They weren’t PhDs. They didn’t have millions in NIH grants, or access to well-oiled research and development labs. In fact, neither Augusto nor Michaela Odone had even a basic background in biology. Despite their lack of resources, the couple landed a spot in history; they are known for developing a treatment that successfully halts the […]

There are more than 600 items on my to do list right now. Everything is there. A sea of two-word commands like “organize notes” or “buy Kashi” or “call Judd” occupy an endless hierarchy of spreadsheet cells. Such a document, at first glance, might seem daunting. Rather than inciting angst, however, this spreadsheet is […]

It was quite possibly the most inspiring and shocking behavior I’ve ever witnessed; I was bewildered and heartened by what this mother had done. It wasn’t a terribly overt act, certainly not something that will propel this twenty-something mother onto the evening news. She simply checked a box on a psychological survey that I administered, a box adjacent to the following text: “I feel cheerful most or all of the time.” […]

I’ve just returned from my zillionth med school interview. And, for the zillionth time, I’ve tried to convince some hardcore basic scientist that positive psychology isn’t fluff. Try explaining positive psych to a genomics professor. Not easy.
Many genomics professors, surgeons, hematologists, and the like are not so into social science. A lot of them think […]

Alan Krueger’s 2007 Positive Psychology Summit presentation–entitled “Time Use and Well-Being”– described how self-reported mood varies amongst activities. He discussed how mood changes as people commute, eat, work, spend time with family, etc. Sex was conspicuously missing from the activities list, but I have a good idea of where it would have appeared. Though interesting, […]

What would you have to live for if you lost both legs above the knee, had just one functional hand, and couldn’t close your eyes without experiencing intense emotional and physical anguish?
I don’t ask this merely as a provocative prologue, or a cliché attempt to bolster gratitude for what you have. I ask this […]

Below is an abbreviated manuscript describing a mini study I did for MAPP. Looking forward to your thoughts!
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Abstract
Mounting evidence suggests that mindfulness may promote positive subjective experience, which is the first “pillar” of Positive Psychology. Relationships between mindfulness and other pillars of the bourgeoning Positive Psychology movement, however, have not been thoroughly studied. This work […]

I’m going to give you a choice.
You can either head to your local gym right now and bench press 500 pounds, or you can continue to read this article.
Are you feeling less than entirely autonomous? This is exactly the kind of “choice” that Western food industries have been feeding us for years. Here’s why.
Recent […]

Drug companies are used to telling consumers about side effects—the headache, nausea, and mild genital swelling that can ensue from that ubiquitous antacid. We all know that traditional advertising media (TV, radio, newspapers), as well as non-traditional advertising media (blogs, coffee sleeves, and tattoos), present startling disclosures about pharmaceutical side effect risks. Americans are barraged […]

Last week a thin slice of sock began revealing itself through a hole in my shoe. I had put it off long enough; it was time to buy another pair. So I googled “buy running shoes,” and suddenly had 27,000 shoe stores to choose from. Surely I’d find the perfect pair. But maybe it’s not […]