SHAWN ACHOR – TED TALK

Happiness is an emotional state characterized by feelings of joy, satisfaction,

contentment, and fulfillment. ... The balance of emotions: Everyone experiences
both positive and negative emotions, feelings, and moods. Happiness is generally
linked to experiencing more positive feelings than negative

Comprehension Questions:

1. What happens in the anecdote Shawn tells at the start of the

talk?
2. Why does he tell the anecdote?
3. What is the purpose of the graph he shows?
4. What example of “the cult of the average” does he give? What
effect does watching the news have on Shawn’s brain?
5. What is “medical school syndrome”?
6. What do Shawn’s friends assume about Harvard students?
7. What does Shawn think of the boarding school’s “wellness
week”?
8. What problems with the way happiness and success are related
in society does Shawn highlight?
9. How can we rewire our brains to be more positive?

Discussion Questions:

1. Which of these activities do you do?

2. Which of these activities would you consider doing?
3. Do you keep a diary/journal? Did you use to when you were
younger?
4. What is the message of the video?
5. In which fields do you think this theory would be helpful?
6. How could they be implemented?
7. Tell the class a similar anecdote about your childhood to the one
Shawn tells at the start of the video.
Comprehension Questions:

1. What happens in the anecdote Shawn tells at the start of the

talk? His sister falls off the bed and he uses positive psychology
to stop her from crying and waking up their parents.
2. Why does he tell the anecdote? To introduce the topic of positive
psychology
3. What is the purpose of the graph he shows? To introduce the
idea of “the cult of the average” and his cynicism about modern
psychological studies.
4. What example of “the cult of the average” does he give? The
speed at which children learn to read.
5. What effect does watching the news have on Shawn’s brain? It
changes his perspective of the ratio between positive and
negative things.
6. What is “medical school syndrome”? When medical students
start studying symptoms of different disease, they start to think
they have them all.
 7. What do Shawn’s friends assume about Harvard students? That
they will all be happy just because they go to Harvard
8. What does Shawn think of the boarding school’s “wellness
week”? That it is actually a “sickness week” because it focuses
too much on negative things
9. What problems with the way happiness and success are related
in society does Shawn highlight? That happiness is always on
the other side of success

How can we rewire our brains to be more positive? Through

techniques such as: documenting our gratitude for 3
Vocabulary :

Positive emotions : emoções positivas

Pursue happiness : buscar a felicidade

Resilient : resiliente

Be grateful : ter gratidão

Pressupositions : pressuposições

Common Idioms

Cry out of happiness: Cry when we are happy.

For example:

She cried out of happiness when he proposed to her.

On cloud nine: A person who is on cloud nine is very happy because

something wonderful has happened.

For example:

When the boss announced my promotion, I was on cloud nine.

On top of the world: If someone is on top of the world, they are blissfully
or triumphantly happy.

For example:
I was on top of the world when I found out that I’d gotten an A on my
hardest exam.

Fool’s paradise: a state of enjoyment based on false beliefs or hopes; a

state of illusory happiness.

For example:

They were living in a fool’s paradise, refusing to accept that they were in
debt.

Full of the joys of spring: happy and full of energy.

For example:

I was full of the joys of spring when I found out that I’d gotten an A on my
hardest exam.

Grin from ear to ear: to have a broad, enthusiastic smile.

For example:

The kids ran around the beach in a happy frenzy, both of them grinning
from ear to ear.

Happy camper: Someone who is happy with their situation.

For example:

With his new job and his new car, Andy is a happy camper.

Happy as Larry: If you are (as) happy as Larry, you are very happy
indeed.
For example:

My dad’s as happy as Larry at the weekend when we all arrive home.

Happy-go-lucky: If you are a happy-go-lucky person, you are cheerful and

carefree all the time.

For example:

He’s a happy-go-lucky sort of guy – always in good humor.

Jump for joy: to be extremely happy and pleased.

For example:

The player jumped for joy when he scored the winning goal.

Life is just a bowl of cherries: Life is wonderful or very pleasant.

For example:

I got a promotion and got engaged in the span of a week! Life is just a bowl
of cherries these days!

Music to your ears: If something is music to your ears, the information

that you receive makes you feel very happy.

For example:

His compliments were music to my ear.

Over the moon: If you are over the moon about something, you are very
happy about it.
For example:

When she heard the results of the exam, Caroline was over the moon! 

In raptures (about/over): If you are in raptures about something, you

are delighted or very enthusiastic.

For example:

Caroline was in raptures about/over her first visit to Paris.

Stars in one’s eyes: If someone has stars in their eyes, they are looking
extremely happy.

For example:

Anne has stars in her eyes, she wants to go to Hollywood.

In seventh heaven: If you are in seventh heaven, you are extremely

happy.

For example:

Every time she wins a match, she’s in seventh heaven!

In stitches: When people are in stitches, they are laughing a lot.

For example:

Jerry is the funniest guy I know. He can have you in stitches in a matter of
minutes.

Thrilled to bits: Someone who is thrilled to bits is extremely pleased about

something.
For example:

Julie was thrilled to bits when her parents gave her a car on her birthday.

Time of your life: If you have the time of our life, you enjoy yourself very
much.

For example:

The kids had the time of their lives at Disneyland.

Walking on air: When you are happy and excited because of a pleasant

event that makes you feel as if you are floating, you are walking on air.

For example:

Ann was walking on air when she got the job.