Psychology Business Self-Help

The Happiness Advantage: The Seven Principles of Positive Psychology That Fuel Success and Performance at Work (Summary)

by Shawn Achor

Why do doctors who are given a piece of candy before making a diagnosis outperform their peers by 19% in speed and accuracy? It’s not the sugar. It’s the small jolt of positive emotion. We've been taught that if we work hard, we will be successful, and then we'll be happy. This book proves that formula is backward: happiness is the precursor to success, not the result.

Your Brain Works Better When You're Happy

Achor argues that a positive and engaged brain is the single greatest competitive advantage in the modern economy. Positive emotions flood our brains with dopamine and serotonin, which don't just make us feel good, but also dial up the learning centers of our brains to higher levels.

Optimistic salespeople outsell their pessimistic counterparts by 56%. Students primed to feel happy before a math test dramatically outperform their neutral peers. Your state of mind isn't just a mood; it's a direct driver of your cognitive performance.

Change Your Mindset to Change Your Reality

This principle, called The Fulcrum and the Lever, states that our mindset (the fulcrum) and how we perceive our power (the lever) can create massive change. By shifting our perspective, we can transform our performance and outcomes without changing the external situation.

In a study cited by Achor, a group of hotel maids were told that their daily work was excellent exercise and met the Surgeon General's recommendations for an active lifestyle. A month later, without changing their behavior, these maids showed a decrease in weight, blood pressure, and body fat, simply because they changed their mindset about their work.

Make Good Habits Easier and Bad Habits Harder

Willpower is a finite resource. Instead of relying on it, we should use the 20-Second Rule to engineer our environment for success. By reducing the 'activation energy' for good habits and increasing it for bad ones, we can make the desired path the path of least resistance.

Achor wanted to practice guitar more. The 20 seconds it took to get the guitar out of the closet was enough of a barrier to stop him. By placing the guitar on a stand in his living room, he removed that 20-second barrier and started practicing regularly. To stop watching TV, he took the batteries out of the remote, adding a 20-second barrier that effectively curbed his mindless viewing.

Start Small to Conquer Big Challenges

When faced with overwhelming tasks or stress, our brains shut down. The Zorro Circle principle involves regaining control by focusing on one small, manageable goal. By mastering a small area first, we build confidence and momentum to tackle larger challenges.

A client of Achor's at a major financial firm was paralyzed by the sheer volume of tasks after the 2008 market crash. Instead of telling her to tackle everything, he had her focus on one tiny task: writing a single positive email to someone on her team each morning. This small, controllable win gave her a feeling of control that radiated outward, allowing her to tackle bigger and bigger challenges.

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