(토요모임) [ 23. Feb. 2019 ] Saturday meeting topic

[Scarlet]

Howdy ! 

It's me Scarlett !   

This week we have 3 categories of topics which are connected with 'Cyber Security & Happiness. Do not be obsessed with all the articles too much. Just pick some articles what you have interests and prepare your opinions related to them. :)

Detailed lists are as follows.

◈ Cyber Security : 

----  China used Huawei to hack network, says secret report
----  China On The March: Cybersecurity And Hidden Risks
----  Hackers will pose a greater threat in 2018 | The Economist
----  Hackers target colleges to steal personal data, university research
----  What are you revealing online? Much more than you think

◈ Society & Phliosophy :

Happiness components; Money, Work, Social Value & its Measurement

---- The Definition Of Happiness

---- Happy Now, Happy Next Year: Balancing Short-Term and Long-Term Happiness

---- 5 Questions About Happiness Science Can’t Answer

---- Happiness & All You Need To Know About The Science Behind It

---- The Pursuit of Happiness

---- Public Happiness
---- Valuing your time more than money is linked to happiness

◈ Workforce and Employment :

     ---- This is what millennials look for in a job

---- Is the meaning of work about to change?

---- A growing number of people think their job is useless. Time to rethink the meaning of work

Hope you enjoy the topics

With luv

Scarlett

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Hitchcock's Secret to Happiness
Maria Popova/ Mar 20, 2012

The secret of happiness and purpose endures as our highest aspiration. From its science and psychology to its geography to its empirical application, we go after it with ceaseless zeal.

In this brilliantly wise and articulate short excerpt from an archival interview, the great Alfred Hitchcock shares his definition of happiness -- a definition that makes my own heart sing, and harks back to this meditation on kindness and the lack thereof.

A clear horizon -- nothing to worry about on your plate, only things that are creative and not destructive.... I can't bear quarreling, I can't bear feelings between people -- I think hatred is wasted energy, and it's all non-productive. I'm very sensitive -- a sharp word, said by a person, say, who has a temper, if they're close for me, haunts me for days. I know we're only human, we do go in for these various emotions, call them negative emotions, but when all these are removed and you can look forward and the road is clear ahead, and now you're going to create something -- I think that's as happy as I'll ever want to be.

Beautifully said, with a blend of personal vulnerability and firm conviction worthy of profound respect.

Via Open Culture.
Article source : https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2012/03/hitchcocks-secret-to-happiness/254769/

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Hackers will pose a greater threat in 2018 | The Economist

Hackers will affect our daily lives in 2018 like never before. As more elements of our daily lives are linked to the internet, hackers will have greater opportunity to scale up cybercrimes, leaving our homes and personal lives more vulnerable to attack

Click here to subscribe to The Economist on YouTube: http://econ.trib.al/rWl91R7

In 2018 cyber attacks will affect our lives like never before. Hackers have already compromised multi-national organisations, stealing the personal details of millions. Hackers have even been implicated in national elections.

On the golden shores of Hawaii lives one of the most prolific hackers on the planet. At the age of 22, Jeremiah Grossman hacked Yahoo – one of the biggest tech companies in the world. In response, they offered him a job – Yahoo’s Chief Hacker. 

According to Jeremiah "There’s a vernacular in the industry, there is the white hat hackers and then there is the black hat hackers. The way I like to describe it is kind of like Star Wars where you have the Jedi and the Sith. The skills are the same but one uses their powers for good and the other one is for evil. I am more of the white hat variety. I use those skills to prevent other people from getting hacked. There is people all over the world attacking you and you have to remain calm and steadfast at every point because if you lose control you will lose the battle."

White hat hackers break into computer systems to find the weaknesses and make companies aware of them. But it’s about to get even harder to keep up the defences.

With an ever-increasing risk to corporate security, 2018 will see an unlikely saviour in the fight against hackers - Insurance companies.

But cyber insurance can only go so far when we are all becoming vulnerable to attack. More and more of our every day lives are being hardwired to the internet from the lock on our front door to our heating. Being connected may bring convenience, but it also makes our homes and our personal lives more vulnerable to hackers.

Daily Watch: mind-stretching short films throughout the working week.

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< Key words >

Security hacker

A security hacker is someone who seeks to breach defenses and exploit weaknesses in a computer system or network. Hackers may be motivated by a multitude of reasons, such as profit, protest, information gathering,[1] challenge, recreation,[2] or to eval‎‎uate system weaknesses to assist in formulating defenses against potential hackers. The subculture that has evolved around hackers is often referred to as the computer underground.[3] 

There is a longstanding controversy about the term's true meaning. In this controversy, the term hacker is reclaimed by computer programmers who argue that it refers simply to someone with an advanced understanding of computers and computer networks,[4] and that cracker is the more appropriate term for those who break into computers, whether computer criminal (black hats) or computer security expert (white hats).[5][6] A 2014 article concluded that "... the black-hat meaning still prevails among the general public".[7][tone] 

Article source : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Security_hacker

1. Emerging key social issue in Cyber Korea - Strongly questionable alternative : 강하게 의심되는 대안 - new formula : 새로운 방식 - Internet real-name use : 인터넷 실명제 - Online real-name verification : 온라인 실명제 - Introduction of the real name use system : 온라인실명제 도입  - Celebrities' X-file - Confidential report containing unconfirmed allegations : 확인되지 않은 소문을 포함한 기밀 문서 - Release of a confidential report : 기밀문서의 배포 - Posting articles on the message board : 게시판에 글을 올리는 것 - Gae ttong nyue (Dog shit girl) 2. Cyber crime cases - cyber terror : 사이버 테러 - cyber lynching : 사이버 폭력적 제재 - offensive behavior : 공격적인 행동 - linguistic violence : 언어적 폭력 - Hacking & Spreading virus - Financial crimes - Sales & illegal articles - Cyber pornography - Online gambling - Intellectual property crimes - Email spoofing : 이메일 속임수 - forgery - Cyber stalking - Piracy : 저작권 침해 - Cyber defamations : 사이버 명예훼손 - Slander/ Curse/ Bigotry /Libel : 모욕/ 명예훼손 - false information - groundless criticism : 근거없는 비난  3. Related objects - Spreader : 퍼뜨리는 사람 - Progressive civic group : 진보적 시민 단체 - Anonymous commentator : 익명의 주석자 - The world's most wired country : 세계최고의 인터넷망이 잘 구비된 나라 - the highest broadband internet penetration rates : 초고속 인터넷 전송율 - cyber mob attackers : 사이버 군중 공격자들 4. Applying procedure of online real-name use - resident registation number : 주민등록 번호 - citizenship number : 주민번호 - binding force : 구속력 - credibility of user-created content : 사용자가 생성한 내용물의 신뢰도 - nickname, pseudonyms  : 가명

5. Infringement on the freedom of expression‎‎‎‎ - "Big brother" intrusion into every life : 모든 사람들에 대한 정치권력자들의 침해 - hampering a social culture of sound debate : 바람직한 논쟁의 사회적 문화를 훼방함 - causing social division and conflict : 사회적 분리와 분쟁을 야기시킴 - pre-censorship : 사전검열 - freedom of Internet-based expression‎‎‎‎ rooted in anonymity : 익명성에 근거한 인터넷 기반 표현의 자유 - human right violation in cyberspace : 사이버 공간에서의 인권 침해 - freedom of speech : 언론의 자유 - checking sound criticism : 바람직한 비판에 대한 견제  6. Unmatured citizenship - the qualm of conscience : 양심의 가책 - moral hazard : 도덕적 해이 - witch hunting：마녀사냥 - participatory democracy : 참여 민주주의 - public moral : 공공의 도덕 - social ethics : 사회적 윤리 - misconception and illusion : 오해와 환상 - people's maturity : 사람들의 성숙도 7. Private advocates - individual's consent : 개인의 동의 - unconstitutional : 위헌적인 - Infringement of privacy : 사적자유의 침해 - low-level notions on privacy : 사적자유에 대한 낮은 수준의 인식 - privacy protection : 사적자유의 보호 - confirmation of identity : 신원 확인 8. Alternative countermeasures - Widespread Education : 광범위한 교육 - harsh punishment : 가혹한 형벌 - strict law enforcement : 엄격한 법률의 집행 - enhancing accountability : 책임감을 향상시키는 것 - voluntary self regulatory effort : 자발적인 자기 규제 노력

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China used Huawei to hack network, says secret report

Paul Maley / Defence and National Security Editor
David Uren / Associate Editor (Economics)
12:00AM November 3, 2018

Secret intelligence reports given to Australian officials outlined a case in which Chinese espionage services used telecommunications giant Huawei’s staff to get access codes to infiltrate a foreign network.
The Weekend Australian has confirmed from a national security source that the intelligence highlighted the Chinese company’s role in cyber espionage.
Huawei has been banned from any involvement in building the new 5G network in Australia ­because of security fears but Chin­ese officials have urged the government to rethink the decision.

The new information has emerged ahead of the first Australian ministerial visit to China in a year. Trade Minister Simon Birmingham is due to go to Shanghai next week, and a meeting between Scott Morrison and President Xi Jinping is expected at the APEC leaders’ meeting over the next two weeks, amid hopes of resetting the strained relationship.
In what is the first known ­instance of Huawei being used by the Chinese government as a ­conduit for intelligence gathering, the national security source said an unnamed “high-risk vendor’’ — confirmed by The Weekend Australian to be Huawei — had ­featured in intelligence reporting.
“I am aware of intelligence that indicates that certain high-risk vendors have been asked for ­assistance by foreign intelligence services,’’ the source said.
The Weekend Australian has confirmed that the attempted breach related to a foreign network, not an Australian one.
It is understood company officials were pressed upon to provide password and network details that would enable Chinese intelligence services to gain access.
It is not known if the attempted hack, which occurred in the past two years, was successful.
While some governments, ­including Australia’s, have locked Huawei out of sensitive projects or acquisitions, the risk has until now been regarded as theoretical.
Huawei was one of two companies banned from participation in the construction of Australia’s 5G network, which is expected to be up and running by next year. The other was Chinese firm ZTE.
The Weekend Australian ­understands the criteria the ­government used to determine risk around network vendors ­centred on capability, form and intent — that is, did a company have the capability to breach a network and a history or intention of doing so. One key criterion was whether the company ­operated in a ­jurisdiction where corporations could be compelled to provide ­information to intelligence services. Late last year, China passed its National Intelligence Law, which obliged citizens and organisations to co-operate with and collaborate with China’s intelligence services if required.
Australian Strategic Policy Institute cyber expert Dannielle Cave said the rule placed Chinese corporations such as Huawei in an impossible situation.
“Huawei is a good company that provides good, cost-effective equipment around the world but this law makes it very difficult for Australia to involve Chinese companies in critical national infrastructure,’’ Ms Cave said. “A lot of this goes straight back to that law. It is out of the company’s hands.’’
Ms Cave said Huawei had been implicated in alleged cyber theft of data from the African Union’s Ethiopia headquarters. According to multiple reports this year, data was transferred every night from the building for five years. “There’s no proof that Huawei was asked to participate or turn a blind eye to the breach, but we know that there was a breach and Huawei was the key provider,’’ Ms Cave said.
It is not clear if it is the same breach. Huawei has consistently denied any involvement in espionage. Yesterday its Australian spokesman attacked what he ­described as “more tired, unsubstantiated comments from anonymous sources’’.
“Huawei is the world’s largest telecommunications supplier,” the spokesman said. “We partner with the world’s biggest telecom operators because they trust our equipment and trust our people. Because of our proven record and our investment in ­cutting-edge research and development, our business will continue to grow and succeed. For 30 years Huawei has provided safe and ­secure technology to the telecom industry.’’
Chinese officials also voiced their displeasure at the 5G ban, arguing it could set a precedent for other countries. “We say to the Australian government, you should rethink the decision,’’ a Chinese official told Australian journalists on a ­Chinese government-funded tour this week.
The group was granted background briefings with a series of senior officials with responsibilities for international relations from both the government and the Communist Party of China. All raised the ban on Huawei as a complication in the relationship.
“Australia is seen by many people in China as the pioneer of anti-Chinese thinking,” the official said, referring both to the Huawei decision and the foreign-interference legislation introduced last year, which Chinese authorities believe is aimed at them.
A second official said: “This business is not over, and actually we are still in discussions with the Australian side.”
Huawei head of corporate affairs Jeremy Mitchell said Australian security agencies had taken a negative approach to the company and had declined invitations to visit its headquarters in China and inspect its processes. He noted that rival vendors of 5G technology, Eriksson and Nokia, sourced their hardware from China in joint venture with state-owned enterprises.
Officials said they had noted positive comments about the relationship made by Mr Morrison, both in a speech to the Chinese community and also in an interview with the Chinese media.

David Uren travelled to China as a guest of the Chinese People’s Institute of Foreign Affairs

Article source : https://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/national-security/china-used-huawei-to-hack-network-says-secret-report/news-story/510d3b17c2791cbcac18f047c64ab9d8

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China On The March: Cybersecurity And Hidden Risks

Dec 17, 2018/ Brigham A. McCown/ Energy Former regulator & public policy expert

concerns have also been raised about China’s attempts to infiltrate the U.S. transportation industry.
 
The recent arrest of Huawei’s chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou in Canada at the request of U.S. officials over unspecified accusations is just the latest example of countries attempting to contain Chinese ambitions, often expressed through that country’s state-owned companies. It has been widely reported Huawei may have broken U.S. sanctions by doing business with Iran.

Trouble for the company worsened over the last week when the Wall Street Journal reported that spy chiefs from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the U.K., and the United States agreed during a July meeting that the company's influence needed to be limited. The concern is that Chinese-produced 5G telecommunications equipment produced by Huawei may be used in the future to cripple energy and transportation infrastructure. New Zealand moved in November to block Huawei from providing 5G equipment.
Two weeks ago, aerospace giant Boeing canceled a controversial satellite order that was financed by a state-owned Chinese company following a Wall Street Journal investigation. While Boeing cited "non-payment" for its official reason for canceling the project, critics argued China funneled offshore funds through a State-owned company to gain control of otherwise banned high tech capabilities.

National security experts had voiced concerns that China Orient, the Chinese company owned by the country’s Ministry of Finance, was attempting to circumvent export regulations designed to restrict transfers of sensitive technology relied upon by the U.S. military. The civilian satellite was destined for use in Africa, and experts had expressed concern that once in orbit, the satellite could be retooled for military use.
While these moves mark a more aggressive phase of confronting Chinese competition, recent reports have recounted that the Defense Department is actively trying to counter Chinese hackers that have been hacking defense contractors in efforts to steal secrets.

Against this backdrop, concerns have also been raised about China’s attempts to infiltrate the U.S. transportation industry. In October a senior Chinese official was extradited to the U.S. and prosecuted for economic espionage after attempting to steal technology secrets from leading aviation firms.
Lurking beneath these high-profile cases is another, not so obvious target of China: the rail and transit industry. With more than 15 million passengers across the country using commuter rail each day, the country’s mass transit systems keep workers, businesses, and the economies of America’s most vital cities humming. Safe and secure commuter rail is key to America’s economic growth and strength.  
After years of lean times, transit authorities across the country and in cities like Boston and Chicago have begun the much-needed effort to upgrade old commuter rail trains and systems with the latest technology. Most of these passenger trains share track time with freight trains as most commuter systems do not own dedicated track.
In recent years, a Chinese government-funded company, CRRC, has won significant contracts across the U.S. to manufacture passenger rail vehicles. CRRC is a relatively new supplier with limited experience in the U.S. yet it has quickly emerged – often as the front-runner – in the commuter rail bidding processes of major U.S. metropolitan transit authorities. According to an October Report by Brigadier General John Adams, US Army (Retired), three of CRRC’s current board members previously held high-level positions at defense and military entities, including CSIC and NORINCO, which were subject to allegations of espionage and sanctions evasions by the U.S. government.
CRRC regularly underbids the nearest competitor by 20 to 50 percent, and have won major contracts in Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Philadelphia so far. That company can do so because it has the financial backing of the Chinese government, which is known to be playing the long game – laying down roots in infrastructure all over the world to increase geopolitical influence and box out the competition.
The Eno Center for Transportation in Washington, DC has expressed concerns about CRRC. Should we be asking, “What are the risks to America’s mass transit riders if passenger rail cars are procured from a Chinese state-owned company and what should transit authorities consider when making that decision?”
The next generation of rail cars, like most things today, are both smarter and more connected than ever before. This will improve efficiency and safety and modernize mass transit in cities. On the flip side, advanced technology also opens rail systems to the vulnerabilities of the digital age – from spying and hacking of riders’ personal data to intentional disruption of day-to-day operations to deliberate acts of terrorism.
This last summer Members of Congress began weighing the concerns and national security implications of China’s involvement in U.S. critical rail infrastructure. Whether it is the potential to interfere with the technology embedded in the rail cars at manufacture or potential threats from China to eliminate domestic competition. In a foreshadowing of that potential threat, CNBC reported last July that such concerns may not be overblown. It discussed a report by Oxford Economics, which warned that State-sponsored companies in China can undercut prices, potentially affecting over 65,000 U.S. jobs. The report was commissioned by the Rail Security Alliance, a U.S. rail lobbying group.
Citing the potential threats from China and its moves to establish its position in the U.S. rail industry, both the House and Senate introduced legislation to prevent federal funding for transit vehicles from companies that are owned or subsidized by the government of China. Likewise, federal government agencies are also shifting to offense when it comes to cybersecurity threats.
In 2019, New York and Washington, DC – two epicenters of passenger transit that support some of the most vital industries – will be considering significant procurement contracts. As concerns with China’s intentions growing daily, it is essential for us to weigh the long-term implications and risks of partnering with any Chinese state-owned entity.
Dave Venable co-authored this article and is Vice-President of Cybersecurity at Masergy, a former intelligence professional, and serves on the Cybersecurity Advisory Council of Southern Methodist University.

*** Brigham A. McCown / Contributor
Brigham McCown is a domestic and foreign policy expert who has held senior posts in three presidential administrations, multiple presidential campaigns, and two presidential transition teams. He has served under three cabinet secretaries from both major political parties. From the rural Appalachian area of Southern Ohio, he went from being a barge company laborer to naval aviator and ultimately to running the federal agency responsible for energy transportation. With over 30 years of professional experience, Mr. McCown sits on several boards and committees including the federal government's Commercial Space Transportation Advisory Committee and teaches American Foreign Policy at Miami University. 

Article source : https://www.forbes.com/sites/brighammccown/2018/12/17/china-on-the-march-cybersecurity-and-hidden-risks/#104aa0b44b88

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Hackers target colleges to steal personal data, 

university research

Cadie Thompson | @CadieThompson

Published 8:56 AM ET Thu, 21 Aug 2014  Updated 12:40 PM ET Thu, 21 Aug 2014

As college students head back to school, cybercriminals are heading back to work. 

 

Hackers often target universities during the school year, and campuses are not equipped to handle the cybersecurity threats, according to a new report published Thursday by the security firm BitSight Technology.

In fact, colleges and universities fare worse than both the retail and health-care industries, when it comes to securing their networks, according to the report.

BitSight tracked the security performance of all colleges in major athletic conferences (Southeastern Conference, Atlantic Coast Conference, Pacific-12, Big 10, Big 12 and Ivy League) from July 2013 to June 2014. BitSight's research found that on average all conferences experienced a significant decline in their performance.

As the academic year progresses, school security defenses likely weaken because of the influx of students and devices on campus networks, said Stephen Boyer, BitSight's founder and chief technology officer.

All conferences saw a dip in their defenses, while students were back in school. But some conferences did fare better than others, according to the report.

On average, schools in the Big 12 scored higher for security performance than all the other conferences. The Atlantic Coast Conference ended the school year with the lowest security performance score.

Universities are gold mines for cybercriminals looking to cash in on people's personal information, Boyer said.

Everything from students' and faculty members' social security numbers to football fans' credit card information can be found on university networks.

Hackers may also be targeting universities because of the wealth of valuable research on the premises, he added.

"Interestingly, these universities are a trove of intellectual property. It's difficult to quantify monetarily speaking, but if someone breaks into the machines used by grad students in the lab, they just saved themselves two years of research," Boyer said.

And considering how intertwined universities are with other organizations—including government agencies—it's likely a university breach could put other critical organizations in jeopardy, Boyer said.

"It's really important to realize that cybersecurity is a systemic problem," he said. "We are all on the same network, problems in one area can lead to problem in another, especially in universities."

Malware, or malicious software, infections are among the biggest threats on college campuses. Flashback to the Trojan horse virus, which targeted Apple computers and stole personal information by disguising the virus as a browser plug-in. Such Trojan-like viruses are the most preval‎‎ent type of malware on college campuses, according to the report.

Other preval‎‎ent malware found on university networks include Adware, a kind of malware that targets users through online ads. Other persistent malware includes Conficker, which is a computer worm that targets Microsoft Windows operating system.

Boyer noted that schools with the highest scores had a dedicated director of information security or a chief information security officer on staff.
—By CNBC's Cadie Thompson

Article source : https://www.cnbc.com/2014/08/21/hackers-target-colleges-to-steal-personal-data-university-research.html

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< Questions >

Q1. What do you think of Hacking issue of Huawei toward other countries? 

Q2. How Vulnerable are You to Cyber Attack?

Q3. Do you think how much do you aware of online hacking on private information?  

Q4. Do you use any SNS on the internet? Why do you use it? 

Q5. What are the merits and demerits of using SNS? 

Q6. If you want to know about someone, how would you get the information on her/ him? By asking in person, searching the website or any other route?

Q7. Do you want to erase every item related to your personal info. on the internet if it is possible? 

Q8. Do you think should we make more stronger penalty system for those who are hacking information on the web site without permission? 

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How To Stop People Stealing Your Ideas

A Life/Work Lesson/  By Paul Suggett

 

I get a lot of letters and emails asking me "how do I keep my ideas safe?" and "how can I make sure that my ideas remain my ideas?" Or, to go one better, "what do I do if someone steals my ideas?" And to many, these are tricky questions.

For instance, we now live in a world that allows the sharing of ideas instantly across many platforms. We also have to embrace modern technology and have online portfolios - portfolios that can be accessed by anyone, at anytime, anywhere in the world.

Students are particularly vulnerable to this "larceny of ideas." They have books chock full of ideas that have never been printed or published. They have ownership of them, intellectually, but they don't have a way to keep their ideas safe and sound. If they keep them in a physical portfolio, they'll do themselves a massive injustice. Those ideas need to be seen by many, many potential employers, and the quickest and easiest way to disseminate that information is through an online portfolio.

If you've won awards, you at least have some real proof that you got there first, so to speak. But even then, award-winning work has been pilfered and re-animated. It's also won awards, despite coming from a less than honorable origin.

So what do you do?

How do you keep you ideas safe? The Answer is Two Words…

YOU DON'T.

I'll let that sink in for a moment, although I suspect a lot of you already knew it deep down.

Advertising ideas are not patented. They aren't precious, and they are certainly not safe from prying eyes and ears. They get ripped off. Stolen. Half-inched. Thieved. Copied. Carved up and repackaged. And this has been going on for decades.

When physical portfolios were going around advertising agencies, the best ideas were photocopied and kept in a file. I never did this, but I saw people do it. And I have heard stories of filing cabinets filled with student ideas.

These days, creatives will often scour student portfolios looking for new ideas and directions. They will look at award websites and see what can be copied and reconstituted. It's not illegal. It's perhaps a bit unethical. But it's certainly not something that is going to go away any time soon.

Yet this bring us back full circle to one of the first questions at the beginning of this article.

"What do I do if someone steals my ideas?"

There's a simple answer to this one, and you may not like it. But you will have to accept it, and know that if you do, you'll be better off. The answer is…

JUST KEEP HAVING BETTER IDEAS.

That's it.

It seems obvious because it is. Think about it this way. If people keep ripping off your ideas, they will eventually come to the source. After all, why go to the time and trouble of trying to recreate lightning in a bottle, when you can hire the person who knows how to do it.

If you are always pushing out better and better ideas, you, as the creator, will be in demand. And the best part is that if you're talented, you call the shots and you steer the ship. In fact, you could be as cocky as to tell people to steal your ideas. Why not? "Go ahead, have them. I've got bigger, better ones in my head, and they'll be going to a rival agency…unless you'd like to play ball?"

Ideas cannot be locked up. They can't be kept safe and sound. But they can be your key to getting great work for years to come. So keep having those great ideas. They're your ticket to a fantastic career.

Article Source : http://advertising.about.com/od/creatingads/a/How-To-Stop-People-Stealing-Your-Ideas.htm

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< Questions >

Q1. Have you ever felt that someone or certain group of people are trying to steal your ideas ? When you found out the fact, what was your respond to it ?  

Q2. Do you think there are any ways to stop them from stealing your ideas or collection of ideas which is planning ?

Q3. We are living in the open society using freely accessible internet use. Therefore, sometimes our ideas can go through the internet without our permission by your acquaintance or by hacking. But mostly those happenings have something to do with lack of understanding or violation of intellectual property right. Basically, those incidents have to be managed by the law. However, Korean society have very low understanding on this matter.

 If your collection of ideas were spreading without your permission, do you have any intention to act legal action toward those group of people? And do you think it is acceptable ethically? How can we protect the ideas from those group of people?

Q4. There are three types of people around us in this world. They are 'GIVER', 'MATCHER' and 'TAKER'.  'GIVER' is a certain type of person who tries to help people and gives more things than what they are taking. However, 'Taker' is more like a selfish person who is taking more things than what they are giving to others. and 'MATCHER' is a certain group of person who is between two types.

Do you think What type of person you are ? And are there any possibilities for the 'GIVER' to be survived in the Korean society? If they can not, what can be the survival strategies?

Q5. Nowadays, many people talk about the 'Creative Society'. However, with those social understanding level on the intellectual property right, is it possible to build up sound discussion culture to develop their ideas? If people still do the discussion under these collcting culture of ideas, Isn't it a deceiving activities ? plz share your ideas !~ 

Q6. Have you ever had your intellectual property stolen? Like an idea or project?

Q7. What is your opinion about current intellectual property cases in the courts?

   Try to think of some major ones in the news.

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The Definition Of Happiness

Here is a definition of happiness that will help you to be happy. Happiness is a big subject, but we're going to narrow it down so you really get the value you're looking for.

Everybody defines happiness in different ways. We'll find a common ground here, so that we can connect with you no matter where you're coming from.

I'll offer a one sentence definition below, but first take a look at this table, to get an overview:

■ Short Term Happiness

Now we'll break these down, to make sure it's making sense to you:

Short term happiness comes in spurts, and doesn't last that long. It's still very, very good, it's just that you want it to last, and you want these short term happy experiences to occur often. Some examples:

1. Humor -- Somebody tells you a good joke, you watch a funny movie, or something just tickles your funny bone. We all love to laugh, but this kind of happiness is short term unless you have some other things going on that contribute to your overall feeling of joy and well being.

2. Entertainment -- No definition of happiness would be complete without the mention of entertainment. A good book, sports, TV shows, plays, and concerts can make you forget your worries for hours at a time, and sometimes longer.

3. Surprise -- An unexpected good  thing, like a call from an old friend, a raise in your wages, a new high-paying contract or an unforeseen increase in the value of your financial assets can bring a big surge of joy, and the bigger the surprise, the longer the feeling lasts.

4. Pleasure -- A really good meal, an enjoyable sexual experience, or a much needed relaxing vacation can bring a tremendous amount of short term happiness. You want as much of those as you can get, but sometimes they are too few and too far in between.

■ Long Term Happiness

Long term happiness comes from more constant, enduring, and/or recurring aspects of your life. You really want to build as much of these as possible, because they provide your "fall back plan"when the short term experiences of joy are stretched out too far. Examples would include:

1. Meaning and purpose -- You really can't underestimate the value of this. Any good definition of happiness needs to include some reference to the personal passion, enthusiasm and motivation that come from having a meaningful sense of purpose in life.

2. Fulfillment -- Another word for this might be satisfaction. This often goes with a feeling of success and accomplishment, and while this is not the entire prerequisite to a happy life, it certainly plays an important role.

3. Inspiration -- This is where meaning, purpose and fulfillment come together with vision and personal/spiritual values. Believing that your life is serving a higher purpose can bring tremendous feelings of peace, joy and well being.

4. Lasting love -- Now we come to perhaps the most important aspect of all. The greatest human need is to love and be loved, and when this need is fulfilled in a lasting and meaningful way, it brings immeasurable joy and comfort.

The Definition Of Happiness

"Happiness is using your brilliant mind to inspire action leading to immediate and enduring experiences of joy, well being and lasting love relationships."

William DeFoore

■ The Definition Of Happiness In Your Mind

    Your mind is the creative laboratory for both short term and long term happiness. The whole idea of creating happiness on  purpose is that it is a decision you make in your mind, moment by moment, day by day, all of your life. Let's look at some ways this happens:

1. Beliefs -- This includes both conscious and subconscious thoughts that literally govern your emotions and actions long term. All of your beliefs need to serve you well. Examine your old beliefs, keep the ones that work, and replace the self limiting beliefs with self empowering ones.

2. Mental habits -- Your thought patterns determine not only your short term joy level but your state of health and the health of your relationships. And believe it or not, these mental habits are under your control. This entire web site is devoted to helping you develop a happiness habit.

3. Attitude -- Almost nothing has more value than a positive attitude. Whether you know it or not, you are definitely in charge of your attitude, and you can direct it where you want it to go. Your attitude is actually a result of your beliefs and mental habits, as mentioned above.

4. Positive focus -- Your focus is simply what you pay attention to. Many people don't know they have a choice, but believe me you do, and that choice makes all the difference. The practice of Goodfinding is all about helping you develop a positive focus on the past, present and future.

■ The Definition Of Happiness And Your Body

    Your body is the storehouse of your emotions, including your happiness. No definition of happiness would be complete without consideration of health and physical well being. Let's look at how your body affects your happiness:

davinci man

1. State of health -- You know as well as I do that it's much easier to be happy when you're in good health. Everything you can do to promote the robust health of your body will contribute to your state of joy and your positive attitude.

2. Physical activity -- An active lifestyle is just plain good for you. Your body is designed to be in motion, and it's up to you to keep it moving. When these physical activities are fun for you, the benefit is increased exponentially.

3. Daily habits -- Your eating, exercise and sleeping habits have a huge impact on your state of health and happiness. While it may seem difficult (or impossible) at times, you can definitely create new, positive, healthy habits that will promote your joy and well being.

4. Energy level -- It is possible for you to have lots of energy on a continual basis...your body was actually designed for that. When you apply this definition of happiness to your everyday life, and begin changing your thoughts and actions one at a time, you'll enjoy an ongoing high energy level.

And as we conclude, let's hear the definition of happiness from none other than the great movie director, Alfred Hitchcock, as he emphasizes clear horizons, creativity, and the need to be kind to each other.

Article source : https://www.goodfinding.com/definition-of-happiness.html

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Happy Now, Happy Next Year: Balancing Short-Term and Long-Term Happiness
Dumb Little Man
Jul. 12, 2011, 5:09 PM

How happy are you?
Happiness is becoming a huge area in psychological research and even in government policy, with the UK government exploring a "happiness index". It's tough, though, to define exactly what happiness is, and what makes us happy.
There are two broad ways of looking at happiness, though: short-term happiness (a great cookie, a bottle of wine) and long-term happiness (financial security, achieving your goals).
Both types of happiness are valid, and important.The problem is, they're often in competition.

Let's say you've got a goal of losing 50lbs this year. You know you'd be happier and healthier if you weren't carrying that extra weight. To achieve long-term happiness, you need to go on a diet.

In the short-term, though, it's not that easy. A slab of chocolate cake, or a large glass of wine, might seem like just the thing to cheer you up at the end of a long day - or to celebrate with friends.
It's the same with lots of other goals. Perhaps you want to save up money for a fantastic holiday abroad in five years time - but in the short term, that means cutting back on eating out and buying new DVDs.

Or maybe you're trying to get qualified for a new career - something that would make you much happier in the future, but that requires a lot of hard work right now.

Looking to the Long-Term

Most of us find it much easier to see immediate rewards - and consequences - than ones which are years away.

If you want to achieve your goals over months or years, try:

1. Creating a vision board or another visual reminder of your goals, so that they're constantly in front of you
2. Breaking your dream into smaller steps, so that you've got something more immediate to focus on
3. Writing down your reasons for pursuing this goal, so you can go back to your list whenever your motivation flags 

You might even want to hire a life coach to help you stay on track: accountability, and expert support, can make a huge difference. (If you're not sure about coaching or want some suggestions on how to coach yourself, life coach Tim Brownson has a great free ebook called "What the Hell is Life Coaching?")

Don't pin all your hopes of happiness on some far-off future, though. There's no point working a 60 hour week and making yourself thoroughly miserable in the belief that things will be perfect as soon as you're making a six figure salary.

Life is for Living - Right Now

If you've got a tendency to prioritize long-term happiness at the expense of day-to-day pleasures, then start looking for some small ways to bring a little joy back into your life.

I'm not suggesting that you go out and get drunk every night, or that you stuff yourself with cake or go on a spending spree. There are plenty of other ways to enjoy yourself.

How about:
1. Setting a budget for discretionary spending, so that you can buy magazines, computer games, books or whatever it is you enjoy

2. Looking for forms of exercises that you find fun - exercise boosts your mood right now, but also improves your health over weeks, months and years

3. Giving yourself time each day for leisure activities. (And I know TV gets a bad rap, but I personally think there's nothing wrong with watching your favorite show once in a while.)

Of course, the best activities are ones that you enjoy right now, but that also help you build a happier future.

How happy are you? Do you need more long-term or short-term happiness in your life? Feel free to share your thoughts and ideas in the comments.

Written on 7/12/2011 by Ali Luke. Ali writes a blog, Aliventures, about leading a productive and purposeful life (get the RSS feed here). As well as blogging, she writes fiction, and is studying for an MA in Creative Writing. Photo Credit: shawnzrossi

Article source : https://www.businessinsider.com/happy-now-happy-next-year-balancing-short-term-and-long-term-happiness-2011-8

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5 Questions About Happiness Science Can’t Answer

By Britt Reints/ 08/15/2013

I think it’s pretty cool that there are people whose job it is to study happiness using research and science experiments. However, I also think there are serious limitations to what those researchers and scientists can tell us — me and you — about happiness. Studies make for fascinating news articles, but there are a lot of questions in our own lives that can’t be answered by science or experts.

1. How do you define happiness?
In The Happiness Myth, Jennifer Michael Hecht contends that there are three categories of happiness: a happy moment, a happy day, and a happy life. The Merriam-Webster dictionary says happiness can be “a state of well-being and contentment” or “a pleasurable or satisfying experience.” Researchers usually come up with their own definition of happiness before they start studying it.

But what does that have to do with you?
Your personal definition of happiness has more to do with your values and personality than a description penned by a philosopher or author, as will the type of happiness that you decide to focus on. Maybe you’re of the mind that life is short and so you should collect as many happy moments as possible, or perhaps you have a broader view of your existence and strive for an overall happy life. Personally, my goal is to balance happy moments with a larger purpose and a sense of inner peace.
No one but you — not even a really smart researcher — can tell you what happiness means to you.

2. What makes you happy?
Here’s the thing you should know about researchers: They can’t talk to everyone. Therefore, their findings are based on studying a collection of people and analyzing similarities among that group. That’s all very well and good for figuring out likelihoods and averages, but it doesn’t do squat to reveal your personal triggers and preferences.
Just because one study shows that marriage is more important to well-being than career doesn’t mean that you will be happier getting married. Maybe you hate sharing your space with another person. Maybe you are attracted to abusive men; getting married to one of them is probably not going to give a boost to your happiness in the long run.
Happiness is personal, and your own likes and dislikes should carry more weight than anything published in a psychology journal.

3. What’s getting in the way of your happiness?
I am a big advocate for gratitude practices. I think that most people could benefit from a daily habit that focuses their attention on what is going well in their lives. I even make my two kids list three things for which they are grateful every night. And while the research agrees with me, that doesn’t mean that the only thing standing between you and your own definition of happiness is a gratitude practice.
I started treatment for depression in 2009. I’m convinced that a gratitude practice, no matter how religiously I stuck with it, would have been mostly useless before I started taking anti-depressants. A chemical imbalance, I’m certain, was one of the things getting in the way of my happiness. There’s no population study that could have told me that.
Likewise, research that says that relationships make us happy won’t reveal that your co-dependent relationship is making you unhappy, or that you’re feeling anxious all the time because your day job is completely out of line with your core values.
A scan of the headlines won’t tell you what’s going on in your own life. Your search needs to start much closer to home.

4. What changes do you need to make to be happier?
I feel like scientists are less likely to step into this arena than advice columnists, but it’s still worth mentioning that no one but you can determine what new choices you need to make to be happier. Sure, researchers and writers can guess at what you could do differently, but you’re the one who has to be willing and able to make and follow through on the decisions.
For example, it might be easy for an outsider to prescribe you more volunteer hours or recommend you find ways to help out a co-worker in order to be happier. After all, helping others is supposed to make us happier. But, perhaps part of your happiness stems from feeling like your own needs aren’t being meant because you’re taking care of everyone at home; giving more because you think you should might just lead to growing resentment.
Just as you’re the best person to determine what obstacles are preventing you from being happy, you’re also most capable of figuring out which solutions are going to have the biggest impact on your life.

5. When are you happy enough?
I feel like happiness is something to constantly be pursued. Even though I consider myself happy now, I am always looking for ways to grow, to know myself better, and to deepen my relationship with myself and others. But that’s me.
One of my best friends is a big fan of the idea that happiness is something to be enjoyed right now, not always chased after. She feels perfectly content in her life at the moment and sees no need to rock the boat by digging for ways to be happier.
Neither of us is necessarily wrong. We each get to choose at which point we’ll feel happy enough, or if such a state even exists. In the same way, no scientist or researcher can tell you when you have had enough happiness or done enough searching. What feels right for you is right for you.
There is a lot of information out there about what might or might not make us happy. I’ve written a book on the subject myself. But it’s important to remember that all of those insights and findings are really suggestions. They may be based on science, interviewing, or personal experience, but they can never be declared universally appropriate.
When it comes to your own happiness, the real expert is you.

Article source : https://www.huffingtonpost.com/britt-reints/happiness-research_b_3719963.html

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Happiness & All You Need To Know About The Science Behind It
26 Jan 2017

Happiness as a human pursuit is ingrained in our actions for as long as we can remember and positive psychology has taken this concept into the realm of scientific research in hopes of gaining a better understanding of global well-being and meaningful living.
Whether on a global or individual level the pursuit of happiness is one which is gaining traction and scientific recognition.
 
This article contains:
-- A Definition of Happiness
-- Happiness Starts With You: A Study Showing How Acts of Kindness Make us Happier
-- The Global Pursuit of Happiness
-- Measures of Happiness
-- Happiness Comes from Within: Train your Brain for Happiness
-- References

■ A Definition of Happiness
There are many definitions of happiness which can be cited here however in general, happiness is regarded as the positive emotions we have in regards to the pleasurable activities we take part in through our daily lives.
In scientific literature, happiness is referred to as hedonia (Ryan & Deci, 2001), the presence of positive emotions and the absence of negative emotions. Pleasure, comfort, gratitude, hope, and inspiration are examples of positive emotions which increase our happiness and move us to flourish.
In a more broad understanding, human well-being is made up of both Hedonic and Eudaimonic principles, the literature on which is vast and describes our personal meaning and purpose in life (Ryan et al, 2001).
Research on happiness over the years has found that there are some contributing correlational factors which affect our happiness. These include (Ryan, 2001):

1) Personality Type
2) Positive Emotions versus Negative Emotions
3) Attitude towards Physical Health
4) Social Class and Wealth
5) Attachment and Relatedness
6) Goals and Self-efficacy
7) Time and Place

There is also recent research by Assistant Professor of Swansee University Katherine Nelson-Coffey which has proven that performing acts of kindness can have powerful effects on our subjective well-being and overall happiness.
 

■ Happiness Starts With You: A Study Showing How Acts of Kindness Make us Happier
Feeling stressed after a long day of work? Treat yourself to a bubble bath. Feeling blue? Treat yourself to a decadent dessert. Feeling frustrated after an argument with a friend? Skip your workout and have an extra scoop of ice cream.
The message is clear: If you want to feel happy, you should focus on your own wishes and desires. Yet this is not the advice that many people grew up hearing. Indeed, most of the world’s religions (and grandmothers everywhere) have long suggested that people should focus on others first and themselves second.

Psychologists refer to such behaviour as prosocial behavior and many recent studies have shown that when people have a prosocial focus, doing kind acts for others, their own happiness increases.

But how does prosocial behaviour compare to treating yourself in terms of your happiness? And does treating yourself really make you feel happy?
In a recent study published in the journal Emotion, Katherine Nelson-Coffey and her colleagues presented their research answering these questions. 
 
■ The Study
Participants were divided into four groups and given new instructions each week for four weeks.
One group was instructed to perform random acts of kindness for themselves (such as going shopping or enjoying a favorite hobby); the second group was instructed to perform acts of kindness for others (such as visiting an elderly relative or helping someone carry groceries); the third group was instructed to perform acts of kindness to improve the world (such as recycling or donating to charity); the fourth group was instructed to keep track of their daily activities. Each week, the participants reported their activities from the previous week, as well as their experience of positive and negative emotions.
At the beginning, the end, and again two weeks after the four-week period, participants completed a questionnaire to assess their psychological flourishing. As a measure of overall happiness- the questionnaire included questions asking about psychological, social, and emotional well-being.
 
■ The Results
The results of the study were striking. Only participants who engaged in prosocial behavior demonstrated improvements in psychological flourishing.
Participants who practiced prosocial behavior also demonstrated increases in positive emotions from one week to the next. In turn, these increases in feelings such as happiness, joy, and enjoyment predicted increases in psychological flourishing at the end of the study. In other words, positive emotions appeared to have been a critical ingredient linking prosocial behavior to increases in flourishing.
But what about the people who treated themselves?
They did not show the same increases in positive emotions or psychological flourishing as those who engaged in acts of kindness. In fact, people who treated themselves did not differ in positive emotions, negative emotions, or psychological flourishing over the course of the study compared to those who merely kept track of their daily activities.

This research does not say that we shouldn’t treat ourselves, show ourselves self-love when we need it or enjoy our relaxation when we have it. However, the results of this study strongly suggest that we are more likely to reach greater levels of happiness when we exhibit prosocial behaviour and show others kindness through our actions. 
 

■ The Global Pursuit of Happiness

In world economic circles, Richard Easterlin investigated the relationship between money and well-being, the Easterlin paradox ‘money does not buy happiness’ (Mohun, 2012) sparked a new wave of thinking of wealth and well-being.
In 1972, Bhutan pursued a policy of happiness versus a focus on economic growth tracked via their gross domestic product (GDPP). Subsequently, this little nation has been among the happiest amongst nations with far superior wealth (Kelly, 2012).
More global organizations and nations are becoming aware and supportive of the importance of happiness in today’s world. This has lead to The United Nations inviting nations to take part in a happiness survey, resulting in the ‘World Happiness Report’, a basis from which to steer public policy. Learn about the World Happiness Report for 2016.

The United Nations also established World Happiness Day, 20th of March, which was the result of efforts of the Bhutan Kingdom and their Gross National Happiness initiative (Helliwell, Layard & Sachs, 2013).

Organizations such as New Economic Foundation are playing an influential role of an economic think tank which focuses on steering economic policy and development for the betterment of human well-being.
Ruut Veenhoven is a world authority on the scientific study of happiness and was one of the sources of inspiration for United Nations adopting happiness measures (Ki-Moon, n.d). Veenhoven is a founding member of the World Database of Happiness, which is a comprehensive scientific repository of happiness measures world -wide.
The objective of this organization is to provide a coordinated collection of data, with common interpretation according to scientifically validated happiness theory, model, and research.
 

■ Measures of Happiness
At this point, you might be wondering: Is it possible to measure happiness? Many psychologists have devoted their careers to answering this question and in short, the answer is yes.

Happiness can be measured by these three factors: positive emotions, the absence of negative emotions, and life satisfaction (Ryan et al, 2001). It is a uniquely subjective experience, which means that nobody is better at reporting on someone’s happiness than the individuals themselves. For this reason scales, self-report measures and questionnaires are the most common formats for measuring happiness. The most recognized examples are the following:
1)The PANAS (Positive Affect and Negative Affect Schedule),
2) The SWLS (Satisfaction With Life Scale) and
3) The SHS (Subjective Happiness Scale)
However, there are many instruments available to measure happiness which prove reliable and valid over time (Hefferon & Boniwell, 2011).
 
■ Four Qualities of Life (Veenhoven, 2010): A South African Happiness Case Study
Another measurement of happiness was developed by  Ruut Veenhoven. He constructed the model of Four Qualities of Life which positions and describes the construct of happiness in various dimensions (Veenhoven, 2010).
Of the four dimensions, satisfaction is the dimension which our personal subjective measure of happiness as we interpret life as a whole.Veenhoven’s global research into happiness suggests that happiness is possible for many (Veenhoven, 2010). This is an overview of his Four Qualities:
 

Using Veenhoven’s Four Qualities it is possible to assess the Happiness of any country. In this case study, we will use the example of South Africa.

Liveability of Environment
This dimension includes factors such as law, freedom, schooling, employment etc. Similar to what Maslow proposed as basic needs (safety, security, shelter, food) (Maslow,1943).
In South Africa, there is still a chronic shortage of housing, water supply, and adequate schooling. For some time now, South Africa has been plagued by resultant ‘service delivery riots’.
Corruption shows as a strong negative correlation (-0.69) to happiness in Veenhoven’s (2010) research and sadly South Africa is plagued by a high-level of corruption and maladministration.
 
Life-ability of Individuals
The ability of individuals to deal with life is important; both mental and physical health are identified as important factors, together with social values of solidarity, tolerance, and love (Veenhoven, 2010).
In South Africa, the race divide is widening as this construct is used as a political motivator, to wield power to the detriment of the average individual. Violent crime, intolerance, and poverty also threaten the presence of love and compassion for each other.
 
Utility of Life
In this dimension, Veenhoven (2010) references a higher order meaning, for example, religious affiliations. The writer would further argue that national patriotism finds a place here.
If we hold strong pride in our nation would that not constitute input to our life’s meaning? If we felt proud of our nation, would that not play a significant part in our happiness?
Uchida et al. (2013) found that high levels of national disaster negatively impacted a nation’s level of happiness. Recently South Africa has experienced national tragedies such as Marikana mine tragedy and the passing of Nelson Mandela.
South Africa has come through a very unsettled and violent history of imperialism and apartheid. In both accounts, a minority population was ‘protected’ and experienced a ‘good life’, whilst the majority fuelled that good life.
The year 1994 was a significant time in history for South Africa, marking the turn of a democracy to serve all equally. There is no doubt that a significant stride has been made to correct past imbalances, however, happiness has not been a focal area for progress in this country.

 
■ Suggestions To Increase Happiness In South Africa
It is obvious that many of our challenges in South Africa are of a political and administrative nature.
Happiness is a complex construct which cannot be directly controlled, however through policy and individual and organizational action we can endeavor to influence and increase happiness (Veenhoven, 2010). Here are some examples of how happiness in South Africa could be improved:
Street Packs -The distribution of food packs inclusive of positive psychology literature for the homeless which motorists can purchase from major retail stores or garages.
Happy South Africa movies consisting of what is going well with South Africa as a nation. Insight into each of our South African cultures which could be shown before each main feature at cinemas, or on each DVD.
All major newspapers could give a Happy South Africa news story.
Positive Psychology consultants could give class or road show teachings of the principles such as gratitude, mindfulness, meaning and purpose.
‘If you’re happy and you know it clap your hands’-an overarching organization which could provide a consolidated portal to all volunteer and community organizations which are working to make South Africa happier. 
Create a South African Happiness Community which researches local happiness.
‘It’s a Gooaalllll’. Help communities scope local projects, to both obtain resources and project manage the initiatives to successful completion.
South Africa could engage and actively take part in the world happiness initiatives which are taking off globally.
South Africa is just one example of the many countries in the world that require greater advocacy, and action on an individual, organizational and governmental level. However, happiness is a subjective experience and only once we change the way we perceive the world can we really begin sharing and creating happiness for others. But is it possible to train yourself to be happier?
The answer is yes!
 

■ Happiness Comes from Within: Train your Brain for Happiness
At birth, our genetics provide us with a happiness set point that accounts for about 40% of our happiness. Having enough food, shelter, and safety makes up 10%. Then we have 50% that in entirely up to us.
By training our brain through awareness and exercises to think in a happier, more optimistic, and more resilient way; we can effectively train our brains for happiness.
New discoveries in the field of positive psychology show that physical health, psychological well-being and physiological functioning are all improved by how we learn to “feel good”. (Fredrickson B. L. 2000)
 
■ What Are The Patterns We Need To “Train Out” of Our Brains?

1. Perfectionism– Often confused with conscientiousness which involves appropriate and tangible expectations, perfectionism involves inappropriate levels of expectations and intangible goals. It often produces problems for adults, adolescents, and children.

2. Social comparison–When we compare ourselves to others we often find ourselves lacking. Healthy social comparison is about finding what you admire in others and learning to strive for those qualities. However the best comparisons we can make are with ourselves. How are you better than you were in the past? 

3. Materialism– People who attach their happiness to external things and material wealth. This is dangerous was they can loose their happiness if their material circumstances change (Carter, T. J., & Gilovich, T. 2010.).

4. Maximizing– Maximizers search for better options even when they are satisfied. This leaves them little time to be present for the good moments in their lives and with very little gratitude. (Schwartz, B., Ward, A., Monterosso, J., Lyubomirsky, S., White, K., & Lehman, D. R. 2002.)

 
■ Misconceptions About Mind Training
Some of the simple misconceptions about retraining your brain are simply untrue. Here are a few myths that need debunking:
We are products of our genetics so we cannot create change in our brains.
Our minds are malleable. Ten years ago we thought brain pathways were set in early childhood, in fact, we now know that there is huge potential for large changes through to your twenties and neuroplasticity is still changing throughout one’s life. The myelin sheath that covers your neural pathways gets thicker and stronger the more it is used (think of the plastic protective covering on wires). The more a pathway is used the stronger the myelin, the faster the neural pathway. Simply put, when you practice feeling grateful, you notice more things to be grateful for.
Brain training is brainwashing.
Brainwashing is involuntary change. If we focus on training our mind to see the glass half full instead of half empty, that is a choice (And a healthy one!).
If we are too happy we run the risk of becoming overly optimistic.
There is no such thing as overly-optimistic and science shows that brain training for positivity includes practices like mindfulness and gratitude. No one has ever overdosed on these habits.
 
■ How Is The Brain Wired For Happiness?

Our brains come already designed for happiness. We have caregiving systems in place for eye contact, touch and vocalizations to let others know we are trustworthy and secure.
Our brains also regulate chemicals like oxytocin. People who have more oxytocin trust more readily, have increased tendencies to monogamy, and more caregiving behavior. These behaviors reduce stress which lowers production of hormones like cortisol and inhibits the cardiovascular response to stress (Kosfeld, M., Heinrichs, M., Zak, P. J., Fischbacher, U., & Fehr, E. 2005).
Watch the following TED talk provides an insight into how we can overcome our negative mental patterns:

 While this TEDtalk, gives a better understanding of how to wire your brain to accept the positivity and happiness in your life. 

■ A Take Home Message
Happiness is the overall subjective experience of our positive emotions. There are many factors which influence our happiness and ongoing research continues to uncover what makes us our happiest.
This global pursuit of happiness has resulted in measures such as the World Happiness Report while the World Happiness Database is working to collaborate and consolidate the existing happiness pursuits of different nations.
We are living in a time when the conditions for happiness are known. This can be disheartening at times when we consider examples such as South Africa where political strife prevent much of the population from experiencing the Four Qualities of Life as presented by Veenhoven.
There is, however, good news in this situation; neuroplasticity.
The human brain is wired for happiness and positive connections with others. It is actually possible to experience and learn happiness despite what has been genetically hardwired.
In a world where the focus on happiness is growing and the mirror is turning back towards ourselves. The happiness of the world relies on the happiness within each one of us and how we act, share and voice the importance of happiness for everyone. What are the steps you are taking to make yourself and others happier?

About The Authors -----------------------------
Gary is a positive psychology enthusiast and a member of the British Psychological society. He has worked extensively in the technology business arena, but his passion and interest is in the field of human sciences.
 
Katherine Nelson-Coffey is an assistant professor of Psychology at Sewanee: The University of the South. She earned her bachelor’s of science in Psychology in 2008 and her Ph.D. in 2015, where she studied personality and social psychology with Sonja Lyubomirsky. You can read about her research interests here. 

Article source : https://positivepsychologyprogram.com/happiness/

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The Pursuit of Happiness

Summer 2014/ Society and Culture/ Martin Coates

“Today, science is rediscovering the validity of ancient perspectives on happiness—that there are important connections between hope and happiness, for example, or between gratitude and forgiving and happiness, altruism and happiness.”
Darrin M. McMahon, “Happiness, the Hard Way”

“Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness” is a phrase found in the American Declaration of Independence. The final four words are also the title of a number of novels, nonfiction books, songs, TV programs and films. Although history reveals different perspectives on the subject, happiness is now generally regarded as a basic human right, and that everyone will strive to achieve it seems self-evident.
We can all think of circumstances and situations that make us happy: enjoying a fine meal with friends; our team winning a major tournament; getting a promotion at work. But are we satisfied with these occasional glimpses? What of the majority of our lives? Can we honestly say we are happy most of the time? If not, we might want to consider our approach to the elusive goal. Does happiness depend on circumstances, or can we achieve it despite living under trying conditions?
For centuries, philosophers, psychologists and academics have sought to define this fundamental emotion, told us how best to achieve it, and argued over its causes and even the validity of pursuing it. In recent years there has been an upsurge of interest in academic circles and in scientific approaches to the subject. But as we’ll see, a source of advice and wisdom that predates all of these studies corroborates much of what we have subsequently learned.
First, what is happiness? We can’t pursue something if we don’t know what we’re seeking. Former cellular geneticist Matthieu Ricard describes it as “a deep sense of flourishing that arises from an exceptionally healthy mind. This is not a mere pleasurable feeling, a fleeting emotion, or a mood, but an optimal state of being.” Further, he declares happiness to be “a way of interpreting the world, since while it may be difficult to change the world, it is always possible to change the way we look at it” (Happiness: A Guide to Developing Life’s Most Important Skill).
With this definition as a starting point, our next consideration in the pursuit of happiness should be to question whether our current thoughts and actions are likely to lead us to our goal.

The Pleasure Principle

In Freud’s psychoanalytic theory, the pleasure principle is the force that drives us to satisfy not only our need for such things as food and drink but also other physical and psychological urges and our desire for self-gratification. If we were to maximize pleasurable experiences in life, would we be happier?
The philosopher Aristippus (ca. 435–356 bce), a disciple of Socrates and founder of the Cyrenaic school of philosophy, taught that the ultimate goal of life is pleasure—immediate gratification, even perhaps at the expense of moral or social conventions. While most would probably eschew this philosophy when identified in such stark terms, it seems many unwittingly engage in a modern form: individualism, or an emphasis on rights and perceived needs.
Richard Layard, who directs the Wellbeing Program at the Centre for Economic Performance (London School of Economics), notes that the 20th century saw a diminishing of both religious belief and the ideals of socialism. The void thus created, he argues, was filled by “the non-philosophy of rampant individualism.” He further contends that individualism fails to make us happy, as it makes us too anxious about what we can get for ourselves. In contrast, he offers that “if we really want to be happy, we need some concept of a common good, towards which we all contribute.”
A study carried out by Michael F. Steger, director of Colorado State University’s Laboratory for the Study of Meaning and Quality of Life, throws an interesting light on this issue. Along with his collaborators, he asked students to complete daily logs indicating whether they had engaged in virtue-building activities (such as volunteering) or pleasure-seeking activities (such as getting drunk or “buzzed”). The students were also asked to fill in daily questionnaires designed to indicate how happy they were. One of Steger’s findings was that the more virtue-building activities people were involved in, the happier they said they were on that and the following day. He found no relationship between pleasure-seeking and happiness.

“We might focus less on our own personal happiness and instead on the happiness of those around us, for relentless focus on one’s own happiness has the potential to be self-defeating.”
Darrin M. McMahon, “Happiness, The Hard Way”

According to Layard, “people who care about other people are on average happier than those who are more preoccupied with themselves.” He cites studies that show we experience pleasure when we help others, even when there is no direct benefit to ourselves.

Money, Money, Money

British singer-songwriter Jessie J, in her song “Price Tag,” asks, “Why is everybody so obsessed? Money can’t buy us happiness.” We probably all accept the Beatles’ claim that “money can’t buy me love,” but can it buy happiness?
This is the question researcher and explorer Dan Buettner posed to a number of leading experts in the field of happiness research. Psychologist Mihály Csíkszentmihályi, codirector of the Quality of Life Research Center at Claremont Graduate University, responded: “You can’t pile up more things and expect an increase in well-being. . . . There is only a very weak relationship between finances and satisfaction with life; billionaires in America are only infinitesimally happier than those with average incomes. One conclusion that the findings seem to justify is that beyond the threshold of poverty, additional resources do not appreciably improve the chances of being happy” (Thrive: Finding Happiness the Blue Zones Way).
When asked the same question, psychologist Ed Diener commented: “Studies have shown that an individual’s income is a poor predictor of their happiness. . . . Materialistic people . . . are seldom the happiest people because they want too much. It is generally good for your happiness to have money, but toxic to your happiness to want money too much.”
So money, the medium of exchange for the majority in our world, is helpful for obtaining the necessities of life. But once we have those needs met, obtaining more money merely activates the law of diminishing returns as far as happiness is concerned. Layard highlights a paradox where despite living standards more than doubling in the United States over the past 50 years, people are no happier. A similar pattern holds true for Britain and Japan.
Why is this? Consider the following scenario: If you had to choose between two worlds in which prices were the same, would you opt for the first, in which you get $50 thousand a year while others average $25 thousand; or the second, in which you get $100 thousand a year while everyone else averages $250 thousand? Layard tells us that when this question was put to a group of Harvard students, the majority preferred the first world, and he reports that other studies draw the same conclusion.
Our relationship with money, then, is a complex one. It isn’t just about how much of it we have but also about how much other people to whom we compare ourselves have.

Looking Over Your Shoulder

On the basis of worldwide surveys, Buettner identifies the inhabitants of Denmark as “the world’s happiness all-stars.” A number of factors facilitate this: a culture of trust, caring and tolerance; a good work-life balance; being physically active. One of the most significant factors that Buettner identifies, however, is a culture of both status equality and economic equality. Denmark has one of the lowest disparities between rich and poor anywhere in the world. A national slogan describes it as a place “where few have too much and even fewer have too little.” Along with this goes the national trait of not drawing undue attention to oneself. Buettner describes it thus: “In some parts of the world, people feel the need to compete with their neighbors. . . . Here there is no pressure to keep up with the Joneses; in fact, you lose points by showing off.”
Epidemiologists Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett argue that the more unequal a society, the greater the problems it will experience with issues such as physical and mental health, violence, imprisonment, drug abuse, and education. Interestingly, they contend that the negative impact in unequal societies is experienced by the rich as well as the poor. They feel that inequality damages the fabric of society, making it less cohesive and more stressful, and further, that it amplifies concern with status and social hierarchy: “If we are serious about promoting well-being for all, inequality is the place to start” (“How to Be Happy: Divided We Fail”).
While a case can be made for promoting values-based policies that help engender a more equal society, the problem remains that most individuals around the world will find themselves powerless to change their society for the better. We can, however, change ourselves—how we experience the world in which we live and how we react to it. One way to mitigate the negative results of inequality is to develop a more contented outlook on life and spend less time in fruitless comparisons with others, which leave us feeling either superior or inferior. It is truly liberating to comprehend that neither feeling leads to a positive outcome.

Be Happy

In the novel Villette by Charlotte Brontë, Lucy Snowe complains: “No mockery in this world ever sounds to me so hollow as that of being told to cultivate happiness. What does such advice mean? Happiness is not a potato, to be planted in mould, and tilled with manure.” If we agree with Lucy, then we are destined to experience life as it presents itself to us.
In contrast Ricard tells us: “Happiness is a skill, a manner of being, but skills must be learned.” He makes the case that decades of surveys and associated research from around the world demonstrate that only a small amount of life satisfaction is determined by outward conditions such as education, wealth, gender, age, ethnicity, etc. He further contends that it is not the great external upheavals in life that most affect us negatively, but rather the negative emotions we generate from within. As 18th-century English poet William Cowper put it in Table Talk, “happiness depends, as Nature shews, less on exterior things than most suppose.”
Ricard declares that we can, however, greatly affect our levels of happiness by the way we live and think and react to life’s events. He cites a study of quadriplegics, which showed that despite most having initially considered suicide, a year after becoming paralyzed the majority considered their lives to be good. Suffering in life is inevitable, but unhappiness is not. We can fix our minds on the things that drag us down and become immersed in them, or we can challenge our thoughts and emotions and focus on building mental resilience and a positive disposition. Layard quotes psychiatrist Viktor Frankl, an Auschwitz survivor: “Everything can be taken from a man but one thing, the last of human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances.”

The Starting Point

There is a great deal of happiness research and, as with so many areas of academic endeavor, there are claims and counterclaims as to the key factors that determine happiness. In his book on the subject, Buettner identifies six main areas that need our attention if we are to lead happy lives: community, workplace, social life, financial life, home environment and self. Layard identifies a similar set of factors. In all of these areas there will be things we can control and things we can’t. Finding the balance between taking action to improve our lives when we can, and learning to be happy despite circumstances when we can’t, is a valuable ability to cultivate.
It is beyond the scope of this article to cover each of the above areas in detail and do justice to them. Consider this a nudge in the right direction. In our pursuit of happiness, we need first to stop and consider how we are living our lives—how we are thinking and acting, the decisions we are making and our assumptions. We can then begin to challenge ourselves to live in a way that maximizes happiness. But as we have seen, there is no place for hedonistic, self-absorbed individualism.

“It is more blessed to give than to receive.”
Acts 20:35

This is where the ancient source of wisdom mentioned earlier comes into play. The Bible makes it clear that God wants us to live happy, fulfilled lives. Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly” (John 10:10).
The Book of books offers advice on finding happiness through an overall approach to life that centers on right behavior toward God and man, including an emphasis on concern for others rather than fulfillment of our own desires or needs. The apostle Paul advised, “Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others” (Philippians 2:4). And Jesus told His followers: “Do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ . . . For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you” (Matthew 6:31–33).
Paul endured enormous difficulties over the course of his life, yet he wrote, “I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content” (Philippians 4:11, English Standard Version). He noted that “godliness with contentment is great gain,” whereas “the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil” (1 Timothy 6:6, 10). Likewise, the wisest man of the ancient world, Solomon, warned, “He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income”(Ecclesiastes 5:10, ESV). “Beware!” Jesus said. “Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own” (Luke 12:15, New Living Translation).
Summing up the ideal approach to a happy life, ancient Israel’s King David praised God with these words: “You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore” (Psalm 16:11).

Happy Are They . . .
“Happy is the man whom God corrects; therefore do not despise the chastening of the Almighty” (Job 5:17).
“Happy are those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or take the path that sinners tread, or sit in the seat of scoffers; but their delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law they meditate day and night” (Psalm 1:1–2, New Revised Standard Version).
“O taste and see that the Lord is good; happy are those who take refuge in him” (Psalm 34:8, NRSV).
“Happy are those who consider the poor; the Lord delivers them in the day of trouble. The Lord protects them and keeps them alive; they are called happy in the land” (Psalm 41:1–2, NRSV).
“O Lord of hosts, happy is everyone who trusts in you” (Psalm 84:12, NRSV).
“Happy is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in his ways” (Psalm 128:1, NRSV).
“Happy are those who find wisdom, and those who get understanding” (Proverbs 3:13, NRSV).
“Happy are those who are kind to the poor” (Proverbs 14:21b).
“Happy are those who are hungry and thirsty for true goodness, for they will be fully satisfied! Happy are the merciful, for they will have mercy shown to them! . . . Happy are those who make peace, for they will be known as sons of God!” (Matthew 5:6, 7, 9, The New Testament in Modern English, J.B. Phillips).

We were created in such a way that certain thoughts and behaviors will lead to true happiness, not just passing moments of pleasure. The website for the Positive Psychology Center at the University of Pennsylvania states: “Activities that make people happy in small doses—such as shopping, good food and making money—do not lead to fulfillment in the long term.”
Historian Darrin McMahon argues that our modern take “tends to imagine happiness not as something won through moral cultivation, carried out over the course of a well-lived life, but as something ‘out there’ that could be pursued, caught, and consumed. Happiness has increasingly been thought to be more about getting little infusions of pleasure, about feeling good rather than being good, less about living the well-lived life than about experiencing the well-felt moment.”
Learning how to be truly happy is a skill that takes practice. Knowing where to look for the advice that will lead us onto the correct path to pursue it is the first step in the right direction.

Selected References
Dan Buettner, Thrive: Finding Happiness the Blue Zones Way (2010).
Richard Layard, Happiness: Lessons From a New Science (2005).
Darrin M. McMahon, Happiness, the Hard Way,” Greater Good: The Science of a Meaningful Life (May 2009).
Matthieu Ricard, Happiness: A Guide to Developing Life’s Most Important Skill (2003, 2006).
Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett, “How to Be Happy: Divided We Fail,” New Scientist (April 2011).

Related Content
Meditation: The Search for Inner Peace
The Influence of Affluence
Happiness: The Means or the End?
Insight: Don't Worry, Be Happy
Daily Devotion: The Legacy of the Protestant Work Ethic
Enough Is Enough
Changing the Self in Self-Esteem
Scripture quotations are from the New King James Version (©1988 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.) unless otherwise noted. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Article source : www.vision.org/visionmedia/social-issues-pursuit-of-happiness/85768.aspx

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Public Happiness
By Harry Boyte/ 02/27/2014 05:47 pm ET Updated Apr 29, 2014

At first appearance, the recent call by Nicholas Kristof for the nation’s “smartest thinkers,” now hidden away in the arcane world of academia, to join the “great debates” about the nation’s problems (“Professors, We Need You,” New York Times , February 15, 2014), would seem to have little in common with Patrick Creadon’s latest documentary, If You Build It.
Kristof’s call out to academics is addressed to the high end of American meritocracy — the “best and the brightest,” in the old phrase.
The documentary, by way of contrast, tells a real life story of two young self-described design activists, Emily Pilloton and Matthew Miller, who worked with 10 scruffy high school juniors whom many would see as on the losing end of the meritocracy. The teens take time off from shoveling cow dung to participate in a shop class with large ambitions, Studio H. Their final project, creating a local farmers market, aims at revitalizing a destitute rural community.
Their work closes on a note of measured optimism, but it has its ups and downs. The shop class is viewed skeptically by the local school board, which refuses to pay the teachers’ salaries. The group also succeeds in building the farmers’ market, in the process planting what Pilloton calls “small seeds in our students.”
From another angle of vision, both Kristof’s call and If You Build It represent a broader ferment. After all, the process of involving leading scholars in public life was well underway before Kristof’s column, organized by the Scholars Strategy Network, a creation of Harvard social scientist Theda Skocpol in 2009. SSN now involves 370 academics, based on the premise that “scholars need to be more fully involved in today’s great debates.”
Meanwhile, signs of a movement to reconnect education with real-world public work are multiplying, as I have described before in stories about highly successful educational initiatives for low income kids. These include Youth Build and the Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences.
I believe that the impulse toward what our nation’s founders understood as public happiness is gaining strength against the grain of today’s privatized, consumer versions of “happiness.”
John Adams, the nation’s second president, leading advocate of independence, chief author of the Massachusetts Constitution of 1779, was an eloquent philosopher of such public happiness. In Section Two of Chapter Six, Adams testified to the virtues of education, which he held essential to “the happiness of a people and the good order and preservation of civil government.” The Constitution continues:
Wisdom and knowledge, as well as virtue, diffused generally among the body of the people, being necessary for the preservation of their rights and liberties; and as these depend on spreading the opportunities and advantages of education in the various parts of the country, and among the different orders of the people, it shall be the duty of legislatures and magistrates, in all future periods of this commonwealth, to cherish the interests of literature and the sciences, and all seminaries of them... public schools, and grammar-schools in the towns; to encourage private societies and public institutions, rewards and immunities, for the promotion of agriculture, arts, sciences, commerce, trades, manufactures, and a natural history of the country; to countenance and inculcate the principles of humanity and general benevolence, public and private charity, industry and frugality, honesty and punctuality in their dealings; sincerity, and good humor, and all social affections and generous sentiments, among the people.
Put differently, both the Scholars Strategy Network and Studio H are seedbeds for a renewed understanding that education is a great civic vocation. The goal is not simply private success, but public contribution.
Education, understood in this way, is constitutive of a flourishing democratic society. The understanding has never been more needed.
—
Harry Boyte is Director of the Center for Democracy and Citizenship at Augsburg College and a Senior Fellow at the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey School of Public Affairs.

Article source : https://www.huffingtonpost.com/harry-boyte/public-happiness-education_b_4866355.html

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Valuing your time more than money is linked to happiness

Date: January 7, 2016
Source: Society for Personality and Social Psychology
Summary: Valuing your time more than the pursuit of money is linked to greater happiness, according to new research. In six studies with more than 4,600 participants, researchers found an almost even split between people who tended to value their time or money, and that choice was a fairly consistent trait both for daily interactions and major life events.

Valuing your time more than the pursuit of money is linked to greater happiness, according to new research published by the Society for Personality and Social Psychology.
In six studies with more than 4,600 participants, researchers found an almost even split between people who tended to value their time or money, and that choice was a fairly consistent trait both for daily interactions and major life events.
"It appears that people have a stable preference for valuing their time over making more money, and prioritizing time is associated with greater happiness," said lead researcher Ashley Whillans, a doctoral student in social psychology at the University of British Columbia. The findings were published online in the journal Social Psychological and Personality Science.
The researchers found an almost even split with slightly more than half of the participants stating they prioritized their time more than money. Older people also were more likely to say they valued their time compared to younger people.
"As people age, they often want to spend time in more meaningful ways than just making money," Whillans said.
The researchers conducted separate surveys with a nationally representative sample of Americans, students at the University of British Columbia, and adult visitors of a science museum in Vancouver. Some of the studies used real-world examples, such as asking a participant whether he would prefer a more expensive apartment with a short commute or a less expensive apartment with a long commute. A participant also could choose between a graduate program that would lead to a job with long hours and a higher starting salary or a program that would result in a job with a lower salary but fewer hours.
A participant's gender or income didn't affect whether they were more likely to value time or money, although the study didn't include participants living at the poverty level who may have to prioritize money to survive.
If people want to focus more on their time and less on money in their lives, they could take some actions to help shift their perspective, such as working slightly fewer hours, paying someone to do disliked chores like cleaning the house, or volunteering with a charity. While some options might be available only for people with disposable income, even small changes could make a big difference, Whillans said.
"Having more free time is likely more important for happiness than having more money," she said. "Even giving up a few hours of a paycheck to volunteer at a food bank may have more bang for your buck in making you feel happier."

Story Source:
Materials provided by Society for Personality and Social Psychology. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

Journal Reference:
Whillans, A., Weidman, A., and Dunn, E. Valuing Time Over Money Is Associated with Greater Happiness. Social Psychological and Personality Science, January 2016 DOI: 10.1177/1948550615623842

Article source: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/01/160107094105.htm

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< Questions >

Q1. How do you define happiness?

Q2. According to Hitchcock, you need a 'A clear horizon' which makes you nothing to worry about on your plate, only things that are creative and not destructive. Do you think you have this status? Please reference the below interview script.

<< Hitchcock's Secret to Happiness >>

A clear horizon -- nothing to worry about on your plate, only things that are creative and not destructive.... I can't bear quarreling, I can't bear feelings between people -- I think hatred is wasted energy, and it's all non-productive. I'm very sensitive -- a sharp word, said by a person, say, who has a temper, if they're close for me, haunts me for days. I know we're only human, we do go in for these various emotions, call them negative emotions, but when all these are removed and you can look forward and the road is clear ahead, and now you're going to create something -- I think that's as happy as I'll ever want to be.

Q3. What makes you happy? Could you distinguish short term happiness from long term happiness? If they are in competition, which one would you usually choose?

Q4. How happy are you? Do you need more long-term or short-term happiness in your life?

Q5. In this article, Buettner identifies six main areas that need our attention if we are to lead happy lives: community, workplace, social life, financial life, home environment and self. Among six factors, what is the most mattered one for you?

Q6. Above article suggest that If you want to achieve your goals over months or years, try below measures. Have you ever tried any measures before? Which one would be the most effective way? 

1. Creating a vision board or another visual reminder of your goals, so that they're constantly in front of you
2. Breaking your dream into smaller steps, so that you've got something more immediate to focus on
3. Writing down your reasons for pursuing this goal, so you can go back to your list whenever your motivation flags

Q7. Above article suggest that If you can hire a life coach to help you stay on track: accountability, and expert support, can make a huge difference. Do you have intention to hire a life coach?

Q8. What’s getting in the way of your happiness?

Q9. What changes do you need to make to be happier?

Q10. When are you happy enough?

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This is what millennials look for in a job
12 Jul 2016/ Emma Luxton/ Formative Content

They’re set to make up a third of the global workforce by 2020 and are expecting to work well into old age, so businesses need to know what millennials look for in a job.
To help companies gain an insight into what motivates their younger employees, the Millennial Careers: 2020 Vision report from Manpower has identified five things that this generation prioritizes when job hunting. And while holidays, working with great people and flexible hours are important factors, money and job security are top of the list.

These priorities vary, however, from country to country. In Brazil, for example, more than 90% of millennials said the most important thing for them was the chance to work with great people. But only half of Japanese young people said this mattered to them.
As well as enjoying their time at work, millennials want to feel their job has a purpose. This is especially important for young people in Mexico, India and Brazil, who want to work for employers whose values align with their own.
Having grown up during a global recession, millennials are concerned for their future and place a lot of emphasis on job security – which they define differently to previous generations. 
 

With the decline of “jobs for life”, millennials expect to change roles and potentially companies throughout their careers, and they understand that this means there will be a need for continuous skills development.
Over a quarter of young people believe that job security means having a skill set to match the demands of the market.
The vast majority (90%) see lifelong learning as part of their career, and are willing to spend their own time and money on training. The draw of learning new skills is a key factor when considering a new job for four out of five millennials.
For millennials, unlike other generations, job security means being prepared for their career journeys.
As part of the 2016 Deloitte Millennial Survey, Deloitte set out to discover how loyal millennials are to their employers, and what makes them want to stay or leave.
The consulting firm also asked what millennials prioritize in a job when looking at things other than salary or financial benefits. 

 

A good work-life balance was seen as the most important factor in a job, followed by the opportunity for career progression and the ability to work flexibly.
Similar to the findings in the Manpower report, a sense of meaning and purpose were important to many millennials, as well as the potential to develop new skills.

Article source : https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/07/this-is-what-millennials-look-for-in-a-job/
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Is the meaning of work about to change?

29 Feb 2016/ Rick Goings/ Chairman and CEO, Tupperware Brands Corporation

Our world is facing a crisis cubed: jobs are disappearing faster than they are being created; companies are struggling to attract people with the right skills; and people rightly worry how new technology will threaten their livelihood.
These global challenges affect developing countries as much as highly industrialized economies. I have heard plenty of suggestions from all corners that this crisis can be solved by “creating more jobs”.
It’s increasingly clear to me that creating more jobs is not enough, nor is it the real solution. This solution is based on a big misunderstanding. To tackle this crisis cubed, we need to focus on not just jobs but on people earning incomes. This requires us to develop a new model of work.
 

What is clear is that the transformations that are now taking place worldwide, resulting in the loss of jobs, are caused by forces we cannot alter. The disruption of our world of work is the result of a tectonic shift just as dramatic as industrialization and urbanization - and it occurs along three fault lines:

1. Technology: The speed and breadth of today’s innovation affect every single job and skillset. Automation, artificial intelligence, Big Data analytics, the Internet of Things and mobile technologies are levelling the playing field – not only geographically but also across the spectrum of businesses from big to small. Not all of this disruption is positive. New technologies could result in a net loss of more than 5 million jobs by 2020, warns a recent World Economic Forum report.

2. Talent: We are facing a massive skills gap. Today’s education systems simply can’t keep up with the rapid pace of change. Too many of today’s graduates are merely not business-ready for the jobs that now exist. For the rest who may not have the academic credentials and special skills, they face barriers as well, as the non-cognitive skills they might possess are often discounted.

 
3. Millennials: In 10 years, the millennial generation will make up 75% of the global workforce. They are different, very different. Not only are they digital natives, they also have a different set of values; they want purpose in their lives, flexibility with their time and a healthy work-life balance. More than half don’t even want a job but want instead to do something on their own.
This tectonic shift is tearing down many familiar features of the economic landscape to which we have become accustomed. Take corporations: yes, they have been around for two centuries, and during their time were the primary creator of “jobs”. Yet, corporations as we have known them may soon have had their day. They will run out of skilled workers and will also fail to produce enough jobs to provide to those who want to work within the traditional definition of jobs. Additionally, Millennials, who are fast becoming the core of the global workforce, have little appetite for jobs and careers, since they offer too much structure and too little personal fulfilment.

What did people do before there were jobs?
Neither governments nor companies can become sustainable engines of job creation. But then this crisis is not actually about “jobs”. Let’s go to the early 19th century: what did people do before there were jobs? Well, certainly they worked - usually for themselves - in agriculture, as craftspeople, as tradespeople or in other ways as part of their local economy.
 
Image: John Constable's The Hay Wain, finished in 1821
This “cottage industry” work lacked scale; it was local by necessity. When corporations came along in the 19th century, they simply took these workers, organized them and with the aid of steam-powered factories and early industrializing technology, created focus, efficiency and scale. They brought us the big corporations we now have today and that worked for a long time. Yet this model is fast becoming obsolete.
Today’s most valuable companies, like Apple, employ a proportionally small number of people. At the same time the job market is shrinking almost everywhere because of the forces mentioned above. We simply must change our model of work and look beyond traditional jobs, beyond governments, beyond corporations. We must develop concepts that provide the flexibility and resilience needed for people to thrive amidst this massive disruption.

The whole world can't be Bill Gates
Rolling out the alternative to a job with the government or with a corporation requires focusing on start-ups, self-employment, self-made work, entrepreneurship. Yet, for most people many of these notions conjure up images of larger-than-life figures, of a Bill Gates or Mark Zuckerberg or, perhaps, some teenagers who - fuelled by take-away pizza - burn the midnight oil coding new apps. When we hear terms like these, we think of a path that’s risky, requiring top education and out-sized intelligence and ambition to succeed.
I won’t offer a ready-made solution that will make our current crisis cubed simply go away. But I will offer that in my 30 years of living and working in the Americas, Europe, and Asia regarding, I have seen how income can be created by many outside the formal structures of government and corporations and how people who have taken this route can thrive and shape their own future.

Company minus hierarchy equals collaboration
Take away the hierarchies of today’s corporations and what are we left with? At their core, companies are a collection of people engaged in collaborative efforts. It is this collaboration that is at the heart of our new model of work.
Let’s look at it from the perspective of individuals. What they need for success are business templates that leverage their skills, match their interests and - most importantly - nurture the right mindset that will allow them to be collaborators in this emerging new economy. They should not just be trained with cognitive skills or STEM smarts, but also non-cognitive skills such as creativity, self-discipline, resourcefulness, endurance – none of which are measured by tests and few of which are taught in school.
People with those non-cognitive skills may not feel comfortable calling themselves entrepreneurs … but from a mindset perspective they are! And with the right tested templates, models and tools, they will be able to generate an income that allows them to be independent and stand on their own two feet.
Just last week I used my Uber app and was picked up by an older middle-aged woman who told me she previously had been cleaning houses a few days a week. Now, she proudly reported, she was making much more money and with the flexibility the work offered, was able to drop off and pick up her granddaughter from school each day. I asked what new skills she had to learn. “None,” she said. She already knew how to drive, she knew the area, and always loved meeting new people.
 

WeWork, another disruptive business model, is a chain of shared office spaces that rents workspaces on a pay-as-you-go basis for budding entrepreneurs. The spaces are actually working social incubators where, for example, a computer whiz meets up with a graphic designer … Think Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak.
First, though, we need to flip any mismatched expectations; we have to help people realize that striking out by yourself is not a necessity but an opportunity, and that the risk can be managed. Individuals should feel confident to operate at whichever scale they feel comfortable – small and local or dynamic, scalable and global; fully independent or collaborating with a larger corporation.

Lessons from the world's most valuable companies
Corporations, meanwhile, will have to abandon their traditional hierarchies and structures. Take the world’s two most valuable companies, Apple and Google: their strength does not come from making things but from the collaboration within the huge ecosystems they have created. Think Nike, too. They are designers and marketers supported by collaborative companies and individuals.
So to survive, corporations have to reinvent themselves as conveners of collaborators. That is their new template. They have to morph into collaborative ecosystems - with their own rules and community ethos - in which individuals can plug in their skills. The collaboration economy can be our new model of work. This may require companies to change their business model; or it could be as simple as introducing dynamic and flexible procurement systems.
I’ll make no bones about it: the transition to this collaboration economy won’t be easy. It can’t be. The three fault lines – technology, talent and demographics – have ruptured, and the disruption brought on by this tectonic shift is simply too big.
But I’m an optimist at heart, not least because during my entire career I have met so many people who were able to turn their lives around simply because they were given the right template and mentoring.
It is now our job to spot the opportunities in the disruption and equip people not just to cope but to thrive beyond jobs and beyond corporations.

Article source : https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/02/beyond-jobs-beyond-corporations-the-collaboration-economy/

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A growing number of people think their job is useless.

Time to rethink the meaning of work
12 Apr 2017/ Rutger Bregman/ Correspondent, De Correspondent, Netherlands

A great deal has been written in recent years about the perils of automation. With predicted mass unemployment, declining wages, and increasing inequality, clearly we should all be afraid.
By now it’s no longer just the Silicon Valley trend watchers and technoprophets who are apprehensive. In a study that has already racked up several hundred citations, scholars at Oxford University have estimated that no less than 47% of all American jobs and 54% of those in Europe are at a high risk of being usurped by machines. And not in a hundred years or so, but in the next 20. “The only real difference between enthusiasts and skeptics is a time frame,” notes a New York University professor. “But a century from now, nobody will much care about how long it took, only what happened next.”
I admit, we’ve heard it all before. Employees have been worrying about the rising tide of automation for 200 years now, and for 200 years employers have been assuring them that new jobs will naturally materialize to take their place. After all, if you look at the year 1800, some 74% of all Americans were farmers, whereas by 1900 this figure was down to 31%, and by 2000 to a mere 3%. Yet this hasn’t led to mass unemployment. In 1930, the famous economist John Maynard Keynes was predicting that we’d all be working just 15-hour weeks by the year 2030. Yet, since the 1980s, work has only been taking up more of our time, bringing waves of burnouts and stress in its wake.
Meanwhile, the crux of the issue isn’t even being discussed. The real question we should be asking ourselves is: what actually constitutes “work” in this day and age?
What is “work” anyway?
In a 2013 survey of 12,000 professionals by the Harvard Business Review, half said they felt their job had no “meaning and significance,” and an equal number were unable to relate to their company’s mission, while another poll among 230,000 employees in 142 countries showed that only 13% of workers actually like their job. A recent poll among Brits revealed that as many as 37% think they have a job that is utterly useless.
They have, what anthropologist David Graeber refers to as, “bullshit jobs”. On paper, these jobs sound fantastic. And yet there are scores of successful professionals with imposing LinkedIn profiles and impressive salaries who nevertheless go home every evening grumbling that their work serves no purpose. 
 

Let’s get one thing clear though: I’m not talking about the sanitation workers, the teachers, and the nurses of the world. If these people were to go on strike, we'd have an instant state of emergency on our hands. No, I’m talking about the growing armies of consultants, bankers, tax advisors, managers, and others who earn their money in strategic trans-sector peer-to-peer meetings to brainstorm the value-add on co-creation in the network society. Or something to that effect.
So, will there still be enough jobs for everyone a few decades from now? Anybody who fears mass unemployment underestimates capitalism’s extraordinary ability to generate new bullshit jobs. If we want to really reap the rewards of the huge technological advances made in recent decades (and of the advancing robots), then we need to radically rethink our definition of “work.”

The paradox of progress
It starts with an age-old question: what is the meaning of life? Most people would say the meaning of life is to make the world a little more beautiful, or nicer, or more interesting. But how? These days, our main answer to that is: through work.
Our definition of work, however, is incredibly narrow. Only the work that generates money is allowed to count toward GDP. Little wonder, then, that we have organized education around feeding as many people as possible in bite-size flexible parcels into the employment establishment. Yet what happens when a growing proportion of people deemed successful by the measure of our knowledge economy say their work is pointless?
That’s one of the biggest taboos of our times. Our whole system of finding meaning could dissolve like a puff of smoke.
 

The irony is that technological progress is only exacerbating this crisis. Historically, society has been able to afford more bullshit jobs precisely because our robots kept getting better. As our farms and factories grew more efficient, they accounted for a shrinking share of our economy. And the more productive agriculture and manufacturing became, the fewer people they employed. Call it the paradox of progress: the richer we become, the more room we have to waste our time. It’s like Brad Pitt says in Fight Club: too often, we’re “working jobs we hate so we can buy shit we don’t need.”
The time has come to stop sidestepping the debate and home in on the real issue: what would our economy look like if we were to radically redefine the meaning of “work”? I firmly believe that a universal basic income is the most effective answer to the dilemma of advancing robotization. Not because robots will take over all the purposeful jobs, but because a basic income would give everybody the chance to do work that is meaningful.
 

Rutger Bregman is the author of 'Utopia For Realists', published by Bloomsbury in the UK and by Little, Brown in the US
I believe in a future where the value of your work is not determined by the size of your paycheck, but by the amount of happiness you spread and the amount of meaning you give. I believe in a future where the point of education is not to prepare you for another useless job, but for a life well lived. I believe in a future where “jobs are for robots and life is for people.”
And if basic income sounds Utopian to you, then I’d like to remind you that every milestone of civilization – from the end of slavery to democracy to equal rights for men and women – was once a Utopian fantasy too. Or, as Oscar Wilde wrote long ago: “Progress is the realization of Utopias.”
This article has been translated from Dutch by Elizabeth Manton.

Article source : https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2017/04/why-its-time-to-rethink-the-meaning-of-work/

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< Questions >

Q0. What does job security mean to you? Do you think your job security is ok in the near future? 

     

Q1. What millennials look for in a job? How about your pursuing priority in your job?

     

Q2. According to an article, a growing number of people think their job is useless in the near future. Do you agree with this opinion? How about your job security? 

Q3. When you were a child, what job did you want to have when you grew up? Can you describe your current job?

Q4. At what age would you like to retire? What do you think you will do after you retire? How much money do you think you need to retire with your lifestyle?

Q5. Do you think it is more important to make a lot of money or to enjoy your job?

Q6. Do you think people over 65 should be made to retire?

Q7. Have you ever taken any courses that specifically help you with the job you are doing now? 

Q8. How have working conditions changed in recent years? Do you think that working conditions have improved? If so, in what ways?

Q9. How many days a week do you work?

Q10. What are some jobs that you think would be fun in the near future?

Q11. Is it common for people from your country to have one job for life?