When Shawn Achor was seven and his sister Amy was five, they played war on a bunk bed, Shawn commanding his G.I. Joe soldiers while Amy’s My Little Ponies awaited a cavalry charge. The scenario took a turn when Amy, without any push from Shawn, fell off the top bunk, landing painfully on the floor. With their parents trusting Shawn to keep playtime safe and quiet—a particularly sensitive task after Shawn had recently broken Amy’s arm "heroically" pushing her from an imaginary sniper bullet—Shawn faced a potential disaster. Desperate to prevent Amy’s cries from waking their parents, Shawn told her, “Amy, wait. Don’t cry. Did you see how you landed? No human lands on all fours like that. Amy, I think this means you’re a unicorn.”
In her desire to be a special unicorn rather than a hurt five-year-old, Amy’s pain transformed into joy. This early incident illustrated a concept fundamental to Shawn's later work: our reality can be shaped by how we interpret it. This idea of reframing situations to highlight positive aspects laid the groundwork for his future focus on positive psychology.
Achor discovered that the lens through which we view the world can significantly affect our experiences and outcomes. His fascination with this concept led him to study positive psychology, focusing on how enhancing positivity can improve well-being and success. A crucial realization was that traditional approaches in psychology often aim to address what's wrong, while positive psychology seeks to elevate what’s right. Instead of aiming for average by eliminating outliers, positive psychology focuses on learning from those who excel, thus raising the overall standard.
In his research, Shawn found that happiness is not merely a result of external achievements or conditions. Instead, it largely depends on how our brain processes our experiences. A significant portion of our long-term happiness stems from our internal perceptions rather than external circumstances. This understanding challenges the conventional belief that success precedes happiness; instead, Achor’s findings suggest that happiness fuels success.
By shifting our mindset to be more positive in the present, we unlock what Achor terms the "happiness advantage." This advantage means our brains perform better when positive, enhancing creativity, productivity, and intelligence. For instance, doctors who are positive make diagnoses 19% faster and more accurately. Similarly, people who are positive are 31% more productive and 37% better at sales.
Achor advocates for training our brains to focus on positive experiences, thus fostering an optimistic outlook. Practices like writing down three things one is grateful for each day, journaling about positive experiences, engaging in regular exercise, meditating, and performing acts of kindness can rewire our brains towards positivity. By consistently engaging in these activities, we can create lasting changes in how we perceive and interact with the world.
Ultimately, Achor’s insights promote a shift from the traditional formula of success leading to happiness to one where cultivating happiness leads to greater success. His work underscores the importance of viewing challenges as opportunities and highlights how a positive mindset can ripple out to improve various aspects of life, driving not only personal well-being but also a broader societal change towards greater positivity.
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