I told them about a study that was conducted by both Harvard Medical School and University of California. The scientists involved found that happiness is contagious! Here is a link to information about the study and a summery of the findings:
Happiness spreads through social networks like an emotional contagion, according to a study that looked at nearly 5,000 individuals over a period of 20 years. When an individual becomes happy, the network effect can be measured up to three degrees. One person’s happiness triggers a chain reaction that benefits not only his friends, but his friends’ friends, and his friends’ friends’ friends. The effect lasts for up to one year. Conversely, sadness does not spread through social networks as robustly as happiness.
We discussed the meaning of the word "contagious" and the things we usually associate with it, like sickness and the flu. Who would've guessed that HAPPINESS is also contagious? In order to spread a little happiness of our own, we focused on Heartfulness during the mindfulness practice. Heartfulness involves purposefully having kind thoughts for ourselves or others. With this action, we become "happiness generators".
We began by thinking of someone we know and love, either a person or a pet. I asked the students to get an image of this person in their heads and to think about different things that make him or her happy. Then we sent kind wishes to this person or animal. I asked the students to listen to the wishes as I said them, then to repeat them internally. The wishes were:
May you be happy
May you be healthy
May you be peaceful
May you be loved
I asked the students to keep the person in their minds for a little longer, and to observe how they were feeling themselves at this time. Then we took a few more mindful breaths, and listened to the sound of the singing bowl.
After engaging in some movement, we began the art part of class. I reminded them of the artist Michael Grab, a sculptor who practices rock balancing. I brought a collection of many different rocks so the students had a chance to try a little rock balancing of their own! They worked in groups of three to construct the rock sculptures and discovered how difficult it is to tame gravity, though they had a blast trying! Then they worked with value pencils to create a drawing of the rocks. I photographed all of the sculptures so the students could finish the drawings during our next class. Here are a few photos of the sculptures and the students working on their drawings!
