December 2009

I think you might enjoy this great article from another of my friends in happiness and positive psychology, Todd Kashdan. Todd reviews some fascinating research which in short, suggests that just thinking about exercise has significant health benefits. What are the implications for happiness and...

07 December, 2009

Research by Dan Gilbert (Harvard), his students and colleagues clearly indicates that we can synthesize our own happiness despite what would seem like dire circumstances or poor choices. The thing is, this powerful innate coping mechanism or psychological immune system can be a liability as...

05 December, 2009

No pain, no gain applies to happiness, too, according to new research by Ryan Howell. The psychology professor has found that people who work hard at improving a skill or ability, such as mastering a math problem or learning to drive, may experience stress in...

05 December, 2009

The other day I came across this great happiness quote which reminded me, once again, that happiness is so much more than we often think and that happiness is so possible in so many life domains. Happiness at work, for example, is a very strong...

05 December, 2009

I RECENTLY had the pleasure of participating in the fifth annual Tea and Conversation event hosted by the Daily News and Inquirer. More than 100 African-American women attended. The event explored what happiness means to us. I believe it is inextricably linked to our health...

04 December, 2009

Happiness is determined by interpretation which is determined by belief which is determined by language! This is the conclusion arrived at by a scientist who's research takes into account genetic and cultural influences. To cut a long story short, he argues that some cultures are more...

03 December, 2009

Psychology Today - Nigel Barber Some of us are a lot more optimistic than others. There is no sugar-coating the fact that some people have happy genes and others do not. Geneticists estimate that genes are responsible for about 50 percent of the differences in how...

03 December, 2009

Feel festive, cheerful and blessed around the holidays--but then slide into the doldrums in the first weeks of the New Year? Financially illiterate and then suddenly started blogging about how the ups and downs of the stock market impacted you emotionally? Felt patriotic--or depressed--when Obama...

03 December, 2009

Loneliness, like happiness, can be contagious, says research out today that shows how feeling lonely can make others lonely, too. The study by John Cacioppo, a psychologist at the University of Chicago, builds on recent research showing that happiness is contagious and spreads through social networks. Cacioppo...

03 December, 2009