Posts Tagged ‘happiness’
Six favorite books of 2023 to help harness the stress response and boost curiosity, wonder, and brain health at work,
It’s hard to address important issues in our lives or in society if we are stressed, depleted, and isolated. Perhaps that’s why many of 2023’s favorite books offer approaches for real self-care. They focus on how to manage stress, find more happiness in life, seek wonder and inspiration, appreciate art, understand our personal strengths, or…
Read MoreQ&A with researcher Robb Rutledge on mental health, expectations, decision-making and, yes, holiday planning!
Have you ever looked forward to a concert, beach vacation, or party only to find yourself not enjoying it as much as you thought you would? You may be suffering from overly high expectations, says psychologist Robb Rutledge of Yale University. Rutledge and his colleagues have been using smartphone-based data collection (via a free app called…
Read MoreTen insights on human well-being and potential from two giants we sadly lost in 2021: Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi and Ed Diener
Many of us suffered terrible losses in 2021. In the field of positive psychology, we lost two of our most influential scholars: Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi and Ed Diener. In their honor, I’d like to remember and appreciate the contributions they made to the understanding of human flourishing.
Read MoreSeven evidence-based reasons to start meditating yesterday
Yes, starting today is OK too. I started meditating soon after 9/11. I was living in Manhattan, an already chaotic place, at an extremely chaotic time. I realized I had no control over my external environment. But the one place I did have a say over was my mind, through meditation. When I started meditating, I…
Read MoreTo boost your mental well-being, simply recall, right now, an act of kindness
Just a few weeks ago, a group of middle school students in Alabama made the news for posting positive notes on the lockers of fellow students. For Christmas, a few Attleboro, MA, students chipped in to buy their beloved school janitor new boots as a present. And in December, a Michigan waitress received a $2,020…
Read MoreFour guidelines for smart use of smartphones
These days, you can’t go anywhere without hearing about how technology is ruining everything, including our happiness. There is some truth to this, but it’s not the whole story. Technology can be bad for us—for example, when social media gives us FOMO (fear of missing out) or traps us in filter bubbles that prevent us from…
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