“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 “Be nice”. That succinctly covered all the ways I could think of in 2 seconds. Two weeks have passed and I think of the myriad of […]

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 happiness, I spoke with a friend who had just returned from working near the equator. “What did you miss most?” I asked. Quickly came the […]

“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 fun column about “My Favorite Things,” too, to pay homage to some of the things that bring happiness and contentment to my life in the hopes […]

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 form of volunteering or acts of kindness) is often considered to be synonymous with altruism, i.e. the unselfish concern for the needs and interests of […]

We’ve all heard the sayings: “A penny saved is a penny earned.”� “Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.”� “Don’t count your chickens before they hatch.”� “An apple a day keeps the doctor away.”
But how accurate and helpful are these sayings, anyway?� I started to wonder about this […]

By Guest Author TIMOTHY SO
“The average adult spends much of his or her life working, as much as a quarter or perhaps a third of his waking life in work. As much as a fifth to a quarter of the variation in adult life satisfaction can be accounted for by satisfaction with work”
Campbell, Converse & […]

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 headquarters in Washington, DC. The room was jammed packed with both business and academic people interested in Mike’s talk “Personal Leadership: A Psychological […]

What can Positive Psychology say about being happy at work?  No, really, what can Positive Psychology definitively say about happiness at work?  For example:

Are there some people for whom happiness at work is easier?
Are there actual ways to increase happiness at work?
What if you’re too busy at work working to have time to worry about employee […]

What was supposed to be a 30 minute frivolous “wind down” television program last week turned out to be a moving documentary and a poignant reminder of the central rationale of positive psychology.
In “Meet the Natives,” five tribesmen, or Melanesians, from Tanna (an island of Vanuatu) journeyed to England in the hope of meeting Prince […]

The Culver Academies – a rigorous co-educational, college-preparatory boarding school in Indiana – is committed to integrating a systemic strengths-based approach to broadening and building character strengths and positive emotions in its academic, athletic, wellness, leadership, arts, and spiritual life programs….