Behavioral Strategies for Happiness and Satisfaction

Abstract

The neural circuitry associated with experiencing emotional pleasure such as derived from spiritual fulfillment, happiness, or love is likely the same or closely replicative of the neural circuitry associated with experiencing physical pleasure such as from sex, music, or warmth. The neural circuitry associated with experiencing physical pain such as from a headache, injury, or disease is likely the same or closely related to that associated with experiencing emotional pain such as social rejection, depression, or self-criticism. Attention management is essential for developing happiness and satisfaction, while the opposite, attention mismanagement, is a catalyst for unhappiness and dissatisfaction. Happiness is believed to have a set point in each person, and by all indications this set point can be enhanced through deliberate and supportive constructs. This chapter reviews the differences between positive and negative psychological components and how people can optimize them to support brain health and psychological well-being.