The Experiment:

A number of years ago an experiment was carried out by Dr Robert Holden on the BBC TV show “How to be Happy”. On the show, Dr Holden took 3 clinically depressed people to see if he could make them happier over a relatively short period of time. In order to prove their level of depression a study was carried out on the left pre-frontal lobe of the brain. This is understood to be a reliable indicator of how depressed they were and the level of happiness they experienced in their everyday lives. This experiment was then to be used as an indicator of whether the experiment had worked.

In order for Dr Holden to improve their state of mind from depression to a more positive and happy state of mind he made 3 important changes to their lives which were remarkably simple and easy to do.

Firstly, he asked them to do some form of exercise on a daily basis. Exercise has been proven to be a powerful natural antidote to depression and releases the body’s natural opiates which give you the feel the good factor.

Secondly, the subjects were asked to laugh for twenty minutes a day. It has been proven that laughter, even if it is forced and artificial produces endorphins in the body allowing you to feel great. Even just smiling releases serotonin which is a happy chemical in our brains.

Thirdly, the subjects were to force themselves to have positive thoughts throughout the day. They did this by placing post it notes all around their homes and their workplace. Every time, they saw the post it note, they had to think of something positive or something that made them feel good. Each time they thought a positive thought or something they were grateful for, they were strengthening the neural pathways in their brain associated with pleasure and reinforced the happy chemicals in their bodies.

The result:

As a result of these behaviour changes, within the first month these behaviours become automatic and habitual. At the end of the study all three participants had changed from being “clinically depressed” to being measured as “extreme optimists”. It was found that by changing their behaviours to more positive ones, they had literally rewired their neurology to become happier and more positive. It was also observed in the experiment that not only did they feel happier and more positive they also looked younger as a result.

Our View:

This experiment clearly demonstrates that when people create positive habits in their lives, the quality of their lives will change remarkably for the better. We can create these habits by making them a part of our life. As shown in Dr Holden’s experiment, it does not take long for the body to become more positive automatically after practising a specific behaviour. This is due to the neural pathways you are producing in your brain. In basic terms, the more positive thoughts you make yourself have, the more positive thoughts will come to you automatically. This is the theory behind us launching “The Flow”. By receiving a positive and inspiring text message each day, your brain creates positive neural pathways and you will automatically become more positive and happy.

References: Paul Mckenna, Instant Confidence, Bantam Press. Dr Robert Holden www.happiness.co.uk