little Happy Meeting - v. 1

Challenge 1 - Hear a joke, tell a joke.

Author

Rebecca Malatesta
April 01, 2024

Happy Meeting You!

You ever meet someone who seems genuinely content? They may not have much money, be particularly good-looking, or have an exciting career (although they might). What they do have is the right mental state (and getting this is a complicated mix of psychology and biology). This newsletter centers on training your brain to choose happiness — by doing little things that can incrementally improve your happy state of mind.

Every week, we will have a 30-second little Happy Meeting with a small task to complete during the week (which you can repeat over and over until your heart’s content). Happiness is connected with brain chemistry and cognitive stuff – stuff you can change if you work at it. And you can change your thinking if you do it consistently and pay attention to the change.

So, what’s all the fuss about happiness? Well, it might be because:

  • Happy people are healthier and live longer.

  • Happy people are more successful in relationships, careers, etc.

  • Happy people are fun to be around, and happiness is contagious.

  • Happiness is achievable and it don’t cost a gosh darn thang.

It won’t happen in a day, but these challenges (if done consistently) can slowly chip away at your hard exterior or reinforce your soft one and make you truly, completely, and genuinely happy! Caveat: this is not a replacement for therapy – bigger issues need bigger interventions.

Some of the weekly challenges may not come naturally and will encourage you to step outside of your comfort zone. One of the best things you can do is step out of that zone (especially, if it’s holding you back).

What you won’t find in this newsletter are strategies to make money, lose weight, or improve your appearance – you’re perfect the way you are! What you will find are funny ways to boost your happiness and train your mind to be happy (train your mind, and the rest will follow - think: En Vogue).

Without further ado, here is your first challenge (we’re starting small):

CHALLENGE NUMBER 1

Hear a joke, tell a joke.

This is my favorite clean joke, tied to my field of study.

How many psychologists does it take to change a lightbulb? One, but the lightbulb has to want to change.

To do: Go out and share this or another joke or two (if you’re shy, tell your pet). Here is a list of some pretty funny alternatives. 

Don’t give up, if you don’t get the reaction you hoped. Try again. Make sure you do it when you have others' attention. I’m a horrible joketeller, but sometimes just the attempt will get people to chuckle.

Reflect: How did it make you feel? How do you think it made others feel?

Come back next week for another little happy task.

Humor is tied to happiness.  In particular, humor that is meant to entertain and make people (including yourself) feel good can positively affect happiness – humor used to put yourself or others down does not. so…When you choose a joke, choose nicely.

About the author:

Rebecca Malatesta, PhD, is an Industrial and Organizational Psychologist who teaches psychology at Oakland University, located in Rochester, Michigan. A major source of her happiness is her three adult children (Sam, Isabella, and Joe), her boyfriend (am I too old to call him this?) Matthew, her friends and family, and the queen of her household, Babs.