Books in the Positive Psychology News series
Watching television is probably the most common pastime in the world. On average Americans spend about five hours per day watching TV, while Europeans are glued to the box for over three and a half hours daily.
But not without a little guilt. Most of us realize that the good life doesn’t involve daily doses of Big Brother. Now University of Zurich researcher Bruno Frey has confirmed that sneaking suspicion: watching TV makes us less happy.
Preparing for a workshop I was running last week, I e-mailed the 20 or so participants with briefing notes and added a PS to the warn them that I would be hobbling on crutches as I had “recently broken my leg whilst roller-blading in the Andes with a bunch of Brazilian dancers.”
Two delightful people initially believed my explanation to which I could only say, “I really wish I were the kind of guy that could be true of.” […]
You wouldn’t use a paperclip to try to open a can. So why are you trying to use past skills to get a future job? Suppose I told you that with a small change in mindset, you could turn the paperclip into a can opener. Suppose I showed you a tool that would give you leverage toward getting the kind of job you really want.
(To see a video version of this article, scroll down to the post script.)
It was nuts. I had looked at 50 apartments over two weeks before I made my decision. I was still not entirely satisfied with my choice! I was strung out and anxious the whole time that I was in-between abodes. What a mess.
We are bombarded by science news every day that tells us what to eat, how to exercise, and what risk factors should worry us. Should we eat chocolate? Should we…
As my experience with the masters program in positive psychology at Penn nears its conclusion, I thought it might be appropriate to spend my time this month writing about adventure.…
When we face setbacks or challenges resilience is essential – helping us think flexibly and accurately about how to deal with the situation and building our ‘psychological capital’ over time. But what of leaders and the organizations they lead? What happens when they hit a bump in the road? Many pick themselves up and recover – but it often takes longer, and is more painful than it needs to be.
Skiing for the first time in my life earlier this year, I was offered by my wonderful Italian ski instructor a new positive psychology construct I want to share with…
Organizations are obsessed by the quick decision. Meetings have to have actions as an outcome, and that means decisions have to be made there and then. We all get used…
What do you do if you’re running a news radio station, and suddenly your new management which has heavy ties to the government comes in to tell you that you…
“Think! Think harder. Come on! Think.” How often have you said that to yourself? If you just think harder and faster, you’ll figure it out.
Science is saying, “Wait a minute.” Literally, the message is, “Wait a minute.” Your most creative ideas do not come to you after you squint and make a thinking sound, “mmmmm.” Research is pointing to a better way to get the best answers: It’s through your unconscious mind. […]
Few procedures are more complex, more demanding than organ transplantation. Few are more satisfying; seeing a patient leave hospital with a new lease on life is incredibly gratifying to those…
There is no Nobel Prize awarded in the field of Psychology. But Psychologist Daniel Kahneman of Princeton University received the 2002 Nobel Prize … in Economics, making him the only Psychologist ever…
Do you spend a long time at a fork in the road deciding what to do? Or with the huge number of options we have today, are you on a…
Over ten years ago I came across a book that caught my eye. At the time I did not recognized the author by name and I was not familiar with…
Cash or credit? I handed over the plastic to the gas station attendant on the Garden State Parkway. It was very early on a Saturday and there was only one…
What is this part of the human belief system that wants us to do well, to succeed, and to feel great? It’s the most natural part of who we are. It’s not only ingrained in our bodies and central nervous systems, but it also shows in our beliefs, our actions, and our surroundings. It’s the part of us that has recently come to be studied in a new field called Positive Psychology.