Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan emphasized the importance of a positive perspective for individual and social happiness and said that happiness is contagious like perfume. Drawing attention to the necessity of a model of happiness that is beneficial to others today, Tarhan said, "Happiness needs to be carried individually, and there should be many people who believe in it for social happiness. With the rule of being positive in life, happiness will occur spontaneously."
Happiness is in the creation and existence of human beings. Psychiatrist Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, Founding Rector of Üsküdar University, who said that Aristotle defined man as a happiness-seeking being, states that the science of happiness has developed today.
Although the level of wealth has increased, the level of happiness has not!
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan; "The first congress on happiness was held in 2010. Its emergence was that although the level of wealth increased in the USA, the level of happiness did not increase. As a result of the study, a field of science emerged; The Science of Happiness. When we look at it, they took the expressions that are in our value system from our Anatolian lore and put them forward as science. They called it Positive Psychology. As Üsküdar University, we have been teaching Positive Psychology as a compulsory course since 2012. After us, Harvard and Yale Universities took this course into their curriculum and put it on their websites as a groundbreaking course."
"Being positive should be an important rule in everyone's life"
Referring to the "pleasure equals happiness" approach of Western civilization, Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan said: "Scientific studies have revealed that it makes sense to pursue meaning, not pleasure. The person who chooses happiness as a goal misses happiness. However, if you use happiness as a goal to add meaning to your life, happiness comes by itself. It is very important to have positive emotions, to have a sense of good flow. Being positive should be the rule in our lives, negativity should be occasional. The third step in the PERMA Model of Martin Seligman, one of the founders of the Positive Psychology Movement, is to build positive relationships with people. When you have good relationships with people, you create a positive environment, which makes you happier. And they feel part of a greater meaning. Happiness is like perfume, it is contagious, it rubs off on others. We need to carry happiness individually. For social happiness, there should be more people who believe in it."
We need to learn the model of happiness that is beneficial to others
Giving the example of the USA, Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan said: "Right now people in the USA are going to Tibet to learn about happiness. Mevlana says that elements such as money and matter should not be in the person, but in his pocket. If we can do this, this should be the model of this age. We need to learn the model of happiness that is beneficial to others. The West tells us about a culture that we actually have with scientific methods because everyone needs it. Everyone wants to be happy, can the others sit comfortably in a family when one of them is unhappy? Selfish happiness does not affect people. How can children be happy? How can society be happy? We need to do this by thinking about the society. Parents should be a positive example for the family in this regard."
Happiness is contagious
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan said, "The family will be happy if the parents are happy." "Happiness is permeable. Happiness is contagious. Mom and dad should think 'How can I make the house a positive environment'. Adding positive meanings to life and establishing positive relationships are very important in the family. Raising good children is more important than being a good businessman. The roles of parents should not be neglected. Roles such as being a businessman and a parent should be carried out in proportion. Happiness emerges as a result of this. In terms of academic success, for example, a child who is given everything he wants becomes a conformist. He wants love from everyone for two or three people. The aim is not for the child to be happy, but to have values that give meaning to the child's life. The child must endure the hardships of studying and sleep deprivation. If the parents do not spare them, the child cannot get used to the difficulties of life. They cannot learn to be successful. Parents should focus on how to make the child love studying, not on telling the child to study..."
