Last week I saw (from the first row, and in 3-D) Disney Pixar’s Up , an animated film about life, adventure, and friendship. The film certainly pulled on my heart strings in a very “other-people-matter” positive-psychology way. The film also speaks to this month’s theme of fun and play. [...]

Who was it that said that the family which eats together stays together?

Sharing a meal with family or friends is as much a social event as it is a nutritional one. In some reports, shared meals are recognized as a sign of a strong social unit.

Looking back on my sessions with clients, I notice that I find humor and laughter refreshing and it helps strengthen the bond I feel with my clients. Recently after an intake with a new client, my supervisor said, “I heard a lot of laughter in your office. Must have been a good session.” Sometimes my clients bring humor into the session, lightly poking fun at themselves. Other times, I use gentle humor to help bring awareness to issues with which they’ve been struggling.

Are you a victim of sleep debt? If changing just one of your daily habits was enough to make you more alert, efficient, energetic, productive and motivated, would you implement that change? Here’s what you can do about it….

If changing just one of your daily habits was enough to make you more alert, efficient, energetic, productive and motivated, would you implement that change? According to William Dement, illustrious discoverer of REM sleep, “Sleep deprivation is the most common brain impairment.”

While walking to join a few friends yesterday evening at dusk, I passed through a lush green park in the center of Philadelphia. I was lost in my own head, contemplating the many interesting topics presented at the First World Congress of the International Positive Psychology Association (IPPA). As I stepped softly through the grass in the approaching darkness of the evening sky, a light suddenly caught my eye. Waist-level beside me, hovering in the summer air, was a firefly.

Something happens to many people when they hit adulthood. Life becomes serious. It loses that lightness and freedom it had during childhood. It is a choice (conscious or unconscious) that adults make based on how they interpret what happens to them and the actions they take.

Laughter is a powerful way to bring that lightness of being back into one’s life.

Cruised any politics related web sites recently? Seen any angry, sarcastic, personal attacks wrapped in "humor"? I suspect that for many participants, there are very real consequences. What to do? I have two suggestions, one from my political experience and one from that great political philosopher, Walt Disney.

The First World Congress on Positive Psychology kicks off next Thursday with talks by two renowned psychologists. Martin Seligman and Philip Zimbardo will discuss how the science of positive psychology is changing the way we live our lives on an individual, societal, and global level. Positive psychologists from around the world will present latest research and applications on how to increase well-being.

The 4th Annual Australian Happiness & Its Causes conference appealed to people of all backgrounds, and so it attracted over 2,000 participants. Credible, high-profile and respected speakers and forum moderators presented their material in ways that were accessible to all.