I watch The Daily Show with Jon Stewart religiously. Instead of CNN, Fox or MSNBC, my news source of choice is Comedy Central. Why, you may ask? Don’t I want to be a well-informed citizen? Shouldn’t I be reading the New York Times and taking things seriously. Maybe. But in today’s environment, I desperately need …
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AllAweCoachingMindfulnessPathway 1 "Pleasure"Pathway 2 "Engagement / Flow"Pathway 3 "Meaning"Positive FeelingsSavoring / In-the-MomentSpirituality_1 Positive Experiences
In wildness is the preservation of the world. – Henry David Thoreau
In 1845, Thoreau went to live for three months in the woods near Walden Pond. When asked why, he responded, “I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I …
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Silas Marner by George Eliot is the story of a miserly, misanthropic weaver who loses his stash of gold but gains a young orphaned baby girl with shiny golden hair. The love affair between the weaver and the child is extremely poignant, and it has gotten me thinking about a very specific kind of love: …
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On February 12, 2008, I wrote an article for PPND called What is Love Anyway? In that article I questioned why we seek a scientific explanation for love, or if we should allow ourselves to enjoy the magic of this incredible positive emotion. The same night that article was published, I went on my first …
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AllGratitudeMindfulnessSavoring / In-the-Moment_1 Positive Experiences
Thank You Notes and Positive Psychology
Recently married, I have had cause to write numerous thank you notes lately. And with the holidays coming up, we will all have reasons to thank people for gifts. We know that Miss Manners insists that we write thank you notes, but aside from common courtesy, what are the benefits of thank you notes?
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Remember habits? In his “Talks to Students,” William James states that “action seems to follow feeling, but really action and feeling go together; and by regulating the action, which is under more direct control of the will, we can indirectly regulate the feeling, which is not.”
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In the mid-1980’s, Howard Jones crooned on the radio: “What is love anyway? Does anybody love anybody anyway?” Here, two days before Valentine’s Day, I thought I would explore the idea of love a little more fully. I think it seems safe to answer Jones’ second questions with a resounding yes. People love each other …
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I recently started reading Gail Sheehy’s 1974 classic bestseller, Passages. The subtitle of the book, is “Predictable Crises of Adult Life.” Passages chronicles the different life stages men and women experience over the course of their adult lives. As the author was in her 30’s when she wrote the book, she stopped the book with …
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Recently I was talking with an acquaintance of mine who is preparing to leave his job in investment banking to go to an ashram in India to practice mediation and yoga. It was clear that he was excited by the prospect of this new journey, but he was also apprehensive. Having attended business school and …
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AllPathway 2 "Engagement / Flow"Savoring / In-the-Moment_1 Positive Experiences
How Anticipation Can Save the Day
I have a tendency to be a worrier. When I think about the future, I think about all the “What ifs” contemplating all the things that will be out of my control and all the things that could go wrong. Worry doesn’t jive with someone in the business of helping people live in the world …
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AllBook ReviewParenting & SchoolsPathway 2 "Engagement / Flow"Pathway 3 "Meaning"Strengths_2 Positive Traits
“The Childhood Roots of Adult Happiness” – A talk by Edward Hallowell, MD
Last night I went to hear a child psychiatrist named Edward M. Hallowell give a talk on his new book “The Childhood Roots of Adult Happiness.” Dr. Hallowell has a practice and center in Sudbury, MA that takes a strengths-based approach to treating children with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), Worry/Anxiety and Child Learning Disabilities. Despite …
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In Chapters 2 and 3 of the Book of Genesis, Eve is tempted by the serpent and eats from the Tree of Knowledge, also known as the Tree of Conscience. As a result of eating the forbidden fruit, Adam and Eve become aware of their nakedness and are banished from the Garden of Eden. Equally, …
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Lately I have been thinking a lot about relationships and their role in positive psychology. My definition of relationships is broad, encompassing not only romantic relationships, but friendships, familial relationships, and professional relationships. Professor Chris Peterson often tells us that a key tenet of positive psychology is “other people matter.” But where does this live …
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Aren Cohen, MBA, MAPP, is a graduate of the Masters of Applied Positive Psychology program at the University of Pennsylvania, where she studied with Professors Martin Seligman, Chris Peterson, and George Vaillant. Aren is an educational consultant and learning specialist who uses positive psychology and proven educational philosophy to work with academically, motivationally and emotionally …
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