Happy Idiot Syndrome : Defacing the Myth

TOP QUESTION: If you are happy does that mean you are out of touch with reality? 

i.e. Are you a happy idiot?

EXPERT ANSWER: Harvard, Stanford, and University of California all teach happiness science.        <wait for audience response>

SARCASTIC RESPONSE: Are America’s top universities teaching Idiots?! I think not!

                                                                                                                                                                   

As I champion the message of sustainable happiness day in and day out to all walks of life from housewives to state Judges, I quite commonly get asked about the “Happy Idiot” Syndrome.

Generational, Societal, Cultural, Scientific, and Spiritual messages are wrapped up in the human experience of happiness.

The message of the happy idiot syndrome must change just as much as the message of the ‘pursuit’ of happiness. Respectively the inaccurate messages are "you are dumb if you are happy" and "you can achieve sustainable happiness outside of yourself."

What does it really mean to be a happy idiot?

A happy idiot connotes, a person who is out of touch with reality and is ignorant of all the terrible things happening in the world.

Surely, if the happy idiot knew about the war, homelessness, slavery, disaster, and the list is endless, they would not be happy!

This common way of thinking must change.

It must become updated to the current view of happiness science where one actually has control of your emotional state and you learn how to be happy just like any other topic in your life.

Let’s take a bird’s eye view….

You want world peace right?

Arguably, most people on Earth would agree they would desire peace on Earth.

If this was so, people would be laughing and smiling. 

People would be happy and healthy. 

This begins with you.

You making the happiness decision

To be happy right now.

In the first step of sustainable happiness, you become empowered over your own happiness.

This means you actually sign a declaration written by Lionel Ketchian, Founder of The Happiness Clubs Worldwide.

I ____ <insert your name>

Do solemnly decide

to adopt the happiness decision

By being happy now

Rather than react to my problems

I will use happiness to respond to them

Forsaking all negative thoughts

Regardless of circumstances,

I all ways I will choose happiness

For the rest of my life.

This seems easy to do yet let me highlight the two main challenges where the work comes in:

Forsaking all negative thoughts

And

Responding to circumstances with happiness

Those two intentions are what will help to create peace on Earth.

When you are positive thinking, your brain is expanding and working at an optimal state. Here is an excerpt from an informative and practical report conducted by the Mayo Clinic:

The health benefits of positive thinking

Researchers continue to explore the effects of positive thinking and optimism on health. Health benefits that positive thinking may provide include:

• Increased life span
• Lower rates of depression
• Lower levels of distress
• Greater resistance to the common cold
• Better psychological and physical well-being
• Reduced risk of death from cardiovascular disease
• Better coping skills during hardships and times of stress

And when you are responding to circumstances with happiness, you are solution focused with a bent toward high emotional intelligence, thus tackling the challenge with a flourishing mind and solution focused mindset.

By all means, I am not encouraging you to stick your head in the sand and ignore the world’s suffering.

I am encouraging you to take charge of your own happiness instead of waiting for the world’s suffering to end because then you can become part of the solution with a clear working mindset and the ability to creatively problem solve to help in stopping the daily devastations.

Let’s move from the myth of the happy idiot to the truth of the creative change makers.

My thinking on happiness is influenced by people who have PhDs, MDs, ancient philosophers, spiritual gurus, a Nobel Peace nominee, and empirically based data. 

Different than a ‘Happy Idiot.”

Dr Aymee Coget

Sustainable Happiness Doctor

Author of Forthcoming Book : Sustainable Happiness in 5 Steps

sfhappinessdoctor at gmail dot com

www.happinessmakeover.com
5 Steps Audio Program

Sustainable Happiness: Happiness Science Makes it Possible

Why is happiness science so important?

It offers a choice.

It offers a choice to learn a skill of how to feel better.

When people seek the care of a mental health professional it is because they have no other alternative.

People jump off bridges because they feel they have no choice.

This choice is the absolute most powerful way to help someone who feels like devastation, depression and suicide are the only options.

This choice is based in a learning method that can be applied just as simple as arithmetic.

If I were to line up 100 people and ask them if they knew of positive psychology, 99 would most likely say NO.

This is a science that must be brought into the mainstream to show people they have a choice.

A choice beyond complaining about you problems.

A choice beyond blaming others for circumstances.

A choice beyond victimization and disempowerment.

A choice beyond taking medication which has a side effect of suicide, lethargy, weight gain, and loss of libido or even suicide.

If I were to ask you,

‘Would you like to become fat, never sleep again, never enjoy all that sex can offer, or potentially kill yourself?’

OR

‘Would you like to learn how to learn and implement happiness science in your daily life?’

What would be your answer?

Seems clear?!

Happiness leads to better health, sleep and lasting satisfying relationships.

What is stopping happiness science from being taught more widespread?

What is stopping people from knowing they have a choice?

What is stopping you from becoming empowered over your own happiness?

Instead of waiting for goal achievement, the right person, place, thing or circumstance, you could implement this science just like chemistry and math are part of your daily experience.

At some point we all have to take charge of ourselves.  I like to think about each person as a leader: a leader of your life.

Leaders are empowered.

Leaders have a choice.

Leaders can learn and lead by example.

If you are a leader and you are not positive, then you are a detriment to those who follow you.

You have a duty to work on your own self-improvement and positivity because of the 3 degrees of separation of emotional contagion. (according to 2008 Harvard research)

I am sure you want your loved ones to be positive and feel good.

I am sure you want peace on Earth where people are healthy, happy, laughing and smiling.

I am sure you want to feel empowered over your emotional and mental experience.

I am sure you want an upward spiral in your life.

Taking the first step is empowering yourself to make that choice.

Make the decision to be happy and start from there.

Your brain expands, neuroplasticity occurs, disorders are treated as you take a conscious action in employing positive psychology according to a 2010 research study. 

The first step in the 5 steps of sustainable happiness is EMPOWERMENT

This means you choose to empower yourself over your happiness and no longer wait for a person, place, thing, circumstance or goal achievement to in front of your happiness.

Your happiness no longer is a bi product. It is the bullseye of your life.

As you grow your attention on how to empower yourself over your own emotional well being and employ happiness science in your life, you can control and unleash your upward spiral.

I fondly call this ‘magic and rainbows’

I recommend declaring your own empowerment by signing this document in red ink and posting it on your refrigerator as a daily reminder.

This is a certification created by Lionel Ketchian, et al.  to help you fortify your empowerment over your personal experience of happiness. Lionel has sustained his happiness for greater than 20 years and it was based from his 24 hour commitment to making the happiness decision.  This is indeed the most important decision of your life.

The two skills to maintaining this decision are responding to circumstances with happiness and eliminating all negative thoughts. 

Happiness science is work.

Maintaining your sustainable happiness is work.

Recommitting to your own happiness decision is work.

Learning how to sustain the happiness decision is taught in steps two, three, four and five.

Making this first step, is the biggest step and the only step to make in order for a strong foundation of sustainable happiness to be built.

Do you want to choose empowerment?

Do you want to take the first step?

Do you want to make the happiness decision?

Do you want to learn how to sustain this for the rest of your life?!

Do you want to start your upward spiral today?

Do you want to contribute to this conversation?

Dr Aymee Coget

Sustainable Happiness Doctor

Sfhappinessdoctor at gmail dot com

www.happinessmakeover.com