Bio
Specialties:
- Psychology
Affiliation:
- Harvard Health Publications
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Activity
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The Science of Happiness
The science of happiness is getting major attention these days. The Today show covered it for a solid week. A St. Louis researcher received a $5 million grant to research happiness over three years. And at more and more companies, there’s a new title in the C-Suite: CHO, or chief happiness off
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What differences in understanding happiness exist among religions?
Virtually all of the world's religions offer paths to inner peace, meaning, and fulfillment. Buddhism, one of the world's ancient religions, teaches that a person can find psychological freedom and inner peace through recognizing the interconnectedness of all things, transcending the illusion of...
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Can Money Buy Happiness?
When it comes to money and happiness, a lot of us think the grass is greener on the richer side. We’d be happier in a bigger house with a heated pool and plenty of money left over to treat our kids, grandkids and friends. Wouldn’t we? Some happiness experts, including psychologist Ron Si
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What are the benefits of mindfulness meditation?
Psychotherapists have turned to mindfulness meditation as an important element in the treatment of a number of problems, including depression, substance abuse, eating disorders, couples' conflicts, anxiety disorders, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Some experts believe that it works, in part,...
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What is mindfulness?
Mindfulness is the practice of purposely focusing your attention on the present moment—and accepting experience without judgment. The cultivation of mindfulness has roots in Buddhism, but most religions include some type of prayer or meditation technique that helps shift your thoughts away from your
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What is mindfulness meditation?
Mindfulness meditation builds upon concentration practices. In mindfulness meditation, once you establish concentration, you observe the flow of inner thoughts, emotions, and bodily sensations without judging them as good or bad. You also notice external sensations such as sounds, sights, and touch.
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How can I practice mindfulness in my everyday life?
You can cultivate mindfulness informally by focusing your attention on your moment-to-moment sensations during everyday activities. This is done by single-tasking—doing one thing at a time and giving it your full attention. As you floss your teeth, pet the dog, or eat an apple, slow down the process
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How can I be happy?
In an early phase of positive psychology research, Martin Seligman and Christopher Peterson of the University of Michigan examined several routes to happiness to explore an individual's inclination to pursue each one. They chose three pathways to start: Feeling good. Seeking pleasurable emotions..
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How can practicing mindfulness improve my well-being?
Increasing your capacity for mindfulness (awareness and acceptance of your present experience) supports many attitudes that contribute to a satisfied life. Being mindful makes it easier to savor the pleasures in life as they occur, helps you become fully engaged in activities, and creates a greater.
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What is true happiness?
"If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands!" As you once did when you sang, clapped, stomped, and shouted along with the kids' song, you probably recognize when you're feeling happy. Happiness might be experienced differently at times—say, as a warm sense of contentment, or as ecsta
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What is flow?
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, distinguished professor of psychology at Claremont Graduate University in Claremont, Calif., calls the state of intense absorption "flow"—the experience of being fully involved in an activity, marked by a sense of concentration and control and a lack of self-consci
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What are the characteristics of flow?
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, distinguished professor of psychology at Claremont Graduate University in Claremont, Calif., found that flow experiences (experiences of being fully involved in an activity) have several common characteristics. You lose awareness of time. You aren't watching the clock, and
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Is there a way to measure happiness?
This one-minute survey can be used to gauge happiness (feelings of contentment or joy; the overall experience of pleasure, well-being, and meaning in life). Below are five statements that you may agree or disagree with. Using the 1-7 scale below, indicate your agreement with each item by placing...
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How does happiness affect the brain?
Researchers now agree that there is a biomolecular aspect to all experience, including happiness, and that the brain is command central for the chemical and physiological changes that occur in the body with positive emotions. While many researchers have studied positive emotions by observing human..
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How do psychologists measure happiness?
Well-being, of course, is a very subjective and individual experience. Happiness is generally defined as feelings of contentment or joy; the overall experience of pleasure, well-being, and meaning in life. In order to look at happiness scientifically, psychologists have sought ways to measure sat...
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