Positive Psychology Column for 5-11-03 By Tom Muha, Ph.D. WISDOM CAN MAKE YOU HAPPIER Admit it. You’ve read self-help articles that tell you how to overcome that one particular weakness of yours that’s always been a little embarrassing.  None of those suggestions have completely gotten rid of the problem, have they? There is a better way to deal with your shortcomings.  Focus on cultivating your strengths.  I’m not suggesting you deny that you have a weak spot in how you deal with certain situations.  I’d just rather have you spending your energy and time on building positive attributes that you could use in place of that old habit. Focusing on strengths is actually a more effective strategy anyway because it feels so much better than dwelling on difficulties.  You’ll feel good as you see yourself improving in your ability to deploy a character strength.  That makes this approach much more rewarding, and the positive reinforcement helps to sustain your energy for changing. How do you know what positive aspect of your character to strengthen?  I recommend that you start by picking one of the six traits that are included in the virtue of “Wisdom and Knowledge.”   I’ve always found that the more information I acquire about how to handle the challenges of life, the easier it is to overcome them. All of the 24 character strengths that are revered in cultures around the globe are discussed in detail in the book Authentic Happiness by Martin Seligman.  Here’s a summary of what the Seligman and other happiness researchers found are the six characteristics that people can develop in order to increase their ability to use more “Wisdom and Knowledge” in their lives. 1.  Curiosity about the World. Do you have a curiosity about the world that involves an openness to new experiences and a flexibility about matters that do not fit your preconceptions?  Or do you become uncomfortable when a situation is unclear at first, finding that you quickly lose interest and become bored? Curious people recognize that actively exploring the world will challenge their preconceptions about life, and they like wading through the ambiguity that is associated with increasing their awareness. 2.  Love of Learning.  Are you the type who has always loved learning new things, whether you are in a class or on your own?  Have you always enjoyed school, reading, museums - being anywhere and everywhere there is an opportunity to learn?  Or is this unlike you? People who are strong in this area are frequently experts in a particular area as a result of having devoted their time and energy to mastering a subject. 3.  Judgement/Critical Thinking. Do you think things through and examine them from all sides, relying only on solid evidence you gather over time to make your decisions?   Are you able to change your mind based on new information? Or do you tend to quickly assess and respond to situations, figuring things out in ways that tend to maximize what you have come to believe is true about the world? People with good judgement have developed the healthy trait of being able to separate their own needs and wants from the objective facts they uncover.      4.  Ingenuity/Originality/Practical Intelligence/Street Smarts.  Are you exceptional at creating novel, yet appropriate strategies to get what you want out of life?  Do you find yourself discontent with conventional approaches? Would you say that you have common sense, or so called “street smarts?” Having high levels of this trait encompasses creativity at all levels, including artistic endeavors. 5.  Social Intelligence/Personal Intelligence/Emotional Intelligence.  Do you have empathy for other people’s feelings? Are you aware of their motives?  Do you find that you can respond well to other’s, especially when problems arise? A high level of Emotional IQ enables an individual to tune into another person’s moods, and to understand their intentions - and then respond to them in a manner that generates positive emotions on both sides. 6.  Perspective. Do people like to talk to you about their problems?  Are you good at using your past experience in problem solving?  Do you have a perspective on the world that seems to make sense not only to you, but to others as well? Or do you often seem to be at odds with other people’s points of view? The wisest people in the world have developed their ability to look outside the box to find solutions for life’s most important, and difficult, challenges. You probably have one or more of these traits already.  Think about how you can start using one of these strengths in a situation where you have struggled in the past to get good results.  An amazing outcome awaits you.   Tom Muha is a psychologist in Annapolis. He welcomes your comments and questions. To contact him call (443) 454-7274 or email him at tom@achievinghappiness.com.