It might sound unlikely that an Australian-raised, self-proclaimed 60’s feminist-turned-Buddhist-nun would be the energy behind the San Francisco-based conference Happiness and Its Causes (November 24-25, 2008).

“Let’s deconstruct happiness, open it up, and look at the differences,” says Ven. Robina Courtin. “Inspiring people is the main agenda of this conference.” (DISCOUNT inside the article).

There have been psychologists in the past that have attempted to describe a skill resembling emotional intelligence. None have gone so far and defined so well the concept of EI (”emotional intelligence”) as has Peter Salovey, professor of psychology at Yale University, and his colleagues. Salovey, Caruso, and Mayer (2004) “believe that there is an […]

I recently applied to a one-week summer scholarship program, one that sounded really great, and wouldn’t you know it, “we were overwhelmed by applicants, and although yours was excellent…” Sigh. Another rejection! Ugh. That’s life, I guess. Along with that parking ticket I got yesterday, and the lack of sleep over the last couple of […]

OK. A lot has been written on goals and a lot of it at length. Rightfully so. Being a joiner, I decided this month to jump on to the bandwagon and participate in the goal-setting theme. However, I’ve decided to make my contribution succinct, for easy digestion.
On our way to meeting larger goals, we set […]

“Peace is more precious than diamonds, silver, or gold.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.
This month I thought that I would visit a topic that is near and dear to my heart: peace. I have thought about peace in many ways and from many perspectives, from the eyes of an angry brother, an anxious student, a […]

Recently, Dr. Mangels and three colleagues teamed up with Carol Dweck of Stanford to study the differences in the brains of people with growth mindsets and fixed mindsets. This is exciting work because it is hard empirical science studying the underlying brain functions dealing with learning and internal self-concepts. With a study like this, science begins to unravel how the brain functions in people with different mindsets. This particular study helps us understand the internal processes that can help us change our way of thinking and feeling to improve our memory and how we learn. […]

I was recently invited to speak at a support facility for adults recovering from the prolonged effects of psychiatric illness in Bridgeport, CT. The Bridge House (www.bridgehousect.org) offers a number of services including a “work-ordered day” program, employment and housing programs, social activities year round, educational opportunities and personalized recovery oriented goal planning and […]

Positive psychology and EI (“emotional intelligence”) have differing domains of research, though luckily I believe they can contribute to one another. For reference, here are the four branches of EI referenced in my earlier article on emotional intelligence.

Perceiving emotion is the ability to…
Identify emotion in a person’s physical and psychological states
Identify emotion in other […]

(To see a video version of this article, scroll down to the post script.)

It was nuts. I had looked at 50 apartments over two weeks before I made my decision. I was still not entirely satisfied with my choice! I was strung out and anxious the whole time that I was in-between abodes. What a mess. […]

Robert Wright proposes in his book Nonzero that there may be a “natural law” that people move toward - a natural law of interdependence and win-win scenarios that promotes survival (Wright, 2001). Wright’s natural law that promotes survival and human flourishing is the same kind of natural law as 1 + 1 = 2.  When people work together […]