[The Science of Character, A Cloud Film]
There are 7 billion—well, actually, 7.1 billion—humans on the planet.
And each one of us has a unique character.
So what determines your character?
You do, and all the people around you.
And of course, some genetics too.
But there's new science proving that if you
focus on certain parts of who you are,
you can develop your character
and ultimately live a more meaningful, successful, and happy life.
No matter what your circumstances.
I mean, isn't that what we're all trying to figure out?
This whole idea about developing our character really took shape in 2004
when two psychologists suggested that instead of
just focusing on all the things that can go wrong with us,
it's also important to celebrate all the things that can go right.
You see, they looked throughout history to identify
core virtues that humans across cultures
have agreed lead to a meaningful life.
And then they identified 24 character strengths
that when practiced and developed could lead to these virtues.
And they organized them, like scientists have done
throughout history to understand things better.
These ground-breaking studies showed that every person
is a unique combination of these strengths.
Like for me, I'm high on curiosity.
I could work a little on the prudence.
Actually, what is prudence?
Anyhow, one of the most interesting parts of all this
is they found that if we focus on building upon the strengths we have,
it has a lasting effect on our happiness and well-being.
So think about. What are your top 5 strengths?
[Wisdom, Courage, Humanity, Justice, Temperance, Transcendence]
Now, another part of this is that you can help shape
other people's character too.
They found that the key to human relationships
is ultimately appreciating the character strengths in others.
To explore this, we asked people around the world
who do you admire and why? [#CloudFilm]
I admire my mother the most because she's very loving and caring. [Valencia, Florida, USA] [#LOVE]
I admire people who are willing to fight for their goals. [Moscow, Russia][#PERSEVERANCE]
The person I admire the most is Einstein, of course. [Mumbai, India] [#WISDOM]
My sister, because she is so tough and so brave. [Madrid, Spain] [#COURAGE]
People who use their creative energy to make the world a better place. [Brooklyn, NY][#CREATIVITY]
This powerful new framework paved the way
for a whole new era of social science
that it turns out, is unpacking a very old idea.
[Improve your character through mindful striving or let your character worsen through negligence and obliviousness]
[Happiness comes from learning and practicing virtuous character strengths] [Socrates, Plato, Aristotle]
[Character education is just as important to education as reading, math and science] [Maria Montessori]
So how do we develop these character strengths?
One theory suggests that people either have a fixed mindset or a growth mindset.
A fixed mindset is the belief that we're born
with certain abilities, intelligence, and talents, and we're stuck with it.
A growth mindset is believing "I can change."
"If I set my mind to it, I can do anything."
Let's take for example, failing at something.
With a fixed mindset, failing means, "I'm a failure!"
A growth mindset understands failure happens to everyone.
Of course it's hard, I've been there.
But it's also something to learn from, something to improve upon.
Fortunately, we can all develop a growth mindset.
It takes practice and it takes encouragement from the people around us,
but it can be learned.
And it's all because of an amazing part of the human brain
called the prefrontal cortex.
It's like our brain's control panel that orchestrates our thoughts and actions,
what many scientists call executive functions.
[Organizing and prioritizing, Focusing on tasks, Sustaining effort]
[Managing frustration and emotions, Accessing memory and recall, Self-regulating actions]
Or what neuroscientist Adele—
no, not that Adele, Adele Diamond—calls self regulations.
I like to think of it as my self-control filter,
the thing that keeps my impulses and emotions in check.
And the way to strengthen that filter is as simple as taking a moment,
focusing your attention, and asking yourself,
"Is what I'm about to do a reflection of who I am and who I want to be?"
So while we're all becoming more and more distracted
in this age of distraction,
we need to remember to take a moment and think.
[watch your thoughts: they become words]
[watch your words: they become actions]
[watch your actions: they become habits]
[watch you habits: they become your character]
[watch your character: it becomes your destiny]
There are a lot of new, exciting conversations happening about character.
One that I find interesting is that there are 7 strengths in particular
that can be real game changers in academic achievement, success, and happiness.
No matter what your circumstances.
Those 7 are optimism, gratitude, social intelligence,
curiosity, self-control, enthusiasm, and perseverance, also known as grit.
While there have been many different theories about character throughout history,
what scientists in this field agree on is that character matters
and that character strengths can be learned, practiced, and cultivated.
So when you think about yourself, what are your strengths?
And how can you find ways to use them more
in your home, work, school, and community?
It's like you have these superpowers
and focusing your attention on them makes them stronger.
And then, if you focus on the people around you and their strengths,
it makes them stronger too.
As each of us becomes our best versions of ourselves
and encourages others to do the same,
we can lead to important changes throughout the world.
Just imagine a world infused with more humanity,
justice, courage, wisdom, and compassion.
So if you can be a better version of yourself, how do you want to be?
I definitely want to be somebody that
other people can feel they can rely on. [#honesty]
A man who was courageous. [#courage]
Somebody who went for their goals. [#perseverance]
As a risk-taker. [#bravery]
Kind. [#kindness]
Exactly like my mom—beautiful, strong, and powerful. [#appreciation of beauty]
I want people to say that I'm funny. [#humor]
Who is a nice person. [#fairness]
As a musician. [#creativity]
Generous. [#social responsibility]
Be yourself. [#enthusiasm]
Kind. [#spirituality]
Accountable. [#teamwork]
Unconditional. [#forgiveness]
One who knows what he or she wants in the world.
Sensitive. [#love]
Professional. [#leadership]
Charismatic. [#gratitude]
I want to become someone who,
when the time comes for me to die,
I go, "Oh, my goodness, I have used it up. I have wrung it dry." [#zest]
Thank you.
Everybody is a star. They just need to learn how to shine.
[#perspective] [#optimism] [#grit] [#humility]
[I want to be…]
[Complete this sentence]
[Learn more about character strengths at letitripple.org]
[and have a free version of this film customized for your nonprofit or school]
[artwork and videos submitted by people all over the world]