1. 1-Sentence-Summary:
1.1. Broadcasting Happiness is an encouraging resource that will help you boost your health and happiness in your relationships, work, and community by showing you how to unlock the power of positive words and stories.
2. Favorite quote from the author:
2.1. "After returning home from a long day at work, start your evening off with your spouse (the second you walk through the door) with a positive part of your day or ask about something positive that happened in theirs." - Michelle Gielan
3. 3 lessons:
3.1. Sharing happiness is more about how you share information, and it has the power to improve your health.
3.1.1. The news usually isn’t great at making you feel optimistic.
3.1.1.1. Their coverage of the Coronavirus outbreak has people hoarding toilet paper and cowering in fear
3.1.2. Not all bad events need to be shared with such dramatization and negativity.
3.1.2.1. Take CBS’s Happy Week for example.
3.1.2.1.1. During the 2008 recession, a string of bad news cut viewership in half for the network
3.1.2.1.2. Getting some help from the great Martin Seligman, the anchors shared the news in a way that focused on solutions.
3.1.3. The power of encouraging stories is so great that it can improve your health.
3.1.3.1. In a famous study, Dr. Ellen Langer had a bunch of 75-year-olds pretending they were 20 years younger.
3.1.3.1.1. She encouraged them to share stories, but could only tell of experiences prior to when they were 55.
3.1.3.1.2. The differences in results of strength, memory, and intelligence tests before and after the experiment revealed the life-changing effect they’d been through.
3.1.3.1.3. Every one of their scores went up after only a week, including an improvement in eyesight
3.2. You will do better on exams, at work, and in your relationships by broadcasting positive words and stories.
3.2.1. People are wildly different when it comes to working.
3.2.1.1. Some are driven and organized while others are sloppy and lazy.
3.2.1.2. It’s hard to get along in these kinds of settings no matter what kind of person you are.
3.2.2. Use the power of priming.
3.2.2.1. This is when you talk about good experiences or use uplifting words to keep people cooperating.
3.2.2.2. Science shows that it works.
3.2.2.2.1. In one study, Stanford researchers divided people into two groups.
3.2.2.2.2. Other research reveals that you’ll do better on an exam if you think the right way before taking it.
3.3. Nobody escapes hard times, but approaching them the right way can make it easier to get through them.
3.3.1. Bad things happen to all of us.
3.3.1.1. Often, our natural tendency is to hold it all in.
3.3.1.2. But the best way to get over difficult experiences is to talk about them.
3.3.1.3. You can help your friends do this without encouraging negativity if you use the four C’s:
3.3.1.3.1. Capital
3.3.1.3.2. Context
3.3.1.3.3. Compassion
3.3.1.3.4. Commitment
3.3.1.4. If a person is being too negative, however, don’t feel like you have to stick around.
3.3.1.4.1. It’s not okay to let them bring you down, so take a breather if you need to.
3.3.1.4.2. Think about the problem and see how you might approach it differently to help.