Want to be happier? Stay in the moment | Matt Killingsworth

When are humans most happy? To gather data on this question, Matt Killingsworth built an app, Track Your Happiness, that let people report their feelings in real time. Among the surprising results: We're often happiest when we're lost in the moment. And the flip side: The more our mind wanders, the less happy we can be. (Filmed at TEDxCambridge.)

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[camelback]

Forget happiness! I'll put it this way: "Want to be healthy? Stay in the moment!" It took me many years to discover that my non-stop mind wandering, mental chatter and multitasking were making me sick. Stay in the moment! Powerful stuff, at least it worked for me. I am grateful every single day for finding this "secret".

[chrisbranton]

"Every man is happy until happiness is suddenly a goal." - Tame Impala

[DreamBeatsBakery]

You should live in the moment most of the time and the rest use your imagination to plan for your goals but never allow worry, rumination and any negative internal self-talk.

[marisuarez]

I actually mind wandered twice while watching this video. If it hasn't been for the subject of the discussion, I would not have been so conscious about it. I think the thing is to start capturing the moment you are mind wandering to make it stop.

[Stallnig]

When I'm unhappy I remind me of those things:
1.Realize how small my problems are and how little they matter.
2.Think of how comfortable my life is in compare to those of people in third world .
3.Set my expectations low and I'll always be positivly surprised.
4.Set my self a day and time, where I atually gona do something about one particular problem.

Then I can relax and focus on what I'm doing at the moment.

[quebecer]

For as long as I can remember, my mind wanders. I never realized this was a reason for my unhappiness. Thank you for this video.

[Abrahamhamham]

It's simple. Mind wandering is a cause of unhappiness because when your mind wanders you think about things that aren't here in your life, so everytime you "come down" you feel bad because you leave that perfect world that you create all the time. 
I don't even know if that's true. I had to say something. 

[Hosamo]

I could not beleive it, until I experienced the happiness when I am totally focused and immersed in what Im Doing.

[leonchalita]

"If mind wandering were a slot machine it'd be like having a chance to lose $50, $20 or $1. You'd never wanna play"
Genius right here

[TREBLEBOOSTER]

this was my theory and why, I believe, we love music bc we can just sit and enjoy it in the moment

[deannagonzalez]

I think technology causes us to "mind-wander" a lot and takes us away from the present moment. The effect being that time seems to be going really fast for a lot of us, and many of us are falling into depression and stress that could be relieved if we lived more in the present instead of on our phones and stuff being distracted at family gatherings. Every moment is unique and it's a shame we miss it because we are always distracted.

[bgoodfella]

Meditation is not shutting down the mind. It's awakening the mind. It's shutting off excessive thinking, habits and patterns of thought and action. It is shutting down of creating words in your mind which distract you from reality in the present moment. It's a method of practice to sustain focus, awareness, calm & peacefulness. It taps into the sub-consciousness at the deepest levels to enable inner transformation into a more "Buddha-like" type of person. One with wisdom, compassion and courage.

[OvercomeLoneliness]

Being in the Now is the absolute place to be.

[tdiddle]

Oh, it's not so difficult to come up with a recipe for happiness. Here's mine:

Make sure that every decision you make is concurrent with who you are and what you believe in...and make sure that your decisions will allow you to sleep well at night.

I have many problems, but I do not stay awake at night worrying about who I may have hurt.

I act honorably, and at least I don't have to worry about that.

[PeacefulOlives]

Heck! I'm mind wandering while watching this video

[vadivelvivek]

Am i the only one to get my mind wandered to check the comments while watching his talk?

[bgoodfella]

Buddhism has been teaching people this for over 2, 500 years. Meditation is the ultimate practice for gathering awareness of the present moment. Peace Out. Keep your head up and stop texting so much on your cell phone!

[IcarusFlying]

this is so great. figure out the four noble truths(this is stress, this is the cause of stress, this is the path leading to the end of stress, this is the end of stress) to be free from stress which develops concentration and mindfulness, which is the absence of mind wandering

[themajorlife]

When im angry I remember that I can´t get a single moment back so why to live it in anger. We can always control our thoughts and with that we influence what we feel.

[ryukdluffy]

All I want in life is for me and my family to be in good health and to be happy.