These 25 habits can help make your life a little happier
Regardless of your version of true happiness, living a happier, more satisfying life is within reach. All it takes to get there are a few tweaks to your regular habits. If you’ve ever tried breaking a bad habit, you know all too well how ingrained they are. Well, good habits are deeply ingrained, Read More...
How to be happy, even when life changes suddenly
When a professional athlete reaches the age where they no longer can compete at the highest level, retirement is inevitable. Sure, retiring will suddenly shake up their life a bit, but at least they can accept the change that will come with retiring because they have been able to compete for as Read More...
Making love a meditation
From The Intelligent Optimist Magazine Fall/Winter 2016 A conversation with Diana Richardson By Jurriaan Kamp And Nancy Reed Years ago two Dutch comedians did a great sketch. Ridiculing people’s needs always to be competitive, they introduced a new version of ping pong, which they called fun Read More...
Courage is every day
Possibility Commentary From The Optimist Magazine Summer 2014 It’s easy to get pessimistic. We have large-scale terror attacks, the environment might have reached a “no going back” tipping point, and there’s always the next health crisis around the corner. In these moments, the critical Read More...
Happiness is a matter of choice, Harvard studies find
Choosing to be happy with whatever you do, strengthening your closest relationships and exercising to maintain your health are three essential keys to happiness, according to three studies with converging findings. Here is a list of bullet points with relevant data. Can you identify any actionable Read More...
Brits and Turks happiest Europeans before recession, according to map on Internet
Here is a map to ponder. Its origins are unclear, and the data is, well, dated (2008.) Nevertheless, it offers a fascinating window into a reality that seemingly goes against many preconceived ideas. Who would have thought that the French are the not grumpiest Europeans around, that Italians and Read More...
Public bench turns mundane moment into blissful break
What if our public spaces were filled with playful opportunities to take a happiness break and connect with strangers? This is the vision of artist George Zisiadis whose merry-go-round bench was tested at the Market Street Prototyping Festival in San Francisco last month. Watch the video and go Read More...
Lawyers in public-service jobs rank highest in happiness than their higher-paid peers
Passing the bar and becoming a lawyer is not all that it is made to be. At least not on the happiness and well-being fronts. Research shows that lawyers have significantly higher incidence of mental health, depression and substance abuse. One group, however, stands out for being significantly Read More...
What makes us happy has changed over the past 80 years
Back in 1938, security, knowledge and religion were the top three most important aspects of happiness. Good humor and leisure made the cut some 76 years later, according to psychologist Sandie McHugh from the University of Bolton in the U.K. She presented her study this week the Annual Conference Read More...
Forget about pursuing your passion: meaning is to be found in contributing to others
Known for his groundbreaking work at Gallup on employee engagement, leadership and well-being, researcher Tom Rath now has a new book out, Are You Fully Charged? The 3 Keys to Energizing Your Work and Life. His provocative idea about not heeding the popular call to pursue your passion, if you Read More...