The Pursuit of Happiness is an essential human right. Both Confucius and Socrates insisted that well-being and personal growth were a major purpose of life, and a central goal of education.
Two important things help us achieve our goals: letting go of past mistakes and envisioning future success. Psychology research supports that expressive writing about one’s goals has numerous benefits for health, emotional adjustment, and well-being (Smyth, 1998), while also increasing the likelihood that the goals will be achieved. How does expressive writing help people overcome…
“There is only one happiness in life, to love and be loved” George Sand One of the Happiness Habits is to build close relationships in which you can share your personal feelings and reveal your authentic self. Ellen Berscheid wrote that “relationships constitute the single most important factor responsible for the survival of homo sapiens”…
Happiness is understandable, obtainable, and teachable. Experiencing happiness begins with the understanding that happiness is not a gift you receive; rather, it is an emotion you create and cultivate in your life. The Pursuit of Happiness organization has identified Seven Habits of Happy People that will cultivate greater well-being in your everyday life. In order…
I once saw a Daily Show episode where John Stewart responded to President Obama’s statement that “this is America: we don’t do what’s easy, we do what’s necessary” by holding up a jar of Baconnaise (bacon spread for sandwiches). Stewart sarcastically retorted that Americans love doing what’s easy – so much that products like Baconnaise…
We are offering an online course on the “Psychology and Philosophy of Happiness.” If you are interested in joining us please register on the course page.
Thousands of visitors have taken the Objective Happiness Quiz, which asks respondents about various aspects of their lifestyle, and projects how happy they are (not taking into account genetic factors) based on the results. It’s meant to be educational, as after the quiz respondents are invited to click a link to our “Science of Happiness”…
This flow diagram “Are You Happy” went viral recently. Author unknown. Lao Tzu? Humor and philosophy is a wonderful combination.
I recently received two emails that asked me exactly the same question. What can I do right now to become happier? My immediate thought was “go on a wild shopping spree.” And seriously, I have seen blogs suggesting that depressed people should go shopping. Of course, the big question is, what can I do now…
A revealing study on this topic came out recently on the NYT. This is something I have been wondering about for years. Why are rates of depression soaring among young people? Face to face human communication, as opposed to communication with pixels (not communication with pixies, you could get in bigger trouble with that), seem to…
