Examples, Positive Thinking and Happiness Discussions
Helpful Observation - Discussions of general happiness have taken place in society via famous university lectures, certain genres of books, emoji to a certain extent, #cognition papers featured in journals, and as themes within certain films and songs. When discussing positive thinking, some people may neglect the areas of reasonability, motivation, and context. Personally, I value the role of context in many discussions, and I know there are abilities that I utilize - that I have - and abilities that others may express. We may have our own positive thoughts, yet there may be practical actions that need to be implemented.
At a commencement ceremony May 8, 2010 in South Carolina, Chairman of the Federal Reserve Ben S. Bernanke discussed, "Why talk about happiness? Well, it's right there in the mission statement of the United States, the Declaration of Independence: The inalienable rights of Americans are 'Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.' If Thomas Jefferson thought it was important to facilitate the pursuit of happiness, maybe we should think a bit about what that means in practice." (https://www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents/speech/bernanke20100508a.htm)
Examples of positive thinking or levels of thought include the areas of: Positive Visualization and practice by a player in a sporting event, time for personal development when desiring some improvement or seeking to be of service, and being aware of particular talents when considering relationships.
"Traditionally, when economists talk about happiness or satisfaction, they use a technical term, 'utility,' whose central role in both economics and philosophy goes back to the time of Thomas Jefferson--in particular, to the introduction of the 'utilitarian' approach in philosophy associated with Jeremy Bentham, an approach that has had a strong influence on economics." (footnote, https://www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents/speech/bernanke20100508a.htm)
Thank you!
Brent Stackhouse, MBA
August 3, 2018