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-1-PositivePsychology–Lecture4Hieverybody.WearetheHarvardCallbacksWehaveaspecialValentine'sDaymessagededicatedfromtheteachingstafftothestudents.!Hi,morning.Youknow,whenIaskedthemtodedicatethissong,Ihadaslightlydifferentsonginmind.But--sobeit.Wedoloveyou.Whatwearegoingtotalkabouttoday,continuingfromlasttimeisorarethebasicpremisesofthiscourse--wherewearecomingfrom,wherewearegoing--layingdowninmanyways,thefoundationofthespiralthatwearegoingtocreateforthenextsemestertogether.Lasttimewestopped,wetalkedabouthowdifficultchangeis.WetalkedabouttheTwinstudiesthatillustratethatwhatLykkenandTellegensaid--maybechangingourhappinesslevelisasdifficultas--andfutile--astryingtochangeourheight.Andwetalkedabouttheerroroftheaverageandthemistakethattheseresearchersaremaking,misunderstandingthenatureofchange.Becauseifsomeonechanges,thequestionisnolongerisitpossibletochangebutratherhowisitpossibletochange.AndthenwetalkedabouttheSomervilleCambridgestudythatshowthatliterallytheRolls-Royceofinterventionsfailed--5yearswiththeleadingscientists,researchers,psychiatrists,psychologistsfromCambridge,HarvardandMIT,puttingtheirmindsandheartsforgoodintentionstobringaboutchange--failure.Notonlytheyhavefailedinbringingaboutpositivechange,theyactuallybroughtaboutnegativechange.Remember?--Alcoholismrateswentupfortheinterventiongroup,comparedtothecontrolgroup.Thecontrolgroupthatjoinednointerventionactuallyweremoreluckilytoadvanceintheirworkplace20,30yearslater.Sochangeisdifficult,butthenwewentoverandsaid,Well,MarvaCollinscreateschange.Soitispossible.ProgramsbyMartinSeligmenandKarenReivichandnumerousotherssucceedinginbringingaboutchange.Andthechallengethenis,forus,ifourgoalistobecomepracticalidealistsistounderstandwhatitisthatbringsaboutchangeandthendoit.Spreadtheword.Spreadthewordabouttheresearch.Eveniftheresearchdoesn'talwayscommunicategoodnews,it'saboutcommunicatingwhatworks,whatisreal,asopposedtoourdreams,ourdesires,ourhopes,ourwishes--that'snotenough.Goodwill,idealism,goodintentionsarenotenough.Weneedtobegroundedinresearch.AndthisisverymuchwhatMaslowhasinmindwhenhetalkedabouttheanalogousManhattanProject,wherescientists,positivepsychologistsorthattimepsychologists,socialscientistswouldgettogetherandpickoutthetipofthestem--thefewideas,thefewprogramsthatworkandthenreplicatethem.Studythebestandasoneofthestudentshere,Mariam--cametomeaftertheclassandshesaid,thetipofthestemisactuallyaboutdemocratizingexcellence.Ilovethatphrase.Democratizingexcellence--studyingthebestandapplyingittotherestofus.Ok,sowehavethisgrandscheme,grandideabyMaslowtocreateaManhattan-typeProject.ButwhatifI'mnotinterestedingoingintooneoftheseprojects?WhatifI'mnoteveninterestedinbecominganacademic?Justwanttodothingsonmyown:CanImakeadifference?Andtheanswerisabsolutelyyes.Oneofthemostsignificantbarrierstopeopledoingthingsintheworld,toactuallyintroducingchangeisthattheyunderestimatetheirabilitytobringaboutchange.Thereisalotofresearchinpsychology.PrimarilythepeoplewhostartedareEmersonandMoscoviciandmanyotherswhohavedoneresearchshowinghowminority--veryoftenonepersoncanmakeabigdifference,canmakeasignificantdifference.RalphWaldoEmerson:Allhistoryisarecordofthepowerofminorities,andofminoritiesofone,--alottobackedthatupinsocialscienceresearch.MargaretMead,theanthropologist:Neverdoubtthatasmallgroupofthoughtful,committedcitizenscanchangetheworld.Indeed,itistheonlythingthateverhas.Allchangebeginsinthemindofsinglepersonorasmallgroup.Andthenitexpands.Nowthequestionishowdoesitexpandandwhyisitsodifficultforustounderstand,accept,assimilateandliveaccordingtothefactthatwecanmakeadifference,ifweunderstandthatwhatweneedtounderstandishowchangehappens.Changehappensexponentially.Ourconnectiontootherpeopleandtheirconnectiontoothersandsoandsocreateanexponentialfunctionwhichexplainsforanexample--that-2-thoseofyouarefamiliarwith--butterflyeffecthowabutterflyflappingitswingsinSingaporecantheoreticallycauseatornadoinFlorida.Becauseonparticlehitsanotherandanotherandanother.Italsoexplainsthephenomenal6degreesofseparation:howweareallconnectedandinterconnectedinawebpotentiallyofgoodness.Toillustratetheexponentialnatureofhumannetworks,let'slookatsmiles.Whatdoweknowfromresearchisthatsmilesarecontagious.Someonesmiles--makesyousmile.Yousmile--youmakesomeonesmile.Andsoonandsoon.Youknow,evensomegoespassyouonthestreetandyoudon'tsmileostensiblyyoudon'tsmile--therearecertainmicro-musclesinyourfacethataremovingthatactuallymakeyoufeelbetter.Sosmilesarecontagious.Nowifyousmiledto--ormakethreepeoplesmile,andthesethreepeople--eachonemakesthreeotherpeoplesmile.Andthoseninepeoplemakethree--eachone-