Researchers from HSE University compared the effect of two meditation practices – loving-kindness meditation (LKM) and compassion meditation (CM). Loving-kindness meditation turned out to be more effective when it comes to increasing happiness, but, in contrast with previous studies, compassion meditation also did not result…
Advice for introverts: fake it, and you’ll be happier If you are an introvert, force yourself to be an extravert. You’ll be happier. That’s the suggestion of the first-ever study asking people to act like extraverts for a prolonged period. For one week, the 123…
By Anne Holmquist If you were presented with the opportunity to instill one, and only one, quality in your children, what would it be? Perhaps, like Solomon of old, you would be tempted to choose something like a long life, or great wealth, or even…
By Jason Erickson Naturally when most people think about the negative effects of air pollution, we think of the physical impact. However, a new study shines light on the potential for pollution to also affect our cognitive state and general sense of well-being. China’s air…
Frank T. McAndrew, Knox College In the 1990s, a psychologist named Martin Seligman led the positive psychology movement, which placed the study of human happiness squarely at the center of psychology research and theory. It continued a trend that began in the 1960s with humanistic…
By University of Michigan via Natural Blaze Physical activity has long been known to reduce depression and anxiety, and is commonly prescribed to prevent or cure negative mental health conditions. However, less is known about the impact of physical activity on positive mental health conditions,…
By Heather Callaghan, Editor If You Want to Be Happy, Stop and Smell the Roses A UBC researcher confirms that spending time outdoors is a direct line to happiness. Stopping to smell the roses is not just a luxury intended for the dreamers of the world. It’s not…
By Heather Callaghan, Editor “New research is challenging the age-old adage that money can’t buy happiness,” says a recent press release about a new study on the psychology of money habits. To be clear, it is not material possessions that impart this happiness, not a chance….
By Karen Foster How people describe both positive and negative events in their lives influences their perception of their own life. When scientists began tracking the health of 268 Harvard sophomores in 1938 during the Great Depression, they hoped the longitudinal study would reveal clues…
By Pamela Bofferding A few years ago my family of four packed up our household and moved across the country. We made the drive in our car while our belongings were hauled in a moving truck. We arrived to our new house with little more than…
By Christina Sarich What if the cure for your cold was opening a door for a complete stranger? Or watering your neighbor’s roses while they are away on vacation when you notice them wilting? How about stopping your headache by putting some spare change in someone’s…
By Sophie McAdam The best news is, it’s the simplest thing in the world AND it costs nothing! Psychiatrist and Zen Priest Robert Waldinger asks in this entertaining and touching TED talk. He’s the perfect person to give us some clues: Waldinger is the fourth…
By Sophie McAdam Seriously, you’re not alone. Here are some useful antidotes to the global whirlpool of negativity… There’s no doubt about it: the world is seriously messed up. If you’re not feeling a little bit sad right now, you’re probably either already taking an assortment of…
By Natural Blaze, Kyoto University Research Exercising, meditating, scouring self-help books… we go out of our way to be happy, but do we really know what happiness is? Kyoto University researchers narrow in on the neural structures behind happiness. Wataru Sato and his team at…
By Amanda Froelich To convey society’s addiction to technology, the photographer removed all smartphones and digital devices from his portraits of everyday life. Despite the obvious benefits advances in technology have contributed to our society, the social and physical implications are slowly revealing themselves. Eric…
By Amanda Froelich It’s easy to become dependent on technology and live only through social media, but the trend needs to change before humans lose their ability to connect and relate with each other. Have you been around people lately? Whether on the subway or in…
By Daniel Wallen, Lifehack People who love life have bad days, too. It’s just that they respond to them in a productive way. Do you have a positive outlook, or do you expect the worst? Do you have the confidence to act, or do you take…
By Andrea Schulman, Raise Your Vibration… We all have days that we feel down and depressed. When we are in this state, it can be hard to stay positive. It’s easy to get trapped in lower vibrational energy, but there are a few easy tricks…
By Dr. Marianna Pochelli Too much research has been devoted to the science of stress, depression and the connection to disease and not enough to the biology of joy. If a greater emphasis was placed on why we don’t go to doctors when we are…
By Sofo There are many lessons we can learn during the course of our lives that can help us overcome our problems and live in contentment. In this post I would like to share some of the greatest such lessons I have learned. For this…
