Benefits of happiness and how it is linked to success

Sociologist & Happiness Expert Christine Carter, PhD, explains the benefits that happiness has for kids and how happiness is linked to success later in life
The Benefits of Happiness & How Happiness Is Linked To Success
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Benefits of happiness and how it is linked to success

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Happiness is something that influences success in many, many different ways, which is surprising to some people because often times as parents we think of success as coming first. What we're aiming for for our kids is for them to be successful and we assume that happiness will follow. But actually we have hundreds of studies now that show that happiness precedes success in many arenas, for kids in school, for adults in our work life. But also in our relationships with other people, in our marriages that happiness is a precursor to success. And that's because when our brains are positive, when we're feeling happy or another positive emotion like optimistic, our thinking changes a little bit. So we tend to think more flexibly, to be more creative, to be more engaged and motivated. We're definitely more productive. For kids, they're better learners when they're happy.

Sociologist & Happiness Expert Christine Carter, PhD, explains the benefits that happiness has for kids and how happiness is linked to success later in life

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Christine Carter, PhD

Sociologist & Happiness Expert

A sociologist and happiness expert at UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center, Christine Carter, PhD is the author of Raising Happiness: 10 Simple Steps for More Joyful Kids and Happier Parents. Dr. Carter also writes an award-winning blog for Greater Good, which is syndicated on the Huffington Post and PsychologyToday.com. Carter has helped thousands of parents find more joy in their parenting while raising happy, successful and resilient kids. Known for her parenting and relationship advice, Carter draws on psychology, sociology, neuroscience, and uses her own chaotic and often hilarious real-world adventures to demonstrate the do’s and don’ts in action.

After receiving her B.A. from Dartmouth College, where she was a Senior Fellow, Dr. Carter worked in marketing management and school administration, going on to receive her PhD. in sociology from UC Berkeley. Dr. Carter has been quoted in The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, USA Today, the Chicago Tribune, the San Francisco Chronicle and dozens of other publications. She has appeared on the “Oprah Winfrey Show,” the “TODAY” show, the “Rachael Ray Morning Show,” “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart,” “CBS Sunday Morning,” “ABC World News with Diane Sawyer” and NPR.

Carter has been a keynote speaker at hundreds of events and professional groups. In 2010, she received an award from the Council on Contemporary Families for her outstanding science-based reporting on family issues. In 2011 she won Red Tricycle’s award for the “Most Awesome Parent Education,” and so far in 2012 she has been nominated for a Bammy Award and for an award from the American Sociological Association for public sociology.

Dr. Carter teaches parenting classes online throughout the year to a global audience on raisinghappiness.com. She lives with her family in Berkeley, CA.

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