I fell in love with my wife in Barbara Fredrickson’s class as a part of the Master of Applied Positive Psychology program at the University of Pennsylvania. This might not sound that unusual to you—I’m sure people fall in love in university classrooms all the time—but what makes this somewhat unique is that my wife […]
Photo Credit: Hartwig HKD via Compfight Some of those who work in positive psychology were surprised by a recent research study by Roy Baumeister showing that stress and anxiety was linked to less happiness but more meaningfulness in life. Why would a meaningful life be more stressful and less happy? Aren’t we always reading about […]
Photo Credit: Tom via Compfight Almost everyone in the world can divide themselves into one of two groups: those who believe in Jesus Christ as the Son of God and our Savior, and those who don’t. Christmas time is a time when these two groups begin to intersect in some small way by celebrating a […]
Photo Credit: NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center via Compfight Millions of people were hit hard by Hurricane Sandy and many are still reeling from the loss. Being a student and practitioner of positive psychology, in times of great trauma and loss, I can’t help but think about what the science has to offer to people […]
“Other people matter. But few of them are mind readers. Let them know that they matter. They might benefit. And you certainly will.” —Chris Peterson Sadly, many of my readers probably first got to know about Chris Peterson when I published some excerpts of his writing a few days after he had passed away. Chris […]
One of the most fascinating aspects of my studies in positive psychology has been to see some interesting overlaps and themes between what modern researchers are studying and some of the teachings of ancient eastern philosophies. Mindfulness, for example, which has been a core facet of Zen and Buddhist philosophies for centuries, is increasingly being […]
Photo Credit: Fiona in Eden via Compfight We naturally assume that those with the greatest amount of expertise would make the best teachers. We hold this assumption across a variety of disciplines including guitar, language, sports, yoga, fitness, arts and almost any other domain you can think of. It seems only natural for beginners to […]
Photo Credit: JD Hancock via Compfight Economists will tell us that a free market system is the most efficient way to exchange goods (and even wellbeing) within a society. Using the money of markets, we place values on the things that we have and the things that we want, giving people an easy way to […]
Photo Credit: HidingHeart via Compfight The idea that success was based on more than just cognitive intelligence or IQ became popular when Daniel Goleman published his research and book on “Emotional Intelligence.” He showed that there are several other skill sets that are critical for human success and thriving that are not captured by IQ. […]
Photo Credit: Arne Hendriks via Compfight You are the puppet master. You pull the strings. You push the buttons. And everyone around you powerlessly and unwittingly submits to your will. This force that you hold over others is powerful but subtle. So subtle, in fact, that it goes undetected by even your closest loved ones, […]
