Berger Institute News – Page 3 – Berger Institute for Individual and Social Development

The Pursuit of Happiness: What Science Can Tell Us

By Ann Carrick | April 7, 2021October 19, 2022

There’s a reason we’re all chasing happiness all the time. According to Dr. Todd Kashdan (George Mason University), happy people are more successful and creative, have more meaningful relationships, are more resilient, and even have stronger immune systems. In last night’s Athenaeum presentation, Kashdan shared that despite these benefits, we cannot seem to stay happy. Why is that? There are two primary reasons. The first, according to Kashdan, is hedonic adaptation, or the process of becoming accustomed to new situations over time. Say we get a new car. At first it’s exciting – we’re smiling, we’re showing it off to others, we’re having a blast driving it – but eventually that novelty wears off as we get used to having that car in our life. We go back to our original level of happiness eventually, which is different for everyone. The second reason we have a hard time staying happy is due to a concept that Kashdan calls “emotional time travel.” “We’re terrible at predicting how something will make us feel,” Kashdan explains, yet we still try to predict anyway and make decisions based on this prediction.

Despite these setbacks to happiness, Kashdan assures us that “you can get better at achieving this thing called happiness.” Two helpful pathways that have come out of scientific research are gratitude interventions and kindness interventions. Writing in a journal once per week about who you’re grateful for and what you’re grateful for can lead to more happiness (but be careful not to make this more frequent as that can actually decrease your happiness, warns Kashdan). Acts of kindness can also boost your happiness, but only if there’s consistent effort and variety in what you do. If you only donate food to a food pantry and it’s only when you remember, then you won’t get that happiness boost. But consistently doing different types of acts of kindness, like donating, holding the door for someone, leaving a large tip, etc. will help. Even better? Make the activities match your personality. Are you outgoing? Optimistic? Do activities that fit well with who you are so that you’ll really feel the benefits.

This presentation was part of a 3-part series on Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Happiness. Follow @bergerinstitute for updates on future events!

Networking Strategies for the Digital Age

By Ann Carrick | March 25, 2021March 25, 2021

The digital age dictates and transforms our connections with others, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, many students and professionals are actively looking for ways to keep up. Grace Park, Associate Director at CMC’s Career Services, lent a hand on March 19^th by presenting tools and strategies for digital networking. From establishing one’s interest and purpose in connecting to how to have a successful informational interview, Grace outlined practical steps in connecting with other professionals in one’s field of interest.

Consider the importance of the diversity of your connections, Park emphasized. “Make sure that you’re talking to people with varying years of experience,” Recent students can share about their experience transitioning into the workforce, but senior administrators and directors can share more about the structure of their companies and how they got to where they are now.

Park also emphasize the importance of capitalizing on social media. LinkedIn is a crucial resource. Students and alumni can often utilize their college’s networking data within the LinkedIn application, and the application shows mutual connections, which can be beneficial. “You can reach out to that mutual connection and say, ‘I would like to do an informational interview with so-and-so . . . Would you mind connecting us?’” suggested Grace. Whether one uses a mutual connection referral or not, networking can be helpful for gathering more information about one’s field and potentially finding great opportunities.

To get more great tips and resources for networking or career strategies, feel free to reach out to Grace Park or any of the Career Services staff at careerservices@cmc.edu or (909) 607-7038. This event was co-sponsored by CMC’s Soll Center for Student Opportunity and the Berger Institute for Individual and Social Development. Follow @bergerinstitute for future event information!

How Purpose Can Be Your Protector

by Akriti Poudel | February 22, 2021February 22, 2021

Almost a year after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, many of us are still experiencing stress and uncertainty. The idea of what purpose means during this stressful time was explained in a well-attended, virtual lecture on Friday, February 19th, by Dr. Anthony Burrow, Associate Professor in the Department of Human Development at Cornell University.

Studying purpose, he argues, has revealed “both ancient and nascent ideas”.

Purpose is associated with greater levels of happiness, personal growth, and learning engagement. Research has even shown that purpose has physical health benefits as well—including lower risk of stroke, lower risk of Alzheimer’s and cognitive decline, and even better sleep. Dr. Burrow work also demonstrated that individuals with a sense of purpose are less likely to feel uncomfortable with different outgroups and their self-esteem is less likely to be affected social media engagement. A sense of purpose he argues, gives people a sense of “stability”. In essence, it serves as compass that directs their life, and protects them from life’s up and downs.

It doesn’t seem to matter what the purpose is, just having a sense of purpose appears to be an asset for those who possess it. One question from the audience was how we can cultivate purpose in our day-to-day lives. Dr. Burrow answered that the idea of “finding purpose” does not have a lot of evidence correlated with it; rather, it is cultivation of purpose that tends to be more achievable. Dr. Burrow continued by explaining that there are three main pathways towards purpose: proactive (building purpose through gradual engagement), reactive (building purpose as a result of a positive/negative experience), and social learning (building purpose through observing other purposeful individuals).

Attendees learned a tremendous amount from Dr. Burrow on this important and timely issue, and were thankful for this opportunity. This event was co-sponsored by the Empower Center and the Berger Institute. Follow @bergerinstitute on Facebook and Instagram for future updates on events!

From Diversity to Inclusion: Research & Practice

by Ann Carrick | November 17, 2020November 17, 2020

Despite being Friday the 13^th, there was a large crowd of students, alumni, staff, and faculty that virtually joined an engaging panel discussion on diversity and inclusion this past week. Dr. Jennifer Feitosa, Assistant Professor of Psychology and Director of the Metrics Lab at Claremont McKenna College, spoke about the numbers behind D&I initiatives and why they’re important. Stacie Yee, CMC alum, class of ‘99, gave a presentation on how principles of inclusion can be applied. She focused on her personal experience as Partner and Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman. Sharing a quote from Verna Myers, Yee described how “diversity is being invited to the party, inclusion is being asked to dance.”

After enlightening presentations, host and Berger programming assistant Elsie Dank (Scripps ’23) engaged the panelists in a conversation about how students can start thinking about diversity initiatives even before they enter the workforce, how the panelists have met challenges in practicing inclusion, and how everyone, regardless of whether you’re in a management position, can help make everyone feel included. Dr. Feitosa shared that everyone is important in creating change and the importance of holding leaders accountable. Yee added that sometimes these changes take time, but if you see that someone is hurt due to underrepresentation, then you should take more immediate action. “Everyone has a huge role,” agreed Yee.

An active audience question and answer session brought more conversation around affirmative action programs and how we should think about them, how transparent we should be with pay, and how to convince companies to move from just diversity to more active inclusion. Attendees shared they “really learned a lot” and were thankful for the chance to hear from some experts on this important and timely issue. This event was co-sponsored by the Berger Institute, Roberts Environmental Center, the Mgrublian Center for Human Rights, and Scripps Communities for Resources and Empowerment (SCORE). Follow @bergerinstitute on facebook and Instagram for future updates on events!

Experts and Alumni Shed Light on Building Social Networks in the Age of COVID-19

by Ann Carrick | October 12, 2020October 12, 2020

Claremont Colleges alumni, faculty, and students came together virtually on October 9^th, 2020, to discuss something that we’re all thinking about during this time of isolation – how do we build and maintain our connections with others, especially if we’re never together? What are the key components to relationships, personal and professional, regardless of the mode of communication? Sponsored by the Berger Institute and CMC Career Services, this event featured four panelists: Dr. Saida Heshmati, Assistant Professor of Psychology at Claremont Graduate University and expert in positive relationships, Erikan Obotetukudo, networking and community building consultant and strategic advisor, Faye Sahai, Co-Founder and Partner at Mirai SV Global and Managing Director at Vinaj Ventures, and Stacie Yee, Partner in Los Angeles at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman. Panel topics included why positive relationships matter for resilience, important strategies for cultivating mentorship, friendship, and professional peer relationships, and even how we can leverage social media to build and maintain our networks right now. Both Erikan and Faye emphasized, for example, that you should “google yourself. . .take control of your digital brand” to proactively build your network online and show who you are. This is true for mentorship as well, according to Stacie, where being proactive and making sure you get what you want out of the relationship can help both sides. Saida explained the importance of all these connections to both our mental and physical health and how focusing on high-quality relationships is linked to longer lifespans. Attendees were able to absorb these pieces of advice over the lunch hour and come away with strategies and confidence for building their own networks in the coming months. One attendee notes, “As a young professional early in my career, I found a lot of their advice to be sound, and a lot of the problems they encountered early in their careers resonate with my current fears and issues. Their wisdom has appropriately shown me the ways to interact with people in different hierarchical positions.” Follow us on social media or on our website for future events!