Are children benefitted by playing outdoors? While the answer should be obvious, ask yourself this: How are children growing up now? If playing outdoors is important, why are parents raising their children indoors? A new study says children who spend more time playing outdoors have a stronger sense of self-fulfillment and purpose than those who don’t, according to Michigan […]
Read MoreHappiness is mostly a matter of right thinking, would you agree? Practicing calmness, hope and gratitude will all boost happiness? Or perhaps, it is about right action? Acts of kindness and service, focusing on improving skills, embracing a life of savoring and enjoying this world will boost happiness? Undoubtedly, happiness is strongly associated with human […]
Read MoreI received a heart-warming bit of “fan mail” and wanted to thank the wonderful person who mailed it and make a couple of comments. Here is the mail, reprinted with permission: Dear Dr. Johnson Both my husband and I enjoyed your class on Positive Psychology on Feb 14th. I have taken your classes and bought […]
Read MoreHere is press release describing some research on conscientiousness and health. As it turns out, conscientious people have better health. Well, how can that be a surprise? They do take more care, are going to be more careful about health, eating, and exercise. The real question is whether this press release actually teaches us anything […]
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Mar 14, 2014 Is it wise to adopt the DSM-5? The American Medical Association is facing a similar question with the ICD-10 (International Classification of Diseases, 10th edition). It has taken a bold step, opposing the new diagnostic scheme. This news should interest everyone in the mental health field. The two, ICD-10 and DSM-5 are […]
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Adam Grant is a wildly popular professor at Wharton, the business school. He is an organizational psychologist, interested in how people succeed in the workplace, and is the author of a recent book, Give and Take. I like it. I think you should read it. Now the first thing I should mention is that Adam […]
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Dr. Ed Diener and Dr. Robert Biswas-Diener offer the mental health community their FLOURISHING scale. It is a simple, eight item likkert-rating scale. There is no reversed-scored item in Ed’s work, and all thanks to him for that. The scale is completely available, thanks to Ed’s and Robert’s generosity. You are permitted to download it […]
Read MoreAutomatic happiness? Sounds like a science fiction story about cheery robots. But that’s our topic for today. It turns out that online help automates mental health. How can that be bad? Well, only research can tell us how good or bad it is. The model is to offer self-help resources to people suffering from anxiety, […]
Read MoreWomen on antidepressants experience a diminishing of sexual desire. In the STAR*D large, multi-site study on depression, 50% of women suffered sexual side effects from antidepressants. Thus, while antidepressants help patients recover from depression, they also reduce the desire for intimate and satisfying connection with partners. In a report published online Nov 1, 2013 in […]
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I just uploaded a video I shot on January 1. How do we succeed with resolutions? I have some ideas about successful resolutions. There are differences between goals (or, resolutions) that give you success (HAPPINESS!) and those that don't. Happy people tend to set and achieve goals, and unhappy people are focused more on survival. […]
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