Jeffrey Lake says most people are looking in the wrong places for happiness.
“There are simple things that you could do to increase your happiness,” he said.
His new nonprofit, The Lake Foundation, creates opportunities to do that.
The aspiring psychologist was once a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN).
“I discovered mental health from the provider side,” he said. “As a nurse, I saw how much it affected our community, and I realized that most of the physical problems we were treating in the doctor's office could be linked back to mental health.”
A scientific approach
Lake points to research from Sonja Lyubomirsky, Ph.D., a Distinguished Professor of Psychology at the University of California, and her “pie chart theory of happiness" — which suggests that 50% of a person’s happiness comes from genetics, 10% comes from circumstances and 40% is determined by intentional activities.
"These are such things as practicing gratitude, being creative, having fun, like simple, silly fun," he said. "These are the keys to happiness, not making more money or finding that romantic partner. And so this is the information that we want to bring to the general public... that it's simple to be happy."
The nonprofit based in Lackawanna County is just getting started in creating ways to fulfill that 40%. After the first fundraising event in August, they hosted a Nurture in Nature hike. The group learned about positive psychology as they walked at Lackawanna State Park.
Positive Pages: A Mental Health Book Club will begin Oct. 2 at the Albright Memorial Library in Scranton. The nonprofit will host a sleep out event to raise awareness for homelessness, and will offer discounted pottery classes at Experience Pottery in Clarks Summit.
“There's a lack of activities that are mental health and mental well-being promoting,” the Scranton native said.
The foundation will also advocate for social-emotional learning in schools, provide scholarships and publicly promote evidence-based coping skills to change the conversation around mental health.
“There's a lot of apathy that runs deep in northeastern Pennsylvania,” he said. “So to bring information to the community that would counteract that apathy potentially and hopefully rid our area of that, that's the goal.“
Lake is working to earn his masters degree in psychology from Marywood University, with plans to obtain a doctorate degree.
He's also a father, and hopes his three-year-old son will get the proper education and advocacy he feels the region is missing.
"I had a volatile childhood and dealt with my own struggles with mental health," he said. "I want him to be able to have those [resources] so he doesn't have to wait as long as I did."
A fundraising gala is set for Feb. 26, 2025 at Constantino's in Clarks Summit. Unmasking Mental Health will feature a fashion show with mental-health themed styles.
