作者：辛西娅·休伯特

2021年2月15日

Students in 萨克拉门托 State’s new Psychology of Happiness course will be thinking a lot this semester about the people, things, and circumstances that give them joy.

他们的教授Meliksah Demir想教他们如何疏导这些感受，努力过上更快乐、更充实的生活。

Demir, one of the nation’s experts on the subject, is the University’s first Endowed Professor in Happiness. 他的学生正在学习幸福研究的历史，如何衡量幸福，它的好处，不同文化和国家之间的差异，以及如何成为更快乐的人。

“Try engaging in three or four small acts of kindness toward others. Then assess your happiness at the end of the day.”

1998年，德米尔在土耳其上大学一年级，从那时起，他就开始研究幸福科学，这是更广泛的积极心理学领域的一部分。 他发表了多篇论文，并编辑了两本关于这个主题的书。

最近，他是弗拉格斯塔夫北亚利桑那大学的心理科学教授，他的研究重点是友谊和幸福之间的关系。

His position at 囊状态 “is my dream job,” he said. “I’m absolutely delighted about it.”

地区商人，企业家和大黄蜂校友Rekhi Singh向大学捐赠了一份礼物，以设立教授职位。 该职位旨在通过学术研究、课程开发、校园伙伴关系和其他活动来促进幸福。

加州大学伯克利分校（UC Berkeley）的大善科学中心（Greater Good Science Center）表示，研究人员将幸福定义为生活中有满足感和意义，能够感受到积极情绪，能够迅速从消极情绪中恢复过来，并有使命感。 它不一定来自特权或金钱，而是来自有意义的关系。

德米尔说，衡量幸福的尺度考虑了总体生活满意度和积极情绪对消极情绪的主导地位。 他说，研究对象列出的让他们快乐的事情通常包括与家人和朋友的关系、身体健康、实现工作和个人目标。

德米尔说，基因在寻找幸福的能力中发挥着重要作用，尽管人们可以通过使用某些工具来培养幸福，而不考虑基因或个人环境。

“Increasing your happiness level is possible, but it requires intention, motivation and work,” Demir said.

Promoting happiness can be as simple as practicing meditation, keeping a “gratitude journal,” or engaging in “random acts of kindness,” he said.

Among Demir’s suggestions for improving happiness:

• “Try engaging in three or four small acts of kindness toward others,” such as allowing someone to stand ahead of you in line. “Then assess your happiness at the end of the day.” You’re likely to feel better, he said.
• Write down things for which you are grateful in a journal each day, or pen a “gratitude letter” to someone to “thank them in a meaningful way for what they have done for you. … Maybe, after the pandemic passes, you can read that letter to the person face to face.” 德米尔说，参与这种披露的人报告说，他们的幸福水平更高。
• 特别是在大流行期间，当人们更加孤立时，要注意与朋友和家人保持联系，并制定计划。 Practice “mindfulness,” or being in the moment, wherever you are and whatever you are doing. “If you’re looking at your Instagram feed while you’re hiking, you’re not going to enjoy that experience as much,” he said. “It takes away from the joy of the moment.”

德米尔在他的新课程中教授这些技巧和更多的技巧，这门课程吸引了整个班的32名学生。

Ultimately, he wants to set up “happiness booths” on campus that members of the 囊状态 community can briefly visit and perhaps listen to music, sip some coffee, or contact a friend to boost their spirits.

Demir said he also would like to organize a “happiness conference” on campus, featuring experts and scholars from around the world.

Among other things, students in Demir’s course will be asked to practice happiness-promoting activities for one week and reflect on their state of mind before and after the exercise.

“I’ll be assessing the happiness of my students multiple times during the semester using established scales,” Demir said.

He hopes “their happiness will increase a little bit” thanks to the course material.

“I’d like to see that,” he said. “But even if that doesn’t happen, I’m confident that at least they’ll have the tools necessary to better cope with things in the future.”