The Happiness Class
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Week 1    Morning    10:30am - 12:00pm


Introduction
  • course objective & approach
  • the 7 week schedule
  • the happiness menu
  • questions

Monogynic Love
  • the emotion men feel when they fall in love
  • who men can and cannot fall in love with
  • how long it takes for a man to fall in love
  • what is and is not required for a man to fall in love
  • how men behave while in love
  • when men fall out love
  • the positive emotion that continues after monogynic love
  • how men's behavior changes after they fall out of love
  • men's reaction to learning of the limited duration of love

Week 1   Afternoon    12:30pm - 2:00pm


Infatuation
  • the emotion women feel when they fall in love
  • why the romantic emotions of the two genders differ as much as their genitalia
  • who women can and cannot become infatuated with
  • how long it takes for a woman to become infatuated
  • what is and is not required for a woman to become infatuated
  • how women behave while infatuated
  • when women stop being infatuated
  • the positive emotion that continues after infatuation
  • how women's behavior changes after infatuation stops
  • the large gap that exists between the genders
  • the best strategy for finding romance
  • the best time to make a marriage decision
  • the relative stability of straight, gay and lesbian relationships

Week 2    Morning    10:30am - 12:00pm


Jealousy
  • the emotion men feel when women cheat
  • the unusual structure of jealousy
  • when men can and cannot feel jealousy
  • what starts men feeling jealousy
  • what makes men feel the strongest jealousy
  • what stops men feeling jealousy
  • how jealousy differs from envy

Heartbreak
  • women feel heartbreak when their man cheats
  • when women can and cannot feel heartbreak
  • what makes women feel heartbreak
  • what makes women feel the strongest heartbreak
  • what stops a woman feeling heartbreak
  • when women also feel revenge

Week 2    Afternoon    12:30pm - 2:00pm


Male Sexual Pleasure
  • the three types of sexual pleasure that men feel
  • what does and does not make men feel visual/audible pleasure
  • the single feature that makes men feel the strongest visual pleasure
  • how the visual pleasure a woman makes a man feel changes over time
  • what must be added to penile pleasure to reach orgasm

Female Sexual Pleasure
  • the three types of sexual pleasure that women feel
  • the two types of sexual pleasure women don't feel
  • how female sexual pleasure is connected to infatuation
  • how sexual pleasures are combined to reach orgasm

Lust
  • the negative sensation men start feeling when they have not had sex
  • how lust operates like hunger
  • what stops lust
  • why women don't feel lust

Repugnance
  • the negative sensation men feel when looking at female kin
  • the specific combination of sensations that trigger repugnance
  • which men surprisingly do not feel repugnance
  • why women don't feel repugnance
  • what does not trigger repugnance

Week 3    Morning    10:30am - 12:00pm


Parental Love
  • who feels parental love
  • who does not feel parental love
  • the misinterpretation of cute
  • what makes parents feel parental love
  • what makes parents feel the strongest parental love
  • when parental love stops
  • the positive emotion that continues after parental love
  • how parents change after parental love stops

Cute
  • what makes people feel cute
  • how long people feel cute
  • who mistakenly believes cute is love

Grief
  • who feels grief when somebody dies
  • who does not grief
  • what people who don't feel grief do feel
  • what makes people feel the strongest grief
  • the expression grief causes

Week 3     Afternoon    12:30pm - 2:00pm


Affection
  • the emotion people usually feel when they say love somebody
  • the emotion that remains after people fall out of love
  • who can make you feel affection
  • who makes you feel the strongest affection
  • which features on others make you feel affection
  • which features on others make you feel the strongest affection
  • what others do that makes you feel affection
  • what others do that does not make you feel affection
  • what you can do to make the affection you feel stronger
  • alternative sources of affection
  • importance of affection to happiness, health, popularity, longevity
  • the best way to ensure you feel strong, ongoing affection
  • the links between affection and smiling, music and dancing
  • who does not make you feel affection

Loneliness
  • the emotion you feel when you don't feel affection
  • what makes you start to feel loneliness
  • how loneliness operates like hunger
  • what stops you feeling loneliness
  • why most people feel ongoing moderate loneliness
  • how best to manage loneliness

Crying
  • what makes you cry
  • what does not make you cry
  • why you cry when your happy
  • how to use crying to manage affection and diagnose loneliness
  • why you can use crying to monitor for emotional of any type

Week 4    Morning    10:30am - 12:00pm


Pride
  • the emotion you feel when your rank increases
  • the numerous situations that make you feel pride
  • which situations make you feel the strongest pride
  • which situations do not make you feel pride
  • the temporary nature of pride
  • how pride is central to the happiest life plan
  • how pride causes most people to have a mid-life crisis
  • the career and purchases mistakes that pride causes
  • why people mistakenly think they can share their pride
  • how pride explains why money can't buy happiness
  • how pride causes self-improvement, like dieting, to fail
  • how best to compliment others
  • the expression that pride makes you express involuntarily

Humiliation
  • the emotion you feel when your rank falls
  • the numerous situations that make you feel humiliation
  • which situations make you feel the strongest humiliation
  • which situations do not make you feel humiliation
  • the temporary nature of humiliation
  • how humiliation is central to the unhappiest life plan
  • how humiliation causes most people to continue after a mid-life crisis
  • the mistakes that humiliation causes
  • how humiliation makes it difficult for people to apologize or say sorry
  • why saying please and thank-you stops others feeling humiliation
  • why humiliation makes you uncomfortable when being served by others
  • how pride explains why the poor are not unhappy
  • how humiliation prevents people from learning from feedback
  • how humiliation can make self-improvement, like dieting, succeed
  • the expression that humiliation makes you express involuntarily

Week 4    Afternoon    12:30pm - 2:00pm


Humour
  • the emotion you feel when another person's rank falls
  • separating mental effect of humour and expression of laughter
  • why you are rewarded with humour
  • the surprising range of situations that make you feel humour
  • the situations that do not make you feel humour
  • how humour makes you gossip
  • how humour makes you criticize others
  • what makes you feel the strongest humour
  • the four requirements of humour
  • why using your gut to evaluate humour leads to mistakes
  • developing the habit of making others feel humour
  • making others feel the strongest humour
  • using humour to diagnose your greatest fears
  • using humour to diagnose others' greatest fears
  • developing the habit of not criticizing or gossiping
  • developing the habit of not reacting to criticism or gossip

Laughter
  • the expression that follows humour
  • is laughter voluntary or involuntary?
  • why we use the expression of laughter
  • can you use laughter to tell if others feel humour?

Envy
  • you feel envy when another person's rank increases
  • who can make you feel envy
  • who cannot make you feel envy
  • what makes you feel the strongest envy
  • how envy is permanent - unlike other rank emotions
  • the surprising number of people who envy somebody
  • why envy is often dismissed as childish or immature
  • why it's best to acknowledge envy as normal
  • how to handle people you envy
  • how to handle people who envy you
  • how to avoid making others feel envy towards others
  • why avoiding envy is the best reason to be top-ranked, not pride
  • how envy differs from jealousy

Week 5    Morning    10:30am - 12:00pm


Revenge
  • the emotion you feel when somebody pisses you off
  • separating mental effect of revenge and expression of anger
  • the unusual structure of revenge
  • what starts you feeling revenge
  • what does not start you feeling revenge
  • what makes you feel the strongest revenge
  • what stops you feeling revenge
  • why expressing anger is just one way of stopping anger
  • why revenge is the source for eye-for-an-eye justice
  • what happens when revenge is stopped
  • what does not stop you feeling revenge
  • what happens when revenge is not stopped
  • why unstopped revenge is a big problem
  • why unstopped revenge explains employees who go postal
  • why unstopped revenge explains bullies, trolls, haters, abusers of wives, children and pets
  • why revenge is a good example of a group emotion
  • the big benefit that road ragers provide the rest of us
  • why you should view revenge as malware that can cause you serious harm
  • why you don't have a problem if you routinely lose it or blow your top
  • why being better at controlling revenge can make a big difference in all areas of life
  • the four steps you can take to minimize the harm revenge can cause you
  • why you should worry about others feeling revenge towards you
  • what to do when others feel revenge towards you
  • the awesome power of apologizing
  • the creative idea of letting others harm you to stop their revenge
  • how the justice system relies on revenge

Anger
  • the expression that follows revenge
  • is anger voluntary or involuntary?
  • why we express anger
  • why revenge and anger need to managed separately
  • how best to manage anger
  • why swearing is like a dog baring its teeth

Criminal Guilt
  • the emotion you feel when you do something bad to somebody
  • what makes you feel criminal guilt
  • what does not make you feel criminal guilt
  • what makes you feel the strongest criminal guilt
  • why being forgiven by your victim does not stop your criminal guilt
  • why apologizing or saying sorry to a victim does not stop your guilt
  • why criminal guilt can cause lifelong discomfort like chronic back pain
  • why criminal guilt evolved before revenge

Compassion
  • the emotion you feel when you feel sorry for somebody
  • the unusual structure of compassion
  • what starts you feeling compassion
  • what does not start you feeling compassion
  • what makes you feel the strongest compassion
  • what stops you feeling compassion
  • how a negative emotion coerces you to do positive acts
  • what happens if your compassion is stopped by your actions
  • what happens if your compassion is stopped by another's actions
  • what happens if your compassion is not stopped
  • how compassion is another source for our morality - specifically our sense of what is the right thing to do when others are in trouble
  • why you should view compassion as malware that can cause you serious harm
  • the four steps you can take to minimize the harm compassion can cause you
  • how insurance companies have replaced compassion
  • why animals can also make you feel compassion

Selfish Guilt
  • the emotion you feel when you don't help somebody
  • what makes you feel selfish guilt
  • what does not make you feel selfish guilt
  • what makes you feel the strongest selfish guilt
  • the problem with compassion that selfish guilt solves
  • how selfish guilt can become a ongoing problem like chronic back pain
  • why selfish guilt is also malware that harms you
  • how to minimize the harm that selfish guilt can cause you
  • how selfish guilt and criminal guilt differ

Week 5    Afternoon    12:30pm - 2:00pm


Pleasing Scenery
  • the positive sensation you feel when you see lush scenery
  • the narrowed definition of pleasing scenery
  • the evidence that pleasing scenery is universal
  • how to mentally isolate pleasing scenery
  • the purpose of pleasing scenery
  • the many advantages to this source of happiness

Excitement
  • the positive sensation you feel when you see novel scenery
  • the narrowed definition of excitement
  • the evidence that excitement is universal
  • how excitement and pleasing scenery differ
  • how excitement and pleasing scenery can combine
  • how you can mentally isolate excitement
  • the purpose of excitement
  • the real estate and vacation mistakes that excitement causes

Boredom
  • the sensation you feel when you don't feel excitement
  • the narrowed definition of boredom
  • how boredom operates like hunger
  • the evidence that boredom is universal
  • how to mentally isolate boredom
  • the purpose of boredom
  • how to pro-actively manage excitement to avoid boredom

Pleasing Taste
  • the positive sensation you feel when you taste sweet, fatty, salt or umami
  • the effect is in your head, not your tongue, like emotions
  • why pleasing taste should be viewed as a source of happiness
  • why pleasing taste is the easiest and most reliable way to be happy
  • how its ease and reliability has led to its overuse as a source of happiness
  • how the belief that were supposed to be happy has contributed
  • why obesity is a happiness problem, not an eating problem
  • how reducing food variety can help reduce overeating

Hunger
  • the negative sensation you feel when you don't eat enough
  • the effect is in your head, not your stomach
  • why hunger should be on the happiness menu
  • why eating to stop hunger is different than eating to enjoy pleasing taste
  • how hunger can add to revenge to cause you more harm
  • why dieting reduces happiness in two different ways
  • how hunger, loneliness, lust, boredom and SAD are similar

Disgust
  • the negative sensation you feel when you detect a toxin
  • the effect is in your head, not in your nose or mouth
  • why disgust is similar to pain, bitter, sour
  • the expression disgust makes express involuntarily
  • why you do not feel disgust for any other reason
  • why "being disgusted" by other peoples action or views is really an attempt to make others feel humiliation
  • why disgust is not significant to happiness

Startle
  • the reaction you have when you're surprised
  • startle's mental effect and how differs from other emotions
  • startle's involuntary physical effects
  • why startle is usually followed by fear
  • why startle is not significant to happiness

Fear
  • the emotion you feel when feel threatened
  • fear's mental effect and how it differs from other emotion
  • fear's involuntary physical effects, like increased heart rate
  • why fear and startle are the only emotions with significant physical effects
  • what else, surprisingly, makes you feel fear
  • how you can use increased heart rate to monitor your emotions
  • why worry is not a variation of fear
  • why fear is not significant to happiness

Week 6    Morning    10:30am - 12:00pm


Managing Happiness - Overview
  • change of class focus and format
  • switching from the happiness menu to the happiness checklist
  • how emotions are grouped together
  • the prioritization of each group and it's key diagnostic question
  • approach is the same for your happiness and those around you

Managing Happiness - Social Emotions
  • the social emotions are affection, loneliness, crying
  • why they are the first priority for happiness management
  • your goal for the social emotions: maximize affection
  • the five ways you can increase affection
  • how to analyze the affection you receive
  • the importance of long term sources of affection
  • who makes the best long term source of affection
  • understanding the social emotions of those around you

Managing Happiness - Primary Rank Emotions
  • the primary rank emotions are pride and humiliation
  • why they are the second priority
  • the importance of your rank direction to both
  • the best time frame to analyze your rank direction
  • extending your analysis backwards and forwards
  • the nine possible combinations of rank direction
  • the sequence of emotions in each of the nine combinations
  • the best way to manage your happiness in each combination
  • understanding the primary rank emotions of those around you

Week 6    Afternoon    12:30pm - 2:00pm


Managing Happiness - Romance Emotions
  • the romance emotions are primarily monogynic love and infatuation
  • why they are the third priority
  • the four stages of romance: full fireworks (0-8mo), half fireworks (8-46mo), just friends (>46mo), truly single (split)
  • for each stage,the emotions and sensations each gender feels
  • for each stage, how each gender can best manage their happiness
  • applying the same analysis to others around you

Week 7     Morning      11:00am - 12:30pm


Managing Happiness - Parental Emotions
  • the parental emotions are maternal love and grandmaternal love
  • why parental emotions are the fourth priority - the last of the major emotions
  • driven by presence and age of children/grandchildren
  • emotions felt by mothers/grandmothers while child is 0-33 months
  • emotions felt by mothers/grandmothers while child is older than 33 months
  • emotions felt by fathers/grandfathers/siblings
  • how mothers/grandmothers can best manage their happiness
  • how those around mothers/grandmothers can best interact with them

Managing Happiness - Humor
  • the only single emotion category - humour
  • why humour is an underused source of happiness
  • maximizing the humour you feel while still pursing primary emotions
  • the goal of at least 4 hours a week as starting point
  • ways to reach the goal of 4 hours of humour a week
  • ensuring you feel the strongest humour

Managing Happiness - Scenic Sensations
  • the scenic sensations are: pleasing scenery, excitement and boredom
  • why the scenic sensations are an underused source of happiness
  • separating management of pleasing scenery from excitement/boredom
  • how best to manage pleasing scenery
  • how best to manage excitement/boredom

Managing Happiness - Sexual Sensations
  • the sexual sensations are male and female sexual pleasure, lust and repugnance
  • separating the management of sexual pleasure, lust and repugnance
  • the undue emphasis placed on sexual pleasure as a source of happiness
  • women - remembering how men's sexual sensations differ from women's
  • men - remembering how women's sexual sensations differ from men's
  • monitoring for problems that repugnance surprisingly doesn't stop

Managing Happiness - Eating Sensations
  • the eating sensations are pleasing taste and hunger
  • separating management of pleasing taste and hunger
  • why pleasing taste is an overused source of happiness
  • how eating to avoid hunger differs from eating to enjoy pleasing taste
  • reducing weight by replacing pleasing taste and offsetting hunger
  • reducing weight by reducing food variety
  • preventing hunger from adding to revenge

Managing Happiness - Hazards
  • there are three hazards: revenge, compassion/selfish guilt and envy
  • negative emotions that cause you to harm yourself - malware
  • goal is minimize how much you feel hazards
  • minimizing hazards often biggest opportunity to improve happiness
  • diagnosing if you need to make changes
  • do you get angry frequently?
  • do frequently feel sorry for others?
  • do you frequently feel guilt for not helping others?
  • do you frequently feel angry because somebody has more than you?
  • the easiest and smartest way to avoid hazards
  • the best way to handle hazards if you cannot avoid them
  • why the minor hazards - fear, startle, disgust - are not significant

Week 7    Afternoon    12:30pm - 4:00pm


Questions & Answer session

The Happiness Class © 2021 Mark Devon
www.thehappinessclass.com
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