When I read The Happiness Advantage, Shawn Achor’s book about positive psychology, Principle #7 really hit home.

Flipping the Script on Social v. Stress

For many of us, when we become stressed, our instinct is to isolate ourselves so we can buckle down and work harder. We can’t afford to socialize, we tell ourselves; we’ve gotta work. After our hard work has produced success, then we’ll be able to relax and have lots of fun.

This instinct is exactly backwards, the research shows. The more stressed we feel, the more we need a support network and a little time to enjoy it. Counterintuitively, taking this time actually produces more success, not less. When we’re with people, we’re happy, and when we’re happy, we’re more productive, creative, focused, and ultimately successful. (Yes, this holds true for introverts too.)

An Experiment (Day 1)

Recently, I decided to start a new habit. It’s so basic and fun it’s embarrassing to admit I had to consciously think to do it.

Mid-morning, I left my office, grabbed a cup of tea, and just walked around. My only goal was to see people, exchange smiles, and chat. No point or purpose, just to enjoy being in a community. I wondered if I’d find anyone to chat with.

I didn’t have to worry. I stepped outside to enjoy some sunshine and quickly struck up a conversation with a new student who was studying there. She gave me a tip about a great LSAT prep course that I’ll pass along to another prospective law student.

I went inside and saw a colleague sitting in the hall having coffee, so I joined her. She gave me a fun update about a recent meet-up with a former colleague.

While we were talking, a student came by who was part of a class that I’d invited over to my house for an end-of-year party and then I got sick and had to cancel. We decided to reschedule the party for next month.

As the new first-year students started to file by us on their way to class, I saw a student who had participated in a three-week study abroad course in Uganda with me five years ago as an undergraduate. He was now starting law school, a longtime goal. I jumped up and gave him a welcome hug and we caught up on some of the other students from the trip.

Results

If happiness is the key to focus and creativity, I definitely got in some reps today. I don’t know if it makes you more productive (small data set). But preliminary results suggest that, at the very least, it makes you give much less of a sh**.