Psychology of Happiness and Choice

Study Notes

Choice and Creativity

We have the power to choose how we live our lives, despite the circumstances we are born into or the events that occur in our lives.
We decide how we respond to situations, whether with purpose, joy, hope, humor, or a positive outlook, or with despair, sadness, shame, or defeat.
Our choices and decisions shape our destinies.
Creativity is not just about willed or wished goals, but about using specific techniques to generate ideas and solve problems.

Self-Affirmation

Self-affirmation is essential for creativity and success.
To increase self-affirmation, focus on remembering successes, good qualities, and characteristics, and forgetting failures.
Write and maintain a self-affirmation list to reinforce positive thoughts and attitudes.

BrainBanks

BrainBanks are collections of ideas, quotes, designs, and other stimuli to spark creativity.
Keep a container to store ideas and idea starters, such as interesting advertisements, quotes, designs, and doodles.
Use the items in your BrainBank to trigger new ideas and combinations of ideas.

Travel Junkie

Being a travel junkie can help stimulate creativity by exposing us to new experiences and perspectives.
Visit new places, such as stores, trade shows, exhibitions, libraries, museums, and flea markets, to spark creativity.
Make connections and relationships between the objects and experiences you encounter and the problems you are trying to solve.

Dedication and Acknowledgment

The book is dedicated to Anne, the author's wife and partner, who has a special place in his heart.
The author thanks Charlotte Bruney for reawakening his faith and reminding him of the importance of shared human feelings.

Human Feelings

Humans share 90% of their feelings, and the remaining 10% is what makes each person unique.
We need to ignore voices of discord and disunity and focus on our shared humanity.

Creativity and Choice

Creativity is not just about talent, but about making choices and using specific techniques to generate ideas and solve problems.
We can choose to be creative or indifferent, and our choices determine our destinies.
The thinking techniques that lead to creativity are no less rigid than biological principles that determine the characteristics of cats.

Thinkertoys

Thinkertoys are tools and techniques that can help us generate ideas and solve problems.
Thinkertoys suggest possibilities, but it is up to us to use them to create our own ideas.
To create our own ideas, we need to use the techniques and try new things, not just read about them.

Breaking Habits

Habits can make our lives comfortable but also unnecessary, and changing them can stimulate creativity.
Try changing your habits, such as taking a different route to work, changing your sleeping hours, or reading different newspapers.
Breaking habits can help us see the world in a new way and stimulate creativity.

Feeding Your Head

Reading is essential for feeding our minds with new information and ideas.
Selectively read books that provide exercises for our creative minds.
Take notes and make the most of your reading time.
Read broadly and sample different topics to stimulate creativity.

Description

This quiz explores the idea that our happiness is influenced by our surroundings and the choices we make. It discusses how mimicking happy people can lead to happiness and how we have the power to choose how we live our lives.