HUMAN HAPPINESS - ITS NATURE & ITS ATTAINMENT
VOLUME II: THE ATTAINMENT OF HAPPINESS
CHAPTER 3
THE "FOURTEEN FUNDAMENTALS" PROGRAM
The "Fourteen Fundamentals" are fourteen, highly characteristic traits of happy individuals, according to years of collected research.
Each of these 14 happiness traits, according to the research, make a significant contribution to the happiness that the happiest individuals enjoy.
All of these fourteen happiness traits can be developed by ordinary individuals.
And finally, virtually anyone who develops these characteristics will become noticably happier.
The above are the major proposition which underlie the happiness program we have developed...
The "Fourteen Fundamentals" are:
1. Be more active and keep busy.
2. Spend more time socializing.
3. Be productive at meaningful work.
4. Get better-organized and plan things out.
5. Stop worrying.
6. Lower your expectations and aspirations.
7. Develop positive optimistic thinking.
8. Get present-oriented.
9. WOAHP -- work on a healthy personality.
10. Develop an outgoing, social personality.
11. Be yourself.
12. Eliminate the negative feelings and problems.
13. Close relationships are #1 source of happiness.
14. VALHAP -- the "secret fundamental".The remainder of this volume is dedicated to an in-depth look at each of these fourteen, fundamental happiness traits.
In the chapters to come, we will take each Fundamental in turn, describe the research behind it, explain, in theoretical terms, how it contributes to the happiness of the happiest individuals, and provide some general guidelines (as well as some specific activities and strategies) that you can use to develop each Fundamental yourself.
A QUICK PREVIEW
But before we detail each of the Fundamentals, it is appropriate to provide a general preview of the entire listing. To do this, let's breifly overview each of the Fourteen Fundamentals now (and also provide a bit of background into each), so that you see the overall strategy of what's to come.
Fundamental One: Be More Active and Keep Busy
One of the most obvious things that emerged from the happiness research data over the years is how active happy people tend to be and how much they have going on in their lives.
Fundamental One, therefore, is based on this research finding. Happy people are extremely active people. They are remarkably busy, they're always doing something, they're always on the go. Happy people seem to pack a lot more into their day, than do most average people. Unhappy individuals, in contrast, waste a large amount of their time and never seem to get around to doing much. Their lives are relatively inactive, habitual, and boring.
The next chapter will present this Fundamental in detail. There, we will find that happy people not only outstrip most of us in terms of the sheer quantity of activity, but also in it's quality -- and discover a certain "essence" to their active lifestyle" that eludes most other people. In addition, our discussion of Fundamental #1 will reveal the five, specific types of activities happy people spend most of their time in.
Fundamental 2: Spend More Time Socializing
The second Fundamental, "Spend More Time Socializing," is based on the strong, social theme that has been clearly drawn throughout the research we covered in Volume I of this diad. More than anything else, an active and rewarding social life appears to have a major impact on personal happiness. As we've seen previously: more than success, more than income, more than a lot of "good times" -- indeed, more than any other factor -- warm, social ties contribute the most to happiness.
The chapter on Fundamental Two, therefore, will concentrate on the specific social factors which contribute so much to happiness.
Fundamental Three: Be Productive At Meaningful Work
Fundamental Three emphasizes that happiness can be enhanced if one can "Be Productive At Meaningful Work."
When we examine this Fundamental, we'll see that there are two key elements to it: "productivity" and "meaning."
"Productivity" acknowledges a life of continued growth and expansion, not only in thems of long-term achievements, but in the everyday steps which lead to them. It also acknowledges that long periods of non-productivity can easily cause one to fall into depression. "Meaning," on the other hand, suggests the importance of finding purpose and significance in one's life through one's job or avocations.
As we shall discover when we examine this Fundamental later: those who find a productive and meaningful way to live, will find one of the richest and most abiding sources of personal happiness in their life, as well.
Fundamental Four: Get Better Organized & Plan Things Out
Fundamental Four is to "Get Better Organized" ("Get B.O." for short, as my students humorously refer to it). It is based on the research on happy individuals which finds that they are well-organized, non-procrastinating, efficient, and planful. Such organization displays itself not only in their daily approach to life, but also in their long-terms plans and sense of direction in life. Happy people seem to know where they want to go in life, and they appear to have the personal organizational skills to help them get there.
Unhappy people tend to lack long-term direction in life. They're goals and plans are poorly formed. They tend to flounder as they go through life, working more on impulse than planning. And especially on a day-to-day basis, they tend to be chronic procrastinators.
In our treatment of Fundamental Four we will deal with some basic approaches you can use to "Get Better Organized" in your life.
Fundamental Five: Stop Worrying
Fundamental Five deals with what we refer to as "the arch-enemy" of personal happiness: common, everyday worry.
As we shall see, worry is probably the most detrimental thing the average person does to ruin their happiness. When we explore Fundamental #5, we'll examine your worry-patterns in detail. You'll probably discover that you worry a lot more than you ever imagined, and you'll come to appreciate who destructive it is to your own happiness. From there, we'll help you learn how to control your worry and become more like happier individuals who naturally appear to have low worry-levels.
Fundamental Six: Lower Your Expectations & Aspirations
Fundamental Six is called "the controversial Fundamental" because wherever I lecture on the Fundamentals, "Lower Your Expectations and Aspirations" always seems to spark the most heated debates. It is understandable, however, since Fundamental Six flies right in the face of common wisdom regarding happiness. We live in a highly competetive culture which generally stresses high goals, lofty ambitions, and great success as being essential for happiness. Thus most people are taken aback to learn that the research seems to show quite the opposite. Instead of being highly ambitious and achievement-motivated, happy people appear to be more modest in their goals and in their need for great success.
Now is not the time to jump into this controversy, but when we fully discuss Fundamental #6, in a later chapter, trust that we will be able to explain how lower expectations and aspirations lead more to happiness than setting your sights on the "impossible dream."
Fundamental Seven: Develop Optimistic, Positive Thinking
We have nick-named Fundamental Seven "The Royal Road to Personal Happiness" because, of all the traits we've discovered in happy people, optimism appears to be one of the most significant and potent all all.
According to the research, happy individuals are immensely optimistic and tend to display highly positive thought-patterns (while unhappy people tend to be rather pessimistic and think in negative, critical terms). Happy people tend to view most situations in their life in a positive light. They look for the bright side, seeing "the cup as half-full rather than half-empty."
Optimistic, positive thinking has such a important impact on personal happiness that we'll spend an extended analysis of it in our chapter on Fundamental Seven. There we shall explore, in great detail, how thinking-patterns, like optimism, can affect happiness -- and how you might develop a more postive thinking yourself.
Fundamental Eight: Get Present-Oriented
The next fundamental is "Get Present Oriented."
"Present-orientation" is a technical terms used by clinical psychologists. Essentially it refers to the the ability to live life fully in the present -- in the "here and now," so to speak, rather than in the "there and then." Happiness research finds that happy people tend to be quite present-oriented. They tend to get the most out of each and every day. They tend to focused more on the immediate present. They are not particularly preoccupied with past hurts or regrets, nor unduly worried or apprehensive about the future. Apparently, "these are the good old days" for happy individuals, and most anyone can be a bit happier if they can focus more on the present.
Fundamental Nine: Work On A Healthy Personality
Fundamental Nine is known as "WOAHP" -- initials which stand for "Work On A Healthy Personality."
One of the major factors happiness researchers have consistiently found in the data is the strong relationship between happiness and mental health. As we saw in the previous Volume, happy individuals are extremely healthy people. In virtually every assessment technique psychologists have used, happy people tend to excell.
Because a healthy personality contributes so much to personal happiness, "Work on A Healthy Personality" is one of the most productive Fundamentals a person can work on. Yet, the development of a healthy personality involves a complex interplay of many psychological factors, which originate in childhood and take a lifetime to solidify. Thus our treatment of this happiness-trait will can be cursory, at best. Traditionally, therefore, what we have chosen to do in dealing with this complex topic, has been to summarize the collected research on health psychology by presenting five of the most basic and easily understood principles. We've named these principles of mental health the "WOAHP Five," and they will be discussed, in detail, later in this book.
Fundamental Ten: Develop an Outgoing, Social Personality
Fundamental Ten brings us back to the strong social theme that permeates the research on happiness. It suggests that you would be a lot happier if you could "Develop an Outgoing, Social Personality."
We've seen in the Volume I how socially active and successful happy people are, indeed the Second Fundamental says "Spend More Time Socializing." But how can one take advantage of this primary source of happiness if one is shy, inward, or socially uncomfortable? The answer may be found in our upcoming analysis of this Fundmental.
According to the research, happy individuals are remarkably extroverted, outgoing, friendly, and at ease, socially. Because of this, they find their lives filled with many more social opportunities than shyer people do, and thus their life is happier as a result.
Our chapter on Fundamental Ten, then, is a chapter for anyone who might like to become a little more like happy people are: a little more self-assured, a little more comfortable in social settings, a little more outgoing and popular.
Fundamental Eleven: Be Yourself
In my years of teaching as a college professor, the one Fundamental which seems to hold the greatest insight for my young students is Fundamental Eleven: "Be Yourself." It is based on the research on happy people which finds them to be remarkably candid, spontaneous, expressive, and unaffected; and it is founded on the simple proposition that happiness flows easily and effortlessly when you just let yourself "Be Yourself."
As we shall see in our discussion of this Fundamental, a major source of unhappiness comes when we suppress our "real," authentic self. Perhaps it is a misguided attempt to be accepted or "fit in," perhaps it is the desire to live-up to others' expectations -- but whatever the reason, the fear of being ourself creates more unhappiness than it's worth.
Fundamental Twelve: Eliminate the Negative
Fundamental Twelve is "Eliminate Negative Feelings and Problems" or "Eliminate the Negative," for short. It is also known as "the depressing Fundamental," because the topic is not especially pleasant.
Most of the Fourteen Fundamentals deal with positive characteristics the research has found in happy people. But, as we reviewed in Volume I, happiness is founded not only in the presence of numerous positive circumstances, but in the absence of many negative ones. In other words, not only do happy people have a host of good things going on in their lives, they also appear to have much less of the bad things. Typically, happy people have far fewer personal problems, fears, hostilities, neurotic symptoms, anxieties, past traumas, dysfunctional backgrounds, or similar difficulties, than most average people do. Because of this, Fundamental Twelve is devoted to a recognition of how such negative circumstances thwart many individual's attempts to work toward happiness. Clearly, for many people, happiness is not simply a matter of doing positive things. Often there are deeper personal difficulties which block their journey.
Our presentation of Fundamental Twelve, then, will deal with this "dark side" of happiness, as we talk more directly about the typical kinds of emotional problems which can stunt ones happiness growth -- and what you can do to combat them.
Fundamental Thirteen: Close Relationships Are # 1
More than any other factor, research on happiness shows that close relationships (friends, family, etc.) are the most impactful source of personal happiness of all. This is especially true of the closest kind of relationship we find in life: romantic, couple relationships.
Fundamental Thirteen, therefore, will examine this, "the #1 source of happiness," in detail -- particularly, love relationships. In our discussion, we'll learn what marriage counselors believe are the most important ingredients of successful relationships, we'll analyze typical relationship patterns, we'll climb the mythical "Mountain of Love," and we'll pinpoint the obvious "danger signs" of troublesome relationships. It is a discussion which should prove insightful not only for those of you who are already in a love-relationship, but just as well for those of you who may be hoping for one.
Fundamental Fourteen: VALHAP
Finally, there is Fundamental Fourteen. It goes by the acroynm "VALHAP," but we have always called it "The Secret Fundamental."
Traditionally, in every forum where I have presented the Fourteen Fundamentals, I have kept VALHAP a secret from my audiences until the very end of my presentations. I do this for two reasons...
First, VALHAP provides an elegant conclusion to all the other Fundamentals, thus it is nicer to save it until the last and have it linger as a bit of a mystery. Certainly, you have to admit it will be more fun, as a reader, to "save the best 'til last."
Second, and more importantly, if you postpone reading about VALHAP until you've read your way up to it, you'll provide yourself with a remarkably pleasant surprise. You'll find that VALHAP has already happened to you!
You see, Fundamental Fourteen involves one of the most important happiness-traits we've discovered in the research. It's effect is profound, yet it is something that most people develop, coincidentally, as a by-product of learning about the other thirteen Fundamentals which preceed it.
So keep "the secret Fundamental" a secret from yourself until your reading gets you to it. I'm sure you'll be a lot "happier" if you do...
A HAPPINESS PROGRAM
The Fourteen Fundamentals Program is designed to be rigorous regimine of work and self-examination. In our past experiments we required a lot of effort and initiative from our participants. They were expected to devote a few hours a day practicing the happiness increasing strategies we had taught them (and that you will be learning about soon); they were expected to regularly study and review the materials we had covered; and they were expected to do a fair amount of self-reflection and personal analysis on their own, in the areas which were reccommend. In other words, the Fundamentals are not something merely to read about -- they are designed to be practiced and continually reflected upon.
The Fundamentals incorporate both cognitive and behavioral elements. Both elements, according to our past research, contribute to the lasting happiness changes our participants have reported over the years.
On a cognitive (or thinking) level, much of the happiness improvement we have seen comes from insight and understanding. That is because a large portion of our discussion of the Fundamentals deals with the psychological theory behind happiness. As we present each of the Fundamentals in the chapters to come, we'll devote a good deal of attention to the theoretical foundations upon which each is based. We'll understand the various psychological mechanisms involved, and explain why these happiness-traits contribute so much to personal happiness.
On the behavioral (or action) level, just as much happiness improvement comes from actually practicing and using the Fundamentals. As you read, you'll find that we have supplied a fair amount of practical advice as to how you can apply the Fundamentals yourself. Throughout the rest of this book, you'll discover a various procedures, techniques, and strategies designed to help you develop the Fundamentals. So, more than just learning about happiness, the Fundamentals offer something concrete you can do about it.
Because the Fundamentals work on both a "thinking" and an "action" level, you have a graduated series of options available to you. The minimal option is to merely read through this volume for interest's sake alone. The maximal option is to read this volume several times, study it well, and practice its reccommendations daily for many months (if not years) to come. Other options fall somewhere inbetween.
Which option you choose has a lot to do with how happy you already are, how happy you'ld like to become, and how much you're willing to work at it.
I urge you to choose the maximal option, because therein lies the greatest potential for your achievement of lasting happiness. It will take a little extra time and effort on your part, but the results should be well worth it! Our research has consistiently shown that individual happiness gains are directly related to the amount of work invested in the Program. And though there is some evidence that people merely exposed to the Fundamentals show modest happiness improvements with little conscious work at all, the individuals who achieve the greatest and most lasting improvement in their happiness are the ones who work most dilligently with the Program.
Consider it a personal experiment. Why not work with the Fundamentals for a time, and see if they make any difference for you?
There is no mandatory way to proceed. In our actual experiments, the Fundamentals were presented one-at-a-time -- typically in the order they are presented here in this book -- and often with a day or two between the training sessions. Generally, our participants were encouraged to work on the particular Fundamental for the next day or so, until another was covered.
Once all the Fundamentals had been presented, our participants were given a month or two to work on their own. It was suggested that they concentrate their efforts on one Fundamental at a time, for a few days, until they had focused on all fourteen. Then, once they had "sampled" them all, they were encouraged to concentrate their practice on the particular Fundamentals which seemed most helpful to them. (In several of our studies, the participants were also aided by feedback from some psychological tests (xxx) which identified their happiness-weaknesses and helped them select which Fundamentals would be the most beneficial.)
By the end of the experiments, most of the participants had come to take a more individualized route toward their happiness. As different people have different needs, no two individuals concentrated on the same set of Fundamentals. A few ended up working on just one, particularly helpful, Fundamental; others gravitated to various combinations of three or four special favorites; and some, even at the end, continued to sequence through all fourteen, as they had begun. All tallied, no two individuals utilized the Fourteen Fundamentals quite the same way -- nor should you...
Each of the Fundamentals works. In our experiments, we have tested some of the Fundamentals separately (1974) and in selected groupings (1988) and concluded that each can contribute to happiness. Likewise, in the debriefing proceedures which we conduct with our participants, every one of the fourteen Fundamentals has been indentified, by someone, as being the single Fundamental that is "the most helpful of all." Thus, if you choose to work with the Program, it's perfectly okay to individualize it to suit your own situation. Indeed, we actually reccommend that you do!
As you read on, and become more familiar with each of the Fundamentals, a number of things will become clear regarding your individual use of the Program:
First, many of you will find that some of the Fundamentals are already quite true of you already, and this should be expected...
Most of you, more than likely, rather "average" in your happiness right now. At least, that would be the most likely statistical prediction (since that's how the "averages" are determined). Thus because you have already achieved a relatively modest level of happiness, a number of the happiness-characteristics covered in these Fourteen Fundamentals are things you probably already do -- while others may not. As this may be the case, your reading of the Fourteen Fundamentals will tend to reveal an obvious set of individual priorities for your work with the Program. Some Fundamentals may already be quite typical of you (and here, little improvement may be needed). Others may be only partially true of you (and here, a little work might be indicated). But mainly, you should be looking for your weak points vis-a-vis the Fourteen Fundamentals -- for here will be the items which could give your happiness the greatest boost.
Second, not every Fundamental is meant for every individual.
No matter what the research suggests, some Fundamentals may not be "right" for you. For example, although the research indicates that one would be happier if they could become more friendly and outgoing, becoming this way may offend your own cultural attitudes regarding proper social demeanor. Likewise, "lowering your expectations and aspirations" may run counter to a longstanding family tradition which you value. Other times, suggestions incorporated in the Fundamentas mas just feel "uncomfortable" for you, simply based on your own personality and temperment. In such cases, defer to your own inclinations. No matter what the research shows, there's no need to go against your own values and inner feelings. If a Fundamental doesn't sound "right" for you, you shouldn't persue it.
Third, you don't need to achieve all the Fundamentals to be happier.
Sometimes, some of my students get discouraged when they try to "Spend More Time Socializing" and their isolated, social situation just doesn't provide the opportunities to do so. Sometimes, some of my friends become especially downhearted because they can't seem to find a "Close Relationship." Certainly, it would be ideal if you could achieve success at all fourteen of the Fundamentals -- but you don't have to!
Envision the Fourteen Fundamentals as building blocks. Each has its own individual contribution to make toward happiness! You can stack them up in any order. You can stack them up as many as you can. In a perfect situation, you may be able to stack all fourteen. But if you can't, any twelve (or ten, or eight, or six) you can stack can make a big difference. Indeed, our experiments have shown that even one block can help create increased happiness! In sum, The Fundamentals present fourteen different pathways to help yourself to become happier. If one or two of these pathways is closed at the moment, it doesn't mean you can't be a happy person. Just concentrate on the ramining Fundamental paths which are available!
Fourth, and finally, there is the remote possibility that you're one of those rare people (less than 5% to 7% of the population acccording to our best data) that's already quite happy.
If so, you may find that your reading only confirms what you already suspected about yourself, i.e., that the Fourteen Fundamentals describe you completely. For you, then, what can be gained from our experimental program?
On the surface, there would appear to be little room for any happpiness improvement -- or is there? One of the things our studies have demonstrated is that most people's capacity for happiness is far greater than most experts in the field have ever imagined. Even extremely happy people report that they have been able to enhance their already high happiness-level following Fundamentals training. But more significantly, even when they are unable to increase theer happiness, there is a universal consensus among these happy people that learning about the Fourteen Fundamentals helps them understand "why" they are as happy as they are. Apparently, for the happier people we've studied, understanding "why" they are already as happy as they are is just as important as it is for unhappier people to understand "what" they can do about it.
TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE?
At first glance, the Fourteen Fundamentals Program may seem too good to be true. Is it possible that happiness can actually be increased? Can it be true that Psychology has actually learned a way to achieve Humankind's most ancient dream? Has the miracle that countless past generations hoped for finally occured?
Well, we'd like to think the answer is, "Yes!"
But, as incredible as it seems at first glance, there's really nothing miraculous about it. The Fourteen Fundamentals work simply because research science works. Actually, all we have done is to study happy people and learn what we could from them. From our study, we eventually isolated the characteristics which contributed the most to their happiness, and found, as our research progressed, that almost anyone could develop the same characteristics.
In essence, therefore, all that is happening here is that you are learning the "secrets" of happiness from the happiest people themselves. Indirectly, through the research, they are sharing with you the kinds of things which make them happy. Thus, there's nothing spactacular or dramatic about it. The Fourteen Fundamentals simply take advantage of what has been learned about the nature of happiness and provide it for anyone who wishes to profit from it.
Perhaps the difficulty some people have is appreciating that happiness can be scientifically studied as rigirously as any natural phenomenon can be. No one can doubt the imense benefits that scientific progress in chemistry, cellular physiology, agriculture, biology, nuclear physics, medicine, ecology, and all other sciences have made in the betterment of the human condition. The advancements of scientific knowledge surround our world and permeate every aspect of our lives. That old adage, "Knowledge is Power," can hardly be questioned in modern times. These volumes on "Human Happiness" are dedicated to the fact that happiness can be researched just as objectively and fruitfully as any topic in science. Thus, just as we would turn to the science of engineering to build a bridge, or turn to medical science to treat disease, now we can turn to the science of psychology to better understand human happiness.
ANNO DOMINI (THE BEGINING AND THE END)
We have come a long way in these Volumes on "Human Happiness." We began, in Volume I, with a philosophical discussion of happiness as being "the most important thing in life." Then we began an indepth analysis of nature of human happiness as we explored the definition of happiness, the history of happiness research, the feelings involved in happy moods, the objective and situational factors which are associated with happiness, and the personality characteristics that have been found to be typical of happy persons. We concluded Volume I with an analysis of happiness and how it relates to some of the most fundamental tenets of basic psychologial theory.
In this Volume we began to see if anything could be done about happiness. In our assessment of the hapiness data we found both "Good News" and "Bad News" imbedded in the research. The "Bad News" was that many of the factors which contribute to happiness (high income, good health, occupational status, etc.) are not easily achievable for most of us. But the "Good News" was that a number of factors which contribute to happiness are, according to the research, are available to us all! My staff and I have studied these special factors over the years, and named them "the Fourteen Fundamentals." In the present Chapter we have briefly outlined each of these Fundamentals, and provided an overview of how we have used them in our own happiness-increasing experiments.
In the Chapters which follow, we will examine each of these "Fundamentals" one by one. There you will learn the simple, everyday "secrets" the happiest people employ which make them happy.
Ultimately, your eventual happiness may be somewhat tied to long-term factors like financial and social success. There is little doubt that the "Bad News" factors contribute to happiness, and my wish for each of you readers is that all these "good things" come your way. But the wonderful indication from our research appears to be that none of these "good things" are absolutely essential for greater happiness. Indeed, as we shall see, many extremely happy people lack many of these "Good News" perc-requisites, and still are happy persons.
No, there is enough information contained in the Fourteen Fundamentals to counterbalance an indivudual's lacks in social or finiancial success. In fact, many if the individuals we have studied have -- using the Fudamentals -- been able to actually rival (and in some cases even surpase) the happiness-levels of the "happy people" we have chosen as a comparison.
Now it is time to go forward, as we explore the Fourteen Fundamentals one by one. As we've said above, not every Fudamental is neccessary for eveybody, nor is every Fundamental "right" for eveyone, and some of the Fundamentals may not be achievable for every person. But, overall, the more of these happiness traits you choose to develop, the happier you will be...
After all, there's nothing magic about happiness. The research shows it to be a simple proposition:
If you can be like happy people, you can be happy too!
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