How to Think Positively

How many times have you heard the phrase “practice makes perfect?” It applies to positive thinking as well. Happiness must be cultivated, and luckily there’s an entire shed of tools out there to help you. Sonja Lyubomirsky is a researcher of positive psychology and the author of the book, The How of Happiness. She has identified at least twelve intentional activities that empirically enhance happiness—activities like expressing gratitude, setting goals, and, of course, practicing optimism. The key word, however, is practice. “It really has to be regular,” says Lyubomirsky. “It’s a little bit like taking a drug—it stops being effective when you stop taking it.” For some people, she says, that means every day, for others once a week will do.

But for a generation for whom the physical object of a book seems like an anachronism, a trip to the self-help section of the bookstore may seem off-putting, not to mention trying to crack that book every day. This is why Lyubomirsky worked with a company called Signal Patterns to adapt her book into the new Live Happy iPhone application. Based on a user’s self-described preferences and personality, the application recommends phone-friendly activities—like recording goals, sending a direct expression of gratitude to someone, or savoring a happy picture—that will improve the user’s outlook. “It’s a little buddy that reminds you to do it and keeps track of your happiness,” explains Lyubomirsky. And already it’s receiving rave reviews.
Recognizing negative thought patterns and choosing positive alternatives is no longer crunchy California stuff for the self-help gurus and Hollywood hipsters. Whether it’s through a gratitude journal, visualization exercises, an inspiring iPhone app, or Stuart Smalley-esque daily affirmations, we could all use a little sunshine in our lives—at the very least some silver linings. But the change starts with you.

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