The Positive Neuroscience Project has announced the recipients of the 2010 Templeton Positive Neuroscience Awards, $2.9 million given to 15 new research projects at the intersection of neuroscience and positive psychology. Read on to learn about the winning projects that explore a range of topics including how the brain enables humans to flourish, the biological bases of altruism, and the effects of positive interventions on the brain.

We often think of forgiveness as something that we do on behalf of others. That’s called interpersonal forgiveness. Unlike gratitude, however, which makes the giver and receiver feel good, forgiveness is more of a one-way …

U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Regina Benjamin gave a keynote speech at the Exercise is Medicine™ conference. In charge of 6500 uniformed health officers, Dr. Benjamin is an advocate for prevention in health care, and told the audience “People need our help!”

As a new parent, I can tell you that there seems to be a surprising lack of guidance from science about how to have (and raise) a child. Since Catherine and I first learned …

 To continue last month’s discussion of forgivness, Part 2 highlights some key points from two recent articles about workplace forgiveness. It then presents some practical tips from people who practice forgiveness at work.
Leadership and …

Kathryn Britton recently wrote about using positive psychology to deal with a sudden loss as she mourned her dear friend Linda. Grieving is an individual process, but while no two people have an identical experience of losing a loved one, there are several patterns that emerge. I’d like to offer some observations about how Positive Psychology is at work while people heal after a loss, even in the long term.

How can we help people experience more gratitude and build cross-generational ties that enrich their lives? The Joyful Blessing Day design has emerged from monthly events at the Neptune Senior Center, where the “Feeling Great” dance-fitness class members are joined by high school students in an intergenerational workout followed by lunch. The Joyful Blessing Day approach combines music, savoring, and positive conversations across generations.

I love books that begin with a question such as this one. Hostage at the Table is exciting, a clever tapestry of psychological insights woven into the complexity of human conflict behavior, all set against the dramatic backdrop of riveting insider stories of hostage negotiation.

Keynote speaker, Miriam Akhtar, described the Positive Emotion Kit (PE Kit) approach to countering depression. To boost mood naturally and experience more positive than negative emotion, people can form personal PE kits by selecting interventions from five essential evidence-based categories.

Positive psychology is a science, and scientists count and measure. In thinking about how to improve personal well-being or the well-being of a relationship or group, it helps to ask what you can count and how counting might help. Here are some areas to consider.