The Lawyer’s Well-Being Brief

Rethinking Happiness: The Little Things That Matter Most

“There is no duty we so much underrate as the duty of being happy. By being happy we sow anonymous benefits upon the world.”-Robert Louis Stevenson

Welcome back or welcome to the Lawyer’s Well-being Brief. Each week, I share insights and practical tools to help us enhance our well-being and thrive in our personal and professional lives. This week, I am sharing some happiness tips from positive psychology.

Germany’s leading professor of positive psychology, Judith Mangelsdorf, has spent years studying what truly makes people happier. Her conclusion? Happiness isn’t something we find within ourselves — it’s something we create through connection. Helping others, even in small ways, has a profound effect on our own well-being. Her mentor, Martin Seligman, the founder of positive psychology, shares a simple but powerful insight: the quickest way to boost our mood is to do something for someone else.

This perspective challenges a common misconception about positive psychology — that it’s all about ignoring hardships and focusing only on the bright side. In reality, true happiness and growth come from embracing both the highs and lows of life.