In a study, the initial level of positive emotions of 272 employees at the same company was measured and compared with their performance over an eighteen-month period. Researchers found that those who started out happier also ended up receiving better evaluations and higher pay later on.
Interestingly, these successful people don’t see happiness as a reward for their hard work and accomplishments. Rather, they are successful precisely because of their positive mindsets, which allow them to make the most of their lives.
This is the Happiness Advantage, the competitive edge gained by feeling positive, which then fuels performance.
Success revolves around happiness, not the other way around
When we experience positive emotions, our brains become flooded with dopamine and serotonin – chemicals that both make us feel good and boost the parts of our brains responsible for learning by organizing new information, retaining it and more efficiently recalling it later on.
Quite simply, if you’re in a good mood, you’ll score better on a math test.