Communication

Do you have a memory of a teacher who really made a difference in your life? For me, it was Miss Robinson, my third grade teacher. I vividly remember one moment when she greeted me at the classroom doorway. She always had something nice to say to me, but that day was special.

Thomas Hobbes famously described life as “solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.” In contrast, Dacher Keltner describes life as the “survival of the kindest.” His new book, Born to Be…

Are you on Facebook, Myspace, Twitter or any other of the hundreds of social-networking sites? Great, aren’t they? The social networking phenomenon has come in for some criticism for being detrimental to both physical and psychological health and well-being. On the other hand, Professor Mark Granovetter of Stanford University suggests that, paradoxically, weak ties can be more beneficial than strong ones.

On the back of a holiday photo I received recently was a troubling note that belied the lovely smiling faces of the melded family on the other side. In the…

Wishes touch on so many aspects of positive psychology. That is because wishes tell us something about what it means to be human. They frame for us our vision of what is important – both those things that are “big I” Important that give us meaning and purpose, as well as the little pleasures and comforts that ease and aide us in our enjoyment of life. Wishes help us define a vision of what is possible and show us what life could be.

While all people possess the ability to have hope, variability – like different grades of fuel – exists from person to person. The good news is that hope is malleable, which is to suggest we can bring people to more premium grades of hope.

If Walter Vale – the lonely, isolated professor in The Visitor – walked into my office… he could be described as an automaton, consuming and floating along the surface of life. Walter eats alone, drinks wine alone every night, and is disengaged at work meetings. The Visitor has been selected for the Sundance film festival, the Toronto film festival, and others. Psychologist Corey Keyes of Emory University writes about social well-being as critical in a healthy adjustment to life. … Walter is not socially healthy initially. But he changes. Does he comes alive? […]

How can our children develop these sort of empathic bonds with others if their interactions are with a screen rather than real-life, flesh-and-blood people? Photographer Yann Arthus-Bertrand had an idea. While stranded in Mali in the 1980’s, Arthus-Bertrand spent an evening listening to another man’s life story. […]

On the night of the presidential election, I lounged and chatted on a cozy couch with friends in a Philadelphia apartment…. … Within moments… there were hundreds of people joyfully and peacefully making their way down the middle of the road. Just watching them, hugging as they went, and listening to the buzz of energy audible through the closed window sent chills down my spine. There was a profound sense of human connection.

What would it mean for your business if you could improve productivity by 30%?

Now imagine you could achieve these productivity gains without ever having to spend a dime. Also imagine that this productivity improvement is so simple that virtually every manager could implement it starting today – no costly training or certification programs required. Would you try it? Of course you would – you’d be crazy not to.

With Labor Day behind us, Fall is the time when we really spring ahead. September is full of opportunities for new beginnings, as millions of us return to school and…

“How do you propose we share positive psychology with strangers?” a participant at one of my recent seminars asked. The question took me by surprise, but in a flash, I answered intuitively,…

Rabbits are ancient symbols of fertility and so symbolize the return of spring. In thinking of them, of Easter, and of Sherri Fisher’s excellent article, Positive Psychology is more than…

“Raindrops on roses and Whiskers on kittens Bright copper kettles and Warm woolen mittens” Julie Andrews sang about them. Oprah has them. And so I now want to do a…

It’s definitely the time of year to reflect on the nature of gift-giving and what positive psychology has to teach us about it. In broader terms, giving (especially in the…

I had the pleasure of hearing Mike Morrison, VP and Dean of University of Toyota, speak at last month’s Global Well-Being Forum (formerly the International Positive Psychology Summit) at Gallup’s…

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.