Issue #14 “Is Happiness in our Genes?”

Personal update: My wife (Kristen) and I are expecting a new addition to our family in early June (Neo Heron Elfinstone).

Starting with this issue, I have decided to conclude each newsletter with a recipe for delicious and healthy eating by friend, health guru, and chef extraordinaire, John Newcomb.

This months topic is written by another friend of mine, Mike Mahler, who is many things including an expert on strength and flexibility training. Mike trains both high performance athletes and everyday people and educates them in creating healthy Vegan diets appropriate for their lifestyle. I have also found him to be very honest, down to earth, reflective, and have some interesting ideas on personal growth and philosophy.

Before Reading Mike’s article on “Is Happiness in our Genes” I would like to say that there are many things we can do to increase our level of inner contentment and enthusiasm for life.

One of the best developments I have come across is a series of audio Meditation CD’s that ingeniously use sound frequencies. These sound frequencies help the everyday person’s brain reach deeply peaceful and beneficial Theta and Delta states usually only accessible to Zen monks and Yogi’s who have been meditating for over 20 years. Now thanks to this technology you can push a button and reap the deep benefits of these states. I highly recommend ordering the free demo CD for yourself: www.centerpointe.com.

“Is Happiness in our Genes?”

by Mike Mahler

“Research now confirms what common sense has always told us: Happy people live longer, enjoy healthier lives, achieve more success, and maintain stronger relationships than the chronically unhappy.” Liz Seymour

On a recent business trip I came across a very interesting article in of all places US Airways magazine. The article was by Liz Seymour on the topic of happiness. At first I thought it was going to be another patronizing article on forced positive thinking being the key to happiness. To my pleasant surprise Liz’s article turned out to be one of the most fascinating articles I have read in some time.

How do we define happiness? According to Ed Diener, professor of psychology at the University of Illinois, happiness is a combination of “life satisfaction, positive emotions, and low levels of negative emotions.” In other words, people that are happy genuinely enjoy their lives and genuinely feel good most of the time. They see the world full of opportunities rather than full of fear and sorrow.

The pursuit of happiness is one goal that all of us have. At the end of the day every goal we pursue is for the end goal of being happier. We want to make more money because we think it will make us happier. We want to find a life partner and get married because we think it will make us happier. We want to lose fat and look better because we think it will make us happier. We have been sold the bill of goods that happiness comes from changing conditions. Unfortunately, achieving real happiness is far more complicated than simply changing conditions. According to Seymour, “happiness is determined by a combination of genetic set points, conditions, and voluntary activities.”

Lets start off by looking at genetic set points further. Yes similar to many things in life such as intelligence and athletic prowess, being happy is to a large degree genetically predetermined. The genetic set point is basically the genetic factor that is involved with being happy. Just as some people learn calculus easily, or have the natural ability to run fast, some people just find it easy to be happy. On the other hand, just as some people have a hard time learning Algebra or excelling in sports, some people have a hard time being happy. Thus, some people have to work hard at being happy, just like they need to work hard at learning, or getting in shape. On the other hand, others are genetically predetermined to be happy, stay in shape easily, and learn rapidly. Thus, if you are a miserable person feel free to blame your parents for the lame genetics that you were bestowed with. Better luck next time.

All lame jokes aside the genetic factor in happiness is very interesting. I never thought of happiness as something that is to a large part genetically predetermined. How much of a role do our genetics play in our happiness? According to studies, our genes determine fifty percent of our proclivity for happiness or for melancholy. While this does not mean that you are doomed to a life of misery and despair if you were not blessed with happy genetics, it does mean that you will have to work harder on achieving happiness. Yes it is not fair, but you should already know that life is not fair. After all, last season of my favorite show “24” was lame. If life were fair it would have been excellent and I would be one happy camper. Instead it was lame and I have been miserable ever since. Oh well, at least last season of my other favorite show “The Shield” was pretty good. Fortunately, I can blame my feelings on my genetic set point right? Wro ng.

While our individual genetic set points play a tremendous role in whether we are happy or not, they are not the only factor. Conditions also play a role. However according to studies, not as big a role as many of us have been led to believe. Apparently conditions make up around eight to fifteen percent of happiness. Thus, if you think that you are depressed because you do not own a house, have a few pounds to lose, or are not as strong as you would like to be think again. Liz Seymour states that, “variables such as age, education, health, income, personal appearance, and even climate are ineffective at overriding our genetically determined set point.” In other words if your genetic set point favors being miserable, making a lot of money or getting a rock hard body is not going to tip the happiness scales in your favor. Sure you may temporarily feel better after some achievement is attained or material possession such as a house is acquired. However, within a year you will be back to where you were before the major changes occurred.

Ironically, most of us spend our lives trying to change conditions in order to be happy never realizing why it is ineffective. Some of you may find this hard to believe. After all, how could one not become happier after becoming a millionaire? Moreover, how could someone that is happy not become miserable after suffering from a terrible disease? According to Seymour, studies of lottery winners on one hand and people who became paraplegic from an accident on the other hand show clearly that both respective groups return to previous levels of happiness in less than a year. In other words, if you were a miserable person before becoming a millionaire you will continue to be a miserable person after becoming a millionaire. On the other hand, if you were a happy person before becoming a paraplegic, you will eventually return to being the same happy person after an adaptation phase. The old saying that people do not change is truer than we think.

This is why it is very hard to achieve happiness through changing conditions. Our brains are very good at adapting to situations whether good or bad. This is really not so hard to buy into. Just think of an important goal that you achieved. Remember how anti-climatic it felt? This is the problem with being overly attached to the results of goals. We place way too much pressure on achievements changing our mindsets. When I first got into weight training, I used to dream about being able to Bench press 315lbs. I eventually worked up to bench-pressing 315 for seven reps. How did I feel? Great for a while and then I adapted and returned to the same mindset that I had before achieving the strength goal. The expected change that came with the achievement of the goal was not long lasting. Eventually, like many other people, I wanted more.

Of course, no achievement will ever be enough. This is why many people purposely stay in the anticipation phase and avoid achieving goals. The anticipation phase is like being a child the night before Christmas. Thinking about all of the great gifts that you may receive brings more pleasure than actually experiencing the act of receiving the gifts. Unfortunately the staying in the anticipation phase is delusional and will not bring about real happiness. If nothing else it will get old and will no longer carry the same levels of pleasure.

Does this mean that we should not bother having goals? Of course not!

The key is to set goals and achieve them for the sake of doing it. As the ancient Hindu text The Bhagavad Gita states, we have a right to our actions but not to the results of our actions. The reward is the process and the experience rather than any form of attainment. Achieving goals are just road signs that we are heading in the right direction and that we are ready to grow into the next phase. Without the achievement of goals we are doomed to repeating the same experiences over and over again. Moreover, according to John Elliot, author of “The New Science Of Working Less To Accomplish More” we perform better when we are fully in the moment and not attached to the outcome. The fullest moments in life can be reduced down to the moments in which we are fully in the present with no thoughts of the past or future. These are the moments in which one is fully alive and time seems to stand still. Clearly, enjoying the moment rather than dwelling on what could go right or wrong is an effective way to enhance our genetic sets points.

Everyone wants to be happy regardless of whether they realize it or do not want to admit it. We just have to realize that happiness does not come from focusing on conditions. We have to focus on enhancing our genetic set points to stack the odds of being happy in our favor. If you are not happy with making $50,000 you will not be happy with making $250,000. The problem to a large degree literally is in our minds, rather than outside conditions.

Fortunately we do not have to simply lay back and accept the genetic set point cards that we have been dealt. Just as everyone can get smarter and build stronger muscles, we can develop stronger genetic set points for happiness. Seymour states that one option is to take drugs. After all, we are a pill popping society and there are pills for just about every problem under the sun including a poor outlook on life. Drugs that are selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors such as Prozac and Zoloft prolong the action of serotonin in the brain. Serotonin is a chemical that helps tremendously with mood and is produced adequately by people that are naturally happy. For people with severe chemical imbalances I can see how the drugs are a godsend. Some people really benefit from drugs such as Zoloft and Prozac and even nutrition supplements such as the amino acids Tyrosine and Tryptophan, which also assist with building more serotonin. However, taking drugs or nutrition su pplements is clearly not the solution for everyone.

If not drugs, then what? One, we need to learn how to handle stress better. People that naturally have strong stress management skills are naturally happier. As hard as it can be to fathom, a soldier in Iraq with bullets flying by can be less stressed than a millionaire in Los Angeles that is complaining about his steak being overcooked. The former may have stronger stress management skills and a greater genetic set point for happiness than the latter.

What about people that do not have natural stress management abilities? Fortunately there is hope for stress management flunkies as well. According to Seymour, one method that has been proven to be effective for increasing the set point for happiness is the daily practice of meditation. According to researchers at the Laboratory For Affective Neuroscience at the University of Wisconsin meditation stimulates the left prefrontal cortex of the brain. This is the part of the brain that is most active when we are happy and alert. Thus, meditation is very effective at lowering stress and making one feel happy. Maybe this is why Buddhist monks always have smiles on their faces. It certainly does not have to do with eating beans and rice everyday and abstaining from sex. Thus, the solution is clear, quit your job, shave your head and move into your local temple. Just kidding (well maybe not about the quitting your job part!)

We can all stay in the world and become happier. Just devote some time to mediation to stimulate the left prefrontal cortex. Of course this is easier said than done for those us that are not jumping for joy like a bunch of idiots. Most people find meditation difficult and I am no exception. Fortunately there are mediation programs that work for those us that have a hard time stimulating the left prefrontal cortex by sitting in the lotus position chanting. My favorite mediation program is called Holosync: www.centerpointe.com.

Another method that Seymour mentioned that can be effective at steering our set points to the world of happiness is cognitive therapy. Cognitive therapy works by teaching us how to recognize negative patterns and break them. Instead of dwelling on the negative, cognitive therapy teaches us to focus on thinking patterns that make us happy. Even miserable people have moments of being happy. The key is to develop more happy moments and avoid getting stuck in ruts.

Some of you may be thinking that cognitive therapy is positive thinking mumbo jumbo and it really isn’t. With positive thinking, one is in denial. Rather than accepting the fact that some things are in fact negative, one is taught to try to make every situation positive no matter what. The problem is we unconsciously know that we are lying to ourselves and the bottom line is we do not buy it. Positive thinking devotees are often paranoid of any negative thoughts and feel guilty if any negative thoughts arise. Not healthy and certainly not realistic.

Faking being happy is not the same as genuinely being happy. With cognitive therapy, one learns to break negative patterns by listening to the feedback. Sounds complicated right? It isn’t. Here is an example. You watch two hours of news and get bombarded with all of the problems in the world. How do you feel afterwards? Similar to millions of other people, you feel depressed and powerless. These feelings stay with you for the rest of the day or even week and are compounded every time that you watch the news. What should you do? Well, you can stop watching the news to start. What value is it providing? Are you doing anything positive with the information? If no, then stop the source of negative emotions. Or get empowered and do something about it. For example, if you see a news segment on kids that are sex abuse victims, why not join an organization that helps sexually abused kids. When you get empowered, you do something with the negative energy and gener ally turn it into a positive outcome. Actions that are empowering are gratifying and gratifications make us happier for longer periods than simple pleasures such as eating dessert and watching a good movie.

Cognitive therapy teaches us how certain things affect us whether positive or negative. Here is another example; you see an injured animal on the side of the road. Instead of driving by and saying to yourself how terrible that is, you immediately pull over, wrap the wounded animal in a towel and take the animal to a vet. Because of your compassionate act the animal makes a full recovery and you feel like a million bucks all week. Of course the feeling will eventually wear off, but you can make it occur more regularly by putting in some volunteer hours at an animal shelter or some other reputable non-profit organization for animals. Again you are taking the path of empowerment. When we feel empowered, we are less stressed and happier. When we feel like we are playing a role in improving the world around us the feeling is very gratifying and again actions that result in gratifications result in longer periods of happiness.

What about doing things that we find pleasure in? Perhaps if we focus on what gives us pleasure more often, we are less likely to be depressed. Sounds great in theory. Unfortunately, according to Seymour studies show that pleasures are generally fleeting in nature. For example, great sex is great for a while but the feeling eventually wears off until your next fix. All that one is creating with sex in this situation is the possibility for another addiction and frankly a distraction. Now I am the last person to knock sex in any way and of course I am not saying that sex is a waste of time. As I have stated many times in other articles, a strong sex drive is a strong sign of health and vitality. I just do not have the illusion that the pleasure of sex is a solution for creating permanent change for a set point that is facing towards sorrow.

Pleasures are great and an important part of life. However, gratifications bring feelings of happiness that last longer. Seymour states “gratifications are activities that call on our skills and strengths and give us a sense of a job well done.” Personally, I enjoy pleasures more when gratifications are in full effect. Pleasures are similar to icing on the cake. While the icing is an important part of enjoying a cake, it does not take the place of the rest of the cake. Here is a personal example to drive this point home, several years ago I did a kettlebell workshop with my good friend Dylan Thomas in NYC. The workshop was set to be a disaster. I had to change the venue location three times as booked venues kept falling though. Then a guy that was supposed to do the workshop with me had to bail out a few days before the workshop. I had several people cancel right off the bat and several more convey their anger to me via email regarding the lack of p rofessionalism on my part. For the most part, the people that were still planning on coming were not bringing positive vibes. Many were coming pissed off and several told me that they would have flat out cancelled if they had not already booked plane tickets that were non-refundable. This workshop was set up to be a disaster and I knew that I had to put on the best workshop of my career to have any chance of turning it around.

To make a long story short, Dylan and I put on a great workshop and everyone left happy. It turned out to be one of the most enthusiastic groups that I have ever worked with and everyone had a blast. Instead of getting depressed about everything that was going wrong, we focused on what we could take charge of and at the end of the day it was enough and it all worked out.

The gratification that I received from pulling the workshop off was immense. It was a great group and a fun day. Afterwards, a few of us went out for a few too many drinks. However, we had a blast at least until the hangover from hell arrived the next day. Where am I going? The pleasure of going out and having some fun on the town was sweeter due to the gratification that came before it from teaching the workshop. If we just went to NYC and had a night out, it would not have been anywhere near as sweet.

A night of pleasure lasts a night. However a day of gratification can last a lifetime. Clearly we need to focus on developing opportunities for gratification for long lasting happiness, rather than focusing on pleasures that are fleeing. I think the rule of thumb to apply is focus on gratifications and enjoy pleasures.

For most us the art of happiness is not an easy craft to develop and master. It is one that we will have to work hard at just like any other important goal in life. However, it is probably the most important goal to achieve. After all, not too much else will matter if you cannot find happiness in this life. Do not be a slave to your genetic set point. Anything can be improved. Just as you can learn more and get smarter; lift more and get stronger; you can become happier. Maybe you will not win an award for being the happiest person on the planet, but any improvement in your experience of happiness is reward enough. Dedicate your life to making opportunities for gratification plentiful, enjoying pleasurable activities (as long as others are not harmed in the process), and improve your stress management skills.

Note from Hugo: Three great options to increase your level of Happiness below.

Meditation: www.centerpointe.com

Cognitive: www.thework.com

Present Moment Awareness: www.eckharttolle.com

Thankyou for reading my newsletter! And Thankyou for the great article Mike!

For more information on Mike Mahler’s work visit: www.mikemahler.com

For more information on my work and books please visit: www.accesswisdom.com

John Newcomb Recipe

Green curry potatoes

3 medium yukon gold or other smooth skinned potatoes, cut into wedges
1C coarsely chopped cabbage
3/4C coarsely chopped kale (1-2 leaves)

1/4 C raw pistachio nuts
juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 teaspoon green curry paste (available from grocery in Asian foods section)
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 C water

Steam potatoes in 1/2" or so of water in a covered pot. About 10 minutes before potatoes are cooked through, add cabbage. After 5 min, add kale.

Put nuts, lemon juice, curry paste, salt, and water in a blender and blend on high for 1 min.

When vegetables are steamed, remove from heat, place in bowl, and gently toss with sauce.

Garnish with parsley.

Final Note: Please feel free to forward this newsletter to anyone who may be interested in it or benefit from it. If someone wants to sign up to receive my newsletter, they can go to: www.accesswisdom.com

With Love,
Hugo Elfinstone