The answer may surprise you: It’s actually both!
In this blog I’m going to define and discuss PERMA, the 5 building blocks of what makes for a happy life.
I want you to think about incorporating some of these building blocks into your life in an attempt to move along the happiness continuum.
The issue of a happiness continuum is an important one because it implies that we’re all happy – well to some degree anyway– and it also signifies that we have the ability to move along the happiness continuum and intentionally become happier.
How exciting!
The PERMA model was developed by Dr. Martin Seligman and stands for the following:
- Positive emotions
- Engagement
- Relationships
- Meaning
- Accomplishment
Let’s look at each category in greater detail.
Positive Emotions: such as joy, gratitude, serenity, awe, and love, make us feel vibrant and alive. We all need these! However, being a human also means that we will inevitably experience the full spectrum of emotions which includes anger, resentment, anxiety and the like.
Being happy doesn’t mean that we strive to eradicate negative emotions. Negative emotions do indeed have a purpose. Consider a student who is nervous about an upcoming exam. Her anxiety should serve as a motivator to help her design a study schedule that ensures she read and review all class materials several days before the test.
Engagement: The second principle of PERMA refers to engagement or flow. Think of flow as being in the zone. It’s the experience of being so immersed in an activity that you lose all concept of time because all of your mental focus is wrapped up in the present experience. Flow is essential to happiness as it provides a reprieve from daily hassles and stresses.
Dr. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, the man credited with researching and naming the concept of flow, describes the concept as follows:
“…being completely involved in an activity for its own sake. The ego falls away. Time flies. Every action, movement, and thought follows inevitably from the previous one, like playing jazz. Your whole being is involved, and you’re using your skills to the utmost.”
Do you have activities in which you lose all sense of time? If you don’t, you will want to think about exploring this concept in greater detail and contemplate what activities will help you derive a sense of flow.
Relationships: The third component of PERMA is relationships. We all need a tribe! Social connection is vital to our health and happiness.
The key here my friends is to be engaged in POSITIVE relationships. Positive relationships are those in which we feel heard, validated, and understood. In essence, positive relationships make us feel cared for, valued and connected to others.
All too often when schedules become chaotic and exams, projects and deadlines loom, our social circle is the first thing we drop from our calendars to free up time to focus on other priorities. While cancelling that long overdue lunch with your best friend may seem like a smart decision, it just may be the thing that you need to do to excel on your final project!
Friends buffer stress and they also help us maintain perspective.
Meaning: According to PERMA, living a life of meaning necessitates being involved in an activity or a cause that is larger than oneself. These activities infuse life with a sense of purpose.
Tending to the environment, helping find stray animals a new home, or tutoring classmates who are struggling with a subject that you, yourself, have mastered, make us feel good. Such activities provide our lives with meaning and cause us to feel that our lives matter.
Accomplishment: The fifth and final principle of PERMA is accomplishment. Research findings indicate that a sense of accomplishment is important to happiness and well-being because goals infuse our lives with structure, and making purposeful efforts to achieve that which we set out to accomplish, is a rewarding and satisfying experience.
When students focus their energies on mastering new skills and concentrate their efforts on their own personal and professional development, as opposed to the attainment of rigid, inflexible, and excessively high personal standards, they’re more successful academically and happier to boot!
In other words, it is in your best interest to strive for excellence as opposed to the accomplishment of perfection.
So what does this all mean for university students?
