Even if you never get it right, just practicing–a sport, a musical instrument, a foreign language- can have a big psychological payoff down the line, particularly if it’s something that you have chosen to do for your own enjoyment. That’s the conclusion of research conducted at San Francisco State University, where psychologists examined whether people who spend time on activities that fulfill certain
psychological needs, believed to be necessary for growth and well-being,
experience greater happiness. An SF State press release reports that, for two days, participants
reported how they spent each hour, the enjoyment and stress experienced in
that hour, and whether the activity met their need for competency, connectedness
to others or autonomy. A second group of participants completed a similar
survey, but reported on the day as a whole. While behaviors that increase
competency were associated with decreased happiness in the moment, people
who spent time on activities that met the need for autonomy or feeling connected
to others experienced increased happiness on both an hourly and daily basis.
The greatest increase in momentary happiness was experienced by participants
who engaged in something that met their need for autonomy –any behavior
that a person feels they have chosen, rather than ought to do, and that helps
them further their interests and goals.The study found that those
who are already satisfied with their life in the long term stand to gain
most from the momentary happiness that is derived from feeling connected
to others and a sense of autonomy. What does that mean?
“Like a wine connoisseur whose experience means they can appreciate
a fine wine more than a novice,” one researcher explained, “people who are already satisfied with their
life may have learned how to glean the satisfaction of these needs from their
daily activities.”
If you’re interested in a new approach to boost your happiness based on the latest positive psychology research, check out our iPhone app: Live Happy; it’s based on the work of Dr. Sonja Lyubomirsky, author of “The How of Happiness” and provides a unique method to create a personalized program to increase your happiness.
You can also learn more about the iPhone app on our Facebook page.
I’ve wanted to take piano lessons since I was 6 years old. Fifty years later, it’s finally happened. The hour of practice each day brings profound happiness and releieves the debilitating stress of my job. It is also better (and much less expensive) than therapy. My teacher and I laugh the lesson time away and she says that I am her “star” student. Why? It’s not how well I play…it’s because I practice.
Read the “Talent Code”