Week of Happiness: Day 3 - Reference Points and Mindfulness

Welcome to?Day 3! What was it like to use your money in a new way yesterday? Who knows, that good fortune could come back to you one day. Today's?Mind Mishap?is about social interactions. To be more precise: how we often compare ourselves to others.

Mind Mishap #3 - We Judge Ourselves Relative to Reference Points:

We are social creatures who all want to belong. One side effect of this is that we often judge ourselves in relation to those around us. Don't believe me? Here is another visual to highlight the point. Which middle circle is larger?

You guessed it... the?same!?

They have done studies in real life highlighting this fact, too. Did anyone watch the olympics recently? Well, research show those bronze medalists might be happier than those silver medalists.

Why, you ask? Well, think of reference points. Who is the reference point for the bronze medalist? The rest of the field - they made it onto the podium. On the contrary, however, the silver medalists were close, often a fraction of a second, to being the best in the world!?

Maneuver Strategy for Mind Mishap #3 - Mindfulness:?

Mindfulness has been shown to provide multiple benefits. One, in particular, is to bring us to the present moment and help us reset our reference points to a more helpful place. Today, try out a mindfulness exercise from this?Mindful March Calendar.?

'Till tomorrow!? ??