Susie Ellis on Susie’s Spa Blog last week called to my attention a new research study which is to be published this month in The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine entitled “A Preliminary Study of the Effects of a Single Session of Swedish Massage on Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal and Immune Function in Normal Individuals.” The study […]
I recently spoke with Tom Rath, a fellow Master of Applied Positive Psychology, and the head of the workplace consulting business with Gallup. Gallup is very well known for their global opinion research, but most of the employees (a couple hundred thousand according to Rath) are dedicated to working with large organizations to build more […]
For years, the hype about the “power of positive thinking” as a way to find wealth, success, love, friendships, health and longevity has been steadily increasing. But before you drink the happiness kool-aid, consider these five big problems with positive thinking: 1. It could be used to make the unwell feel worse. In her book, […]
My colleagues in the spa industry sometimes ask me why I focus so much on the science of psychology. In fact, people often assume that if I am studying psychology I must be preparing myself to leave the world of spas. The connection between spas and psychology does not seem to be clear at first […]
Last night, I watched Rafael Nadal’s incredible performance against Novak Djokovic to win the U.S. Open, making him the 7th man in history to win all four grand slam tournaments in his career (and he is only 24 years old!) Although Nadal won 3 sets to 1 (this was the only set that Nadal lost […]
Although I have always wanted to be a vegetarian, I didn’t even dare try it until later in life. I have always been active and athletic, and I assumed that vegetarians would not have the energy to exercise as much as I do, or to perform adequately in any kind of athletic endeavor. My mind […]
SkyNews(think CNN for the UK) just reported a miraculous story of a deceased infant being brought back to life by the touch of her mother (See “Mum’s Miracle Cuddle Brings Baby Back to Life”.) The mother had given birth to premature twins (at just 27 weeks) in Sydney, Australia. The babies, a boy and a […]
This weekend is a holiday weekend. Millions of families will pile into their cars to spend a few days away relaxing, sight-seeing, or celebrating. And some will crash . . . and some will die. This is a sobering thought, inspired by one of the most disturbing videos I have ever seen (see disclosure below before clicking this […]
I recently read a few articles on the importance of doing exercise and yoga to improve your sex life. It is easy to imagine some of the more obvious ways: an improved flexibility allows practitioners to get into a variety of kama sutra-esque positions. An increased level of strength allows people to hold those positions […]
Comprehensive Soldier Fitness is the Army’s new training program that uses positive psychology to teach soldiers mental resilience strategies to maintain their psychological wellbeing while confronting the challenges of being separated from families, regularly facing conflict, and losing friends and colleagues. The program, which calls for an army of “balanced, healthy, self-confident soldiers” and “improved […]
