“Happy people are not the smart people.” I was talking to a stock trader shortly before giving a lecture at a large bank in New York. I think he thought I was a fellow trader, but I felt a little awkward at this turn in the conversation… as my lecture topic was the research case…
MICHELLE GIELAN 1: Write a gratitude letter to your partner letting them know the big and small things you’re thankful for about them. Give it to them or read it aloud (while they blush). Why: Studies have shown that people who regularly practice gratitude are more satisfied with their relationships with friends and family. In a study…
Click here to watch the TEDTalk that inspired this post. A few years back, while crunching stats for my dissertation, I spent many nights in the student computer lab in the basement of the psychology department at Yale. On one particularly “dark” night, Bret Logan, head of IT in the psychology department who had come in…
Is happiness harder to find in the modern world? A May report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that between 1999 and 2010, suicide in adults age 35-64 rose 28.4 percent. It rose 48.6 percent for men in their 50s and 59.7% for women age 60-64. Depression can be crippling—the more we…
The X-Spot: Finish strong! Reach any goal faster with this science-based brain trick. Shawn Achor There are few better ways to witness the sheer power of human potential than to watch a runner cross the finish line of a marathon. It’s incredible to see months and years of training, determination and self-discipline culminating in one moment…
In today’s world of smartphones and 24-hour news channels, we’ve become addicted to information. I found myself filling all my micro-moments each day with stuff that blocked me from forward progress. Brain “noise” is any information that is irrelevant, useless, hypothetical or distracting. And noise saps our brains of the energy to process the actually…
Try this experiment and discover possibilities On a napkin or a sheet of paper right now, draw just a rough picture of a coffee cup and saucer—and be creative. On a napkin or a sheet of paper right now, draw just a rough picture of a coffee cup and saucer—and be creative. Read on when you’re…
Earlier this year, research published by the American Psychological Association showed that pessimists— because of their penchant for seeing life through a grim lens—take steps to improve their health, and thus tend to live longer than optimists. In addition, senior citizens who overestimated how happy they would be in five years were found to have…
Set a goal, make a plan, and achieve success? Not so fast. In today’s post-recession economy, your five-year plan to achieve your life goal is all but null and void. Today, the road to success is full of twists, turns and unexpected detours. A recent study commissioned by American Express found that over half (52%) of Americans,…
By Shawn Achor, as told to Joan Raymond | New York Times September 4, 2013I GIVE about 100 lectures a year, which translates to about 300 flights. I try to stay positive about everything, which shouldn’t be a surprise considering I’m a researcher, author and educator in the field of positive psychology. I do have…