Wabi sabi and kintsugi have their historical origins in the aesthetics of the Japanese tea ceremony that upholds the Zen Buddhist values of purity, harmony, and tranquility. Both wabi sabi and kintsugi value the acceptance of imperfection. This article introduces the Japanese concepts of wabi sabi and kintsugi and explains […]
For years, researchers have pondered the factors that influence how people make judgments about their wellbeing. However, until the late ‘80s, much of what we knew about wellbeing was based on a poor definition of the construct. This left much of the scientific community scratching its head and asking the […]
Authenticity is being true to ourselves and living according to our beliefs and values; it is vital to our mental wellbeing. Additionally, authenticity is widely recognized as crucial to developing as an outstanding leader (Susing, Green, & Grant, 2011; Jackson, 2019). While oppressive environments and people can block authentic behavior, […]
Juggling is a mind-boggling skill, and for me to juggle just 3 balls requires all of my attention, never mind juggling 6 torches, 10 balls, or even worse... knives. If you are as inept as I am, how well do you cope with juggling the responsibilities of life? Imagine you […]
We know humans are social beings. Yet, when thinking about wellbeing, we think more about our individual wellbeing, in terms of how good we feel, how satisfied we are with our lives, and how well we are functioning in different areas. We might think about positive relationships as a part […]
We exist in multiple domains throughout our lives. We might be a professional, a parent, a partner, a sports person, a community member, a friend, a child. Our roles and responsibilities differ for each role, and the challenge is to meaningfully satisfy these requirements with as little conflict as possible. […]
Authenticity is not about taking the soft option; it involves openness and honesty with ourselves and others. And living authentically does not mean existing without pain or sadness; they are as much a part of life as joy and love (Joseph, 2019). Being your true self promotes a life of […]
For the existentialist philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre, authenticity was fundamental to the notion of freedom and living a meaningful life (Ang, 2019). Authentic living requires us to embrace the reality of our freedom and be responsible for how we choose to live. In psychology, authenticity is more than merely trying to […]
Have you ever noticed how everything seems manageable when you’re in a good mood? Or how a problem doesn’t seem so serious after you’ve woken up from a good rest? Ever noticed how a phone call to a friend makes you feel so much better? The effects of our mental […]
Broadly speaking, happiness and wellbeing are thought to be essential components for a successful and fulfilling life. In fact, in 2012, the United Nations proclaimed March 20th to be the International Day of Happiness to recognize the importance of wellbeing as a universal goal for all people. Indeed, recommendations to […]
Do you believe wellbeing means the same thing to everyone? If we all enjoy and value different things, how is it possible to understand happiness? Doesn’t that make measuring happiness extremely difficult? Positive psychology is concerned with how people can do well, be well, feel well, and flourish over the […]
While hope is an undoubtedly personal experience and one that can be challenging to define, the value and positive impact hope can have on human life is widely recognized and difficult to ignore. People often speak about hope strengthening their resolve and accompanying them even in their darkest hour; guiding […]
Reflecting on our sense of happiness in different key areas of life can be difficult, especially if our life is seemingly all going well. Sometimes feelings of unhappiness or dissatisfaction just seem to find us and it’s up to us to take the time to explore why this might be. […]
There are very few people who would say they wouldn’t like to be happier, and it’s easy to see why. The feeling of happiness is a wonderful experience, emotionally and mentally, and it makes sense that we’d want to create more of that in our lives. An entire industry has […]
One of Aesop’s most quoted lines goes, “It is possible to have too much of a good thing.” Another version of this line states “too much of a good thing is a bad thing”. We have all used these lines at one point in our lives. We also know how […]
Happiness continues to gain more and more attention as topics such as well-being and mental health become more popular. Companies all over the globe have started investing in workshops and learning sessions to help their employees become happier. Despite its increasing popularity, we still often find ourselves asking “what exactly […]
Happiness: what would it look like if it was easy? While a booming self-help industry has overwhelmed us with an abundance of well-intentioned advice on how to become happier instantaneously, lack of systematic approach and empirical basis in many of the methods used to improve wellbeing has proven to be […]
You don’t have to look very far to find some of the many, many quotes on happiness that exist. But do you ever wonder how these quotes hold up when you consider the evidence? There’s nothing wrong with getting a quick mood boost from a quote—no matter how “accurate” it […]
What does it mean to be truly happy? There are many philosophical schools of thought regarding the concept of happiness and its cultivation. For instance, the pursuit of enduring happiness is at the core of many mindfulness practices, which often emphasize gratitude and seeking contentment in the present moment. Other […]
The study of happiness in science is relatively new on the scene. Concentrating scientific research on what is right with humans, rather than what is wrong has given vast amounts of new insight into wellbeing. While it is not a hard science, the past decades have had major advances in […]
What is happiness? It seems like an odd question, but is it? Do you know how to define happiness? Do you think happiness is the same thing to you as it is to others? What’s the point of it all? Does it even make a difference in our lives? In […]
I will admit that when I learned that I was to write an article on the psychology, theory, and science of happiness, I thought “easy!”. Little did I know the overwhelming depth of this topic! I found myself asking questions – can science explain happiness? Can happiness be measured? What […]
What is more important to you, happiness or success? According to psychologist Daniel Gilbert, who is a psychology professor at Harvard, happiness is the ultimate goal of virtually all the decisions we make in life (Gilbert, 2010). Gilbert suggests that the measure of a good decision depends on whether that […]
There is a wealth of material out there about happiness. Perhaps your ‘taste-buds’ have been tempted by reading about happiness – either on this website, in your practice, or forming research. You would have found that there are some fantastic books on what is a very broad topic. But it […]
How often do you consider quitting your job and feel that you are not getting paid enough for the dedication and service you offer your organization? Happiness and satisfaction are subjective concepts - while for some of us monetary benefits can be equated with job satisfaction, some might strive for […]
Inner peace is closely related to happiness. From Buddhist philosophy to Mahatma Gandhi and the Dalai Lama, they have all been strong proponents of inner peace. “The pursuit of inner peace is more important than the search for happiness or success." Chris Shea If you want to find inner peace […]
Happiness. It is a term we throw about without much thought these days… my guess is that, actually, you think you know what is meant by saying someone is happy. We all hope to be happy and live a ‘good life’– whatever that means! Do you wonder, what does it […]
If you’re a bit confused about the many, many terms being thrown around related to happiness, well-being, and life satisfaction, you’re not alone! There are so many ways to talk about this topic in positive psychology that it’s easy to get bogged down in ambiguity. For laymen and those not […]
Why do people age differently? Why do some people grow better and happier with age, constantly improving like a fine Cabernet Sauvignon, while other people simply decay with age? Can we find predictors of happiness? The only way to discover the secrets of a long and happy life would be […]
When you think of “bias” you probably think of it in terms of something negative. For example, you might think of being biased against a group of people and link it to racism, or you may think of the theory of confirmation bias, which states that we often ignore all […]
Update September 2019: Wow. It's been two years since I published this post and the comments are still pouring in. Reading these comments will teach you more about human nature than the article will because of the strength of human biases (especially cognitive dissonance reduction and confirmation bias) that is […]
The pursuit of happiness is one that humans have been working toward since the beginning of time. Yet the concept of “happiness” is often hard to accurately define. Living the good life, flourishing, self-actualization, joy, and purpose are words that come to mind with happiness. Is it possible to experience […]
Happiness has been a human pursuit for as long as we can remember, and positive psychology has taken this concept into the realm of scientific research in hopes of gaining a better understanding of global wellbeing and meaningful living. Whether on a global or an individual level, the pursuit of […]
Can you remember the last time you were dreaming of buying a new car, getting a promotion at work, moving into a nicer house or finding a partner to share life with? Do you remember fantasizing about how happy you would be if you attained those things? If you finally […]
A lot has been said and written about the “good life,” and with some 7.3 billion people on this planet, there are quite possibly just as many opinions on what it constitutes. If I have learned one thing in 36 years, it is the fact that “good” is a very […]
