I’m Dr. Ali Mattu.
I’m Diana Chang. And this fuzzball is Mwaji.
Get your navi-computer ready Diana, we’re going to make the jump to hyperspace.
Where are we going?
THE PSYCH SHOW!
PUNCH IT CHEWIE!
It’s May the fourth!
HAPPY STAR WARS DAY!
Today we celebrate the psychology behind the coolest Star Wars character!
Luke Skywalker?
I love Luke, and I’m gonna let him finish his story but Han Solo is the best Star Wars
character of all time!
Obviously, I’m a fan of Han. But why not Princess Leia?
LEIA IS AWESOME! The first time we meet her she’s already a Senator, soldier, and a
leader of the rebellion! But Han’s journey is a perfect representation of the psychology
of happiness!
Heck yeah! We love Han because he’s a scoundrel. There aren’t enough scoundrels in Star Wars.
Han knows how to have fun. And that’s a big part of happiness - experiencing positive
emotions. Joy, being really interested in something, feeling pride, and of course love.
Han’s also the one keeping everyone’s moral up. Look, this is a pretty serious story,
you’ve got this thing called DEATH STAR and it DESTROYS PLANETS! Han’s jokes help
Luke, Leia, and Obi-Wan get through it.
Totally! Negative emotions like anxiety, sadness, anger, and despair, they restrict your attention.
That’s good when you’re in a life threatening situation like being stuck in a garbage chute.
But to win a rebellion, you need positive emotions. Positive emotions undo negative
emotions, expand your thinking, make you more creative, and make you more likely to help
others.
I don’t know Ali, I’ve got a bad feeling about this. Just be happy and win a rebellion?
You can't always keep up that attitude!
Yeah, the problem with positive emotions is they never last. The more we experience them,
the more we get used to them. That’s the problem with Han, when we meet him he’s
just in it for the money.
It is for me, sister. Look, I ain’t in this for your revolution, and I’m not in it for
you, Princess. I expect to be well paid. I’m in it for the money.
You needn’t worry about your reward. If money is all that you love, then that’s
what you’ll receive.
What’s wrong with money?!? Look, if Jabba the Hutt has a bounty on your head, you’d
be in it for the money too.
Oh money is important. Money gets you food, healthcare, an education, all stuff that will
make you a stronger person. But after you overcome poverty, the more money you get the
more you get used to it. In fact, a year after winning the lottery, most millionaires return
to their original level of happiness.
But there’s a lot more to Han than comic relief. He made the Kessel run in less than
12 parsecs!
Isn’t a parsec a measurement of distance, not time?
Ah yeah, he’s such a good pilot that he cut down on the distance by piloting around
black holes!
I’m pretty sure that’s not canon anymore…But I do agree with you, Han is an amazing pilot.
That get’s us to the second part of happiness - flow!
Flow don’t you mean the force?
They’re similar ideas, but anyone can experience it. You don’t need any midichlorians. Flow
happens when you get completely pulled into an activity, time passes by but you’re not
even aware of it because all of your attention if focused on the one thing you’re doing,
your sense of self is lost.
Han must be experiencing a lot of flow when he’s in Millennium Falcon because that’s
where he ends up spending so much of his time.
We experience flow when our strengths are applied to challenging tasks. Han’s strength
include his talent for engineering and piloting and he’s constantly improving the Falcon
and pushing the boundaries of how he fly that bucket of bolts.
When do you experience flow?
Whenever I’m talking about psychology. Time totally fades away and I’m completely in
the moment.
Yeah, I’ve noticed, that’s why your videos can get a little long…
Why, you stuck up…half-witted…scruffy-looking Nerf herder!
How long have you been waiting to say that?
A long time, it’s the best line ever.
The problem with flow is similar to the problem with positive emotions. We only experience
flow when our abilities meet a challenge. As our skills improve, we get used to challenges,
and don’t get flow. That’s why a Jedi Knight won’t have any fun playing Star Wars
trivia with a bunch of padawans.
Seems like the big problem with happiness is we get used to stuff?
Yes, but there’s one thing we never get used to and it’s the biggest part of happiness!
It’s also the most important part of Han Solo’s story — finding meaning in your
life!
What?
YAHOOO!
You’re all clear, kid, now let’s *blow* this thing and go home!
BEST SCENE EVER!
This is why I love Han so much! His story is about a person who finds meaning in life.
He wants to serve something bigger than himself, he wants to make a difference in the galaxy,
and that’s why he joins the Rebellion.
We all find meaning in different places. For some it’s family, volunteering in your community,
being part of a religion, supporting a cause, serving in the military, running for office,
or fighting against the EVIL GALACTIC EMPIRE!
It’s more than fighting the empire, Han also gets a lot of meaning from his friendship
with Chewie and well we know Leia is in love with him!
Please, she’d just as soon kiss a Wookie.
finding meaning in life. Han Solo represents all of those qualities that’s why the whole
galaxy lost it when we saw him return in The Force Awakens trailer…
Making a difference in the world is what brings the Star Wars community together. Star Wars
influenced generations of fans to become artists and scientists. The 500 and 1st Legion dress
up as Star Wars characters to support charities. In less than a year, The Force for Change
has already raised over $6 million for UNICEF.
How does Star Wars make you happy?
Let us know in the comments below.
Click on Chewbacca to subscribe to Diana’s YouTube channel — Without a License!
Click on Ali’s cinnamon bun hair to get more geeky psychology.
May the force be with you.
Do you want to see Mwaji's impression of a wampa?
Yeah!
Ta dah!
That's it?
I mean it's a dog, what do you want me to do?
Oh Mwaji!