NCET Biz Tips: We Need to Train Our Brains to Be Happy

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I’d like you to think for a moment about exactly how you woke up this morning.

If you’re like most people, your smartphone blared an annoying alarm, and you snoozed it — two to 15 times, give or take.

Then after you reluctantly conceded that it was, indeed, time to wake up, your next step also likely involved your phone — perusing Instagram, checking emails, reading news alerts that came in overnight, etc.

Research shows that somewhere between 46 and 61 percent of us wake up this way, and those numbers are likely higher for younger generations.

Sound familiar? If so, science says you just trained your brain to expect negativity today. And this doesn’t just impact your internal feelings — it transcends to your work as well.

Most of those news alerts featured horrific headlines (Coronavirus, Weinstein, the latest political debacle — need I say more?). Most of those Insta, SnapChat or Facebook posts made you feel insecure or jealous. And your brain responded, even if you weren’t fully aware.

Harvard researcher, psychologist and HuffPo founder Arianna Huffington tested this notion, exposing volunteers to negative stories for three minutes. The other test group watched uplifting stories about good people doing good things.

The results: Those who watched just three minutes of negative news in the morning had a whopping 27% greater likelihood of reporting their day as unhappy six to eight hours later compared to the positive condition.

So research shows: Just three minutes of negativity in the morning leads to eight hours of grumpiness. 

Waking up to positivity trains your brain to expect positivity throughout the day. And training your brain to expect positivity has a direct connection to some overwhelmingly positive results at work: spikes in productivity, quantifiable increases in creativity and problem-solving and improved collaboration among them.  

So how do we jump off the grumpy train summoned by our smartphones?

  • Turn off headline alerts; news outlets intentionally want them to be the first thing you see on your phone in the morning, and “if it bleeds, it leads” almost always applies.

  • Ditch the smartphone alarm and go old school with a traditional alarm clock. Crazy, I know.

  • New research shows waking to alarm tones that are melodic may improve your performance throughout the day. Might I suggest Bohemian Rhapsody and its gradual transition from slow-and-steady to a head-banging crescendo?

  • If you must use your phone first thing, seek out positive stories. Or click that meditation app for some early ohms and moments of brain-clarifying zen.

Interested in learning more about “The Secret Science of Happiness at Work?” Join me for NCET’s Biz Café on March 18 at Rounds Bakery. It’s free, and you’ll walk away with scientific ways to improve your life — at home and at work. 

Mikalee Byerman

Mikalee Byerman

NCET is a member-supported nonprofit organization that produces educational and networking events to help people explore business and technology. (www.NCET.org).

Mikalee Byerman is VP of Strategy for the Estipona Group and Just the Positive, a website dedicated to local positive stories.

Chris Ewing