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The Psychology of Happiness
People everywhere want happiness, and scientists have long sought to
identify the psychology of what makes us happy. New investigations
have uncovered how big a role words influence our happiness. Word
choice has the potential to bolster or damage our well-being, in turn
affecting emotions, thoughts, and actions. As Dr. Barbara Fredrickson,
an acclaimed positive psychologist, notes: "Positive words can help us
cloud our attention, increase our creativity, and build resilience."
Positive words can rewire our brain, making it more optimistic and
increasing happiness. When we hear or read positive words, our brain's
reward centers are activated, releasing feel-good neurotransmitters like
dopamine and endorphins. Dr. Kosslyn and Dr. Koenig (1992) refer to
this reaction as the "positive feedback loop." The cognitive
neuroscience also reveals that positive language shifts our focus from
the negative to a solution-oriented mindset. It is due to the increased
activity in the prefrontal cortex, an area responsible for executive
function and decision-making.
Gratitude is one aspect of positive language that has been researched
heavily in its relation to happiness. Dr. Robert Emmons, an expert on
gratitude, states that people who practice it feel greater happiness and
life satisfaction as well as better social connections (Emmons &
McCullough, 2003). Another word that has a lot of influence on
happiness is "love," releasing the hormone oxytocin that can help
strengthen social bonds and create feelings of warmth, often referred to
as a "cuddle hormone." On the other hand, negative words can affect
happiness negatively. When we use anxiety-causing words, a stress
response results, and cortisol is released (Kabat-Zinn, 2003).
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