Notably Good is a new app for the iPhone that is available in the Apple iTunes Store.
What are people saying?
“This app is cool!” – – Niccole
“Quick and easy way to start or end your day in a positive, thankful way.” – – Kari
Science Behind the Three Things Exercise
“[T]o overcome our brains’ natural catastrophic bent, we need to work on and practice this skill of thinking about what went well.” – – Dr. Martin Seligman, University of Pennsylvania
Imagine the precarious world in which our early ancestors lived. A subtle noise in the bushes might just be the wind, but it could be a tiger lying in wait. Natural selection strongly favored those who were prone to hear the tiger and take action.
Our inherited catastrophic bent, however, is not well suited to the modern world. Excessive rumination on the virtual “tigers” in the bushes generates stress and is a barrier to subjective happiness. Happiness, in turn, is correlated with better health outcomes according to research by Dr. Martin Seligman and described in his popular book Flourish.
What can we do about it?
Researchers have studied several techniques that tend to boost overall happiness over a placebo in controlled studies published in peer reviewed journals. Prof. Sonja Lyubomirsky, in her popular book The How of Happiness, describes these techniques and the research behind them.
One of the most effective techniques is the “Three Good Things” exercise.
The Notably Good app is designed to help you with this exercise. It provides a convenient way to record and reflect on positive developments during the past day or week.
What is Happiness?
We all know happiness is important, but what is it? Philosophers have divided the study of happiness into two broad categories: hedonic and eudaimonic happiness. The former is what usually counts as happiness in the public imagination: laughter, good times, and unlimited consumption, but that kind of happiness can be fleeting. While it’s an important component of overall happiness, basing your life on hedonic happiness can lead to bad results.
Eudaimonia is the more serious cousin of the happiness pair. The word comes from the Greek prefix “eu” meaning good and “daimōn” for spirit. “Good spirit” happiness is the quiet contentment you get from a lifetime of achievement, a successful marriage, or spiritual peace. The Greek Stoics were famous for pursuing this version of happiness.
The goal of Notably Good software is to help you enhance both hedonic and eudaimonic happiness by overcoming negativity bias.