MAP Strategic Wealth Advisors

Five takeaways:

1. This article asks us to ask ourselves: What kind of happiness do we want? “Experienced Happiness,” or “Remembered Happiness”?
2. Happiness has different versions. Experienced happiness (where you experience happiness on a moment-to-moment basis) is far different from “remembered happiness” (where afterwards you will reflect back and feel happy)
3. A recent survey of 1,145 Americans in the Journal of Positive Psychology found that 79% of respondents chose experienced happiness over remembered happiness for the rest of their lives.
4. When asked about what type of happiness they would desire to experience the following day, most respondents chose remembered happiness, indicating a desire for an immediate feeling of pride and purpose.
5. We are all busy, the article concludes, but spending too much time on pursuits associated with success and work-based pride might result in a person turning down far too many opportunities to feel happy in the moment.

From Cassie Mogilner Holmes at Harvard Business Review:
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Note: At the time of this posting Harvard Business Review offers two free article views per month. Four if you register for a free account.

Five takeaways:

1. In the early days of Covid, a baking craze arose. The hashtag #quarantinebaking became so popular that Amazon sold out of popular brands of flour and chocolate chips.
2. It turns out there is neurological proof that homekeeping and self-care activities such as baking can help stop cycles of anxiety and depression by changing how the human brain self-regulates.
3. When humans perceive a threat, their amygdala– a region of the brain associated with stress– begins firing. The prefrontal cortex, which regulates emotion, begins working less effectively.
4. Activities such as baking or bicycling can reset the brain and allow the prefrontal cortex to more effectively regulate emotion. They offer a sense of applied skill and control.
5. Studies suggest that behavioral activation– as with activities like baking– can be just as effective as meditation in helping to reregulate brain activity. In the anxious early days of lockdown, this was hugely helpful as an escape.

From Sara Harrison at Wired:
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Five takeaways:

1. Management is a noble position when done right, because it offers the opportunity to build others up. To grow in responsibility and to learn.
2. A greater consciousness about “Life Strategy” allows you to keep the purpose of your life front and center as you decided how to spend time, talent, and energy.
3. Allocate your personal resources: allocating your personal time, energy, and talent ultimately shape your life’s strategy.
4. At all costs, avoid the “just this once” mentality to breaking your personal code
5. Remember the importance of humility– productive behavior stems from the humility that comes with self-deprecating behavior and good treatment of others.

From Clayton M. Christensen at Harvard Business Review:
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Note: At the time of this posting Harvard Business Review offers two free article views per month. Four if you register for a free account.