Imagining Happiness

We all spend some part of our lives chasing happiness in one way or another. Typically we have beliefs that tell us that we will gain happiness when we have something that we desire or crave. We may not even stop to process what is going on when the thing we wanted and got does not do it in any lasting way. We unconsciously tend to assume that we need bigger, better or duplicates of that which we craved and we are off and running again! At some point we realize that happiness is an inside job and we are responsible for creating it. This may be surprising but it is also empowering. Research into happiness provides us with some guidelines for helping to shift our minds in the direction of greater happiness and inner peace. The excerpt below presents one idea for using daydreaming to feel what it is you would like to feel…the brain does not really know the difference between real and imagined! Perhaps those of us in the northeast can imagine electricity flowing in our homes once again and the happiness that will bring! 🙂

From the Daily Good: http://www.dailygood.org/more.php?n=4777

Enjoy experiences without spending time actually doing them. Research in the field of neuroscience has shown that the part of the brain responsible for feeling pleasure €” the mesolimbic dopamine system €” can be activated when merely thinking about something pleasurable, such as drinking a favorite brand of beer or driving a favorite type of sports car. In fact, this research shows that people sometimes enjoys anticipating an activity more than actually doing it.

For example, reading guidebooks in advance of a big vacation and anticipating the food you’ll eat and the activities you’ll do while there could actually give you more pleasure than the vacation itself. In short, research suggests that we can be just as well €” if not sometimes better €” off if we imagine experiences without having them. So to increase happiness, spend plenty of time happily daydreaming.