Jacqueline Samuel is a cuddler. By this I don’t mean that she is a touchy feely kind of person (although she most certainly is that.) I mean she is a professional cuddler. For $60, you can go to her house, slip into bed with her, and . . . snuggle. As you might imagine, [...]
Have you ever made one of the following decisions? Smoked a cigarette. Drank too much. Ate too much. Ate things that were bad for you. Neglected working out. Had unsafe sex. Drove a car without a seatbelt. Drove a car after drinking. Drove a car faster than the speed limit. Used an illegal drug. If [...]
Photo Credit: Tambako the Jaguar via Compfightcc Long-time loyal readers of this blog will be aware that I take a month off of eating meat every year. I do this for three reasons: 1) I think it’s healthier not to eat meat. 2) I think it’s better for the planet. And 3) I think it’s [...]
This article was featured on Positive Psychology News Daily. Consider these scenarios from Barry Schwartz’s book, Practical Wisdom: The Right Way to Do the Right Thing: 1. A judge is forced to sentence a first-time offender to five years in prison, even though her judgment tells her that the punishment is not justified by the crime. [...]
Photo Credit: a n i. Y. via Compfight April is “Stress Awareness Month” as sponsored by the “Health Resource Network” and April 16th specifically (the day after Tax Day) is “National Stress Awareness Day” in the United States. When I first heard about these “holidays,” I thought it was pretty ridiculous. I think it’s safe [...]
Photo Credit: Viewminder via Compfight Tomorrow is “World Happiness Day,” an official holiday recognized by the United Nations to honor “a fundamental human goal,” the pursuit of happiness. Thanks to the burgeoning field of positive psychology, there has been a deluge of new books and information on the secrets to human happiness: Authentic Happiness, The [...]
A tragedy of unimaginable proportions played out in one of our schools this week. Twenty children—innocent beyond belief, filled with hope and potential for the future, and loved deeply by many—were gunned down at random in the sacred halls of an institution where they are supposed to feel protected and nurtured. Like any parent, I [...]
Photo Credit: mark sebastian via Compfight When I moved to New York (over six years ago now) from Southern California, I experienced a significant cultural shift. I was moving from the laid back California beach culture to the hustle and bustle of New York city life. One of the first things that I noticed was [...]
My home away from home is Long Beach, NY, where I spend every weekend for half the year surfing, playing beach volleyball, splashing in the ocean with my kids, and hanging out with my friends generally enjoying life. So my heart has been broken lately to see the total devastation that Long Beach has gone [...]
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 [...]
