Three Neuroscience Findings on Happiness – Is It An Option?

Three Neuroscience Findings on Happiness – Is It An Option?  This is such an important and valuable statement by the Dali Lama, that I am including it here in my opening statement about this terrific research: “Our purpose in life is to be happy. From the very core of our being, we simply desire contentment.”  When I read this, I felt every neuron in my brain (metaphorically speaking) light up in acknowledgement.  Read on:

"Is happiness a mere option? Neuroscience says not. It’s better described as an inborn striving that is hardwired into our brains and shapes our behaviors from the cradle to the grave.
In the words of the Dalai Lama, an avid researcher himself: “Our purpose in life is to be happy. From the very core of our being, we simply desire contentment.”

Thanks to neuroscience and recent findings on the brain and relationships, we now know the brain has amazing capacities when it comes to consciousness, personal healing and change – all of which together amount to happiness. What have we learned?

1. We know that skills for healing and consciousness are inborn capacities, yet they must be learned and cultivated. “As human beings, our greatness lies not so much in being able to remake the world … as in being able to remake ourselves.” ~ GANDHI

Up until now, our ideas about learning and change were fairly vague.

http://blogs.psychcentral.com/relationships/2011/07/three-neuroscience-findings-on-happiness-%e2%80%93-is-it-an-option/


“It is the perpetual dread of fear, the fear of fear, that shapes the face of a brave man.” ~ GEORGES BERNANOS.
"The fear response, once dreaded as a defect or sign of weakness, is now considered by neuroscientists who study the brain’s ability to heal itself to be a key neural function. We now understand fear is not something to eliminate. It is rather designed to work with other processes to help heal past wounds, and in the course of doing so, develop and strengthen our capacity to regulate our emotions (Damasio, 2010).

In short, the ability to feel our fears (painful emotions in general, most of which are rooted in fear) is vital to our happiness. When activated, the fear response provides us with an opportunity to make sense of our past, to re-integrate old experiences with new understanding, to learn and to grow our wisdom.

Believe it or not, as adults we now need to realize that we are no longer vulnerable to emotional pain; instead, painful emotions are vital teachers, strength and confidence builders. Situations that trigger our stress response are opportunities to stretch our capacity to love our self and key others in our life.

These key teaching moments offer new possibilities for creating happiness, even as we amaze ourselves by discovering skills we did not know we have or were possible! Handling our fears is a learned ability that can lead to emotional mastery.

Your mind and body — you — are designed for happiness and fulfillment. You are designed to feel good about yourself, for good reason. It’s healthy for your mind, body, and emotional (spiritual) wellbeing. It has been established that prolonged states of anxiety or depression harm, and cause the systems of the body to break down.

Your body is designed for happiness, and not the quick-fix variety. Your happiness is one of your primary responsibilities in life!"

Three Neuroscience Findings on Happiness – Is It An Option?  Your happiness is one of your primary responsibilities in life! Wow!  For this moment, I will settle for a chocolate bar and the blissful succulence melting on my tongue.  Quick fix?  Sure, but it is enough for the moment as I contemplate how to bring more happiness into my life and the willingness to work toward long term peace and contentment.