The Happiness Advantage: Optimism & Performance
We often believe that success leads to happiness. We think that once we achieve our goals, get the promotion or complete the project, we'll finally be happy. But research reveals a powerful truth: this formula is backwards. Happiness doesn't follow success; it precedes it. In fact, 75% of job success is predicted by your optimism level, not your skills or circumstances.
In his TED Talk, Shawn Achor, the author of The Happiness Advantage explains that happiness actually leads to success, not the other way around. If you raise the level of positivity in your live you can perform better, be more productive and have more energy, creativity and intelligence.
Our senses are shaping the reality
The brain doesn't simply receive information from the external world. It actively interprets and shapes that information. Our perception of reality is filtered through our mental lens, which means how we see the world directly influences how we experience it.
When we process the external world through a positive lens, we don't just feel better, but we actually perform better. The brain operating in a positive state functions fundamentally differently than it does in a negative, neutral or stressed state.
If you change the lens, you can change the outcome
This is the transformative insight: you have the power to change how your brain perceives your circumstances. By deliberately shifting your mental lens toward positivity, you alter not just your mood but your actual performance and results.
The lens through which you view your work, your challenges and your daily experiences determines your outcomes more than the circumstances themselves.
The majority of information is not positive
Here's the challenge: most of the information we encounter daily isn't positive. The brain naturally focuses on:
Competition: Comparing ourselves to others and feeling we're falling short
Workload: The overwhelming amount of tasks and responsibilities
Stress: Pressures, deadlines and demands
Complaints: Problems, frustrations and what's going wrong
Worries: Anxieties about the future and what might go wrong
This negative focus isn't a character flaw. This is how our brains evolved to keep us safe. But in modern work environments, this survival mechanism works against us, draining our energy and limiting our effectiveness.
You will perform better, be more productive, have more energy, creativity and intelligence if you raise the level of positivity.
When you raise the level of positivity in the present, your brain experiences measurable advantages. Research shows that a positive brain produces:
Enhanced Performance
You execute tasks more effectively and make better decisions. Your brain in a positive state has access to more cognitive resources and processes information more efficiently.Increased Productivity
You accomplish more in less time. Positive emotions broaden your thinking and help you see solutions and opportunities you'd miss in a stressed state.Greater Energy
Positivity fuels motivation and stamina. Rather than feeling drained by work, you feel energized and engaged. This sustainable energy allows you to maintain high performance over longer periods.Enhanced Creativity and Intelligence
A positive brain makes new connections, thinks more flexibly, and solves problems more creatively. You have access to more of your intelligence when you're in a positive state compared to a stressed or negative one.
Practical Ways to Raise Positivity
Here are evidence-based practices that shift your mental lens:
Gratitude
Regularly acknowledge what you appreciate in your work and life. This practice trains your brain to scan for the positive rather than the negative. Try writing down three specific things you're grateful for each day.Journaling
Write about positive experiences or meaningful moments. The act of reflecting on and articulating positive events strengthens their impact and helps your brain recognize patterns of goodness in your life.Exercise
Physical activity is one of the most powerful mood elevators. Regular movement teaches your brain that your behavior matters and that you can influence your state.Meditation
Even brief mindfulness practices help you become aware of your mental lens and give you the power to adjust it. Meditation builds the muscle of attention, allowing you to focus on what serves you.Acts of Kindness
Performing kind actions for others creates positive emotions and strengthens social connections. This could be as simple as sending an encouraging email or offering help to a colleague.
The Transformation
When you consistently practice these positivity-raising strategies, something remarkable happens. Your default lens begins to shift. You start to naturally notice opportunities instead of only obstacles, to see possibilities instead of only problems.
This doesn't mean ignoring real challenges or pretending everything is perfect. It means approaching those challenges from a resourced, capable state rather than a depleted, overwhelmed one.
The happy secret to better work is this:
You don't have to wait until you're successful to be happy. By choosing to be positive in the present, you create the conditions for success to follow. Your brain performs best when it's positive, so happiness becomes the means to success, not just the end goal. In end, happiness isn't something you pursue after success. It's the foundation upon which success is built.
Bring these concepts to life in your organization.
While these frameworks provide the map, a workshop provides the journey. I help teams master these skills through high-quality training sessions on Leadership, Presentation Skills, Visual Thinking and more.
