Improved Lives

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First, this isn’t my list, it was part of a psychology experiment (doc) I found. The experiment was originally targeted towards students though, so I had to change a few of the items around so that they were relevant to everyone.

The bolded categories are related to positive psychology. In positive psychology there are 24 character traits that are thought to be universally desirable and so worth developing and nurturing in everybody. The experiment I got the list from was set up to address all 24 character traits.

Some of these are repetitive, some are contradictory, and some I couldn’t ever see myself doing, but with 112 of them, I think all of us should be able to find something worth doing. I’ve seen a few on here I’m definitely going to try, and I’m thinking about setting up a system where I do 5 of them a day or something like that so that I can get through most of them.

Curiosity and Interest in the World:
1. Ask anyone a question about something you’re interested in
2. Discover a new place
3. Go to a library or a bookstore and browse the books, see what catches your eye
4. Eat something new that you never otherwise would have tried
5. Watch a presentation or talk on something interesting (TED talks and Google Tech Talks are good places to start)

Love of Learning:

6. Read a newspaper
7. Go sit in on a class at your local university or college
8. Sign up for StumbleUpon and stumble subjects you want to learn about
9. Read a random page on wikipedia
10. Every day, read a chapter of a book
11. Read a book about something you’ve always found intriguing but never found the time to learn more about

Judgment, Critical Thinking, and Open-Mindedness:

12. Go to a multi-cultural group or event
13. Play devil’s advocate and discuss an issue from the side opposite to your personal views
14. Make friends with someone you wouldn’t normally be friends with
15. Go to a different church or religious event
16. Every day, pick something you believe strongly, and think about how you might be wrong

Creativity, ingenuity and originality:

17. Keep a journal, work on a picture or poem
18. Submit a piece to a literary magazine or newspaper
19. Decorate or personalize your environment
20. Pick one object in your room and devise another use for it rather than its intended use
21. Find a new word everyday (dictionary.com has a ‘Word of the Day’ rssfeed (top left)) and use it creatively every day

Social Intelligence:

22. Meet one new person each day by approaching them
23. Go into a social situation in which you would normally feel uncomfortable and try to fit in
24. Whenever you talk with someone, try to figure out what his or her motives and concerns are
25. Encounter someone by themselves and by being friendly, include them in your group

Perspective (Wisdom):

26. Get a quote a day online (The Quotations Page has a good one with an RSSfeed, and an alternative motivational quote of the day)
27. Give advice to an upset friend
28. Think of the wisest person you know. Try to live each day as that person would live
29. Look up prominent people in history and learn their views on important issues of their day and/or find a significant quotation that they said

Valor:

30. Go against peer pressure or social norms
31. Stand up for someone even if you disagree with him/her
32. Ask someone out or to dance
33. Introduce yourself to a stranger next to you in class
34. Speak up for an unpopular idea (if you believe in it)

Industry, Diligence, and Perseverance:

35. Finish work ahead of time
36. Notice your thoughts about stopping a task, and ignore them. Focus on the task at hand
37. When working, resist daydreaming and distractions
38. Plan ahead: use a calendar for upcoming commitments
39. Set a high goal (e.g., for exercise, or studying) and stick to it
40. When you wake up in the morning, make a list of things that you want to get done that day that could be put off until the next day. Make sure to get them done that day

Honesty, Authenticity and Genuineness:

41. Refrain from telling small, white lies, to friends (including insincere compliments). If you do tell one, admit it and apologize right away
42. Monitor yourself and make a list of every time you tell a lie, even if it is a small one. Try to make your daily list shorter every day
43. At the end of each day, identify something you did that was attempting to impress people, or put on a show. Resolve not to do it again

Zest, Enthusiasm, and Energy:

44. Go out of your way to become more involved in an organization you are already a part of
45. Do something because you want to, not because you are told
46. Get a good night’s sleep and eat a good breakfast, to give yourself more energy during the day
47. Do something physically vigorous in the morning (e.g., jog, push-ups)

Kindness and generosity:

48. Leave a huge tip for a small check
49. Do a random act of kindness every day (a simple, small favor). Make it anonymous if possible
50. Be a listening ear to a friend. Ask them how their day was and actually listen to the answer before telling them about your own day
51. Send an e-card to a different friend each day
52. Pay the whole tab when you are out with friends

Capacity to Love and be Loved:

53. Tell boyfriend/girlfriend/sibling/parent that you love them
54. Send a loved one a card or e-card to say that you were thinking about him/her
55. Give loved ones a big hug and a kiss
56. Write a nice note where someone you love will find it sometime during the day. Do this in a new place, or for a new person, every day

Citizenship and Teamwork:

57. Volunteer somewhere in your community
58. Take on added responsibility within an organization you are already a part of
59. Pick up litter that you see on the ground
60. If you live with others, clean a communal area
61. Organize a party or get-together with your friends and/or family

Fairness Equity and Justice:

62. Allow someone to speak their peace while keeping an open mind by not passing judgment
63. Stay impartial in an argument between friends despite your beliefs (be the mediator)
64. Notice when you treat someone based on a stereotype or pre-conception; resolve not to do it again

Leadership:

65. Organize something special for your friends or family one evening
66. Take initiative at school or at work

Modesty:

67. Don’t talk about yourself at all for a full day
68. Dress and act modestly, so as not to attract attention to yourself
69. Find a way in which someone you know is better than you. Compliment him or her for it

Self-Control and Self-Regulation:

70. Set up a work out schedule and stick to it. Exercise is one of those universal things everyone can benefit from
71. Clean or organize your room. Every day, make sure that you pick up whatever mess you made during the day
72. Leave something unfinished on your plate that you usually regret eating afterwards, or make smaller portion sizes
73. When something upsets you, attempt to block it out of your mind and instead focus on the good things in your life
74. Make a resolution to not gossip. When you feel the urge to talk about someone behind his or her back, remember your resolution and stop yourself before you talk
75. In the morning, make an agenda for the day. Stick to that agenda
76. When you get overly emotional about something, calm down and calmly consider all of the issues again

Caution, Prudence and Discretion:

77. During a conversation, think twice before saying anything. Weigh the probable effect of your words on others
78. Think about the motto “Better safe than sorry” at least three times a day. Try to incorporate its meaning into your life
79. Before you decide to do something important, reflect on it for a moment and consider if you want to live with its consequences 1 hour, 1 day, or 1 year later

Forgiveness and Mercy:

80. Think of someone that you found it very hard to forgive. Try to see the situation from their
    perspective. Then consider, if you had been the one to do the offensive act, would you have expected to be forgiven?
81. Keep a journal, and every night, describe someone who made you mad, or against whom you have a grudge. After writing about the grudge, describe why you are resistant to forgiving them
82. Then look at the situation from that person’s point of view, and forgive the person
83. Make contact with someone who has made you mad in the past. Let them know that you forgive them, or just be kind to them in your conversation
84. When someone does something that you do not understand, try to fathom his or her intentions in the actions

Appreciation of Beauty and Excellence:

85. Go to a museum and pick out a piece of artwork or a display that has aesthetic value and touches you because of its beauty
86. Write down your thoughts about a piece of art, or something beautiful you see around you
87. Take a walk with a friend and comment on something pretty that you see
88. Attend a concert and enjoy the sound for its musical value. Or pick out the most moving music you know of, and listen to it appreciatively on headphones every night. Or ask a friend to recommend the most beautiful music he or she knows
89. Keep a journal, and every night, record something you saw during the day that struck you as extremely beautiful, or skillful
90. Find something that makes you happy, in aesthetics or value, a physical activity or an object, and let it inspire you throughout the day

Gratitude:

91. Keep a journal, and each night, make a list of three things that you are thankful for in life
92. Every day, thank someone for something that you might otherwise take for granted
93. Keep a record of the number of times you use the words “thank you” in a day. Over the course of the first week, try to double the number of times that you say the words
94. Call a parent/sibling/friend each day and thank him/her for something (e.g., for helping you to become who you are, or for always being there for you.)
95. Send someone a “thank you” e-greeting
96. Leave a note for your room mate, spouse, co-worker, or anyone else that thanks them for something about them that you appreciate

Hope, Optimism, and Future-Mindedness:

97. Keep a journal, and every night, record a decision you made that day that will impact your life in the long run
98. When you are in a bad situation, turn it around to see the optimistic side of it. You can almost always find some good in a situation, regardless of how awful it seems at the time
99. Make a list of bad decisions you have made. Forgive yourself and move on in life realizing that you cannot go backwards, only focus on the present and future
100. Notice your negative thoughts. Counter them with positive thoughts
101. Reaffirm yourself that you can and will succeed at whatever you put your mind to

Spirituality and Sense of Purpose, and Faith:

102. For five minutes a day, relax and think about the purpose of life, and where you fit in
103. For five minutes a day, think about the things you can do to improve the world or your community
104. Read a religious or spiritual book, or go to a religious service every day
105. Explore different religions. You can do this by going to a library, looking on the Internet, or asking your friends about their religions
106. Spend a few minutes a day in meditation or prayer
107. Invest in a book of affirmations or optimistic quotes. Read a few every day

Humor and Playfulness:

108. Every day, make someone smile or laugh
109. Learn a joke and tell it to your friends
110. Watch a funny movie or TV show
111. Read the comics or a funny book
112. Learn a magic trick and perform it for your friends

The experiment this list was taken from was actually a form of the ‘Using Signature Strengths in a New Way’ exercise that I talked about here. In the experiment the participants took the VIA signature strengths test and then were split in to two groups, half doing exercises from the above list that developed their strengths and half doing the same for their weaknesses. (one activity a day) After 2 weeks the groups switched their focus from strengths to weaknesses and weaknesses to strengths.

The data showed that doing the exercises was having a (generally) positive effect (the only significant negative changes came from asking people about their subjective well-being which, interestingly enough was the measure that increased in the experiment by Seligman and co.(It should be noted that the experiments were not exactly the same so differences in results are not necessarily unexpected))

I think the conclusion to really take note of though is the paper responses of the participants to the question of what they thought they had gotten out of the experiment:

most participants enjoyed taking part in the study, particularly working on their strengths. Many of the papers were inspiring to read: participants adopted new good habits or dropped old bad ones; participants went around doing good things for other people, or broadening their own minds or social circles. It seemed that many participants had issues they had already wanted to work on, and this project provided an extra push to motivate personal changes.

When participants directly stated which half of the study made the most difference to them they usually said it was working on strengths rather than weaknesses. However a number of participants stated that working on weaknesses helped them more than strengths.

Further Reading:
- It’s more fun to work on strengths than weaknesses (but it may not be better for you) by Jonathan Haidt

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