Lourdes Espinosa and María del Mar Díaz, researchers with the Department of Psychology at the University of Jaén and PROEM network members, held a workshop this past Friday in the Jaén capital entitled “And What Makes You Happy?”, on the occasion of ‘European Researchers’ Night’.
The workshop, which took place in the Science Fair area located in the El Corte Inglés square, featured the collaboration of researchers Clara Vallecillo and Isabel Villalta.
The event aimed to encourage participants’ reflection on what aspects of their lives – especially when it comes to family – make them happy and which they associate with enhanced personal and emotional well-being. Attendees also had the opportunity to express these grounds for happiness as well as which aspects of their lives they feel most grateful for.
The goal was to promote gratitude as a psychological strength associated with well-being, life satisfaction and happiness. Thus, being aware of the good things that happen to the individual and around them, and being able to express such things, not only has a positive impact on the person but also impacts positively on everyone else in terms of interpersonal social and family communication.
The feelings experienced were of “satisfaction and gratitude towards all those who took the time to carry out the proposed activities. It has been encouraging to hear words of appreciation towards this workshop; we were thanked for giving attendees the opportunity to reflect on those things in life that really matter”, explained Lourdes Espinosa.
The researcher also emphasised how “it was reinforcing to observe the children’s and parents’ expressions when they looked in each other’s eyes and shared what it was that made them feel happy within the family unit, and when the parents read what their children wrote about them, specifically what they like about them, and the hugs and kisses that followed, the satisfaction on their faces. It was encouraging to see the adult participants fill up most of the list of acknowledgments sheet handed in and comment how they would put it somewhere in easy sight so they always have the list at hand”.
Meanwhile, María del Mar Díaz highlighted that “it was interesting to see how most of the post-its written on the question “And What Makes You Happy?” gave responses like “being with my family”, “my family”, “my friends”, “my children”, etc., which indicates the importance of those closest to us, the important role that family and friends play as elements of well-being and happiness”.
Furthermore, the research groups Physical Activity Applied to Education and Health (AFAES) and Intelligent Systems for Information Access (SINAI), both of which are PROEM network associate partners, also participated in this event of scientific dissemination through workshops on psychomotricity and social networks, respectively.
This ‘European Researchers’ Night’, organised in Jaén by the Department of Scientific Culture and Innovation (UCC+i) attached to the UJA’s Vice-Rectorate of Relations with Society and Employability, celebrated its eighth edition featuring the participation of over 200 UJA researchers and more than fifty planned activities at venues including El Corte Inglés square, the former Teacher-Training College, the Provincial Museum, Santa Catalina Castle and Jaén Cathedral.
