Positive Psychology – The Science of Optimal Human Functioning with Dr. John Schinnerer - One hour teleclass 12/8/09

9. December 2009 by John Schinnerer.

John Schinnerer, Ph.D.

Partial script for 1-hour teleclass on 12/8/09

Welcome to what I hope will be a wonderful talk on positive psychology. I will be your host tonight. My name is John Schinnerer. I hold a Ph.D. in educational psychology from U.C. Berkeley. In 2007, I wrote a positive psychology book called ‘Guide To Self: The Beginner’s Guide to Managing Emotion & Thought’ which was awarded Best Self-Help Book of the year. In 2006, I hosted a daily primetime radio show here in the SF Bay Area. Currently, I do keynote speaking, teach and see private clients.  I also collaborate with the University of New Zealand on the International Wellbeing Study which you can participate in at www.wellbeingstudy.com. 

Just a bit of housekeeping…If you have questions during the talk, please email me at john@guidetoself.com and I will do my best at the end to answer them. Your end of the phone has been muted as there are over 500 people on this call.

     I like to start off my talks with a joke to put you in a positive frame of mind. So here it goes…

A psychologist is holding a group therapy session in which there are four young mothers, each of whom has a small child with her. The psychologist gazes at the four women and blurts out “You’re all obsessed. And your obsessions show up in the names of your kids.”

He points to the first mother and calmly states “You are obsessed with spending money & shopping…you named your daughter Penny.”

The shrink points to the second mother and dryly adds “And you are stuck on the issue of eating. You went so far as to name your daughter Candy!”

As the remaining two mothers shift uncomfortably in their seats, the psychologist continues, pointing to the 3^rd mother, “While you have a drinking problem which shows itself in your daughter’s name – Brandy.”

     ……

At that point, the fourth mother, who can’t contain herself any longer, stands up, grabs her son by the hand and says …

“Come on Dick, we’re getting out of here!”

 

     I told this joke on the radio to thousands of listeners and got a landslide of positive feedback ….initially. One lady, who was driving when she heard it, said she had to pull over to the side of the freeway because she was laughing so hard. However, the show was rerun and then we started to get a few complaints. So the station owner called me in to tell me we couldn’t run the show anymore. I asked why not. He said because the joke was dirty. I knowingly asked what was dirty about it. He said it was the reference to sex. I told him that there was no mention in the joke as to whether or not the sex was taking place in a marriage. You see, the dirtiness of this joke is truly in the mind of the listener. If one assumes the sex is taking place within a marriage, there really is nothing dirty about the joke (unless you think sex in general is aversive).  The reason I tell this story is to point out that there are many different way of seeing the world, different ways of viewing the actions of others and even various ways of relating to your own mind, your thoughts, and your feelings.  And I’ll discuss a few of these points today.

Now that you are prepped to learn something new, let’s talk about positive psychology because it holds great promise. Just to be clear, positive psych is not a self-help movement. It is not as simple as positive thinking. It has no relation to books such as The Secret. It is not a passing trend.

Positive psychology is the scientific study of optimal functioning, the applied approach to human flourishing. The lessons of positive psychology are beneficial for everyone – teenagers, executives, managers and the elderly. Even the Army is currently training thousands of sergeants in positive psychology to boost the resiliency of troops and to decrease the possibility of post-traumatic stress disorder. While our Army troops have always been physically fit, we are now seeing a momentous shift in thinking which will enable them to become psychologically fit as well.

So this class and positive psychology in general definitely has something to offer you and it is as valuable in your personal life as in your professional life. At the heart of positive psychology are a number of research based findings into how and when people function at their very best.

Most of us spend a great deal of our time worrying over what might go wrong, or beating ourselves up over what we think did go wrong, or feeling disappointed over the inherent unfairness of life. Recent research shows that we are hard-wired to pay closer attention to this that go wrong than things that go right. And from an evolutionary standpoint, this makes sense. Being overly vigilant for threats and problems helped keep us alive from predators back when sabre-toothed tigers roamed the earth.

However, this hard wiring focused on the negative does not serve us well in modern day life.  Events such as childrens’ skinned knees, missed deadlines, speaking in public or bumper-to-bumper traffic may feel frustrating, scary or stressful but they are not matters of life and death.

So take a quick moment to ask yourself,

‘How much is my focus on what might go wrong helping me?’

‘How much are my negative emotions, such as fear and anger, assisting me in reaching my goals?’

To these questions, positive psychology provides a somewhat unusual answer:

spend more time focusing on what is going right with your life,

focus more on what may go well in the future,

and see how much that approach helps you reach your goals.

Please don’t misunderstand me. I am not suggesting that you only have a positive perspective. I am not suggesting that you be foolishly optimistic. There is a great deal of merit to accurately foreseeing and planning for potential problems. It’s a matter of balance. How much of your mental time is spent focusing on problems as compared to looking at the positives. Positive psychology has found that there are tremendous benefits to learning to focus more on what is right with us and what may go well in the future.

One of the basic assumptions of Positive psychology is that all people are ‘Born to be Good’ to quote the title of Dacher Keltner’s book and that we can become better, happier and more productive.  Let me repeat that, we can learn to be happier. Your happiness is not written in stone. You can learn techniques to increase your satisfaction with life.

What makes the crucial difference between positive psychology and traditional self-help books is the mountain of research upon which positive psychology is built. At this point, there are over 50,000 studies having to do with happiness, realistic optimism, human strengths, life satisfaction and more. Empirical researchers across the world are looking for testable theories and explanations supported by hard data. It is, in simplest terms, a powerful movement from faith to facts. So everything I write about, everything about which I speak, is based on scientific studies and replicable data.

The biggest shift towards a positive psychology took place in the late 1990s when Martin Seligman, as president of the American Psychological Association, began asking the question “what is right with people?” For over 100 years, medicine and psychology had both focused on what was wrong with people and how problems could be fixed. Seligman used his influence to create a new branch of science termed positive psychology focusing on what is right with us, how we can lead more thriving, fulfilling, and meaningful lives.

Seligman and Mike Csikszentmihalyi brought together some of the top young researchers in psychology to study topics such as hope, happiness, gratitude, wisdom, creativity and optimal human functioning. From there it spread to include researchers in humanistic psychology, philosophy, executive coaches, sports psychology, developmental psychologists and many more areas. It continues to spread to business, education and counseling.

The best part is that positive psychology works and works well. Positive psychology exercises have been shown in numerous studies to promote strengths, improve optimal functioning, to increase realistic optimism and to increase the frequency of positive emotions.

Some of you may be skeptical. I completely understand this. I was skeptical at first too.  I was brought up to focus on the negative.  Most of us were. And most clients that I see focus first and foremost on problems, such as how to help under-performing workers, or how to shore up the weaknesses of people they manage.

One of the greatest contributions of Positive psychology is the finding that by focusing energy and attention on strengths and by tapping into positive emotions, all of us will enjoy more success than if we focus on weaknesses and problems.

In terms of using positive psychology in the workplace, the Gallup Organization has shown that disengaged workers cost firms billions of dollars per year in accidents, sabotage, turnover costs, lost customers and healthcare. Engaged or happy workers have a higher probability of making more money, innovating, being on time to work, being healthier physically, receive higher ratings from supervisors and customers, and help out coworkers more frequently. Happiness doesn’t just feel good, it is good for the bottom line and good for employees.

To give you an example, last year, I did some consulting with the executive board of a large insurance company. They were having trouble with several vice presidents who were holding grudges over an incident that happened over many years ago. Two of the vice presidents were actively sabotaging one another’s projects resulting in increased costs to the company. As part of my time there, I gave a two hour talk to the executive board on positive psychology, and I specifically focused on what the research has to say about forgiveness  based on research from Stanford University – what it is, what it is NOT, how to do it and why you want to do it. To me, forgiveness is the best single way to wash out all that stale anger you’ve been hiding for years. At the end of my talk, I suggested to the 11 executives that they try forgiving each other for past transgressions. After a long pause, I watched as all of the executives stood up, and began forgiving every other person in the room.  They hugged; they apologized to each other; and they forgave one another. It was powerful. And it changed the way in which they interacted from that day forward. The vice presidents were more supportive of one another, more cooperative, and they stopped their internal sabotage.

 Positive psychology is filtering into education as well. I do a monthly speaking series at a continuation high school where the students are sent if they are behind on credits, if they have behavior problems, emotional difficulties, or are coming out of juvenile hall. So it’s a pretty hard crowd.  One of the more difficult cases was an African-American female student who challenged me during a presentation “You aren’t black. You aren’t female. And you don’t live in a group home. Why should I listen to anything you say?!” It was a valid question. My response? “You’re absolutely right. I’m a totally bald, white, 42 year old man who lives with his wife and four children. And on a physical level you are correct. We share little in common. Here is what I can tell you…that on an emotional level, everything you have ever felt in your life – fear, anger, despair, happiness, pride, love – everything you have felt, I have felt also. So, on an emotional level we are nearly identical. I have been studying emotions for the past 12 years and I’ve found some tools that really work to help manage negative emotions and cultivate more positive emotions. So it’s your choice – you can listen and try some of the tools for yourself, see if they work, or you can ignore me. Either way, it’s up to you.” From that moment on, she was a fan - engaged, interested and willing to learn. She went on to work at a hospital this summer and now is looking at attending community college when she graduates at the end of this school year.

The Power of Positive Emotions

One of the areas I have researched over the past dozen years with great curiosity and passion is emotions. I have found that there is tremendous power in our emotions. Emotions are the social glue that binds our relationships.  The effective use of emotions, or leveraging emotions to your benefit, is what draws people to leaders. Emotional leverage is what separates truly great leaders from average executives. Emotions may initially be a bit frightening. Many people spend a great deal of energy trying to suppress or contain emotion. Yet, emotions have been with the human race for millions of years. Each emotion serves a purpose. Anger, for instance, helps move past obstacles or challenges. It helps us stand up to social injustices. Sadness keeps us close to home after suffering a loss. Fear keeps us safe from perceived danger.

Take a moment to think back to the last time you experienced an intense emotion. It may have been surprise, fear, rage, disappointment, sorrow, joy, awe or pride. It may have been pride due to your child’s outstanding grades, or joy watching your team win a close game, or frustration at yourself for making a mistake at work, or the feeling of contentment while working in your yard. What we’re finding is that emotions transcend our physical bodies. They are contagious. You can catch feelings from others around you. Studies have shown that happiness is contagious just like anger. Emotions are also closely and powerfully linked to what and how you remember the past. Look through an old photo album and you will clearly see the sway emotions have over your memories. What’s more, emotions play a large role in learning, communication, and even in our morality.

So it is critical to understand and learn to leverage emotions. In particular, you must understand the purpose and strength of positive emotions, because you can put them to great use in your daily life. Expertly leveraging emotions will help you be more successful.  As Robert Biswas-Diener puts it, ‘positive emotion is one of the greatest resources you and your clients, colleagues or students are currently overlooking.’

Emotions may be best thought of as a guidance system for your life. When you experience guilt, for example, it’s a sign that your actions are not in keeping with your values. And the unpleasant feeling motivates you to bring your actions back in line with your values. When things are going smoothly, your guidance system lets you know with an all clear signal – positive emotions such as peacefulness or contentment.  Of course, this guidance system is not perfect. We occasionally misinterpret our emotions, and sometimes our emotions are just plain wrong like when we feel highly fearful before speaking in public. However, our emotions give us important and valuable feedback the majority of the time. And there is power in learning how to be aware of emotions, in learning how to correctly read emotions, and greater success lies in the ability to cultivate more positive emotions.

 

 

So what can positive emotions do for you?

One of the biggest breakthroughs for positive psychology comes from Barbara Fredrickson at UNC Chapel Hill who came up with an evolutionary explanation for the existence of positive emotions. Barbara’s hypothesis is that the primary function of positive emotion is to broaden and build.  That is, they broaden our thought processes and they build lasting internal resources. Positive emotions, such as awe, peacefulness and love, allow your mind to blossom, creating more options, more possibilities, in terms of thoughts and actions.  Positive emotions help us be more creative, imaginative, and innovative. If you need to brainstorm for a new marketing slogan, you’ll do a better job if you are happy when you do it.

In addition, positive emotions have long-term beneficial effects because they build internal resources which may be used to help assist others in need or to manage future threats. In other words, positive emotions fill up your gas tank.  This means that positive emotions fill your emotional reservoir with positive emotional energy to increase your sense of well-being and physical health and which you can share with others when they need support and love.

What’s more, positive emotions have been shown to undo the lingering physiological effects of negative emotions. Positive emotions act as the hidden RESET button to the bodily changes caused by negative emotions, changes such as elevated blood pressure and increased cortisol levels in the blood stream.

      In the workplace, positive emotions are related to higher salaries, less sick days, better relationships with coworkers, better supervisor ratings, better customer ratings, and reduced employee turnover.

      In terms of physical health, positive folks are less likely to get ill, live longer, experience less pain, have fewer hospital visits, and when in a good mood, have faster cardiovascular recovery times. On the other hand, those with depression are more likely to engage in smoking, drug abuse, suicidal attempts, and have more emergency room visits.

In psychology, it is generally understood that bad is stronger than good, or the negative is stronger than the positive.  Bad events have a greater power over us, our emotions, thoughts and behaviors, than do good ones. You are more motivated to avoid bad self-definitions than to pursue good ones. You are quicker to form bad judgments of other people than good ones. It takes approximately 5 compliments to undo the negative effects from one insult. Your brain processes negative information more thoroughly than it does positive information. So it’s great news that the harmful effects of negative feelings can be undone by positive emotions.

While we could come up with a list of hundreds of emotion words, there are ten positive emotions that have been verified in studies. From the most frequently occurring to the least frequent, they are… love, joy, gratitude, serenity, interest, hope, pride, amusement, inspiration and awe. And we know from research that positive emotions are fleeting and fragile. They are easily done away with and they are generally less powerful than negative emotions. So you have to increase your awareness of and be on the lookout for positive emotions throughout your day.

A Few Positive psychology Exercises:

Okay, let’s turn to some of the interventions that have been proven to boost your happiness.

The Blessings Exercise

One study done by Martin Seligman at the University of Pennsylvania sought to help 50 severely depressed people. These were folks that stayed in bed most of the day, crawled out occasionally to check their email, and then returned to bed. They were asked to do one thing every day for two weeks.

            Write down three things that went well today and why they went well.

This daily gratitude journal is a powerful yet simple way to redirect the mind to the positive instead of dwelling on the negative. After two weeks of doing this exercise, the majority saw a significant improvement in their depressive symptoms.  People frequently report feeling happier and more positive after this assignment.

Mental Scrapbook of Positive Memories

Another exercise that has been shown to increase positive emotions is reliving positive memories. This exercise is as simple as focusing your attention on a positive event in your past. It might be a big athletic event, a wedding, the birth of a child, finishing school or a promotion. This activity may be combined with actual physical reminders of the past, such as photos, ticket stubs, trophies, college degrees, and printed testimonials.  You can also create your own positive scrapbook using most cell phones these days. Simply create a folder in which you keep photos of positive events. Start your own collection today. The main idea here is to savor the experience, to pay close attention to sensory details, to squeeze every last ounce of positive emotion out of the experience.

The extent to which you experience positive emotions is largely based on your thinking. Overthinking kills positive emotions. Worry, doubt, and stress drown out positive emotions. Emotions are highly individualized. They vary from person to person and what evokes one emotion in one person may not do the same in another. What makes one person recoil in disgust may make another person laugh. Emotions depend on how you interpret events. You have to take a moment (in the moment) and look for the good in the situation. Once you find the good, you must intentionally magnify it, and let it grow.  You have the power to turn positive emotions off and on.

Look at the room you’re in right now.

Ask yourself:

What’s going right for me right now?

How am I fortunate/blessed to be here?

How does being here benefit me?

What meaning can I take away from this situation?

When you take time to think this way, it builds gratitude in you.

By the way, it is normal if positivity feels unusual or weird at first.

Capitalizing on Love

One of the foremost researchers in the area of love and marriage is Shelly Gable, an assistant professor of psychology at UCLA. Most researchers looking at marriage work on conflict management, how to create more harmony between partners, and how individuals in a couple cope with traumatic events.  Gable is one of a handful of researcher who looks at what makes a thriving marriage. Her work provides some valuable insights if you are interested in transforming your good relationship (e.g., friendship, marriage, parent or child) into a great one.

Gable looks to see how you respond when your spouse tells you that he’s just been promoted, or your child tells you that she won Class President, or when your mother tells you she won a tennis tournament, or when your friend tells you she just won a huge lawsuit. Gable puts your responses into four different categories which break down as follows:

1.      An enthusiastic reaction such as “Wow! That’s tremendous. That’s the best thing I’ve heard all week. I’m sure there are more great things to come for you. You’ve definitely earned it. Congratulations!” This reaction is called the active-constructive response by Gable.

2.      A more subdued reaction where you share your happiness but say little. For example, “That’s nice dear.” This is the passive-constructive response.

3.      Or perhaps you point out some of the potential pitfalls or negatives within the good event. For instance, “Wow, I sure hope you can handle all that extra responsibility. Does this mean you will have to work extra hours?” Gable refers to this as the active-destructive response.

4.      Or, you might respond with disinterest and not respond to the good news at all. Most folks do this by merely changing the subject, “Yes, but what do you think about the weather outside?” This is known as the passive-destructive response.

The first type of response, the active-constructive one, is called “capitalizing” by Gable and here’s the fascinating part…capitalizing amplifies the pleasure of the good event and creates an upward spiral of good feelings.

Gable has shown that capitalizing is one of the keys to strong, supportive, thriving relationships. 

So how do you respond to good news from other people?

Are you a “capitalizer” who creates upward spirals of positive emotions?

Or do you turn a blind eye and a deaf ear to the good news of others?

The consequences of learning how to be more of a “capitalizer” are impressive and robust. Couples who describe themselves as having a spouse who is active and constructive in response to their good news are more committed to the relationship, more in love, and happier in their marriage.  Think about that the next time your mate comes in the door with exciting news.

Closing Remarks

            I’ve found a large number of people are passionate and excited about positive psychology. It offers an energizing approach to your personal and professional life. Hopefully, by sharing some information about positive psychology, you’ve become excited about the possibilities also.

Again my name is John Schinnerer. I’m happy to speak to those interested in future keynote presentations or seeing clients privately. My book is entitled ‘Guide To Self: The Beginner’s Guide to Managing Emotion & Thought’ and may be purchased at Amazon.com, or Target.com. My email address is John@GuideToSelf.com.  My website is www.GuideToSelf.com. Please feel free to go and sign up for my newsletter by clicking on Email Sign Up on the left of the screen.

Now to your questions…

 

Hope you enjoyed it!

Have a wonderful evening,

John Schinnerer, Ph.D.

Guide To Self, Inc.

913 San Ramon Valley Blvd.

Danville, CA 94526

 http://www.guidetoself.com

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Simple Tool to Measure Degree of Engagement in Life in Older Adults - How Do You Get Out of Bed in AM?

14. October 2009 by John Schinnerer.

‘ScienceDaily (Oct. 12, 2009) — Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) have identified a tool — the “Getting-Out-of-Bed (GoB) measure” — to assess motivation and life outlook in older adults. The study, which appears in the October issue of the Journal of Psychosocial Oncology, shows that the tool has the potential to be an easy-to-use measure to bolster motivation and thus improve health behaviors and outcomes in the growing population of older adults. 

The demographics of aging in the United States continues to change dramatically. In 2006, 37 million Americans, 12 percent of the population were 65 years or older. By 2030, those 65 years and older are projected to number 71.5 million representing nearly 20 percent of the US population. Furthermore, between 1992 and 2004 average inflation-adjusted health care costs for older Americans increased from $8,644 to $13,052 and are expected to continue to rise considerably. According to the researchers, such numbers underscore the importance of understanding common diseases and health behaviors of older adults, because many conditions can be prevented and/or modified with behavioral interventions.

 

“Motivation and life outlook play an important part in an older adult’s ability to recover from illness or disabling events and to maintain and/or adopt health-promoting behaviors,” said lead author Kerri Clough-Gorr, DSc, MPH, from the Section of Geriatrics at BUSM.’

For full article, click here.

 

So how well do you get out of bed?

 

Do you spring out of bed, put both feet firmly on the ground and express gratitude for your health and well-being?

 

Or do you hit the snooze button ten times and grumble about having to get out from your warm covers?

 

This seems to be a powerful indicator of your motivation, engagement in life, and overall outlook on life. And the best part is, you can change how you get out of bed! As you learn to get out of bed with a more optimistic outlook, and more energy, odds are you will be more positively and passionately engaged in life. This simple change alone can reap tremendous benefits in every area of your life.

 

Wake up smiling!

 

John Schinnerer, Ph.D.

Positive Psychology Coach, Author, National Speaker

Danville, CA

 

Posted in Danville CA, National speakers, Gratitude, Positive expectations, Emotion & productivity, Sleep research, Body posture & the mind, Employee engagement, Energy psychology, Hope, Life coach, Dr. John Schinnerer, Realistic optimism, Guide to Self, Happiness, Resiliency, The human brain, Emotional mind, Positive Psychology | Print | No Comments »

The Healing Power of Water - Immersion Activates the Parasympathetic Nervous System Leading to Greater Calm

9. October 2009 by John Schinnerer.

I was practicing mindfulness while watching and listening to the ocean waves.

I’ve always felt that water has some healing properties. It has a restorative power. Then, I recently discovered that immersion in the water activates the parasympathetic nervous system which leads to greater peacefulness and calm. I have not verified this with research. Interesting idea, however.

Here’s a video so you can catch the feeling!

Mindfully,
John Schinnerer, Ph.D.
Positive Psychology Coaching
Guide To Self, Inc.
San Ramon Danville Alamo

Posted in Hope, Mindfulness, Energy psychology, Gratitude, Positive expectations, The human brain, Consciousness, Dr. John Schinnerer, Managing stress, Staying calm, Happiness, Emotional mind, Positive Psychology | Print | No Comments »

Dwelling on Loving-Kindness Increases Social Connection, Offsets Societal Changes Which Create Growing Distrust - Stanford Study

6. March 2009 by John Schinnerer.

John Schinnerer, Ph.D.

Positive Psychologist, Author, Entrepreneur

A study out of Stanford University reported in the journal Emotion (Vol. 8, No. 5, 2008) that seven minutes of meditation on the Buddhist notion of loving-kindness can increase one’s feelings of interconnectedness.

Roy Baumeister showed that connection with other people, to trust and be trusted, is a fundamental need of human beings (Baumeister and Leary, 1995). The feeling of interconnectedness, that feeling of shared humanity, improves physical, mental and emotional health. It also ups the degree to which we feel empathy for others. It also increases the frequency with which people act in a trusting and compassionate manner. And all of these lend themselves to a positive, socially constructive upward spiral of thought, emotion and action. 

The study, by Hutcherson, Seppala and Gross, found that the simple act of focusing one’s attention for 7 minutes on the feeling of love between oneself and a loved one has some amazing benefits…

It increases feelings of social connection.

It increases one’s frequency and intensity of positive emotions experienced.

It  increased feelings of positivity towards strangers.

And it did so on conscious and unconscious levels of awareness.

Thus, loving-kindness meditation is simple and inexpensive method to increase positive social emotions, such as compassion and thoughtfulness, and reduce alienation.

Take a look at the study at http://www-psych.stanford.edu/~psyphy/pdfs/Hutcherson_08_2.pdf. 

Keep bouncing!

Dr. John Schinnerer 

Guide To Self

Where meaning thrives

Dr. John is currently building a new private practice in Danville, CA. For an appointment, please email John AT GuideToSelf.com.

Dr. John Schinnerer is in private practice helping people with anger management, stress management and the latest, scientifically proven ways to deal with destructive negative emotions (anger, fear, sadness, guilt, shame). He also helps people learn ways to create a happy, meaningful life. His practice is located in the Danville-San Ramon Medical Center at 913 San Ramon Valley Blvd., #280, Danville, California 94526. He graduated summa cum laude from U.C. Berkeley with a Ph.D. in psychology. Dr. Schinnerer has been an executive and psychologist for over 10 years. Dr. John Schinnerer is President and Founder of Guide To Self, a company that coaches clients to their potential using the latest in positive psychology, mindfulness and attentional control. Dr. John Schinnerer hosted over 200 episodes of Guide To Self Radio, a prime time radio show, in the San Francisco Bay Area.  Dr. Schinnerer’s areas of expertise range from positive psychology, to emotional awareness, to moral development, to sports psychology. Dr. Schinnerer wrote the award-winning, “Guide To Self: The Beginner’s Guide To Managing Emotion and Thought,” which is available at Amazon.com, BarnesAndNoble.com and AuthorHouse.com.  

Posted in The human brain, Subconscious mind, Consciousness, Relationships, Mindfulness, Energy psychology, Awareness, Hope, Anger Management, Emotional management, Life coach, Dr. John Schinnerer, Positive Psychology, Guide to Self, Happiness, Emotional mind, Depression, Guide To Self Beginners Guide To Managing Emotion, Counseling | Print | No Comments »

The Official Positive Psychology Music Compilation is now available free of charge!

3. February 2009 by John Schinnerer.

Research has shown that music strongly affects our mood and our emotions, our thoughts and even our perceptions. Barb Fredrickson’s work demonstrates the positivity ratio is 3:1, that is we need three times as much positive emotions as negative emotions in our lives. 

Positive, constructive emotions are fleeting, ephemeral and quick. They can be easily outmuscled by negative or destructive emotions.

 We need to plant the seeds of positivity in the mind frequently and constantly. To that end. I have compiled a list of positive, upbeat, elevating songs so you can create your own playlist of positive psych songs.

 I would love to do a research study where only positive music is piped in to one team in an organization (as background music) compared to a no music condition as well as a popular radio station and track productivity, work engagement, creativity (innovation), sales, teamwork and so on.

I’ve had this positive playlist on for a couple weeks now and it works wonders for myself, my clients and my family. Try it for yourself.

The Official Positive Psychology Music Compilation is available free of charge at http://tinyurl.com/avafyy. Please send your suggestions for more positive songs to me at Info AT GuideToSelf.com! If I add your song to the list, I will email you a free pdf version of my award-winning book, Guide To Self: The Beginner’s Guide To Managing Emotion and Thought.

Thanks and enjoy!

Dr. John Schinnerer

Posted in Altruism, Resiliency, Men's emotions, Emotional management, Mindfulness, Hope, Music psychology, Energy psychology, Awareness, Emotional mind, Guide To Self Beginners Guide To Managing Emotion, Guide to Self, Life coach, Creativity, Dr. John Schinnerer, Emotional IQ, Staying calm, Morals and values, Positive mood music, Happiness, Positive Psychology | Print | No Comments »

Positive Uplifting Music for a Happy, Relaxed and Contented Mood to Benefit Education

31. January 2009 by John Schinnerer.

John L. Schinnerer, Ph.D.

Positive psychologist

Amateur musicologist

Music heavily influences how we feel.

The mood of a song can influence emotion in a constructive or a destructive direction.Joyful, energetic songs elicit happiness.

Sad, slow tempo songs elicit sadness.

Emotion influences how we perceive people and things.

Destructive emotions, such as sadness, anger and fear, greatly narrow attention to a sharp point.

Constructive emotions, such as happiness, surprise and curiosity, broaden attention.

When attention is broadened, we take in new information more effectively.

Positive, uplifting music helps to create constructive emotions which aid the learning of new information.

Here are a few positive psychology songs to keep your spirits elevated throughout the day…

Feel free to add your own suggestions!

Sun Is Shining                                                 Bob Marley

Peace Love and Happiness                            Bob Marley

Don’t Worry, Be Happy                                  Bobby McFerrin

Hallelujah (Your Love Is Amazing)                Brenton Brown

Darlin` Do Not Fear                                        Brett Dennen

Jump Jive An’ Wail                                         Brian Setzer Orchestra

Rock This Town                                              Brian Setzer Orchestra

Child Of Mine                                                 Carole King

Peace Train                                                     Cat Stevens

Love Can Move Mountains                           Celine Dion

I’m Every Woman                                           Chaka Kahn or Whitney Houston

Zoot Suit Riot                                                 Cherry Poppin’ Daddies

Dreamer                                                          Chris Brown

Remember, happiness is contagious! Smile!

About the Author

Dr. John Schinnerer is in private practice helping individuals learn happiness by mitigating destructive emotions and fostering constructive emotions. His practice is located in the Danville San Ramon Medical Center at 913 San Ramon Valley Blvd., #280, Danville, California 94526. He graduated summa cum laude from U.C. Berkeley with a Ph.D. in psychology. Dr. Schinnerer has been an executive and psychologist for over 12 years. Dr. John Schinnerer is President and Founder of Guide To Self, a company that coaches clients to their potential using the latest in positive psychology, mindfulness and attentional control. Dr. John Schinnerer hosted over 200 episodes of Guide To Self Radio, a prime time radio show, in the San Francisco Bay Area.  Dr. Schinnerer’s areas of expertise range from positive psychology, to emotional awareness, to ethical development, to marketing and psychology. Dr. Schinnerer wrote the award-winning, “Guide To Self: The Beginner’s Guide To Managing Emotion and Thought,” which is available at Amazon.com, BarnesAndNoble.com and AuthorHouse.com.  

Posted in Men's emotions, Subconscious mind, Emotional management, The human brain, Resiliency, Music psychology, Energy psychology, Mindfulness, Emotional mind, Positive mood music, Life coach, Creativity, Dr. John Schinnerer, Guide to Self, Emotional IQ, Happiness, Customer Engagement, Staying calm, Positive Psychology | Print | No Comments »

Music Undeniably Evokes Emotion and Influences Our Perceptions

30. January 2009 by John Schinnerer.

John L. Schinnerer, Ph.D.

Guide To Self, Inc.

Music has an undeniable power to evoke emotion. Music is present at every important social gathering – weddings, funerals, birthdays, inaugurations and more. Every ‘normal’ human being responds to music’s mysterious ability to tap into the boundless ocean that is human emotion.

Why does music evoke emotion?

How does music affect emotion?

Is music a basic human need like shelter, food and meaningful work?

Such questions cut to the very core of human nature. Answers to these questions would help to clarify the unique role of music in our lives.

It has been shown in research that different types of music evoke different emotional reactions (in most people). For example, Lewis, Dember, Schefft and Radenhausen determined the effects of music versus videos on several assessments of mood - the Optimism/Pessimism Questionnaire, the Multiple Affect Adjective Check List, and the Wessman-Ricks Elation and Depression Scale (1). Experts rated a number of songs and videos as either positive or negative. The study found that songs had a major impact on mood, yet the videos did not. Not surprisingly, music that was  rated positively increased participants’ positive moods. It was exactly the oppositve for negative (i.e., sad) music. As you may have guessed, the mood of a piece of music tends to induce the same mood in the listener.

Chastain, Seibert, and Ferraro (2) backed up these findings and found that certain music narrowed particpants’ attention. It was found that participants attended to and recalled words that matched the mood of the music. In and of itself, this is not surprising.

More surprising are the results reported by Stratton and Zalanowski (3) where the mood of the music influenced how participants perceived paintings. The music influenced mood and mood influenced perception. In the study, paintings were paired together with music. Each piece of music was either depressing or positive in the emotion it evoked per the experts. Particpants rated the emotions evoked by the paintings as well as the songs.  Participants categorized the paintings by the type of music to which the listened, but not vice versa. In other words, paintings rated as sad by the experts were perceived as sad by participants when paired with sad music. Yet those same paintings were perceived as positive when paired with happy music; the same findings were reported when positive paintings were paired with happy or sad music, respectively.

Amazingly, the way in which we perceive a seemingly static object is not as objective as first thought. The emotions invoked by music influence not only our ears, but our eyes as well. Emotions likely influence every one of our senses (i.e., smell, touch, taste, mind). 

If emotions and music can influence our senses and how we perceive objects around us, what about other people?  Do music and emotion exert an influence on how we perceive other people?  They do.

The effects of music on emotion influence how we perceive the facial expressions of others. extends to interpersonal interactions. In a fascinating study, Bouhuys, Bloem and Groothuis looked at the extent to which music influences how participants read the facial expression of emotions of others (5).  Music had a considerable effect. After hearing sad music, participants rated neutral faces as showing more rejection and sadness and less openness and happiness, despite the absense of any such emotions in the faces.

Although it is not clear why music has such an influence on our emotions, mood and behaviors, it seems clear that music does alter how we perceive the world around us. Temporary emotions caused by music change what we pay attention to, what we perceive, and how we interact with others. It brings into question the notion that there is one objective reality that can ultimately be accurately perceived.  

References

(1) Lewis, L.M., Dember, W. N., Scheff, B. K. and Radenhausen, R. A. (1995) Can experimentally induced mood affect optimism and pessimism scores? Curr. Psychol.: Devel., Learn., Person., Social., 14, 29-41.

(2) Chastain, G., Seibert, P.S., and Ferraro, F. R. (1995) Mood and lexical access of positive, negative, and neutral words. J. General Psychol., 122, 137-157.

(3) Stratton, V.N. and Zalanowski, A.H. (1989) The effects of music and paintings on mood. J. Music Ther., 26, 30-41.

Posted in Men's emotions, Emotional management, Mindfulness, Energy psychology, Music psychology, Emotional mind, Positive mood music, Life coach, Dr. John Schinnerer, Guide to Self, Emotional IQ, Happiness, Positive Psychology | Print | No Comments »

Music Influences the Thinking Mind

30. January 2009 by John Schinnerer.

John L. Schinnerer, Ph.D.

Music strongly influences the mind on a number of levels. Music engages both verbal and auditory skills and can even involve visual skills. Recent research (2008) by Dr. Michael S. Gazzaniga of the University of California at Santa Barbara found that an interest in music leads to a high state of motivation that produces the sustained attention necessary to improve performance and the training of attention that leads to improvement in other domains such as math and writing.   

Posted in Music psychology, Energy psychology, Guide to Self, Dr. John Schinnerer | Print | No Comments »

The Will to a Meaningful Life

23. January 2009 by John Schinnerer.

John L. Schinnerer, Ph.D.

Assuming the existence of other levels of reality that are invisible to the human eye, let’s take a look at the playing field, which in this case is the individual – you and me. Human beings are made up of a life force, or spirit. In her book, Positive Energy, Judith Orloff describes Energy Psychiatry as a new specialty which “views our bodies and spirits as manifestations of subtle energies.”  As she points out, many individuals have spent time and money on cognitive therapies in the hopes that contentment may be found along the path of intellect alone.

To some extent this is true – the mind is often the starting line. The rational mind is one of the subtle energies of which we are comprised. Exploration of the rational mind is the typical place to embark upon the inner journey and it frequently leads to deep intellectual and emotional discoveries. The rational mind is an important part of the playing field, but it is not the entire field.

There are at least six types of subtle energies – intellectual, emotional, ethical, spiritual, physical, and relational.  Each of these areas has to be filled, renewed and replenished regularly for you to live out your potential, to live with passion and purpose. It is not sufficient to address one or two or three of these areas and expect any lasting positive change. All six areas must be taken together, worked on together, to effect a lasting, meaningful change.

In The Power of Full Engagement, Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz do an excellent job of pointing out some of the fundamental rules of the game of life:

“Managing energy, not time, is the fundamental currency of high performance. Performance is grounded in the skillful management of energy.”

“Because energy diminishes both with overuse and with underuse, we must balance energy expenditures with intermittent energy renewal. To build capacity, we must push beyond our normal limits, training in the same systematic way that elite athletes do. Positive energy rituals – highly specific routines for managing energy – are the key to full engagement and to sustained high performance.”

It is the successful management of these subtle energies that enable you to perform at your best, with passion and purpose, in the game of life. In general, these subtle energies are defined as follows:

Intellectual energy – Intellectual energy is your thoughts, beliefs and attitudes. It is the self-talk that runs through your head when you converse with yourself silently. We typically combine intellectual and emotional energy into one area as several sources have shown that thought and emotion are frequently intertwined. There is no clear evidence at this time that one precedes the other. The goal, however, is to separate your thoughts from your emotions so that you can perceive what is “out there” with greater clarity.

Emotional energy – Emotional energy is your mood and your affect and your ability to be aware of and control them. Your mood is the underlying feeling, or what you really feel at any given moment. Your affect is the emotional mask that you show to the outside world. Emotions frequently cloud our interpretation of that which is going on around us. One of the purposes of this blog is to help you slow down the emotional hijacking process, recognize that you are becoming emotional, breathe, and release the emotion. This enables you to perceive things more clearly without emotion fogging the lens.

Spiritual energy – Spiritual energy is the degree to which you believe in a higher power. It is that subtle energy which gives you Meaning in life. Spiritual energy increases in direct proportion to one’s awareness of the interconnectedness of all things. In my opinion, without this awareness and a faith in a higher power, there is no Meaning nor happiness. I’m sure some will argue this point. However, my experience has shown me that this is a necessary component of Meaning.

Ethical energy – Ethical energy is the extent to which you behave in accordance with your values. Of course, to be able to do this, you have to be aware of your values. Values are those principles which you would be willing to die for, or better yet, to live for. Acting in accordance with your values and ethics increases the degree to which you are engaged in your life. The greater your degree of engagement, the greater is your happiness and satisfaction.

Physical energy – Physical energy is your physical health, stamina, endurance, blood pressure, pulse, and so on. This includes all the measures of the physical health of your body.

Relational energy – Relational energy is the energy gained or lost through interacting with other people. Energy vampires can drain it from you. Loved ones can restore it through compassion, listening and love.

These areas support and replenish a central reservoir of energy like a spider web. The reservoir of energy is dependent upon your ability to renew yourself in each of these six areas. To the extent that you are depleted in any one of the six areas, the storage capacity of your reservoir is reduced. Thus, if you are in poor physical health and always exhausted, your reservoir, or gas tank, is reduced in size. The smaller your reservoir, the less likely you are to perform at your peak in the other five areas. The goal is to maintain your awareness and to renew your energy in each of these areas in order to maximize your productivity, potential and happiness.

Posted in The human brain, Consciousness, Relationships, Awareness, Energy psychology, Anger Management, Emotional management, Dr. John Schinnerer, Guide to Self, Emotional IQ, Happiness, Positive Psychology | Print | No Comments »