Happy, happy, happy

I spent the most wonderful day yesterday leading a discussion about happiness and its implications for business. It may seem a bit esoteric to the unitiated but there is a fair amount of hard science in the study of happiness and its benefits for us.

The meeting was convened at Harvard with the support of Coca-Cola. Among those participating were Annie McKee, Robert Provine, Ellen Langer, Nancy Etcoff, Marc Mattieu, and Robert Biswas-Diener.

Beyond the hard science was the general belief that a positive approach to life yields greater benefits than a focus on weaknesses and faults. Businesses that want to engage customers and employees would do well to gain a deeper understanding of happiness.

I'll be posting more on the discussion in the days ahead. For now, I'm just basking in the glow of a great meeting with wonderful people.

The Dalai Lama on Happiness

From the Detroit Free Press:

Happiness: "I believe that the purpose of life is to be happy. From the moment of birth, every human being wants happiness and does not want suffering. Neither social conditioning nor education nor ideology affect this. From the very core of our being, we simply desire contentment. I don't know whether the universe, with its countless galaxies, stars and planets, has a deeper meaning or not, but at the very least, it is clear that we humans who live on this earth face the task of making a happy life for ourselves."