SH45: Dear 2022

What will you be doing in one year?

Will you care about the same things?

Will you be at the same job?

Will you have achieved your goals?

One year ago, the humans ‘wrote‘ a letter to their 2021 selves, describing their lives and hopes for the future. In this episode, the humans listen back and respond to that letter. Discussing how far they have come and all that has changed in the last year.

Standard Humans is hosted by Aidan Dennehy and Evan.

Shownotes:

Standard Humans Episode 22: Dear Future Self

Cal Newport

The Media Communications program at Humber College

Environmental Science program at U Waterloo

What is an Art Director?

The story behind the Nike swoosh

How to support Standard Humans

Audible

Standard Humans Episode 33: The 5am Club

Aidan’s Portfolio

Association of Registered Graphic Designers

Aidan’s Profile on RGD

Bring Sally Up - Push Up Challenge

SH44: Buying Happiness (Well-Being 3)

Can money buy you happiness? (Studies show that it can, if used right)

Why do people get so much pleasure out of being kind?

How does your happiness change over time?

How can you shape your environment to make you more happy?

In this episode, the humans continue The Science of Well-Being by Dr. Laurie Santos, an online course offered by Yale. The class reveals misconceptions about happiness, annoying features of the mind working against your well-being, and what research says you can do to help you change.

Standard Humans is hosted by Aidan Dennehy and Evan.

Shownotes:

The Science of Well-Being by Dr. Laurie Santos

Baseline Well-Being Tests:

• PERMA Profiler

• Authentic Happiness Inventory

• VIA Character Strengths Survey

Why Character Strengths are important

What the Research Says About Character Strengths

Food Sharing in Vampire Bats

The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins

The Prisoner's Dilemma

Separating the Hawks from the Doves: Evidence from Continuous Time Laboratory Games

Happy Money: The Science of Happier Spending by Elizabeth Dunn

Dunn et al. (2008). Spending money on others promotes happiness.

Wansink et al. (2006). The office candy dish: proximity’s influence on estimated and actual consumption.

The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life & Business by Charles Duhigg

SH43: A Jarl of Toast (Spring 2021 Yearly Theme Check-In)

We all know the feeling: You set a goal on New Years' intending to really do it this time, but all of a sudden, the years' gone by, and you completely forgot about your goals.

That's why the humans are taking this episode to check in on their yearly themes. Reminding each other of their existence, discussing the progress they've made, and figuring out what they want to do next.

Standard Humans is hosted by Aidan Dennehy and Evan.

Shownotes:

Your Theme video by CGP Grey

How the Theme System works

Examples of Yearly Themes in a Theme System Journal

Aidan’s Portfolio

What is a Creative Director?

What is an Art Director?

Distinguished Toastmaster program

SH42: Why Our Expectations are So Bad (Well-Being 2)

Why is it that no matter how hard you try, you can’t seem to be happy? Are there neurological reasons? What can you do to overcome them? Should you fly first-class? These are just a few of the questions the humans are here to answer.

In this episode, the humans continue The Science of Well-Being by Dr. Laurie Santos, an online course offered by Yale. This week is all about the annoying features of the mind that prevent you from being happy and strategies you can use to overcome them.

Standard Humans is hosted by Aidan Dennehy and Evan.

Shownotes:

The Science of Well-Being by Dr. Laurie Santos

Headspace - Mediation App Aidan uses

Our strongest intuitions are often totally wrong

• Miswanting - the act of being mistaken about how much you will like something in the future

Reference Points

• If your co-workers make more money than you do, then you will be less satisfied with your job

• This book excerpt tells us reference points mess up good salaries - for every $1.00 increase in your actual income, your “required income” increases by $1.40

Hedonic Adaptation

• The Reticular Activating System explained

• This paper tells us that we adapt to earning more money

• This book states, “wonderful things are especially wonderful the first time they happen, but their wonderfulness wanes with repetition”

We don’t realize our minds get used to stuff

• This paper tells us we overestimate our emotions and getting bad grades won’t make us feel as bad as we think they will

• Immune Neglect - People are generally unaware of their the psychological immune system which is why they tend to overestimate their emotional reactions to negative events

Savouring - This paper tells us savouring positive experiences makes you happier

Gratitude - This paper tells us that gratitude, counting the good things in our lives, makes us happy

Commercials make TV more enjoyable

SH41: The Science of Well-Being (Part 1)

Happiness is hard. It seems like the more you try to be happy, the less happy you are. Luckily, science has figured out some tried and true methods to increase your well-being. And you can learn it all in an online course from Yale!

In this episode, the humans start The Science of Well-Being by Dr. Laurie Santos, an online course offered by Yale. The class reveals misconceptions about happiness, annoying features of the mind working against your well-being, and what research says you can do to help you change.

Standard Humans is hosted by Aidan Dennehy and Evan.

Shownotes:

The Science of Well-Being by Dr. Laurie Santos

Baseline Well-Being Tests:

• PERMA Profiler

• Authentic Happiness Inventory

• VIA Character Strengths Survey

Why Character Strengths are important

What the Research Says About Character Strengths

The Power of Character Strengths: Appreciate and Ignite Your Positive Personality by Ryan Niemiec

Flourish: A Visionary New Understanding of Happiness and Well-being by Martin Seligman

Academic Studies:

• Santos & Gendler (2014). Knowing is half the battle? Edge.

• The How of Happiness: A New Approach to Getting the Life You Want by Sonja Lyubomirsky

• This paper tells us why we don’t feel as bad as we think we will when turned down for a job

• This paper tells us why at a certain point, money can’t buy happiness

• This paper tells us those with materialist attitude and goals tend to have lower life satisfaction later in life

• This paper tells us we adapt to marriage after a few years and happiness returns to baseline

• This paper tells us weight loss may not make you feel any happier