We need to know when it makes sense to streamline things with simple procedures and systems, and when it makes sense to allow humans to express their creativity, perhaps risking failure, perhaps inspiring innovation. Practical wisdom pushes people to be responsible for their decisions and to learn from them. We might expose ourselves to more risks along the way, but we become a wiser society by doing so.
Habits
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For this last in our holiday season series, we asked our authors and friends the following question: “What research-based advice do you have for the new year? Tips to keep in mind? Or tips that you learned from research that you yourself apply? Here’s what we heard back.
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Now we will try something different: a TEDx talk by one of our authors about a brain-computer interface that can be used to exercise the part of the brain that is involved in self-control.
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AllBook ReviewHabitsHappiness ExercisesHealthPositive EmotionPositive FeelingsSavoring / In-the-MomentTaking Action
The Psychology of Spas and Wellbeing (Book Review)
The Psychology of Spas and Wellbeing by Jeremy McCarthy offers a clearly stated, scientific investigation of the mind-body connection and the psychology of relaxation, beauty, touch, and holistic wellness.
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AllGoalsHabitsMotivationSelf regulationTaking Action
Stress, Willpower, and Wanting What You Want to Want
The APA’s research suggests that less than half of adults who recognize a needed change in lifestyle are able to maintain the change. The #1 barrier to change cited in the survey was a lack of willpower. This is good news, since scientists such as Roy Baumeister have shown that willpower can be developed with exercise. Here is an exercise to build the motivation that underlies willpower.
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AllBook ReviewChangeHabitsTaking Action
The Power of Habit (Book Review)
by Lisa Sansomby Lisa SansomIt’s only now with sophisticated brain imaging that we are starting to see the neurological impacts of habits, giving us new clues into how to change them. While the elixir still eludes us, Charles Duhigg has brought us a few steps forward in his book The Power of Habit, discussing not only the habits of individuals but also the habits of organizations and societies.
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AllHabitsHappiness ExercisesPathway 1 "Pleasure"Positive EmotionPositive FeelingsSavoring / In-the-MomentTaking Action_1 Positive Experiences
All Pleasures Are Not Created Equal
In various models of well-being, positive emotions seem to have less gravitas than other factors. One reason may be that they are often equated with hedonic pleasure. So it was with great curiosity that I stumbled across a philosophical approach to pleasure that suggests that there is more to the hedonic life than initially meets the eye.
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In the days leading up to Christmas Day, some people like to use an Advent Calendar to count down the days, some with a small gift each day such as a chocolate. In 2011, Kurt Shuster turned this idea around to create the online Acts of Kindness Advent Calendar. Find out why and what he learned in this interview by Amanda Horne.
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My passion is connecting sleep, food, mood, and exercise. I love to discuss how these four groups of habits are connected and how improvements in one can make it easier to make improvements in the others. Since making any habit change can sound daunting, today I’d like to share ways to improve your health and simultaneously save energy.
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“Happier people live longer” is old news for us positive psychology fans. That happier people tend to be healthier is also something we’re now well aware of. While it’s already helpful to identify that happiness can support good health habits, I’d like to provide more explanation on why that is – and how to manage that process intentionally.
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During a recent course, an executive turned to us to say, “All this stuff is great and I want to change my behavior, but how do I make sure it sticks long term?” This is an important question for positive psychology practitioners. Reading an article by Brendan Koerner, I realized there is much that Alcoholics Anonymous can teach us about long-term change even in the face of addiction.
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How many of you admit to having at least one bad habit? If you’re honest with yourself, then you nodded your head. Pick your head up, because habits are learned. Therefore, you can unlearn bad habits and learn new, positive habits to replace them. How? Let’s explore the brain’s mechanisms that underlie habit formation and what it takes to form new habits.
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Happy New Year! How are those New Year’s Resolutions coming along? I know it has only been a handful of days, but today is ~ a good day ~ to check-in and assess how your goals are progressing or regressing and to think about ways that goal-setting theory can keep you on track.
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AllCuriosityHabitsHappiness ExercisesMindfulnessResilienceSelf regulationStress
A Mindful Approach for Chronic Depression
Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), developed by Segal, Williams, and Teasdale, has been shown to be effective in reducing relapse among people with three or more depressive episodes. Like positive psychology, MBCT helps participants to observe their negative thoughts with curiosity and kindness, to accept themselves and stop wishing things were different, to let go of old habits and choose a different way of being, and to be present and notice small beauties and pleasures in the world.
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Delegates from more than 50 countries joined forces at the inaugural Exercise is Medicine™ World Congress with two goals: Unite with others across borders to build a healthier world and globalize Exercise is Medicine™ as a positive movement. The goal is to make exercise the most widely prescribed drug in the world!
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AllChangeCuriosityHabitsIn-the-NewsMediaPathway 3 "Meaning"
Inception: Finding Positive Psychology in a Movie
by Louis Alloroby Louis AlloroThe film, Inception, explores the phenomenon of ideas. Where do they start? How are they influenced? Can we extract ideas from each other, and when we do, to whom do they belong? Can we cause others to incept (take in) ideas by influencing them to think what we want them to think? The film shows how these powers can be used for good as well as evil.
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AllChangeCoachingGoalsHabitsMotivationPositive FeelingsSavoring / In-the-MomentStrengthsTaking ActionThree Pathways_1 Positive Experiences
Netflix and Mae West on Positive Interventions
by Denise Cleggby Denise CleggResearch shows we are more likely to sustain positive change by changing actions and patterns than by improving external circumstances. But that assumes we do them. Stephen Schueller is the first researcher to develop a structure for recommending positive interventions based on a person’s preferences for prior interventions.
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650 words; Reading time: approximately 2 minutes Last month I talked about How Physical Activity Enhances Productivity. To give the flip side of the coin, this month I’ll address the…
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AllChangeConferencesHabitsSavoring / In-the-MomentSelf regulation
Six Ways to Eat a Potato Chip – Part 1 of a Journey to Self-Regulation
by John Yeagerby John YeagerAristotle claimed that a virtue or strength is developed through action: “Brave people became brave by doing brave things.” He said there were six states of character development: brutishness, self-indulgence, weakness of will or caving into temptation, strength of will or mastering temptation, character excellence, and heroic excellence.
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What would you think if your top character strength were Humility and Modesty? A friend found it rather deflating. However, we found that she had a great knack for taking herself out of the middle of the picture and focusing on the needs of others. Suddenly humility snapped into place as a valuable quality that fit. That made me curious. What is humility? Where does it come from? Who has it? When and why is it valuable? How can we build it in ourselves?