Aug 26
2008

Lies, Damn Lies, and Statistics

By Bridget Grenville-Cleave Bridget Grenville-Cleave's website Bridget Grenville-Cleave's email

deomcracy-s_k_s.jpgThe good news is that according to a new study by Inglehart, Foa, Peterson and Welzel (2008), happiness is actually increasing: in this longitudinal study between 1981 and 2007, happiness levels went up in 45 out of 52 countries. And contrary to what you might conclude from Myers’ graph, the US is one of those countries which shows an upward trend in happiness. … Happiness has risen, they suggest, due to increasing democratization over the past 25 years, which means that people increasingly feel they have free choice (e.g. freedom of speech, to travel and in politics) and control over their lives.

Topics: All, Global Policies, Money, Positive Emotions (Positive Affect), _1 Positive Experiences 15 comments 15

Nov 30
2007

The Power of Touch Beyond Pain and Pleasure: Shifting Medical Massage Research toward Trust and Transcendence

By Iris Marie Bloom Iris Marie Bloom's website Iris Marie Bloom's email

My mother has days when she sleeps more and more, moving in and out of a twilight state of consciousness, as she approaches the end of her physical life. She experiences, thankfully, not a great deal of pain, but intense discomfort and sometimes fear as her late-stage lung cancer progresses. Over the past […]

Topics: All, Gratitude, Health, Love, Pathway 1 "Pleasure", Pathway 2 "Engagement / Flow", Pathway 3 "Meaning", Positive Emotions (Positive Affect), Savoring / In-the-Moment, Spirituality, _1 Positive Experiences 9 comments 9

Jun 30
2007

Generosity, Empathy, and Moral Philosophy in Airport Conversations

By Iris Marie Bloom Iris Marie Bloom's website Iris Marie Bloom's email

I recently interviewed two random humans on the subject of generosity, in the Atlanta airport when my flight was cancelled five times in a row due to thunderstorms. The first subject was thoughtful, humble, and humorous in her approach to my questions. My interview with her left me feeling rather elated about just how wonderful random human beings can turn out to be when you get up the nerve to ask them “positive psychology” questions. […]

Topics: All, Gratitude, Pathway 3 "Meaning", Positive Emotions (Positive Affect), _1 Positive Experiences 3 comments 3

Sep 28
2007

Nature and Nocturnal Themes in Positive Psychology

By Iris Marie Bloom Iris Marie Bloom's website Iris Marie Bloom's email

Given the deep sense of well-being many of us experience in natural surroundings, I want to encourage us to begin to connect the dots between our mental health and thriving natural environments, delving into ecopsychology and pro-environmental behaviors. I fully expect that within the next few years, ecopsychology and positive psychology will become intertwined. Right now, I’m just suggesting that we at least have a few dates and get to know each other better. […]

Topics: All, Health, Pathway 3 "Meaning", Savoring / In-the-Moment, _1 Positive Experiences 1 comments 1

Mar 30
2007

Honoring Our Relationship with Time

By Iris Marie Bloom Iris Marie Bloom's website Iris Marie Bloom's email

Like many of us, I have, all my life, struggled with time in one way or another.  I seem to alternate between embracing flat-out activity and finding deeper pools of energetic sustenance.  As a child, sensing the hyper-pressure around me, I began to actively resist.   A self-taught procrastinator, at 19 I wrote an editorial entitled […]

Topics: All, Mindfulness, Pathway 1 "Pleasure", Pathway 2 "Engagement / Flow", Positive Emotions (Positive Affect), Savoring / In-the-Moment, _1 Positive Experiences 5 comments 5