Hardwiring Happiness: The New Brain Science of Lasting Inner Strength

Based on neuropsychologist and renowned teacher Rick Hanson's latest book, Hardwiring Happiness, this seminar will offer concrete, research-based strategies for using everyday positive experiences to develop lasting inner strength.

Dr. Hanson will discuss how the brain has evolved a "negativity bias," making it like Velcro for bad experiences but Teflon for good ones. This bias causes over-reactivity, needless worries, depression, and interpersonal conflicts. It also hampers childrearing, psychotherapy, mindfulness training, and addiction recovery.

To solve this problem, Dr. Hanson will illustrate how we can imprint positive experiences in the brain and benefit from the phenomenon of "neuroplasticity," whereby over time our thoughts and experiences literally change the shape and functioning of our brain. He will teach methods for internalizing positive experiences in our memory systems-a process he calls "taking in the good"-which help us heal from traumas and develop and maintain inner strengths-including resilience, positive emotions, and confidence. Participants will explore methods to lower anxiety and stress, lift mood, develop calm and contentment, and fundamentally hardwire happiness into the brain.

Attendees will be able to:
* Identify how and why the brain has a "negativity bias," making it like Velcro for bad experiences but Teflon for good ones, and the effects this has on our well-being
* Learn Dr. Hanson's four-step HEAL method that imprints everyday positive experiences in the memory system, helping you feel strong, happy, peaceful, and loved
* Adapt the HEAL steps to improve motivation, childrearing, depression, and recovery from trauma
* Process "antidote experiences," including those useful for healing old pain
* Explore methods to lower anxiety and stress, lift mood, develop calm and contentment, and fundamentally hardwire happiness into the brain

Presented by The Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley