A smiling woman holding balloons outside, following Mo Gawdat's happiness tips.

This article is an excerpt from the Shortform book guide to "That Little Voice In Your Head" by Mo Gawdat. Shortform has the world's best summaries and analyses of books you should be reading.

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What are Mo Gawdat’s “programming” tips for more happiness? How can you make your brain process information better?

In That Little Voice in Your Head‘s section on happiness, Mo Gawdat discusses four tips to help your brain process and respond to information in ways that lead to happiness. By thinking of your brain as a malfunctioning computer, you can logically reprogram it to be happier.

Read below for Mo Gawdat’s tips for programming your brain for unlimited happiness.

Programming Tip #1: Observe the World Around You

When discussing happiness, Mo Gawdat recommends you actively observe the world around you and intentionally spend your time and attention on positive things. The purpose of this is two-pronged: First, focusing your mind on the details of the world around you will help direct your thinking to positivity rather than rumination (avoiding Error #4). Second, focusing on the world around you can lead to happiness because you’ll notice more things to be grateful for. 

For example, be aware of beauty as you walk to work and snap a picture when you find it. Intentionally looking for beauty accomplishes three things: 1) It keeps your mind busy so you can’t ruminate, 2) it allows you to focus on positive things that make you happy rather than sights that annoy you (like litter), and 3) it helps you appreciate small details about your neighborhood that you wouldn’t have noticed before—even more to be happy about!

(Shortform note: Along the same lines as Gawdat’s idea to notice and photograph beauty, Cesar Kuriyama created the app 1 Second Everyday (1SE), which encourages you to record one second of your life every day and compiles the clips into a video recap at the end of the year. Like Gawdat, Kuriyama’s goal is to help people take control of their happiness by training them to focus on and celebrate the small details of daily life. Further, the app functions as a journal, so if you’re ever feeling down, you can revisit your captured moments to remind yourself of what you should focus on and what you can be grateful for.)

Gawdat explains that choosing to direct your mind is intentional—you must actively set out to do this every day for it to become a habit that can replace the errors discussed in the previous section. He explains that focusing your attention makes you happier because it functions as a form of meditation—and it makes you more compassionate and empathetic.

(Shortform note: One reason empathy and compassion lead to happiness is because they increase social connectedness. Those who feel connected to others are less likely to experience anxiety and depression, and they have higher self-esteem. They’re more likely to trust and cooperate with others, and therefore receive more trust and cooperation in return. Further, those who practice compassion may live longer because compassion combats toxic stress.)

Programming Tip #2: Check Yourself

Gawdat’s second tip to program your brain for happiness is to check how you’re perceiving and reacting to the world around you. This will ensure that you’re only allowing accurate information (inputs) into your brain, that you’re solving problems effectively, and that you’re handling ruminative thoughts before they take control of your mind. (This addresses Error #1: inaccurate thoughts and Error #4: undirected thinking.)

(Shortform note: In The Happiness Trap, Harris agrees that mistaking your thoughts and perceptions for reality (or being in a state of “fusion”) causes unhappiness. To avoid this, you must undergo the four-stage process of “defusion” to separate your thoughts from reality. First, recognize that your thoughts are merely words and images your brain uses to tell a story about what happened—not facts. Second, acknowledge that your thoughts only matter if you judge them as useful—you have the choice. Third, acknowledge that you don’t have to do what your thoughts tell you. Finally, don’t view your thoughts as threats because they’re only words and images—they can’t hurt you.)

Programming Tip #3: Get Into Flow

Gawdat’s third tip to program your brain for happiness is to get into a state of “flow.” Flow is a state of intense, uninterrupted focus where your environment fades into the background, time flies, and your productivity, creativity, and overall performance soar. Gawdat says that reaching flow makes us happier not only because it allows us to direct our mind (avoiding Error #4), but also because of the chemicals our brain releases in this state. 

Mo Gawdat on Happiness: 4 Tips to Reprogram Your Brain

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Here's what you'll find in our full That Little Voice In Your Head summary:

  • How to understand and program your brain to produce positive actions and emotions
  • The four processing errors that cause our brains to produce unhappiness
  • Why you should get into the flow state more often

Katie Doll

Somehow, Katie was able to pull off her childhood dream of creating a career around books after graduating with a degree in English and a concentration in Creative Writing. Her preferred genre of books has changed drastically over the years, from fantasy/dystopian young-adult to moving novels and non-fiction books on the human experience. Katie especially enjoys reading and writing about all things television, good and bad.

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