Mindfulness

If recent articles on ways to use character strengths whetted your appetite for information about pragmatic ways to use your knowledge of strengths to make a positive difference in the world, then you are ripe for Ryan Niemiec’s book, Mindfulness and Character Strengths: A Practical Guide to Flourishing. This book explores ways that character strengths can be used in mindfulness practices, and it demonstrates ways that mindfulness helps us enhance and appreciate character strengths.

“Isn’t there a place in which we’re not positive or negative, but we’re neutral and objective?” This comment was made recently by a member of team in a discussion about how emotions, reactions, and behaviors impact team conversations and team relationships. This comment led to a broader discussion of how individuals can apply mindfulness practices to be less reactive and more constructive in workplace interactions.

Kate Hefferon and Ilona Boniwell have written a book, Positive Psychology: Theory, Research and Applications, with the aim of providing a comprehensive introduction to the field of positive psychology for undergraduate and post-graduate students. It provides lecturers with a clear structure for teaching the subject. It’s both accessible and engaging, so it will also appeal to anyone who wants to know about the latest developments in the field.

Here are some statements from the Science of the Mind Forum held recently in Brisbane Australia with His Holiness the Dalai Lama, psychologist Paul Ekman, neuroscientist Marco Iacoboni, Buddhist scholar B. Allan Wallace, and psychiatrist Patrick McGorry. The panel was moderated by ABC Radio National’s Natasha Mitchell. Transcripts and recordings are available from ABC.