Hardwiring Happiness summary

Chances are you’ve seen pictures of a human brain: It’s that spongy organ in our head that sort of resembles a weird cauliflower. As you undoubtedly know, this odd-looking thing is extremely complex, constantly learning and developing.

Far from a static entity, the brain is changing all the time. In fact, it changes with each experience we have.

If you were ever the last one chosen for a game of soccer during school recess, then you may be familiar with what happens as a result: The bloodstream gets flooded with stress hormones, the heart races and it feels like it’s a matter of life or death, not a childish popularity contest.

Such overblown human reactions actually date back to when feelings of panic often did save lives.

So far we’ve learned a lot about how and why our brain focuses on the negative aspects of life.

But this tendency is actually so common that it has a name. It’s called the negativity bias.

Have you ever found yourself enjoying a rare moment of happiness and noticing things you hadn’t before? You might suddenly notice that the birds are chirping, the flowers blooming, and life seems all right again. Well, such pleasant moments needn’t be so rare.

Bringing positive input into your everyday life can actually be done quickly and with ease.

Have you ever looked out over a beautiful landscape or admired a stunning sunset and felt the desire to pause time, to sustain that moment forever? Well, you should! Indeed, we can do exactly this with all our positive experiences, even the smallest ones.

While positive thinking isn’t a new idea, recent research suggests that we can rewire our brain’s negativity bias into a positivity bias by strengthening our positive experiences.

Let’s face it: life can be harsh. A difficult childhood or the traumatic loss of a loved one – these are painful experiences to live with. But there is hope. Even a small moment spent with a beloved pet can help heal old wounds.

Trite but true: new positive experiences help us overcome old traumas – even ones that have haunted us since childhood.

Contrary to the opinion of some, happiness is not in short supply. Truth is, there is no limit to the amount of positive experiences you can create for yourself to help rewire your mind toward happiness.

If you need a positive experience to strengthen, you could create one by imagining yourself in a place you’ve always wanted to visit or surfing the perfect ocean wave. Or you could increase the chances of having a new experience by walking a path you’ve never taken and noticing new things.