#334 Three Lessons from Happiness Research | Emma Seppälä
People in the mindfulness meditation world are often at pains that what we’re teaching is not a breathing exercise; the goal is to just feel the breath as it naturally occurs (if you’ve chosen the breath as the thing you want to focus on.) However -- and this is something we haven’t spent much time exploring on the show -- there is a ton of evidence to suggest that actual breathing exercises can have powerful benefits, physiologically and psychologically.
That’s one of the things we’re going to talk about today with Emma Seppälä, who is a Lecturer at the Yale School of Management and Faculty Director of the Yale School of Management’s Women’s Leadership Program. She is also the Science Director of Stanford University’s Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education, and the author of a book called The Happiness Track: How to Apply the Science of Happiness to Accelerate Your Success. As the title of today’s episode suggests, we’re going to talk about three big takeaways from happiness research. One has to do with breathing exercises. The other has to do with the power of nature to impact your mind. And the third has to do with social connection, something many of us are badly missing in this pandemic.
Where to find Emma Seppälä online:
- Yale School of Management’s Women’s Leadership Program
- Science Director of Stanford University’s Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education
Social Media:
Book Mentioned:
Other Resources Mentioned:
- SKY Breathing
- Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
- Venerable Geshe Dorji Damdul
- Robert Sapolsky, Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers
- Maharishi Mahesh Yogi
- Florence Williams, The Nature Fix
- Richard Louv, Last Child in the Woods
- Robert Putnam, Bowling Alone
- Robert Putnam, What's So Darned Special about Church Friends?
Additional Resources:
- Ten Percent Happier Live: https://meditatehappier.com/live
- Coronavirus Sanity Guide: https://www.meditatehappier.com/coronavirussanityguide
- Free App access for Frontline Workers: https://meditatehappier.com/care
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