Have you ever come across a doctor who specifically coaches and guides you towards attaining happiness? Well there is one in Finland and her name is Sofia Kauko-Valli.
Sofia teaches entrepreneurship at the University of Jyvaskyla, Finland and also runs a Happiness Clinic at the university. She shares interesting facts about her area of interest:
You’ve researched largely on happiness. Could you dwell upon this interest and your findings?
Believe or not I started by studying stress and anxiety. I even wrote a book on that. However it turned out that as a result of constantly being involved in something very negative I started to feel miserable as well. It was a sign for me that it was time to change viewpoint. At the same time there was this major shift in the field of psychology and something called positive psychology emerged as a result.
In essence positive psychology is an attempt to balance the psychological view on us humans by concentrating on the positive side of functionality, looking at what already works. This line of research brought a host of topics to the forefront of study - happiness being one of them. In my own studies I have found that entrepreneurship as a choice tends to lead to happiness more often than being employed by someone else. Especially in the current time and age we live in, entrepreneurship gives you more flexibility on one hand and somewhat surprisingly a better sense of safety - both of which are essential for happiness and well-being.
What is the Key to Happiness?
One of the most surprising facts about happiness seems to be that most of it is created between our ears. What does it mean? Simply that what we choose to think about on a daily basis and what we concentrate on either leads us to a sense of satisfaction and happiness or into some kind of despair.
Happiness is not about our circumstances or about money as much as it is about what we choose to think about. In this sense each one of us can make ourselves extremely happy anytime we like. One of the quickest roads to sense of happiness is experiencing gratitude so it really pays off each day to think about the things that you have been given, the favors, the blessings and wonderful things that surround you on a daily basis.
Could you tell us about your work as the Dr Happiness?
When I received my PhD in Economics with the concentration on happiness, I wanted to do something highly practical with the knowledge that I had accumulated over the years so I started a virtual doctor’s office for anyone who would like to know about techniques to a happier and more fulfilling life. There is a sliding scale fee and I also do a lot of pro bono work just for the fun of it. I have run groups for women where I live and it has been wonderful to see how lives change as a result of knowing and applying some simple techniques to your everyday situations.
Which people are the easiest to be happy and which are the toughest ones?
I think it is very much about openness and ability to learn new things. If you have the ability to feel grateful you are well on your way to happiness. Taking yourself lightly helps a lot too in the process - it is easier to feel happy if you are not constantly worried about the impression you make and your position or the titles given to you. I think it is very hard for people who feel entitled, who are full of themselves (me, myself and I-lifestyle), who constantly think about what they can get (instead of what they can give and contribute) and who are bitter to find happiness in life.
Tags: Afia Mansoor, Benevolent Intent, Gratitude, Happiness, Personal Excellence, Schuitema, Sofia Kauko-Valli
Fantastic! Thanks for sharing this. This is so very consistent with our transactional correctness model. Gratitude is the foundation stone on which excellence is based. Taking yourself lightly is about submission/humility. Being open is about getting rid of the rancour and seeing things as they are.
Thank you!
I am hoping to get Sofia to write for us. She is incorporating positive psychology into business concepts and has been researching extensively to this end.