Shawn Achor Quotes & Sayings

Spend two minutes a day scanning the world for three new things you're grateful for. And do that for 21 days, The reason why that's powerful is you're training your brain to scan the world in a new pattern, you're scanning for positives, instead of scanning for threats. It's the fastest way of teaching optimism. — Shawn Achor

Happiness implies a positive mood in the present and a positive outlook for the future. — Shawn Achor

When our brains constantly scan for and focus on the positive, we profit from three of the most important tools available to us: happiness, gratitude, and optimism. — Shawn Achor

Based on my study of Harvard undergraduates, the average number of romantic relationships over four years is less than one. The average number of sexual partners, if you're curious, is 0.5 per student. (I have no idea what 0.5 sexual partners means, but it sounds like the scientific equivalent of second base.) In my survey, I found that among these brilliant Harvard students, 24 percent are unaware if they are currently involved in any romantic relationship. What — Shawn Achor

It's hard to find happiness after success if the goalposts of success keep changing. — Shawn Achor

Fortune 500 companies are still using incentive programs that were proven ineffective almost a generation ago. — Shawn Achor

This is why Sonja Lyubomirsky, a leader in the scientific study of well-being, has written that she prefers the phrase "creation or construction of happiness" to the more popular "pursuit," since "research shows that it's in our power to fashion it for ourselves."13 — Shawn Achor

We are taught to believe that total makeovers of house, body, and psyche are possible all in a 30-minute episode (minus commercials). But in the real world, this all-or-nothing mindset nearly guarantees failure. — Shawn Achor

Constantly scanning the world for the negative comes with a great cost. It undercuts our creativity, raises our stress levels, and lowers our motivation and ability to accomplish goals. — Shawn Achor

We often feel the most stress, or the most emotionally hijacked, when we stare into the void of our jam-packed to-do list, in-box, or desk top. One look at the towering pile of papers looming on our desk, or the 300 unread e-mails, and our feelings of control fly right out the window. — Shawn Achor

But the most successful people invest in their friends, peers, and family members to propel themselves forward. — Shawn Achor

We not only need to work happy, we need to work at being happy. — Shawn Achor

Happiness is a mindset for your journey, not the result of your destination. — Shawn Achor

Here was someone who had dismissed most of what I had just been saying as too obvious to even discuss; yet apparently it wasn't obvious enough. I realized that he was the living embodiment of one of the greatest paradoxes of human behavior:

Common sense is not common action. — Shawn Achor

He more you believe in your own ability to success the more likely it is that you will. — Shawn Achor

When a manager openly expresses his faith in an employee's skill, he doesn't just improve mood and motivation; he actually improves their likelihood of succeeding. — Shawn Achor

Remember, happiness is not just a mood - it's a work ethic. — Shawn Achor

For two minutes a day, think of one positive experience that's occurred during the past 24 hours. Bullet point each detail you can remember. It works, because the brain can't tell the difference between visualization and actual experience. So you've just doubled the most meaningful experience in your brain. — Shawn Achor

Even the smallest shots of positivity can give someone a serious competitive edge. Two — Shawn Achor

Happiness is not the belief that we don't need to change; it's the realization that we can. — Shawn Achor

Research shows you get multiple tasks done faster if you do them one at a time. It also decreases stress and raises happiness. — Shawn Achor

We become more successful when we are happier and more positive. — Shawn Achor

Our daily decisions and habits have a huge impact upon both our levels of happiness and success. — Shawn Achor

When you write down a list of "three good things" that happened that day, your brain will be forced to scan the last 24 hours for potential positives - — Shawn Achor

Study after study shows that happiness precedes important outcomes and indicators of thriving. — Shawn Achor

Scientifically, happiness is a choice. It is a choice about where your single processor brain will devote its finite resources as you process the world. — Shawn Achor

Amazingly, their belief in their own ability was an even stronger predictor of job performance than the actual level of skill or training they had. More — Shawn Achor

If we study what is merely average, we will remain merely average. — Shawn Achor

Your brain at positive is 31% more productive than your brain at negative, neutral or stressed. — Shawn Achor

Turns out, there was one - and only one - characteristic that distinguished the happiest 10 percent from everybody else: the strength of their social relationships. My empirical study of well-being among 1,600 Harvard undergraduates found a similar result - social support was a far greater predictor of happiness than any other factor, more than GPA, family income, SAT scores, age, gender, or race. In fact, the correlation between social support and happiness was 0.7. This may not sound like a big number, but for researchers it's huge - most psychology findings are considered significant when they hit 0.3. The point is, the more social support you have, the happier you are. And as we know, the happier you are, the more advantages you accrue in nearly every domain of life. — Shawn Achor

For the most part, our jobs require us to use our skills, engage our minds, and pursue our goals - all things that have been shown to contribute to happiness. Of course, leisure activities can do this too, but because they're not required of us - because there is no "leisure boss" leaning over our shoulder on Sunday mornings telling us we'd better be at the art museum by 9 A.M. sharp — Shawn Achor

Because in life, knowledge is only part of the battle. WITHOUT ACTION, KNOWLEDGE IS OFTEN MEANINGLESS. As Aristotle put it, to be excellent we cannot simply think or feel excellent, we must act excellently. Yet the action required to follow through on what we know is often the hardest part. — Shawn Achor

Success does not mean happiness. Check out any celebrity magazine to look for examples to disabuse you of thinking that being beautiful, successful or rich will make you happy. — Shawn Achor

For that matter, you might also try watching less TV in general; studies have shown that the less negative TV we watch, specifically violent media, the happier we are. This doesn't mean shutting ourselves off from the real world or ignoring problems. Psychologists have found that people who watch less TV are actually more accurate judges of life's risks and rewards than those who subject themselves to the tales of crime, tragedy, and death that appear night after night on the ten o'clock news.32 That's because these people are less likely to see sensationalized or one-sided sources of information, and thus see reality more clearly. Exercise — Shawn Achor

As we got more interested in time management and productivity, we lost the individual, and with that individual loss, we lost happiness as well. So I think the world has actually been malnourished as we've focused so much on productivity and ignored happiness and meaning to our own detriment. — Shawn Achor

The fastest way to disengage an employee is to tell him his work is meaningful only because of the paycheck. — Shawn Achor

It's for this reason that, however counterintuitive it may seem, psychologists actually recommend that we fail early and often. — Shawn Achor

Yet hundreds of years ago cartographers from Europe decided that Madrid was above Rio de Janeiro and that Australia should be way "down under." From then on, we have always looked at the world from the same fixed viewpoint. — Shawn Achor

[It's] the lens through which your brain views the world that shapes your reality. And if we can change the lens, not only can we change your happiness, we can change every single educational and business outcome at the same time. — Shawn Achor

What was going on here was that like so many people in contemporary society, along the way to gaining their superb educations, and their shiny opportunities, they had absorbed the wrong lessons. They had mastered formulas in calculus and chemistry. They had read great books and learned world history and become fluent in foreign languages. But they had had never formally been taught how to maximize their brains' potential or how to find meaning and happiness. Armed with iPhones and personal digital assistants, they had multitasked their way through a storm of resume-building experiences, often at the expense of actual ones. In their pursuit of high achievement, they had isolated themselves from their peers and loved ones and thus compromised the very support systems they so ardently needed. Repeatedly, I noticed these patterns in my own students, who often broke down under the tyranny of expectations we place on ourselves and those around us. — Shawn Achor

Each one of us is like that butterfly the Butterfly Effect . And each tiny move toward a more positive mindset can send ripples of positivity through our organizations our families and our communities. — Shawn Achor

Because our brain's resources are limited, we are left with a choice: to use those finite resources to see only pain, negativity, stress, and uncertainty, or to use those resources to look at things through a lens of gratitude, hope, resilience, optimism, and meaning. — Shawn Achor

Focusing on the good isn't just about overcoming our inner grump to see the glass half full. It's about opening our minds to the ideas and opportunities that will help us be more productive, effective, and successful at work and in life. — Shawn Achor

As St. Francis of Assisi in the thirteenth century said it best, "Grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive. — Shawn Achor

even though doctors know better than anyone the importance of exercise and diet, 44 percent of them are overweight.1 — Shawn Achor

Successful people see adversity as a stepping stone rather than a stumbling block. — Shawn Achor

So when a colleague stops you in the hallway at work to say hello and ask about your day, the brief interaction actually sparks a continual upward spiral of happiness and its inherent rewards. — Shawn Achor

The typical approach to understanding human behavior has always been to look for the average behavior or outcome. — Shawn Achor

One of the very first things students in intro psychology, statistics, or economics courses learn is how to "clean up the data. — Shawn Achor

Why did some of the impoverished children in Indonesia create a happy playtime with only some sticks and string, while others sat bored and sullen? — Shawn Achor

put the desired behavior on the path of least resistance, — Shawn Achor

As Aristotle put it, to be excellent we cannot simply think or feel excellent, we must act excellently. — Shawn Achor

Naturally, it causes psychological harm as well; it shouldn't surprise you that a national survey of 24,000 workers found that men and women with few social ties were two to three times more likely to suffer from major depression than people with strong social bonds.9 When we enjoy strong social support, on the other hand, we can accomplish impressive feats of resilience, and even extend the length of our lives. One study found that people who received emotional support during the six months after a heart attack were three times more likely to survive.10 Another found that participating in a breast cancer support group actually doubled women's life expectancy post surgery.11 In fact, researchers have found that social support has as much effect on life expectancy as smoking, high blood pressure, obesity, and regular physical activity.12 — Shawn Achor

So many people are struggling to create happiness while their brain is inundated by noise. If your brain is receiving too much information, it automatically thinks you're under threat and scans the world for the negative first. Because the brain is limited, whatever you attend to first becomes your reality. — Shawn Achor

Happiness is actually an individual choice, even in the midst of negative circumstances. It's not something our employers can give to us, though they can limit and influence that choice. — Shawn Achor

What identity are you wearing today? — Shawn Achor

Success is about more than simple resilience. It's about using that downward momentum to propel ourselves in the opposite direction. It's about capitalizing on setbacks and adversity to become even happier, even more motivated, and even more successful. It's not falling down, it's falling up. — Shawn Achor

if you want to set the tone or mood, make sure you get some of the first words in. Think about it, which meeting would you prefer to attend? One that starts with "Let's get going because we have so much to do today and a lot of fires to put out" or one that starts with "I'm happy to see you all today - it's great that we have such a strong team working on these exciting new projects"? Same reality but a very different outlook. Then sit back and watch how people's engagement and motivation improve in response to your power lead. It's one of the most effective tools in this book. — Shawn Achor

I've worked with farmers in Zimbabwe who've lost their lands. I've worked with people in Venezuela, under threat of kidnappings, whose external world is unstable. But they have very strong social connections with their family and friends. And as a result, they're able to maintain a greater level of happiness and optimism than I've seen from bankers, consultants, or salespeople who are on the road all the time, who follow jobs separated from their families, and, as a result, find themselves missing out on the happiness that comes from those very connections that they severed. — Shawn Achor

Luckily, I was in a unique position to conduct this research. — Shawn Achor

When we encounter an unexpected challenge of threat the only way to save ourselves is to hold on tight to the people around us and not let go. — Shawn Achor

only when we choose to believe that we live in a world where challenges can be overcome, our behavior matters, and change is possible can we summon all our drive, energy, and emotional and intellectual resources to make that change happen. — Shawn Achor

the happy doctors made the right diagnosis much faster and exhibited much more creativity. — Shawn Achor

One of the most powerful forces in human nature is our belief that change is possible. — Shawn Achor

Happiness inspires productivity. — Shawn Achor

and for that, every single one of your direct descendants had to overcome dangers, looks, and sickness long enough to be able to have sex. — Shawn Achor

The mental construction of our daily activities, more than the activity itself, defines our reality. — Shawn Achor

You can study gravity forever without learning how to fly. — Shawn Achor

Mike Morrison, vice president and dean of the University of Toyota, likes to ask employees: "What's on the other side of your card?" In other words, the front of your business card may read "Managing Director," but you may better identify with "big picture thinker" or "educator" or "calm under fire." This kind of information - or even a few simple details like where a person lives, what his or her favorite hobby is - cuts through the red tape to get somewhere more meaningful, and it can more immediately and effectively forge a connection between two people. — Shawn Achor

Happiness is such an incredible advantage in our life. When the human brain is positive, our intelligence rises, we stop diverting resources to think about anxiety. — Shawn Achor

Positivity is such a high predicator of success rates. — Shawn Achor

happiness is the precursor to success, not merely the result. And that happiness and optimism actually fuel performance and achievement - giving us the competitive edge that I call the Happiness Advantage. — Shawn Achor

In the world of marketing, the term is "opt-out" - a genius invention, really, that takes supreme advantage of human psychology. Opt-out marketing is when people are added to mailing lists without ever consciously consenting, so that if they want to stop the barrage of promotional e-mails, they must actively unsubscribe themselves. — Shawn Achor

The best leaders are the ones who show their true colors not during the banner years but during times of struggle. — Shawn Achor

You can eliminate depression without making someone happy. You can cure anxiety without teaching someone optimism. You can return someone to work without improving their job performance. If all you strive for is diminishing the bad, you'll only attain the average and you'll miss out entirely on the opportunity to exceed the average. — Shawn Achor

The reason some people see the world so differently from others is that the human brain doesn't just take a picture of the external world like a camera; it is constantly interpreting and processing the information it receives. — Shawn Achor

Happiness is the joy we feel striving after our potential. — Shawn Achor

A Conference Board survey released in January of 2010 found that only 45 percent of workers surveyed were happy at their jobs, the lowest in 22 years of polling.2 Depression rates today are ten times higher than they were in 1960.3 Every year the age threshold of unhappiness sinks lower, not just at universities but across the nation. Fifty years ago, the mean onset age of depression was 29.5 years old. Today, it is almost exactly half that: 14.5 years old. — Shawn Achor

Try this exercise: Turn a piece of paper horizontally, and on the left hand side write down a task you're forced to perform at work that feels devoid of meaning. Then ask yourself: What is the purpose of this task? What will it accomplish? Draw an arrow to the right and write this answer down. If what you wrote still seems unimportant, ask yourself again: What does this result lead to? Draw another arrow and write this down. Keep going until you get to a result that is meaningful to you. In this way, you can connect every small thing you do to the larger picture, to a goal that keeps you motivated and energized. — Shawn Achor

By changing our mindset and habits, we can actually dramatically change the course of life, improve intelligence, productivity, improve the quality of our lives, and improve every single education and business outcome. — Shawn Achor

By changing the way we perceive ourselves and our work, we can dramatically improve our results. USING — Shawn Achor

The idea of investing in the positivity of employees is often low down on companies' priority lists. — Shawn Achor

Happiness is a social creature. If you try to pursue it in a vacuum, it's very difficult to sustain it. But as soon as you get people focused on creating meaningful connections in the midst of their work, or increasing the meaning and depth of their relationships outside of work, we find happiness rising in step with that social connection. — Shawn Achor

So, now, in this new situation, they didn't try jumping to the safe half of the box because they believed there was nothing they could do to avoid the shock. Just like the workers at the Johannesburg construction company, they essentially figured, "why bother?" After decades of studying human behavior, Seligman and his colleagues found that the same patterns of helplessness that he saw in those dogs are incredibly common in humans. When we fail, or when life delivers us a shock, we can become so hopeless that we respond by simply giving up. — Shawn Achor

The Cleveland Clinic Foundation funded a study in which one group of healthy volunteers spent fifteen minutes a day practicing "finger abductions," which are basically like a biceps curl but with one finger. — Shawn Achor

Barbara Fredrickson, a researcher at the University of North Carolina and perhaps the world's leading expert on the subject, describes the ten most common positive emotions: "joy, gratitude, serenity, interest, hope, pride, amusement, inspiration, awe, and love. — Shawn Achor

Technology may make it easier for us to save time, but it also makes it a whole lot easier for us to waste it. — Shawn Achor

The way we define happiness is the joy you feel striving toward your potential — Shawn Achor

The contents of the glass don't matter; what's more important is to realize there's a pitcher of water nearby. In other words, we have the capacity to refill the glass, or to change our outlook. — Shawn Achor

You have to train your brain to be positive just like you work out your body. — Shawn Achor

As a society, we know very well how to be unwell and miserable and so little about how to thrive. — Shawn Achor

Researcher Richard Wiseman, in his article "The Luck Factor," says that if you are an apple picker and you keep coming back to the same trees every day, eventually you're going to run out of fruit. — Shawn Achor

Turn on the news, and the majority of airtime is spent on accidents, corruption, murders, abuse. This focus on the negative tricks our brains into believing that this sorry ratio is reality, that most of life is negative. — Shawn Achor

Just as our view of work affects our real experience of it, so too does our view of leisure. If our mindset conceives of free time, hobby time, or family time as non-productive, then we will, in fact, make it a waste of time. — Shawn Achor

Psychologists have found that people who watch less TV are actually more accurate judges of life's risks and rewards than those who subject themselves to the tales of crime, tragedy, and death that appear night after night on the ten o'clock news.32 — Shawn Achor

reality" is merely our brain's relative understanding of the world based on where and how we are observing it. — Shawn Achor

statistical analysis revealed that the training was responsible for the positive effects. — Shawn Achor

All it takes is consciously remembering that we need to include others in our reality. — Shawn Achor

our fear of consequences is always worse than the consequences themselves - can — Shawn Achor

The absence of disease is not health. — Shawn Achor