Habits

HAPPY NEW YEAR from Positive Psychology News Daily! Thank you very much for the past year. We have very much enjoyed writing articles for you. Thanks to you for continuing…

‘Tis the season to give and get. This is the explicit message of the many advertisements that propel us into hypnotic holiday spending. Are your halls decked? Is your closet…

Our time gives us the extraordinary challenge we call sustainability: to collectively change the way we live to be in balance with the planet. It is very easy to talk about sustainability in a way that drains the energy for change out of people. So how do we talk about sustainability in ways that lead instead to hope and personal responsibility?

Neena is hoping to be back in college soon after a rather disastrous semester has left her “withdrawn/failing.” She has never been a stellar student, not even in elementary school.…

What can Positive Psychology say about being happy at work? Are there some people for whom happiness at work is easier? Are there actual ways to increase happiness at work? Yesterday, a few of us answered questions on a radio show with host and best-selling author, Karen Salmansohn.

There are many facets of work and life in general that we do not control. But we can increase our control over our own responses to them. One way to raise our overall level of well-being even in the face of trouble and stress is to practice and grow stronger at being grateful.

The calendar says that January 1 is the beginning of the New Year, but for millions of U.S. school children and their families, the real New Year begins each September.…

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.

Last fall, HBO aired a documentary that had good intentions and a terrible outcome. “Thin” was created by filmmaker Lauren Greenfield, whose goal was to show the devastation of eating disorders and the price its sufferers pay in health, well-being and overall quality of life. She succeeded. And that’s the problem.

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.

I don’t have any children – yet. The closest I have to a child right now is my dog, but as I grow nearer to the age of having children,…

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…