Week 3 PDF - The Science of Happiness and Wellbeing

EL PT N Prof. Manas Kumar Mandal Rekhi Centre of Excellence for the Science of Happiness Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur Lecture 11 - Empathy ▪ What is empathy & why is it important? EL ▪ Do humans naturally have empathy? PT ▪ Is the...

EL PT N Prof. Manas Kumar Mandal Rekhi Centre of Excellence for the Science of Happiness Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur Lecture 11 - Empathy ▪ What is empathy & why is it important? EL ▪ Do humans naturally have empathy? PT ▪ Is there a relationship between empathy & personality? N ▪ What are its benefit & disadvantage?  Empathy EL Sympathy PT Compassion Psychopathy Narcissism N How do we respond to such situations? EL A co-worker overwhelmed A friend fails a test PT An employee with a bad day Client struggling with loss N A patient in pain Friend enduring a break-up Sick spouse of a colleague Empathy is the experience EL of understanding another person’s thoughts, feelings, PT and condition from their point of view, rather than N from your own https://pediaa.com/difference-between-empathy-and-sympathy/ Why empathy is important? Empathy: Experiencing someone else’s feelings EL ‘Putting your feet in someone else’s shoes’ PT ‘I understand your pain’ vs ‘I feel your pain’ Reflecting before reacting, Giving others more N space, communicating at the same level The subject matter has become important post- covid The Science of Empathy: Mirror neurons …a specialized group of brain cells that are responsible for empathy EL …these cells enable people to mirror emotions, PT to share another person’s pain, fear, or joy N https://www.researchgate.net/figure/The-putative-human-mirror-neuron- system-MNS-is-considered-to-occupy-the-inferior_fig1_277436181 The Science of Empathy ▪ Observation of action automatically triggers simulation of that action ▪ Mirror neurons provide a neural basis for imitation EL & empathy (inner imitation) PT N https://www.psychologytoday.com/za/blog/vitality/201407/the- neuroscience-vitality-tip-2-mirror-neurons The Science of Empathy: Emotional contagion Many people pick up the emotions of those around them EL One crying infant will set off a wave of crying in a hospital ward PT One person loudly expressing anxiety in the workplace can spread it to other workers N Empathy & Personality disorder ▪ Psychopaths, sociopaths, and narcissists are EL thought to have what science calls “empathy deficient disorders.” PT ▪ They lack the ability to feel empathy caused N by an under-active mirror neuron system. Benefits of empathy at workplace Invisible connections: understanding other’s EL thoughts, feeling is vital for resolving conflicts Team unity: cultivate trust among members & PT foster dedication Creativity: members learn from each other, N generate new ideas Against Empathy… Empathy can cloud our judgment, encourage bias EL There is cognitive cost required by empathy Empathy requires a leader to be vulnerable, PT humble Practicing empathy is time consuming & an N investment ▪ Empathy helps us ‘read’ better, degrades defense energy of others, allows compassion EL ▪ Compassion creates intimacy ▪ Intimacy generates reciprocity for mutual care PT ▪ Reciprocity helps people feel less alone, more connected N  https://www.psychologytoday.com/za/blog/vitality/2014 07/the-neuroscience-vitality-tip-2-mirror-neurons https://www.researchgate.net/figure/The-putative- human-mirror-neuron-system-MNS-is-considered-to- EL occupy-the-inferior_fig1_277436181 PT N N PT EL  EL PT N Prof. Manas Kumar Mandal Rekhi Centre of Excellence for the Science of Happiness Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur Lecture 12 - Happiness & Morality 1 Changing colours of human happiness …morality EL ▪ What causes us to be unmindful of human miseries? ▪ Have we lost empathy, a uniquely human trait? PT ▪ Are we suffering from moral disengagement? N 2  Morality EL Empathy PT News fatigue Cellular aging N Moral disengagement 3 Some clarifications about morality… ▪ Happiness brings good moral judgments EL ▪ Happiness results from morality PT ▪ Biology & morality are mutually exclusive N ▪ Biology & morality are mutually inclusive; The frontal lobe is the locus for moral judgment Some clarifications about morality… ▪ A person with positive traits in personality will be morally grounded always EL ▪ Negative traits may co-exist with positive traits PT ▪ Once a moral standard is set, does not change N ▪ Change in moral standard is possible, if not a cardinal trait Some clarifications about morality… ▪ Morally grounded individuals are well-adjusted EL ▪ These people find adjustment a difficult process PT ▪ Moral standards are universal ▪ These are also culturally constructed N ▪ Morality develops as we grow old ▪ Morality is expressed better as we grow old Human miseries … Racial discrimination Domestic violence EL PT Mob lynching Dehumanization N Public apathy Stigmatization 7 Why are we losing empathy…? ▪ The rise of ‘News Fatigue’: lost in tragedies ▪ Worrying more often causes ‘cellular aging’ EL ▪ Selective apathy allows us to avoid secondary trauma PT ▪ Few people help to ‘tune’ empathy away from distress N ▪ Online interaction reduces empathy; causing apathy ▪ Empathy is a social glue… loss of it makes us ‘moral moron’ 8 Why are we losing morality…? ▪ Social anchor of ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ is diffused EL ▪ Media is shaping our minimal moral standard ▪ Moral justification for ‘doing wrong but feeling moral’ PT ▪ Moral disengagement due to hypercompetitive grooming N ▪ Our misconceptions about morality 9 Changing morals… [Ketchell, 2019] ▪ People change the way they think about good or bad ▪ We are more moral than 100 years ago, but more EL judgmental too PT ▪ Fairness or compassion-based morality gained more prominence than authority or purity-based morality N ▪ The challenge is how we think about morality itself 10 The paradoxes… ▪ The paradox of change: Major changes are occurring within the life-span of a single EL generation ▪ The paradox of value: Change involves pervasive PT reorientation about basic values ▪ The paradox of equality: Change creates new form N of ambiguities, inequalities ▪ The paradox of motive: Change brings expectation that are prone to frustration 11 Happiness & Morality Is being happy a moral? ‘Our happiness affects others -- profoundly. That's why happiness is a moral obligation’ EL PT Do we need morals to be happy? ‘Moral excellence can contribute to a happy life. N Being a moral person is essential to living a life of happiness’ 12  Moral standards have not gone down; benchmarks are being redefined EL Morality is now more often reality-based PT rather than theoretical-best-practice N 13 [https://www.ethicssage.com/2017/04/can-you-be-happy-without-being-an- ethical-person.html [https://assets.ctfassets.net/qnesrjodfi80/4SHqfoP0hq4MQyy6ga0IwK/90898c 7589c1da671b3d7e4980a97144/prager-why_be_happy-transcript.pdf] https://www.utm.utoronto.ca/main-news/understanding-link-between- EL morality-and-happiness https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-52398-9_12 PT N 14  N PT 15 EL  EL PT Rekhi Centre of Excellence for the Science of Happiness & Department of Humanities & Social Sciences N Lecture 13 – Exploring the Self and the Other  Why we focus on what we focus The conflicted self EL The quest for identity Our relatedness PT The self and the other Transcending the self N  Relationship Self EL Search Other PT N  Why we focus on what we focus? Self – conflicted self – resolution of self (pre-condition of any kind of leadership) Self and the other – understanding give and take and relationship EL Towards self-discovery – character strengths Related leadership lessons PT Self N Other Traits Lessons  The conflicted self The story of the Chariot – Questions of King Milinda The lamp and the flame EL Who do we speak to when we speak to ourselves? PT Split personalities – Fight Club Heretronyms – Ferdinand Pessoa Resolutions Composite self N Self beyond self  The quest for identity The story of Siddharth – I can think, I can fast, I can wait EL Think Wait PT Fast N  Why is the quest problematic? A quick activity: What we do and what we think we should do List 7 items that you do in your daily life (which are central in terms of energy and time) EL List 7 items that you feel you should do in your daily life (that you feel should be important in terms of energy and time) How many match? PT Pleasure and Pain – our happiness quest? N One body (one person?) Many desires At many levels Contradictory What do I really want? (… and ‘who’ wants?)  Our relatedness The machine that could make an areophane if put wheat and cows into it EL What if we were the only three people in this world – how wonderful! PT N =  The self and the other Identity – can we be who we are without others, but are we who we are because of others? EL Cooperation vs competition – the eternal struggle Evolutionary PT Empathy (is it a part of evolution?) N Transcending self: the others, the society Forgetting the self from moment to moment – relevant Caring for others beyond the self – the first step EL PT What do Who am I? others mean to me? Identity N I am conflicted about decisions I am conflicted about what I want I am conflicted about who I am  Knowing the self Knowing our relatedness (motivation) The first step towards knowing others EL PT N  Herman Hess, Siddhartha. Fingerprint (reprint), 2012 Charles Willan & B G. Malkiel. Naked Economics – Undressing the Dismal Science. W W Norton & C, 2010. EL Rhyes Davids, T. W. Question of King Milinda (2 Vols.) Sacred Books of the East Series (Reprint). PT Motilal Banarasidass, 2011. N N PT EL  EL Prof. Priyadarshi Patnaik PT Department of Humanities and Social Sciences & N Rekhi Centre of Excellence for the Science of Happiness Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur Lecture 14 - Pro-sociality and happiness: Generosity, give and take  EL.What is pro-sociality.Generosity and happiness – a paradox? PT.Giving and reciprocity – at various levels.Examples from the Indian tradition - Dana N.Dana EL.Generosity.Give and take PT.Pro-sociality N Question for the Class Does giving enhance happiness? Why? EL Pro-sociality PT That which benefits other people or the society as a whole N Sharing, donating, volunteering, cooperating, obeying or conforming to social norms.  Now, for any Stone Age person with ambition, the general rule for success is: the more, the better…(shelter, children, food)…No surprise, then, that our modern mind continually looks for more: more money, more status, more love, more… EL The Happiness Trap. Russ Harris. 2008. PT Briefly, the primary purpose of the nervous system is to direct an animal either towards opportunities or away from danger N in order to help survive and procreate. Three brain modules are engaged in this task: one for avoidance and two for attraction (seeking and consuming). The Biology of Happiness. Bjorn Grinde. 2012. Let’s take a moment and think In certain conditions we are willing to sacrifice the self for others This may not make us happy, but we often prioritize the other over the self EL Why? PT N Possible reasons Diplomacy (self-centred) base Values (intrinsic) top Peer pressure (extrinsic) EL Warm glow (intrinsic – nurturing self) PT Deep love or attachment (the other is more important than me) N Empathy Detachment and compassion (the other is more important than me) N PT EL Then why Give? EL PT N N PT EL N PT EL N PT EL N PT EL N PT EL N PT EL N PT EL N PT EL  Giving in Buddhism Directed Donors Recipients Motivations Forms of giving towards Humanity Anybody driven by Persons Altruism and faith 1. Sheer Altruism 1. Sattvika centric altruism and love truly in need 2. Complete faith in religious 2. Madhyam for humanity Of help and philosophies 3. Dhruv Charity 4. Dharm 5. dana Community 1. Kings 1. Members of Peer Pressure and 1. Prestige in society 1. Kriyapeks EL centric 2. Royal nobles own reward and punishment 2. Act of diplomacy h 3. Businessman community 3. Force of social tradition 2. Dhruv 4. Lower 2. Brahmins 3. Madhyam sections of 4. Utsarga PT society 5. Purta N Indian Traditional Generosity Model: Rashmi Ranjan Behera and P. Patnaik, 2016, MS Work.  Giving in Buddhism Directed Donors Recipients Motivations Forms of giving towards Individual 1. Kings 1. Brahmins Reward and Punishment 1. Atonement for sin 1. Dhenu dana centric 2. Royal Nobles 2. Ascetics 2. Quest for spiritual reward or 2. Maha dana 3. Businessmen punya 3. Gunapeksh 4. Common 3. Temporal gain/wish fulfilment 4. Kriyapeksh householders 4. Fear of punishment by a 5. Vimal EL 5. 5. along with spiritual force 6. Naimittik their wives 5. Belief in the afterlife and 7. Kamya rebirth 8. Jyesth 6. Moksha 9. Kanishth PT 7. Superstitions and blind beliefs 10. Rajasik 11. Ista N Indian Traditional Generosity Model: Rashmi Ranjan Behera and P. Patnaik, 2016  Historically, people have been generous Why? cooperation for survival codification & ritualization Then the breakdown of the most powerful religion Why? change in social hierarchy (when members of lower class became more wealthy) Change at two levels: EL Social change Change in model of dana/corruption PT Emergence of new religion and new forms of dana Why and how? failure of old models Reinventing/reinterpreting /recreating old models (with features of old model) N Developing strategies for new contexts Old models bounce back Why and How Crisis faced by Brahmins Old models redefined (based on contemporary contexts and practices) N PT EL N PT EL  Grant, A. (2014). Give and take: Why helping others drives our success. Penguin. Kahneman, D., Knetsch, J. L., & Thaler, R. H. (1986). Fairness and the assumptions of economics. Journal of business, S285- S300. Schwartz, S. H., & Bardi, A. (2001). Value hierarchies across EL cultures: Taking a similarities perspective. Journal of cross- cultural Psychology, 32(3), 268-290. Lievens, F., Ones, D. S., & Dilchert, S. (2009). Personality scale PT validities increase throughout medical school. Journal of applied psychology, 94(6), 1514. Otake, K., Shimai, S., Tanaka-Matsumi, J., Otsui, K., & N Fredrickson, B. L. (2006). Happy people become happier through kindness: A counting kindnesses intervention. Journal of happiness studies, 7(3), 361-375.  Pro-social behaviour looks like a paradox Why pro-sociality – the case of generosity Social exchange – give and take EL Empathy and mirror neurons PT N N PT EL  EL Prof. Priyadarshi Patnaik PT Department of Humanities and Social Sciences & Rekhi Centre of Excellence for the Science of Happiness N Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur Lecture 15 – Pro-sociality and happiness: Virtues and strengths  PERMA Character strengths EL Virtues Relation to pro-sociality PT Relation to self-growth N  Character strengths Growth EL PERMA Pro-sociality PT Virtues N Steps that Leadership we will take EL PT Virtues & strengths Others & network N Image source: https://www.sheringtonprimary.co.uk/curriculum/positive- education/character-strengths-and-virtues-classification/ Self/s PERMA PERMA is an acronym for a model of well-being put forth by a pioneer in the field of positive psychology, Martin Seligman. According to Seligman, PERMA makes up five important building blocks of well-being and happiness: EL Positive emotions – feeling good PT Engagement – being completely absorbed in activities Relationships – being authentically connected to others N Meaning – purposeful existence Achievement – a sense of accomplishment & success The PERMAH Wellbeing Survey (permahsurvey.com) Source: What is PERMA by Martin Seligman (gostrengths.com) Knowing vs. habitual doing Knowing self (knowing what we can or cannot do, what we do, how we behave, our strengths and weaknesses) EL Knowing others (about others, caring about others) Mandatory conditions of leadership PT Traits – the next step N Actions that are habits The notion of traits and their impact on states Virtues A virtue is a trait or quality that is deemed to be morally good and thus is valued as a foundation of principle and good moral being. EL Moral implications Positive implications PT Trait N Socially endorsed But why should one nurture them? Class task: Examples and how they are relevant? EL PT N Image source: https://positivepsychology.com/classification-character-strengths- virtues/ https://www.sheringtonprimary.co.uk/curriculum/positive-education/character- strengths-and-virtues-classification/ Strengths Good character is something everyone looks for in other people, whether they are employees, students, friends, or potential dating partners. Sometimes called character strengths, these are the good EL qualities that people possess—a collection of positive traits that show people's strengths—rather than a compilation of their faults PT and issues. Character, qualities, traits N Positive Strengths (why call them that?) To one’s advantage (how?)  EL PT N Which ones seem most apt to you from leadership context? Image Source: VIACHARACTER.ORG @Copyright 2021VIA Institute on Character  EL PT N Which ones seem most apt to you from leadership context? Image Source: VIACHARACTER.ORG @Copyright 2021VIA Institute on Character  EL PT N Which ones seem most apt to you from leadership context? Image Source: VIACHARACTER.ORG @Copyright 2021VIA Institute on Character How did Seligman et al arrive at them? Virtues Strengths EL Contexts PT Spiritual traditions N Scientific literature Qualifying 10 criteria Take strengths survey https://www.viacharacter.org/account/register EL PT N Classification of character strengths EL PT N (Peterson & Seligman, 2004)  EL PT N(Peterson & Seligman, 2004)  EL PT N (Peterson & Seligman, 2004)  EL PT N (Peterson & Seligman, 2004)  EL PT N (Peterson & Seligman, 2004) Pro-sociality The relationship between the traits and pro-social behaviour EL PT N  PERMA Virtues are generalizable across traditions So are character strengths Nurturing them can lead to self-growth EL It can take one on the journey to happiness (through pro- sociality) PT N  Peterson, C., & Seligman, M. E. (2004). Character strengths and virtues: A handbook and classification (Vol. 1). Oxford University Press. Many of the images are taken from VIACHARACTER.ORG @Copyright 2021VIA Institute on Character and the source acknowledge in the EL relevant slides. PT N N PT EL