Does Happiness Matter? Applying Positive Psychology to Advising Teri Duever Oregon State University School of Psychological Science

What is the best thing that has happened to you since you left for this conference? Why do you think it happened that way? Pair Share

Psychology Mental Illness Depression, Anxiety, Schizophrenia, Autism, Bipolar Disorder, etc.

Psychology Mental Health Harmony, comfort, gladness, fun, thrill, euphoria, wisdom, courage, love, justice, temperance, etc.

Does Happiness Matter? Self-Reported Mental Health across 5,689 students in13 colleges. The Relationship of Level of Positive Mental Health With Current Mental Disorders in Predicting Suicidal Behavior And Academic Impairment in College Students Corey L. M. Keyes, PhD, et al., Journal of American College Health, 2012 Flourishing: 51% 2,947 Students Moderate: 44.6% 2,537 Students Languishing: 3.6% 204 Students

Depression and Anxiety Percentage of Students with Mental Disorders by Mental Health Category Flourishing: 2897 Students 1.7% Mental Health Disorders Moderate: 2537 Students 11.6% Mental Health Disorders Languishing: 294 Students 49% Mental Health Disorders

Without Mental Disorders Percentage of students without Mental Disorders who experienced Suicidal Behaviors or Academic Impairment Flourishing 2,897 students Suicidal Behaviors: 1.3% 37 students Academic Impairment: 2.4% 70 students Moderate 2,243 students Suicidal Behaviors: 3.9% 87 students Academic Impairment: 5.6% 126 students Languishing 104 students Suicidal Behaviors:15.4% 15 students Academic Impairment: 17.0% 18 students

With Mental Disorders Percentage of students with Mental Disorders who experienced Suicidal Behaviors or Academic Impairment Flourishing 50 students Suicidal Behaviors: 7% (up from 1.3%) 4 students Academic Impairment: 20.4% (up from 2.4%) 10 students Moderate 294 students Suicidal Behaviors: 18% (up from 3.9%) 53 students Academic Impairment: 34% (up from 5.6%) 100 students Languishing 100 students Suicidal Behaviors:28.3% (up from 15.4%) 28 students Academic Impairment: 52% (up from 17.0%) 52 students

Does Happiness Matter? Findings (paraphrased): Lots of college students experience depression and anxiety. Depressed and anxious students are at a greater risk of suicidal behavior and academic impairment. Flourishing students are at the lowest risk of suicidal behavior and academic impairment among students. Conclusion: Flourishing protects against suicidal behavior and academic impairment.

What is Flourishing? Flourishing: a theory of Happiness and Well-Being by Martin Seligman, Ph.D. Positive Emotions, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, and Achievements

Positive Emotions More than just a good mood.

Positive Emotions Pair Share Think of a meaningful kindness that somebody did toward you for no reason at all. Share what that kindness was, and how it made you feel. Plot a kindness you could do toward somebody this week.

“You can’t lead somebody to a place you’ve never been.” Positive Emotions: What do students look like on the far negative end of this continuum? What might be a clue that a student was too far into the negative emotion section of this continuum? What resources would you refer this student to?

Engagement Getting “lost” in something.

Engagement Pair Share Think of an activity that you enjoy so much you lose track of time. Try to describe how it feels to be lost in that activity. What could you change in your life in order to be able to experience it more often?

“You can’t lead somebody to a place you’ve never been.” Engagement: What are clues that a student is not engaging in their school work or anything else for that matter? What are some unhealthy engagements? What resources would you refer this student to?

Relationships Joy is often best when shared.

Relationships Pair Share Is there somebody you could call at 3:00 am if you really needed to? Who is it? Share a little about that relationship?

“You can’t lead somebody to a place you’ve never been.” Relationships: What are some situations where you see students who do not have the relationship supports that they need? What resources would you refer this student to?

Meaning Why do you get up every morning?

Meaning Pair Share What is it that makes you want to get out of bed every morning? What gives your life purpose or meaning? What would you do if you could spend more of your life pursuing that purpose?

“You can’t lead somebody to a place you’ve never been.” Meaning: When does this subject come up in advising? What are the comments of students who seem to lack meaning? What resources would you refer this student to?

Accomplishments Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Vivamus et magna. Fusce sed sem sed magna suscipit egestas. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Vivamus et magna. Fusce sed sem sed magna suscipit Reward for not giving up.

Accomplishments Pair Share What accomplishment are you preparing for, practicing for, and anticipating? Or, what is something you would like to accomplish, even if you are not currently preparing for it? What is one step you could take toward it this week?

“You can’t lead somebody to a place you’ve never been.” Achievement: What are some examples of typical achievements for college students? What can you do for the student who is not experiencing any of these?

Happiness Homework What went well? And why? Kindness Exercise Letter and/or Visit of Gratitude Spending Exercise Strengths Identification and Exercise Detailed Instructions for these exercises are provided in the handout.

Resources Cited Buettner, D. (2008). Blue Zones. Washington DC: National Geographic Corey L. M. Keyes PhD, Daniel Eisenberg PhD, Geraldine S. Perry DrPH, Shanta R. Dube PhD, MPH, Kurt Kroenke MD & Satvinder S. Dhingra MPH (2012): The Relationship of Positive Mental Health With Current Mental Disorders in Predicting Suicidal Behavior and Academic Impairment in College Students, Journal of American College Health, 60:2, Seligman, Martin E.P.(2002). Authentic Happiness. New York, NY: Free Press Seligman, Martin E.P. (2011) Flourish. New York: Free Press Snowdon, D. (2002). Aging with Grace. New York: Bantam Books Valliant, George E. (2003). Aging Well. Boston: Little Brown and Company

Does Happiness Matter? Yes!

Choose Happiness! It does matter.