Tag Archives: "science"

Over the weekend, I read David Rock’s very interesting book, Your Brain at Work: Strategies for Overcoming Distraction, Regaining Focus, and Working Smarter All Day Long. One strategy particularly struck me: if you’re feeling a negative emotion, you can work to reduce it by labeling it in one or two words. Note, however, that thinking or talking at length about … →

Happiness interview: Sonja Lyubomirsky. I got to know Professor Sonja Lyubomirsky through her work, which includes the fascinating book The How of Happiness: A Scientific Approach to Getting the Life You Want (just the kind of book I love), and then I met her in person when we appeared together in this episode of the Katie Couric show. Now she … →

Happiness interview: Carlin Flora. I got to know Carlin Flora through Psychology Today (a magazine and a site that I love) when she was a writer and editor there. Now, she has a terrific book coming out in a few days, on a subject of tremendous importance to happiness: friendship. Ancient philosophers and contemporary scientists agree: a key to happiness, … →

One of my latest, and favorite, happiness resolutions is to Cultivate good smells. I’d never thought much about the sense of smell, but after some research — and just paying more attention — I realize how critical this sense is to my feelings of vitality and enjoyment. It’s a cliche to “stop and smell the roses,” of course, but just … →

I just got back from a very nice week’s vacation. While I was away, I tried an experiment on myself, which turned out very successfully. I’d been intrigued by studies suggesting that interrupting a pleasant experience with something less pleasant can intensify a person’s overall pleasure. For example, surprisingly, commercials actually make TV-watching more fun. Interrupting a massage heightens the … →