Positive Medicine: the Connection Between Health and Happiness

What does it mean to be healthy? For instance, is a marathon runner who cries himself to sleep every night truly healthy? We live in a world where happiness and health are spoken of in absolute terms, but in practice, are far more complex. We know physical and emotional health are both important, but often prioritize physical fitness over mental fitness, to our own detriment. Recent research from the field of positive psychology reveals that human emotion, and specifically happiness, impacts every biological process in the body: how we think, what we eat, how we act, what we perceive about the world around us. As we begin to unlock these clues, we can tap into deeper levels of potential…and happiness.In this talk, Doctor Bobo draws on his experiences as an Adolescent Medicine specialist for the largest hospital in the Department of Defense as well as his creative endeavors to bring the science of positive psychology to life through new avenues like culinary medicine and fiction. His down-to-earth affect combined with his playful spirit and deep knowledge of the subject is sure to help audiences think about their own health and happiness in entirely new ways.Key Learning Objectives:Uncover the origin of optimism in the brainExplore the reciprocal nature of how happiness leads to health, and health leads to happiness.Learn how fitness and food impact moodUnderstand how environmental factors shape perception and performanceDiscover how positive habits can improve health outcomes