Fake it, Until you Make It

The basic thing is that everyone wants happiness, no one wants suffering. And happiness mainly comes from our own attitude, rather than from external factors. If your own mental attitude is correct, even if you remain in a hostile atmosphere, you feel happy.

- H.H. the Dalai Lama

I have said this before, in an earlier post. Even the simple act of smiling will make you feel happy. Research has shown the act of smiling can have similar impact on the body as the actual emotion of happiness. Smiling to yourself in a mirror has an even greater impact. If you act like you are happy, eventually you will be happy.

Research on happiness has shown that 50% of happiness is determined by genetics. For those of us that do not have a genetic predisposition (about 1/3 of the population), I believe that the genetic predisposition can be overcome. I may have been born an Eeyore, but I aspire to be a Tigger.

The brain is very adaptable. You really can train an old dog to learn new tricks. New research in neuroplasticity has shown that just thinking in a certain way can change the structure and function of our brains. There are stories of stroke victims who, after suffering massive stokes, are able to return to an active life. Having lost motor skill due to injury of the brain, the stroke patients have retrained another portion of their brain to perform the lost skills. Blind people have enhanced hearing ability as they have trained the unused visual functions of the brain to be used for auditory functions. Retraining the brain is a full time job. It is something that you have to do consciously for 8 hours a day, 5 days per week for at least 2 -3 months before results can be seen. This is contrary to most rehabilitation programs, which are normally only 2 hours, 2 - 3 times per week.

If you can retrain your brain for motor skills, I do not think it is a large leap to be able to retrain your brain to be happy just by thinking in a certain way.

I have tried to apply this to my daily life and I have tried to pay it forward. On days where I am not feeling positive and happy, I smile at strangers that I meet while walking. I say thank you to the cashier and wish them a great day. I tip a little more to the waitress. I hug Homer and tell him that I love him more. All these things make me feel better and hopefully it makes others feel better too.

After doing the research, I see I am going to have to be even more cognizant of my mood, my thoughts and my actions in order for this retraining to stick.


Retraining your brain to be happy will bring you closer to your
Bright Star Dreams