Striving for happiness ? Then forget the new job, retail therapy or extended holiday – thanks to science it’s time to try some age old techniques that are making a comeback.
Sceptical about carrying that lucky charm you’ve been given ? Don’t be. New research has shown that it can do more than just bring you luck. It can increase your confidence, improve your sense of self worth and give you a psychological boost!
The research, conducted by professor Richard Wiseman of the university of Hertfordshire, England, involved 100 participants carrying around a supposedly ‘lucky’ Victorian penny for one month. The participants were asked to keep a diary of their emotional and mental state, and record how their fortunes changed in areas such as finance and health. At the end of the study approximately 30% reported an increase in luck.
“When it comes to totally chance events like a lottery, it made no difference, but when it comes to luck in life, it made a real difference in terms of opportunities and confidence.” Said Professor Wiseman. Those who reported an increase in luck reported it in terms of personal happiness, optimism and positive feelings for the future.
“I was really surprised when more than 70% of the participants said that they would not be parting with their ‘lucky pennies’ after the project,” said Professor Wiseman. “This project suggests that carrying some kind of lucky charm can not only improve your luck in life, but more importantly it can give you a real psychological boost and positively affect the way you are.” The research concluded that if you genuinely believe the ‘charm’ will bring you luck and positively affect your life, it will.
I’m sure Ferrari’s Michael Schumacher would agree. He wears a blue and gold amulet, given to him by his wife around his neck at every race. “It’s a lucky piece and it’s obviously quite meaningful to me because it has all the initials of the family on there” he said. Schumacher has been known to cause quite a stir when the amulet goes missing. This is precisely what happened prior to the start of the inaugural Bahrain Grand Prix when Schumacher realised that he had left his ‘lucky’ necklace in his hotel room. A team member had to make a ‘mad dash’ to the hotel ensuring that Schumacher received the amulet before the start of the race. Schumacher won the race stating that that amulet had made “perhaps the decisive difference”.
There is no doubt that the real “decisive difference” when it comes to lucky charms is the “incredible power of the mind”. The majority of people do not realise that they possess a great power within themselves and therefore resort to other things to give them strength, such as anything from good luck charms to fortune tellers and gods. Whether we believe in these things or in ourselves, it is the power of our own belief that is being reflected back to us. The stronger the belief, the greater the changes we will see in our lives.
Dr Wayne Dyer a contemporary original thinker and self-improvement guru says “You become what you think about all day and those days become your lifetime. Change your mind .. change your life.” When we truly believe in the power of lucky charms they act as a catalyst for us to think more optimistically, this changes our thoughts, our actions, our attitudes and ultimately changes our lives.
This power of belief can be readily observed in placebo research. The ‘placebo effect’ is the phenomenon that a patient’s symptoms can be alleviated simply because the individual expects or believes that the treatment will work. Dr Timothy Walsh, a researcher at Columbia University states that “nearly one third of patients in antidepressant trials respond to placebos, a very high number.” While about a quarter patients complaining of back pain administered with a placebo typically report a relief or decrease in pain. “Remarkably, not only do patients report improvement, the improvements often are objectively measurable, and the same improvements typically are not observed in patients who did not receive the placebo.”
This research clearly shows that, when it comes to leading a happier and more fulfilling life, our greatest ally is our mind. But if lucky charms and placebos aren’t for you, would you consider meditation ?
The Dalai Lama says ” All human beings have an innate desire to overcome suffering, to find happiness. Training the mind to think differently, through meditation, is one important way to avoid suffering and be happy…”
Top psychologists and neuroscientists, including Dr. Richard Davidson, director of the Laboratory for Affective Neuroscience at the University of Wisconsin have been studying the brains of meditators using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and advanced electroencephalogram (EEG) analysis. Utilising these advanced technologies the researchers have been able to probe deep into the human brain and map the resulting brain activity.
The mapping reveals that generally people with happy temperaments exhibit a high ratio of activity in the left prefrontal cortex, an area associated with happiness, joy and enthusiasm. Whilst those who are prone to anxiety, fear and depression exhibit a higher ratio of activity in the right prefrontal cortex.
The brains of meditating monks showed persistent activity in left prefrontal cortex and this activity continued long after the meditation ended. Dr Davidson noted that “ the degree to which the left side of [the monks] brain lit up far surpassed 150 other subjects [non meditators] measured.” Given the reading for meditating monks was off the chart for happiness, Dr Davidson believes that studying the minds of meditating monks can help us learn how meditation can mold our brains to develop happier and less-afflicted temperaments.
Buddhists have long maintained that meditation offers great benefits to their minds and bodies and now science is beginning to support their claims. The Dalai Lama fully supports Dr Davidson’s research stating that he “hopes researchers can scientifically prove that meditation has medical and emotional benefits…to offer the world a proven method for relieving suffering and finding happiness.”
For centuries we have been seeking happiness through materialistic means and it is clearly not working. A study released by the Australia Institute, based on unpublished Australian Bureau of Statistics (BS) data, reveals that despite the threefold increase in wealth since the 1950’s we are no happier with our lot. About 27 per cent of adults surveyed by the ABS said that they relied on pharmaceuticals, alcohol or illicit drugs to cope with life.
Today depression is recognised by the World Health Organisation as one of the world’s 10 most common health disorders. More and more antidepressant drugs are coming onto the market daily. The only big winners are clearly the drug companies. Dr Tracy O’Keefe says “I regularly encounter clients who have been on happy pills for 30 years or more, become addicted and are unable to live their lives without them. Sadly many of these people are unable to live happy lives even with the pills.” The only real winners are the drug companies. There has to be a better way.
With science now demonstrating the power of the mind, how much more evidence do we need before we start using our mind instead of our money to find true and sustainable happiness ? The power of the mind is no longer fantasy it’s a fact. Lucky charms and meditation are simply two of hundreds of possible ways to start to “change your mind to change your life”. Whatever method you choose, one thing is for sure, in your pursuit of happiness it’s time to tap into that hidden power and get an edge on life
