Positive Neuroplasticity
Well-being is a skill
Well-being is pliable- a set of skills that we can cultivate, much like learning to play a musical instrument or ride a bike.
How does well-being manifest in the mind and body? Similar to the brain's neuronal architecture, well-being is pliable. It’s not a static "thing" – but a set of skills that we can cultivate, much like learning to play a musical instrument or ride a bike.
Ingredients for emotional well-being
The World Health Organization published a “Happiness Report” in 2015 which shared research on the necessary ingredients for feeling content. The data covered a range of important categories, including a chapter on “emotional well-being”, written by neuroscientist and neuroplasticity researcher, Richard Davidson, PhD. He offered four universal human tenets of emotional well-being, including:
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The capacity to sustain positive emotion-- to learn to prolong positive emotion and savor when we feel good.
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Resiliency- the capacity to recover quickly from stress and negative emotions and events. Moreover, those of us who feel as if we are living a purposeful life experience greater resilience and well-being.
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The ability to cultivate prosocial skills such as empathy, gratitude and compassion. Engaging in kind and generous acts increases well-being.
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The capacity for mindfulness- (the intentional state of existing in present moment awareness)- enhances well-being. Research suggests when we focus our often wandering minds, we actually feel better and are more likely to embrace a perspective of abundance rather than scarcity.
