Self Psychology

I took an online course with Harvard health and they do have some things that may be of interest to you. I was interested in their self psychology certificate, so that is what I enrolled with. I am going to list what may be of interest to you. I am glad that I have been on the right track for happiness. Here goes. The speaker is Dr Ronald D. Siegal. In the 1990’s there were supplement studies which applied to greater positive outlook. Measuring - satisfaction. Happiness leads to a healthier and longer life. The Elsa research revealed lowering of stress and less heart attacks and strokes. Happy people are more flexible and resilient. There were 22 studies on well-being, “hope enjoyment and self esteem.” People who enjoyed life more, were less likely to have a serious illness, likely married, had higher levels of wealth and education. 28% lowered their risk of death. The nun study from the University of Kentucky revealed that sisters entering to be nuns had an average age of 22. Analyzing 180 essays from those between 75 and 95 years of age, there was a strong association between longevity and expression of positive emotions, including happiness, interest, love, hope gratefulness and contentment. Women in the study who scored in the upper 25% for positive emotional words lived 9.4 years longer than those in the lowest 25%. Women who expressed the most positive emotions lived 10.7 years longer than those expressing the fewest - findings that held up after controlling for linguistic ability satisfaction. Dr Mallika Marshall asked, are you happy? To be continued.