Thinking Your Way to Happiness

Key Issue with Happiness Research

• Current research identifies who is happy but not how to become happy.
• Factors like earning $100,000/year and having a sexually fulfilling relationship correlate with happiness but are hard to achieve instantly.

HG Coaching

• Offers resources such as YouTube videos but emphasizes the benefits of coaching for quicker results.
• Coaching focuses on discovering personal goals, overcoming procrastination, and finding motivation.

The Importance of Thoughts

• Happiness can be controlled through thoughts more than emotions.
• In psychotherapy, healthier thinking often leads to emotional improvement.
• Cognitive reframing (changing thoughts) is effective in therapy.
• Emotion-focused coping alone can lead to being stuck.

Sequence of Thoughts and Emotions

1. Thought: Cognitive thought happens first.
2. Emotion: Thought triggers an emotional response.
3. Thought Loop: Emotions spur more thoughts, leading to potential mental illness.

Thought Loops

• Negative thought loops can lead to mental anguish and reaching for distractions (e.g., alcohol, video games).
• Substance or technology use as distractions often stem from the need to halt negative thinking.

Subvocalization

• Yogis used mantra (mantra) to cultivate the right thoughts by repeating them softly under their breath.
• Subvocalization activates the frontal lobes responsible for behavior control.
• More effective in sinking thoughts deeply compared to vocalizing out loud.

Practical Application

• When facing negative thoughts, imagine speaking to a friend and offering positive encouragement.
• Use subvocalization to bypass negative self-arguments and implant positive thoughts.

Schizophrenia and Subvocalization

• Studies show that people with schizophrenia subvocalize constantly, correlating with powerful reality distortions.
• For all humans, subvocalization activates brain areas that can effectively implant thoughts.

Conclusion

• Thought control is a crucial tool for happiness.
• While the idea of thinking your way to happiness might seem insane, evidence from psychotherapy and yogic practices supports its efficacy.

Recommendation: Try incorporating subvocalization and cognitive reframing practices for improved mental well-being.