Reflections on Learning and the Brain Conference - Part 3 - Well-Being and Happiness

Each year, when I attend the Learning and the Brain conference, I return with a very full brain, and much of what is in it is disconnected.  So, in order to process all of it, I look for themes and write about them.  This year, there will be three.  The first was on thinking and learning.  Last week was about meaning and purpose, and this final one is about well-being and happiness.  

It's no surprise to any teacher that we are in a crisis of student anxiety.  While the pandemic didn't help, it also didn't start this crisis.  Reports of unhappiness, loneliness, fear, and worry were on the rise starting about five years before Covid.  It seems to line up pretty well with the onset of smartphone ubiquity.  A student's ability to have their device on them at all times meant there was no escape from bullying and FOMO and no time to process anything before we were expected to comment on it.  According to Dr. Richard Davidson, author of The Neuroscience of Compassion, The Emotional Life of Your Brain, and The Science of Meditation, among many other books, isolation is now classified as an epidemic based on studies from 2003 to 2020.

The bad news is that lack of social connection is a major risk factor for many chronic health problems.  From hypertension to obesity to the premature onset of Alzheimer's disease, there are few conditions that aren't exacerbated by the absence of deep and meaningful relationships.  

The good news is that well-being is a skill, so it can be learned and practiced.  You can train yourself to be present in the moment (Mindfulness doesn't have to mean yoga).  You can take a few minutes each week to assess how connected you feel to your coworkers and your surroundings and take steps to improve them by taking a walk with a work friend during lunch (making your more connected to people) or do something to fill a need at work or church (making you feel more of a sense of place).  The number one factor in staying connected is having a sense of purpose because it helps you to imagine the future and your part in it.  This is the reason why some retired people thrive and others die soon after.  Those who use the time to volunteer, care for children, or effect change in their community live much longer than those who view retirement as a time of extended vacation.

Learning new things and making meaning of what you are learning also improves your sense of well being and helps you live longer.  Teachers, we have the ability to help our students view their learning as more meaningful than passing a test or job training.  We can help them see the awe and wonder that we do in our content.  And, if everyone in the class is seeing it, there is power in the feeling of belonging.  Their learning schema and their social schema overlap, giving a deeper and more complete understanding of the world.

In an 85 years long (and still running) study on happiness, there were four trends in the people who reported more sustainable happiness.  They were

• social support. 
• the freedom to make life choices. 
• the opportunity to be generous with time, money, effort, or expertise.
• high trust level in those around them.  

Notice that money is not on this list.  It did show up in reports of loneliness, which did correlate with those making below $24,000 per year.  (My conclusion - not those of the researchers - from that correlation is that people making very low amounts of money are probably working a lot of hours and perhaps at odd times and, therefore, have less opportunity for social connection.  It's not caused by lack of money but by the circumstances.)  Money spent on experiences rather than stuff is a better investment in well-being.  Being curious is a free way to gain social interaction.  If you go to a free event at your local museum about something you find interesting, you will also find other people there who find it interesting as well.  You could strike up a conversation with someone about that shared interest and find well-being in the process.  That may be the only conversation you ever have with them, or you might find that you share so much you start a club.

The other good news is that you don't have to make a major life change to make this happen.  You can take small repeated actions.  Text a friend you haven't seen in a while.  Have a weekly lunch with a colleague.  Donate to a cause (a small amount monthly might be better for you than a larger one time donation); if you don't have money, make a point to volunteer one day per month.  Visit the free or low cost events in your area (museums and libraries and churches hold a lot of them) on weekends.  

The point is that we can structure our lives in such a way that we combat isolation with small sustainable changes.  Take one action today.