How the New Science of Gratitude can make you Happier - Shamash Alidina

Did you know that there is an important part of happiness research that has long been overlooked? Drawing from the first major study on the subject of gratitude, I shall show how 'wanting what we have' can measurably change our lives. You will discover how:

• People who practice gratitude regularly increase their 'set-points' of happiness by up to 25%
  
• These increases can be sustained in the long term, challenging long term belief to the contrary
  
• Keeping a daily gratitude journal for just a few weeks can have profound positive effects on our health, sleep patterns and energy.
  

I shall go beyond the science, considering writings from philosophers and sages. Scientists are relatively new to the concept of gratitude. Religions and philosophies have long embraced gratitude as a manifestation of virtue, and an intimate partner of wholeness, health, and well-being. I hope that by the end you will feel that gratitude is not only a new way of seeing, but a new way of being.

The session will consist of a 1 hour presentation followed by a short break and then questions and answers.

Shamash gained a Masters in Chemical Engineering at Imperial College, and then went on to do teacher training at the Institute of Education in London. He then got the post of Science Teacher at St. James Independent School in Twickenham, which he has held for the last 8 years. "St. James is a unique school in the UK. It encourages students to learn meditation and provides 'quiet time' in the morning and afternoons, and a moment of quiet at the beginning and end of every lesson."

He has just completed a Masters in Education and have also qualified as a Life Coach. He is now looking to start a new venture to take the practice of mindfulness, and the process of coaching, to schools and colleges, both for students and teachers.