TED Talk Tuesday #281: The happy secret to better work

TED continues to spread ideas and help us all be better critical thinkers. Watching, listening and talking about TED Talks is a popular pastime for many in the CN&CO community. We visit TED.com regularly to clear our heads, have a laugh, learn or get inspired. TED Talks open our minds, spark new ways of thinking and can lead to some very interesting conversations and business opportunities. Each week we pick a favourite and publish it on a Tuesday, because we like how “TED Talk Tuesday” sounds. It’s also a way that the CN&CO team play their part in spreading ideas and helping to make the world a better place.

Today’s talk was chosen by Colin Ford.

Psychologist Shawn Achor has made a living out of studying happiness and positivity. In this TED Talk from 2011 he shares some of his insights into the way happiness inspires us to be more productive.

90% of your happiness, he says, is predicted not by the external world, but by how your brain processes the world. And if we change our formula for happiness and success, we can affect reality.

Debunking the popularly held belief that “If I work harder, I will achieve more success. And if I achieve more success, I will be happier”, Shawn explains how our brains actually work the other way round. If you can raise someone’s level of positivity in the present, then their brain experiences a “happiness advantage”, which in turn raises productivity, creativity, intelligence and a whole lot of other good things.  

Check it out: