There are 24 strengths of character, I'll list them all. Maybe you can identify with all of them to some extent, maybe you can identify with some more strongly than others. But take a good look... your strength of character will reveal alot about yourself...
I'll be honest, there are several of these characters that I cannot relate to at all, or very little, and others that more strongly resonate with me. Conversely, there are characters that others may see in me and I do not see in myself and vice versa.
So what has this got to do with my happiness project? There are 2 character strengths that resonate strongly with happiness, hope and zest. With some character traits, having too much of a character can start to be detrimental, like loving too much starts to become a negative. But not with happiness, you can have oodles of hope and zest and the happiness will just increase.
There are other traits that are more weakly associated with happiness; gratitude, love and curiosity, but its hope and zest that really stand out.
So flipping the coin... are there traits that lead to "less happiness"? Yes there are: Modesty, Creativity, Judgement, Appreciation of Beauty, Love of learning and Prudence.
There are several studies that have lead to these conclusions, so its real. My philosophy is to focus on the positives, if you want to have more happiness, focus on the hope and zest. And with that, I'm parachuting off a cliff edge, and hoping I won't die.
- Appreciation of Beauty and Excellence - Noticing and appreciating the beauty around you, whether it be art, nature or mathematics
- Bravery - Speaking up for what is right, even if you're the only one speaking! Also includes physical bravery
- Citizenship - Working with the team or community, being loyal to that team or community
- Creativity - Coming up with new ways to do things, not only artistic
- Curiosity - Finding everything interesting, love exploring
- Fairness - Treating everyone the same, trying to overcome personal bias to ensure everyone is treated equally
- Forgiveness and Mercy - Forgiving those who have done you wrong, giving people a second chance
- Gratitude - Being aware and thankful for what you have and taking time to express thanks
- Hope - Working towards the future, and believing that working hard can change it
- Humour - Liking to laugh and tease, bringing smiles to other people, lightheartedness
- Integrity - Speaking the truth, presenting yourself in an honest and open way, take responsibility for your actions
- Judgement - Thinking things through, not jumping to conclusions, able to change your mind in light of evidence
- Kindness - Doing good deeds for others and helping them. Taking care
- Leadership - Getting a group together to get things done, organising group activities and make sure they are done
- Love - Being close to people, value close relationships with others
- Love of Learning - Mastering new skills, adding to what you know
- Modesty and Humility - Letting ones accomplishments speak for them self, not wanting to get into the spotlight
- Persistence - Taking pleasure in completing tasks, finishing what you set off to start
- Perspective - Being able to provide wise counsel to others
- Prudence - Being careful about your choices, not taking risks
- Self Regulation - Controlling emotions, being disciplined
- Social Intelligence - Being aware of the motives of other people, how to fit into different social situations
- Spirituality - Have strong feelings about the meaning of life and purpose that shapes conduct and provides comfort
- Zest - Approaching life with excitement and energy, never doing things half heartedly, feeling activated and alive
I'll be honest, there are several of these characters that I cannot relate to at all, or very little, and others that more strongly resonate with me. Conversely, there are characters that others may see in me and I do not see in myself and vice versa.
So what has this got to do with my happiness project? There are 2 character strengths that resonate strongly with happiness, hope and zest. With some character traits, having too much of a character can start to be detrimental, like loving too much starts to become a negative. But not with happiness, you can have oodles of hope and zest and the happiness will just increase.
There are other traits that are more weakly associated with happiness; gratitude, love and curiosity, but its hope and zest that really stand out.
So flipping the coin... are there traits that lead to "less happiness"? Yes there are: Modesty, Creativity, Judgement, Appreciation of Beauty, Love of learning and Prudence.
There are several studies that have lead to these conclusions, so its real. My philosophy is to focus on the positives, if you want to have more happiness, focus on the hope and zest. And with that, I'm parachuting off a cliff edge, and hoping I won't die.
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