These researchers ask, “Whose responsibility is happiness?” It does not rest solely on the individual, and it does not emerge solely from the conditions of society. The researchers suggest co-responsibility as the answer: “The idea that happiness emerges as a collective and cooperative endeavor that requires both favorable life conditions and individual effort.”
Jeremy McCarthy
Jeremy McCarthy
Jeremy McCarthy is the Director of Global Spa Operations and Development where he is responsible for spa development for all of Starwood's hotel brands. Jeremy is applying positive psychology to the customer experience in spas and hospitality.
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At some point or another we all wrestle with questions around why we are here and how to find purpose in life. Being Called is a great introduction to what we can glean from these experiences in the modern world. Sometimes it is a powerful vision of a possible future that pulls us along, pushing …
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Profiting from the Positive (Book Review)
Since most business leaders are immersed in their own negativity bias, there is a distinct competitive advantage for focusing on the positive side of the science. Positive approaches remind us not only to give our attention to our most challenging customers and employees, but also to spend quality time with our best customers and employees. …
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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 …
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Is it better to pursue an individual flow activity, such as taking on a new skill or hobby? Or is it better to find flow interacting with others? Dr. Charles Walker set out to answer these questions.
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Jonathan Haidt’s new book, The Righteous Mind: Why good people are divided by politics and religion, holds a view that can help bridge the ever-widening gaps that occur in politics. His research on Moral Foundations Theory suggests that there is more to morality than caring and fairness. In fact, he describes the moral landscape as …
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I am disappointed that I won’t be able to attend the International Meaning Conference coming up in Toronto at the end of July. They are putting together an all-star line up of researchers in positive psychology with an emphasis on “healing and flourishing through meaning.” They are also honoring 3 major contributors to our understanding …
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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 …
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Today, Jeremy’s blog is a listed stop on the online book tour (cool idea) for the book, Situations Matter by Sam Sommers. Jeremy had already published one article on the book – Why Men are Better than Women at Math. But he liked it so much that he signed up to write another article so …
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In their article, Beyond Positive Psychology, McNulty and Fincham give some specific examples of research on relationships where certain contexts cause apparent contradictions of Positive Psychology findings. Forgiveness, optimism, and kindness may all be harmful in certain contexts.
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Sometimes I feel as if the entire field of positive psychology is embroiled in a massive, one-sided debate. I hear many psychologists arguing vehemently for the importance of not turning our back on the negative. But who’s on the other side?
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The Society of Behavioral Medicine recently published a debate on the health implications of positive psychology between Lisa Aspinwall and Richard Tedeschi on the one hand and James Coyne and Howard Tennen on the other. Positive psychology for health care has been a bit of a controversial subject since some feel that too much positivity …
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On Physical Flourishing
Martin Seligman presents his new model for well-being under the codename PERMA, an acronym for the five pillars of well-being that he identified after decades of research. But what about physical health? Movement, exercise, fitness, mobility, touch, and so on are all physical aspects of life that are critical to well-being, and yet they seem …
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What is the Lifespan of Positive Psychology?
Positive psychology was created to address an overwhelming bias in the psychological and social sciences towards a deficit based approach to mental health. The question becomes, once this bias is corrected, does positive psychology simply fade away, leaving a more holistic, balanced and integrated psychology behind in its stead? Or will we always need this …
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OK, so you’ve taken the VIA Survey to determine your character strengths. You’ve taken the Strengthsfinder 2.0 test to get another perspective on what your strengths are. You are finally ready to use this new-found self-knowledge to turn your job into your calling. But you may still be scratching your head and wondering, how do …
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As a new parent, I can tell you that there seems to be a surprising lack of guidance from science about how to have (and raise) a child. Since Catherine and I first learned we were expecting, the biggest piece of advice we have received from friends has been, “Don’t listen to advice,” referencing the …
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In Delivering Happiness, Tony Hsieh, the CEO of Zappos, opens the door and lets anyone interested come in and learn about the secrets to his company’s success. This is not the first door he’s opened. Zappos regularly allows people to come into their offices for extensive tours of the facilities. They’ll also send a free …
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I’ve been thinking about how to sum up the main topics of positive psychology. Many people think of Chris Peterson’s three word summary, “Other people matter.” This phrase, powerful in its brevity, captures some of the incredible findings to date on the impact of our relationships on our overall well-being. But after a year of …
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By Jeremy McCarthy How can a single individual change the hearts and minds of thousands of people? How does one confront violent opposition with peaceful protest and bring about a transformation of beliefs? How can one person change the world? Scott Sherman, the founder of the Transformative Action Institute, gave an inspiring lecture recently at …
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Jeremy McCarthy, MAPP ’09, is the Group Director of Spa for Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group leading their internationally acclaimed luxury spa division featuring 44 world-class spa projects open or under development worldwide. Before his current assignment, Jeremy was the Director of Global Spa Operations and Development at Starwood Hotels where he was responsible for spa …