We like to think that we are in charge of our choices. But what if making a choice or decision is based on things that we don’t notice? A new article from Song and Schwarz at the University of Michigan looks at the consequences.

I over-think. A lot. And I bet many of you can relate.
 
My over-analysis rarely takes me to a higher state of being. In many cases, I get caught in spirals of “What if…?” and …

It was not an easy decision for his parents to let Blake leave high school and it continues to be a hard choice. They are attacked by critics —most of whom they’ve never met. If the Peebles had taken the expected path and insisted that their son stay in school, no one would be giving them flack – even if their son was bored, depressed or learning less. Many would tell them they were doing the right thing.

“You must retain faith that you can prevail to greatness in the end, while retaining the discipline to confront the brutal facts of your current reality.” The Stockdale Paradox – Jim Collins

Janet is about to interview for a new job. She wants to leave a toxic work environment. Janet took that job with high hopes that were soon dashed. … How does she avoid yet another? For this dilemma, Alan Foster suggested that she ask six questions in her interview to discover what the job environment would really be like. [...]

By Zak Maymin, Guest Author

I have read PPND articles for years, and recently several of the articles showed me the similarity between positive psychology and chess. There may be two analogies in chess that illustrate and bolster up a few positive psychology principles about change and happiness.

There has been a widespread discussion on whether or not positive psychology is effective from a business perspective. There are strong links between positive psychology and organizational performance, many captured in work in the field of Positive Organizational Behavior (POB). Here I summarize a longer, recently published paper.

I have been thinking about what it takes for folks to change, especially the kind of change positive psychology focuses on — from ok to good or good to better: from +1 or +2 in well-being to +4, +5, or +6.

At the end of 2008, Daniel Goleman published another paper with Richard Boyatzis about Social Intelligence (SI) and Leadership. They define social intelligence as ‘a set of interpersonal competencies built on specific neural circuits (and related endocrine systems) that inspire others to be effective.’ SI may rock the fields leadership and management, just as Emotional Intelligence did 10 years ago.

“Black Friday” traditionally marks the official kickoff to the holiday shopping season. Cash-strapped and overstressed? With an estimated 128 million shoppers hitting the stores in the U.S. this weekend, University of Swarthmore professor and psychologist Barry Schwartz states, “too many choices paralyze us rather than liberate us.” Here are specific tips from Schwartz on how to make holiday shopping less stressful (and how to save money too).