Happiness & Success
Achieving Happiness Through Acceptance of Life
The quest for happiness often leads to frustration, as many fail to realize that the...
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- Written by: Stanford University
"Effective action, including technology research, could pay huge dividends in terms of new, environmentally friendly industries and jobs that serve our national interests and the well-being of our citizens," says Lee Ross.
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- Written by: Melody Ding, Senior Research Fellow of Public Health
Retirement may not automatically lead to better health but it presents an opportunity to engineer a healthier lifestyle.A few years ago, my mother had a bit of a crisis in the lead-up to her retirement. She struggled with her self-worth, perceived value to society and fears of boredom.
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- Written by: Richard J. Davidson, YES! Magazine
All of the work that my colleagues and I have been doing leads inevitably to this central conclusion. Well-being is fundamentally no different than learning to play the cello. If one practices the skills of well-being, one will get better at it.
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- Written by: Peter Kinderman, Professor of Clinical Psychology, University of Liverpool
“Claustrophobia” is generally described as an irrational fear of confined spaces, and it has been estimated to affect some 5-7% of the world population. Clearly, some people are more distressed than others when they are in confined spaces, but a fear of physical restraint is so normal that it seems illogical not to
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- Written by: Jay L. Zagorsky, Economist and Research Scientist, The Ohio State University
Recent research challenges the stereotype that blondes are less intelligent, revealing that blonde-haired women may actually score higher on IQ tests than those with other hair colors. Utilizing data from the National Longitudinal Surveys, this study highlights the dangers of perpetuating baseless prejudices and encourages a reevaluation of commonly held biases.
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- Written by: Agnieszka Jaroslawska, Postdoctoral research fellow, Queen's University Belfast
People are often forgiven for actions that they would never get permission for in the first place – a phenomenon described as “Stuart’s Law of Retroaction”. Children who watch TV for longer than they are allowed to, teenagers who elope without telling their parents and adults who empty joint
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- Written by: Mark Griffiths, Director of the International Gaming Research Unit and Professor of Behavioural Addiction, Nottingham Trent University
“Life is a series of addictions and without them we die”. This is my favourite quote in academic addiction literature and was made back in 1990 in the British Journal of Addiction by Isaac Marks. This deliberately provocative and controversial statement was made to stimulate debate about whether excessive and potentially problematic activities such as gambling, sex and work really can
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- Written by: Barbara Berger
So many women are still afraid of being called angry, still afraid of owning their own power, still of afraid of being called a “bitch” or not being feminine or not being spiritual. Which in reality translates into being afraid to say no to the people around them who are actually stepping on their toes!
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- Written by: Olivia Remes, PhD Candidate, University of Cambridge
The subject of narcissism has intrigued people for centuries, but social scientists now claim that it has become a modern “epidemic”. So what is it, what has led to its increase, and is there anything we can do about it?
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- Written by: Jill Suttie
I’ve been an avid hiker my whole life. From the time I first strapped on a backpack and headed into the Sierra Nevada Mountains, I was hooked on the experience, loving the way being in nature cleared my mind and helped me to feel more grounded and peaceful.
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- Written by: Alejandro Jodorowsky
Generally, people consider life to be a natural phenomenon in which one profits without giving anything in exchange. But the miracle requires an exchange: what we were given, we must share with others. If we are not united, we cannot grasp the miracle.
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- Written by: Peter Bongiorno
This modern world has a general approach to anxiety and fear: ignore it, avoid it, or take a drug to not feel it. These methods actually keep fear, anxiety, and panic going. These methods send ourselves the message that the fear is too great to handle, and avoidance is...
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- Written by: Lisa Lewtan
Do you have a daily showdown with your personal cookie monster? Or does your food demon prefer the crunch of potato chips or pretzels? If you're like most people, you've become the underdog in this internal war.
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- Written by: Alan Cohen
Nearly every religion, family, and belief system plays on guilt to keep its adherents in line. Yet there are ways to escape from the prison of guilt. Here are the top seven, along with practical applications to become free.
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- Written by: Jillian Jordan, Ph.D. Candidate in Psychology, Yale University
Human morality is defined by a unique capacity for moral outrage, not just in response to personal harm but also to transgressions against others. This phenomenon, known as third-party punishment, raises questions about its evolutionary benefits and how it influences social trust and cooperation in society.
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- Written by: Jude Bijou, M.A., M.F.T.
Many times, after hearing a client’s predicament, I ask them, “What’s really true for you about this?” or “What do you know when you’re feeling good?” Most of the time, an answer comes tumbling out of their mouths before doubts and “shoulds” take over.
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- Written by: InnerSelf Staff
Our brains are wired to pay more attention to things that have previously brought us pleasure—a bias that may explain why it’s so hard to break bad habits or stick to New Year’s resolutions.
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- Written by: Susan M. Snyder, Assistant Professor of Social Work, Georgia State University
Problematic Internet Use is now considered to be a behavioral addiction with characteristics that are similar to substance use disorders. Individuals with PIU may have difficulty reducing their Internet use, may be preoccupied with the Internet
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- Written by: Noelle Sterne, Ph.D.
Why do you need forgiveness to reach your Dream? When you’re not forgiving, you’re angry and tight. You’re holding onto old hurts and hugging your rightness around you like a parka against the stinging winds of change. Your arms are crossed and your mind is crossing out possibilities. If you think about it...
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- Written by: Gina Rippon, Professor of Cognitive NeuroImaging, Aston University
Along with just about every other aspect of real or imagined differences between the sexes, the idea that your biological sex will determine the sex of your brain – and so your behaviour, aptitudes and personality – has a long and ...
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- Written by: Sara Avant Stover
Sweet Sara. That’s what people always used to call me. It didn’t matter where I went in the world — whether it was to visit a cousin in the Midwest, have tea with a girlfriend in Bangkok, or read a piece of fan mail from someone I’d never met before. Everyone I knew at some point arrived at “Sweet Sara” as my nickname.
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