The Science of Happiness: motivating & inspiring individuals, teams & organisations

Stephanie Davies

Behavioral strategist and Director Laughology

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Introductions:

Why Laughology?

Feelings & Motivation

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did but they will not forget how you made them feel.”

Maya Angelou, author, activist, campaigner

An aspect of the human

mind, a system for

processing information

A communication tool to express how we feel and strengthen social interactionsThe outwardThe outwardenergy of humourenergy of humour A way to look at lifeA way to look at life

Laughter & humour

Laughter, Humour & Happiness

How we look at life?

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Happiness Works

N.A = Reward and recognition (releases serotonin and dopamine)

VTA = (ventral tegmental area: group of neurons) cognition, motivation and addiction (process’s strong emotional output)

Amygdala = Learning through emotional response (positive and negative) – creates links to the basil ganglia

Stress and mental illness costs the economy between £70bn and £100bn in lost productivity, absence from work and benefit payments

On average, people suffering from work-related stress took 24 days off in 2012/13

Why Well-being & Happiness Matters

Focus on the benefits

“Happiness in the workplace brings increased returns to productivity, so human resource departments, business managers and the architects of promotion policies want to consider the implications.“

Professor Andrew Oswald – Economics and behavioural science, University of Warwickshire

The Brain, connections and behaviours

NeurotransmittersDopamineSerotonin

OxytocinEndorphins

Happy, successful teams

Success

&

happiness?

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What is happiness?

What is happiness?

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Flow, engagement & happiness

Using Laughology for flow, engagement & happiness

“The best moments in our lives are not the passive, receptive, relaxing times… The best moments usually occur if a person’s body or mind is stretched to its limits in a voluntary effort to accomplish something difficult and worthwhile.”

~ Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (1990, p. 3)

Case studies

Both our English and Maths results were up by an amazing 20% on last year, at 71% reaching the expected level. The school has never achieved results like this in it’s recent to mid history. You guys contributed hugely to the children’s and staff positive attitude, by teaching them that the power to achieve is all in their mind, they can learn to channel it, it’s not the preserve of a ‘clever’ few…they can all make it work for them and succeed. Which indeed they have!

This contributed to a customer satisfaction

level of 4.36 out of 5 in our SIM quantative survey, as well

as falling levels of complaints.

happy people

Behaviours

Experience Reputation

Creating a happy-centre organisation

Happy teams =Happy customers= bottom line.

It’s all about how you choose to look at life

…When we think about a situation

in a positive light…

…We make better decisions which impact on

behaviour.

Humour and laughter break

negative thought patterns…

Laughology’s humour toolkit

ocus

anguage

magination

attern breaking

“A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist

sees the opportunity in every difficulty.”

Winston Churchill

Happiness wins and triggers

• Turn on your people before you turn on your computers

• Focus on small goals

• Collective ideas that include all and hear all

• Encourage ‘what’s right’ thinking rather than ‘what's wrong’ thinking

• Make contact to congratulate

• Awards of the week

• Make time for fun and enjoyment

• What’s on your environmental check list

• Notice and know everyone

• Happy hour

• Make it simple to get the job done (quick fixes)

Get in touch:Stephanie DaviesStephanie@laughology.co.uk

General enquiriesInfo@laughology.co.uk

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T: 0844 800 1701

W: www.laughology.co.uk

@laughology