some of you have heard of it.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:14.00,0:07:16.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,When they'd come to visit me, they'd look around,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:16.00,0:07:18.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,they'd say, "This freshman dining hall looks like something
Dialogue: 0,0:07:18.00,0:07:20.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,out of Hogwart's from the movie "Harry Potter," which it does.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:20.00,0:07:22.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This is Hogwart's from the movie "Harry Potter" and that's Harvard.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:22.00,0:07:24.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And when they see this,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:24.00,0:07:26.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,they say, "Shawn, why do you waste your time studying happiness at Harvard?
Dialogue: 0,0:07:26.00,0:07:28.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Seriously, what does a Harvard student possibly have
Dialogue: 0,0:07:28.00,0:07:30.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to be unhappy about?"
Dialogue: 0,0:07:30.00,0:07:32.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Embedded within that question
Dialogue: 0,0:07:32.00,0:07:34.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is the key to understanding the science of happiness.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:34.00,0:07:36.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Because what that question assumes
Dialogue: 0,0:07:36.00,0:07:39.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is that our external world is predictive of our happiness levels,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:39.00,0:07:41.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,when in reality, if I know everything about your external world,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:41.00,0:07:44.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I can only predict 10 percent of your long-term happiness.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:44.00,0:07:46.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,90 percent of your long-term happiness
Dialogue: 0,0:07:46.00,0:07:48.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is predicted not by the external world,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:48.00,0:07:50.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but by the way your brain processes the world.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:50.00,0:07:52.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And if we change it,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:52.00,0:07:54.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,if we change our formula for happiness and success,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:54.00,0:07:56.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,what we can do is change the way
Dialogue: 0,0:07:56.00,0:07:58.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that we can then affect reality.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:58.00,0:08:00.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,What we found is that only 25 percent of job successes
Dialogue: 0,0:08:00.00,0:08:02.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,are predicted by I.Q.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:02.00,0:08:04.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,75 percent of job successes
Dialogue: 0,0:08:04.00,0:08:07.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,are predicted by your optimism levels, your social support
Dialogue: 0,0:08:07.00,0:08:10.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and your ability to see stress as a challenge instead of as a threat.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:10.00,0:08:13.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I talked to a boarding school up in New England, probably the most prestigious boarding school,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:13.00,0:08:15.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and they said, "We already know that.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:15.00,0:08:18.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So every year, instead of just teaching our students, we also have a wellness week.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:18.00,0:08:21.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And we're so excited. Monday night we have the world's leading expert
Dialogue: 0,0:08:21.00,0:08:23.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,coming in to speak about adolescent depression.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:23.00,0:08:25.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Tuesday night it's school violence and bullying.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:25.00,0:08:27.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Wednesday night is eating disorders.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:27.00,0:08:29.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Thursday night is elicit drug use.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:29.00,0:08:32.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And Friday night we're trying to decide between risky sex or happiness."
Dialogue: 0,0:08:32.00,0:08:35.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:08:35.00,0:08:37.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I said, "That's most people's Friday nights."
Dialogue: 0,0:08:37.00,0:08:40.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:08:40.00,0:08:43.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Applause)
Dialogue: 0,0:08:43.00,0:08:45.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Which I'm glad you liked, but they did not like that at all.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:45.00,0:08:47.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Silence on the phone.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:47.00,0:08:49.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And into the silence, I said, "I'd be happy to speak at your school,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:49.00,0:08:52.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but just so you know, that's not a wellness week, that's a sickness week.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:52.00,0:08:54.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,What you've done is you've outlined all the negative things that can happen,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:54.00,0:08:56.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but not talked about the positive."
Dialogue: 0,0:08:56.00,0:08:58.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The absence of disease is not health.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:58.00,0:09:00.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Here's how we get to health:
Dialogue: 0,0:09:00.00,0:09:03.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We need to reverse the formula for happiness and success.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:03.00,0:09:05.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In the last three years, I've traveled to 45 different countries,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:05.00,0:09:07.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,working with schools and companies
Dialogue: 0,0:09:07.00,0:09:09.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in the midst of an economic downturn.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:09.00,0:09:11.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And what I found is that most companies and schools
Dialogue: 0,0:09:11.00,0:09:13.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,follow a formula for success, which is this:
Dialogue: 0,0:09:13.00,0:09:15.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,If I work harder, I'll be more successful.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:15.00,0:09:18.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And if I'm more successful, then I'll be happier.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:18.00,0:09:20.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,That undergirds most of our parenting styles, our managing styles,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:20.00,0:09:22.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the way that we motivate our behavior.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:22.00,0:09:25.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And the problem is it's scientifically broken and backwards for two reasons.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:25.00,0:09:28.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,First, every time your brain has a success,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:28.00,0:09:30.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you just changed the goalpost of what success looked like.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:30.00,0:09:32.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You got good grades, now you have to get better grades,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:32.00,0:09:34.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you got into a good school and after you get into a better school,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:34.00,0:09:36.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you got a good job, now you have to get a better job,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:36.00,0:09:38.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you hit your sales target, we're going to change your sales target.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:38.00,0:09:41.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And if happiness is on the opposite side of success, your brain never gets there.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:41.00,0:09:43.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,What we've done is we've pushed happiness
Dialogue: 0,0:09:43.00,0:09:46.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,over the cognitive horizon as a society.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:46.00,0:09:48.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And that's because we think we have to be successful,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:48.00,0:09:50.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,then we'll be happier.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:50.00,0:09:52.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But the real problem is our brains work in the opposite order.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:52.00,0:09:55.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,If you can raise somebody's level of positivity in the present,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:55.00,0:09:58.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,then their brain experiences what we now call a happiness advantage,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:58.00,0:10:00.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which is your brain at positive
Dialogue: 0,0:10:00.00,0:10:02.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,performs significantly better
Dialogue: 0,0:10:02.00,0:10:04.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,than it does at negative, neutral or stressed.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:04.00,0:10:07.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Your intelligence rises, your creativity rises, your energy levels rise.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:07.00,0:10:09.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In fact, what we've found
Dialogue: 0,0:10:09.00,0:10:11.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is that every single business outcome improves.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:11.00,0:10:13.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Your brain at positive is 31 percent more productive
Dialogue: 0,0:10:13.00,0:10:16.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,than your brain at negative, neutral or stressed.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:16.00,0:10:18.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You're 37 percent better at sales.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:18.00,0:10:20.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Doctors are 19 percent faster, more accurate
Dialogue: 0,0:10:20.00,0:10:22.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,at coming up with the correct diagnosis
Dialogue: 0,0:10:22.00,0:10:24.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,when positive instead of negative, neutral or stressed.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:24.00,0:10:26.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Which means we can reverse the formula.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:26.00,0:10:29.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,If we can find a way of becoming positive in the present,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:29.00,0:10:31.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,then our brains work even more successfully
Dialogue: 0,0:10:31.00,0:10:34.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,as we're able to work harder, faster and more intelligently.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:34.00,0:10:37.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,What we need to be able to do is to reverse this formula
Dialogue: 0,0:10:37.00,0:10:39.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,so we can start to see what our brains are actually capable of.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:39.00,0:10:41.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Because dopamine, which floods into your system when you're positive,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:41.00,0:10:43.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,has two functions.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:43.00,0:10:45.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Not only does it make you happier,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:45.00,0:10:47.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,it turns on all of the learning centers in your brain
Dialogue: 0,0:10:47.00,0:10:50.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,allowing you to adapt to the world in a different way.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:50.00,0:10:52.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We've found that there are ways that you can train your brain
Dialogue: 0,0:10:52.00,0:10:54.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to be able to become more positive.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:54.00,0:10:57.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In just a two-minute span of time done for 21 days in a row,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:57.00,0:10:59.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,we can actually rewire your brain,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:59.00,0:11:01.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,allowing your brain to actually work
Dialogue: 0,0:11:01.00,0:11:03.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,more optimistically and more successfully.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:03.00,0:11:05.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We've done these things in research now
Dialogue: 0,0:11:05.00,0:11:07.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in every single company that I've worked with,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:07.00,0:11:09.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,getting them to write down three new things that they're grateful for
Dialogue: 0,0:11:09.00,0:11:11.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,for 21 days in a row, three new things each day.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:11.00,0:11:13.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And at the end of that,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:13.00,0:11:15.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,their brain starts to retain a pattern
Dialogue: 0,0:11:15.00,0:11:18.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of scanning the world, not for the negative, but for the positive first.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:18.00,0:11:20.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Journaling about one positive experience you've had over the past 24 hours
Dialogue: 0,0:11:20.00,0:11:22.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,allows your brain to relive it.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:22.00,0:11:25.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Exercise teaches your brain that your behavior matters.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:25.00,0:11:27.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We find that meditation allows your brain
Dialogue: 0,0:11:27.00,0:11:30.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to get over the cultural ADHD that we've been creating
Dialogue: 0,0:11:30.00,0:11:32.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,by trying to do multiple tasks at once
Dialogue: 0,0:11:32.00,0:11:35.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and allows our brains to focus on the task at hand.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:35.00,0:11:37.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And finally, random acts of kindness are conscious acts of kindness.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:37.00,0:11:39.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We get people, when they open up their inbox,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:39.00,0:11:41.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to write one positive email
Dialogue: 0,0:11:41.00,0:11:43.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,praising or thanking somebody in their social support network.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:43.00,0:11:45.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And by doing these activities
Dialogue: 0,0:11:45.00,0:11:47.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and by training your brain just like we train our bodies,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:47.00,0:11:50.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,what we've found is we can reverse the formula for happiness and success,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:50.00,0:11:53.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and in doing so, not only create ripples of positivity,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:53.00,0:11:55.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but create a real revolution.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:55.00,0:11:57.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Thank you very much.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:57.00,0:12:00.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Applause)