Positive Psychology News Digest | No. 13/2017

My favorite news and blog articles covering Positive Psychology and adjacent Topics from (roughly) the last seven days.

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The Week: Ancient wisdom: How the Buddhists and Stoics stay emotionally strong by Eric Barker


New York Times: A Positive Outlook May Be Good for Your Health by Jane Brody


New York Times: Jerks and the Start-Ups They Ruin by Dan Lyons


Fulfillment Daily: The Hidden Energy of Meaningful Connection at Work by Ann Petry


Gulf News: Expanding happiness from individuals to whole cities by Imran Markar & Aubrilyn Reeder


Greater Good Science Center: How to Be Successful and Still Compassionate by Kira Newman


New Yorker: Daniel Dennett’s Science of the Soul by Joshua Rothman


New York Magazine: Your Job Can’t Be the Only Meaningful Thing in Your Life by Brad Stulberg


American Management Association: Want More Joy At Work? Combine Trust With A Sense Of Purpose by Paul Zak


Heleo: Reading, Writing, and Purpose: Why We Should Teach Kids Meaning at School, no author

Positive Psychology News Digest | No. 08/2017

mappalicious_news_digest_2017My favorite news and blog articles covering Positive Psychology and adjacent topics from (roughly) the last seven days.

Forbes: Two Reasons We Fail to Be Creative by Caroline Beaton


Mindful.org: Can Mindfulness Help Us Navigate the Fourth Industrial Revolution? by Jamie Bristow


New Yorker: Why Facts Don’t Change Our Minds by Elisabeth Kolbert


Greater Good Science Center: What Would Buddha Do About the Economy? by Jenara Nerenberg


The Positive Organization: The Power of an Organizing Image by Robert Quinn


Sciencer of Us: To Navigate a Challenge, Pretend You’re Giving Advice to a Friend by Brad Stulberg


Greater Good Science Center: Can You Change Your Personality? by Jill Suttie


Heleo: Feeling Adrift? Here’s How to Strengthen Meaning in Your Life, no author


Michigan Ross: The Business Case for Compassion, no author


Heleo: Why Bringing Compassion to Work is Good for Business, no author

Positive Psychology News Digest | July-September 2016 (+ 130 Articles)

Time: 4 Rituals That Will Make You Happy, According to Neuroscience by Eric Barker


Positive Prescription: Session with Angela Duckworth by Samantha Boardman


Vice: America’s Search for Happiness Is Driving Us Crazy by Peter Moskowitz


Atlantic: Awe Isn’t Necessarily Good for You by Michelle Nijhuis


Washington Post: A Harvard psychologist explains why forcing positive thinking won’t make you happy by Neda Semnani


New York Magazine: ’Power Posing’ Co-author: ‘I Do Not Believe That ‘Power Pose’ Effects Are Real’ by Jesse Singal


New York Magazine: Here is Amy Cuddy’s Response to Critiques of Her Power-Posing Research by Jesse Singal & Melissa Dahl


Phys.org: Game theory research reveals fragility of common resources by Emil Venere


Economist: Against happiness, no author


Heleo: Adam Grant and Barry Schwartz on Incentives, Motivation, and Chance, no author


NPR: Here’s How Schools Can Support Students’ Mental Health by Meg Anderson


Harvard Business Review: Why Leadership Training Fails—and What to Do About It by Michael Beer, Magnus Finnström & Derek Schrader


Psychology Today: Strengths at Work by Dan Collinson


Guardian: Do our brains have extraordinary untapped powers? by Mo Costandi


NPR: Are We Reaching The End Of The Trend For Longer, Healthier Lives? by Richard Harris


Guardian: Why being a fake is bad for you by Stephen Joseph


Good News Network: Positive Psychology Students Learn by Giving Free Hugs on Campus by McKinley Korbley


New York Times: Want to Find Fulfillment at Last? Think Like a Designer by Steven Kurutz


Huffington Post: For Business Schools, Being Good is No Longer Good Enough by Dan LeClair


Psychology Today: What Does It Take to Be Happy? by David Ludden


Strategy+Business: How Well Do You Know the Story of You? by Eric McNulty


Fulfillment Daily: Why you shouldn’t set goals for success by Ray Williams


Harvard Business Review: The More You Energize Your Coworkers, the Better Everyone Performs by Wayne Baker


Fast Company: 7 Science-Backed Steps To Take Before Quitting A Job That’s Burning You Out by Rachel Grumman Bender


Wall Street Journal: The More Cash People Have, the Happier They Are by Andrew Blackman


ERE Media: The Business Benefits Of Happy Employees by Karlyn Borysenko


Wall Street Journal: Get Your Children Good and Dirty by Brett Finlay & Marie-Claire Arrieta


New York Times: The Difference Between Rationality and Intelligence by David Hambrick & Alexander Burgoyne


Greater Good Science Center: Who Is Attracted to Inspiring Media? by Sophie Janicke


New York Times: Can You Have a Good Life if You Don’t Have a Good Job? by Michael Lind


Guardian: Could bad buildings damage your mental health? by Emily Reynolds


New York Times: Can Teenage Defiance Be Manipulated for Good? by Amanda Ripley


Fast Company: 7 Surprising Facts About Creativity, According To Science by John Paul Titlow


Huffington Post: Three ways to work better together by Chris White


Heleo: Mastering the Art of Pre-suasion with Robert Cialdini, no author


CNN: Fall in love with a job you don’t even like, in three steps by David Allan


New York Magazine: You Can Write Your Way Out of an Emotional Funk. Here’s How by Susan David


Wall Sreet Journal: Design Your Way to a Happier Life by Dave Evans & Bill Burnett


New York Times: Researchers Confront an Epidemic of Loneliness by Katie Hafner


BPS Research Digest: It’s possible to learn to be more optimistic by Christian Jarrett


Harvard Business Review: Don’t Let Power Corrupt You by Dacher Keltner


Psychology Today: Using Gratitude to Change Your Happiness Set Point by Laura Markham


The National: Can social media reveal happiness? by Christopher Pike


The Positive Organization: Purpose and Appreciation by Robert Quinn


New York Magazine: You Should Visualize Positive and Negative Outcomes More by Jesse Singal


Quartz: One Swedish town is conducting a giant social experiment to make its workers happier by Cassie Werber


Stanford GSB: Which Will Get You Further: Fitting In or Standing Out? by Eleine Zimmerman


New York Times: Making Modern Toughness by David Brooks


New York Magazine: How to Motivate Your Employees: Give Them Compliments and Pizza by Melissa Dahl


Slate: Sad Face: Another classic finding in psychology—that you can smile your way to happiness—just blew up by Daniel Engber


Washington Post: Life got better for pretty much everyone under Obama by Christopher Ingraham


Psychology Today: Is Positive Psychology Burning You Out by Michelle McQuaid


New York Times: Do You Believe in God, or Is That a Software Glitch? by Kate Murphy


Guardian: Hunting for hygge, a new ingredient in Denmark’s recipe for happiness by Richard Orange


Guardian: If you want to practise mindfulness, the garden is the place to be by Tom Smart


Psychology Today: How to Spot Authenticity by Stephen Joseph


ABC Australia: Gut health, mental wellbeing and immunity linked to outdoor play by Layla Tucak


Fast Company: What Happened When I Pretended To Be Outgoing For A Week by Stephanie Vozza


New York Times: Growing Older, Getting Happier by Nicholas Bakalar


Wall Street Journal: Why You Need Negative Feelings by Elizabeth Bernstein


Washington Post: Your Instagram feed can tell us if you’re depressed, study suggest by Ariana Eunjung Cha


New York Magazine: You’re Not Supposed to Be Happy All the Time by Melissa Dahl


New York Magazine: This Study Got People to Make Huge Life Decisions by Flipping a Coin by Flipping a Coin by Melissa Dahl


Psychology Today: Crazy Busy? What Would You Pay for an Hour of Calm? by Paula Davis-Laack


Greater Good Science Center: The Power of Forgiveness at Work by Brooke Deterline


Telegraph: Say hello to hygge: The Danish secret to happiness by Maria Lally


Inc: These 5 Powerful Daily Habits Will Make You a More Positive Person by Jessica Stillman


Fast Company: The Surprising Scientific Link Between Happiness And Decision Making by Laura Vanderkam


Economist: Believing is seeing: New technologies will make society richer by cultivating trust, no author


NPR: Which Countries Are Best At Converting National Wealth Into Well-Being? by Nurith Aizenman


Forbes: 5 Strategies To Close The Confidence Gap by Paula Davis-Laack


Psychology Today: A Simple Exercise to Boost Optimism (And Improve Health) by Utpal Dholakia


Stanford Medicine: Well now: What humans need to flourish by Jennie Dusheck


Consequence of Sound: Going to concerts regularly leads to a happier life, according to a new study by Alex Galbraith


BBC: There’s no such thing as flexible work by Georgina Kenyon


New York Times: Hesitant to Make That Big Life Change? Permission Granted by Carl Richards


New York Mag: The Best Time to Do Stuff You Hate Is When You’re at Your Happiest by Cari Romm


New York Mag: To Be Happier at Work, Get a Hobby by Cari Romm


Forbes: Forget Positive Thinking: This Is How To Actually Change Negative Thoughts For Success by Melody Wilding


The Conversation: Negative reports of positive psychology show ignorance isn’t bliss by Adam Barsky & Michael Zyphur


Atlantic: Story of My Life: How Narrative Creates Personality by Julie Beck


Quartz: Psychology has identified three mindsets shared by people who actually follow through on their goals by Amanda Crowell


Wired UK: Not enjoying your job? Let the spark of passion come first by Angela Duckworth


Psychology Today: 10 discoveries about well-being that everyone must know by Todd Kashdan


Guardian: The Danish Way of Parenting review – how to raise the world’s happiest Kids by Alice O´Keeffe


Washington Post: Clinton is more optimistic than Trump. But optimism doesn’t predict winners anymore by Martin Seligman


Fulfillment Daily: Get an Edge on Your Work & Happiness with Self-Compassion by Emma Seppälä


Wall Street Journal: What do teens need most from parents for intellectual, social and emotional development? by Sue Shellenbarger


Time: Why the American Dream Is Making You Unhappy by Ruth Whippman


Huffington Post: How to motivate people? Don’t do it yourself by Chris White


New York Magazine: ‘Take a Deep Breath’ Is Advice That Works Physiologically and Psychologically by Drake Baer


Psychology Today: The Neuroprotective Powers of Exercise Should Motivate You by Christopher Bergland


Harvard Business Review: Can You Really Power an Organization with Love? by Duncan Coombe


Psychology Today: The Playful Life by Bernard De Koven


Forbes: The Joy Of Work: Menlo Innovations by Steve Denning


Psychology Today: 4 Reasons Why an Optimistic Outlook Is Good for Your Health by Utpal Dholakia


Guardian: The Happiness Industry by William Davies review – why capitalism has turned us into narcissists by Terry Eagleton


Greater Good Science Center: Is Artistic Inspiration Contagious? by Scott Barry Kaufman


Atlantic: Would you be happier with a different personality? by Scott Barry Kaufman


Fast Company: 4 Ways To Bounce Back When You’re Treated Unfairly At Work by David Mayer


Finnish News: Perceptions of Finnish Sisu – in California by Göte Nyman


New York Magazine: Why Declaring ‘I’m an Introvert!’ Limits Your Life by Drake Baer


Time: The fun way to easily improve your life, backed by research by Eric Barker


Forbes: 10 Troubling Habits Of Chronically Unhappy People by Travis Bradberry


New York Times: The Structure of Gratitude by David Brooks


Atlantic: How to change your personality by Scott Barry Kaufman


New Yorker: What Makes People Feel Upbeat at Work by Maria Konnikova


Business Insider: The same trait that can make you popular in middle school also helps you succeed at work by Shana Lebowitz


Tech Insider: Science says happier people have these 9 things in common by Kevin Loria


Psychology Today: What Happens When Hope Is Lost? by Michelle McQuaid


Washington Post: The downside of being happy by Ana Swanson


Psychology Today: How Stress Makes Us Healthier and Happier by Nick Tasler


Huffington Post: Lessons learned about positive psychology and positive education by Susie Wolbe


Scientific American: Kindness Contagion by Jamil Zaki


New York Times: The Incalculable Value of Finding a Job You Love by Robert Frank


Psychology Today: Why Limit Yourself? by Seth Gillihan


Heleo: Of the Two Kinds of Happiness, This One Will Help You Be More Resilient by Mandy Godwin


Independent: Altruism has more of an evolutionary advantage than selfishness, mathematicians say by Ian Johnston


Aeon: Don’t think too positive by Gabriele Oettingen & Pam Weintraub


Fast Company: This Is The Most Likely Reason Why You Feel Successful But Still Aren’t Happy by Neil Pasricha


The Positive Organization: An Elusive Leadership Skill by Robert Quinn


Weekly Times Now: Mindfulness is becoming more of a priority in Schools by Camille Smith


International Business Times: Reading books and watching films makes you kinder in real life by Léa Surugue


Greater Good Science Center: Why Your Office Needs More Nature by Jill Suttie


Atlantic: Can this app make me happier? by Julie Beck


Positive Psychology News Daily: Are There Items on Today’s To-Do List that Bring You Joy? by Kathryn Britton


Esquire: 6 Surprising Things Science Says Will Make You Happy by Olivia Ovenden


Telegraph: Should happiness be part of the school curriculum? by Olivia Parker


Huffington Post: Can Your Building Make You Healthier? by Dan Probst


The Positive Organization: Denial and Reality by Robert Quinn


ABC: Connecting the dots between happiness and a sense of meaning by Sophie Scott


USA Today: Educators see gold in Pokémon Go by Greg Toppo


Time: Practice doesn’t make perfect, actually by Zachary Hambrick & Fredrik Ullén


Heleo: Scott Barry Kaufman and Sarah Lewis on the Art and Science of Creativity, no author


Wall Street Journal: Why good storytellers are happier in life and in love by Elizabeth Bernstein


Psychology Today: The Perils of Pursuing Pleasure by Michael Bishop


Guardian: How to stay happy when the sky is falling in by Oliver Burkeman


CityLab: The Price of Happiness in Cities by Richard Florida


Atlantic: 7 Ways to Find Meaning at Work by Uri Friedman


Harvard Business Review: Everyone Suffers from Imposter Syndrome — Here’s How to Handle it by Andy Molinsky


Psychology Today: Why Is There Hardly Any Purpose, Trust or Joy at Work? by Dan Pontefract


Fast Company: Scientific Proof That Buying Things Can Actually Lead To Happiness (Sometimes) by Dinsa Sachan


New York Mag: Can Attachment Theory Explain All Our Relationships? by Bethany Saltman


New Yorker: A Better Kind of Happiness by Will Storr


CNBC: A psychologist says this is the formula for success by Marguerite Ward

Mappalicious - Positive Psychology news Digest

Positive Psychology News Digest on Mappalicious | No. 30/2016

My favorite pieces covering Positive Psychology and adjacent from (roughly) the last seven days.

New York Mag: Why Declaring ‘I’m an Introvert!’ Limits Your Life by Drake Baer


Time: The fun way to easily improve your life, backed by research by Eric Barker


Forbes: 10 Troubling Habits Of Chronically Unhappy People by Travis Bradberry


New York Times: The Structure of Gratitude by David Brooks


Atlantic: How to change your personality by Scott Barry Kaufman


New Yorker: What Makes People Feel Upbeat at Work by Maria Konnikova


Business Insider: The same trait that can make you popular in middle school also helps you succeed at work by Shana Lebowitz


Tech Insider: Science says happier people have these 9 things in common by Kevin Loria


Psychology Today: What Happens When Hope Is Lost? by Michelle McQuaid


Washington Post: The downside of being happy by Ana Swanson


Psychology Today: How Stress Makes Us Healthier and Happier by Nick Tasler


Huffington Post: Lessons learned about positive psychology and positive education by Susie Wolbe


Scientific American: Kindness Contagion by Jamil Zaki

Mappalicious - Positive Psychology news Digest

Positive Psychology News Digest on Mappalicious | No. 27/2016

My favorite pieces covering Positive Psychology and adjacent from (roughly) the last seven days.

Wall Street Journal: Why good storytellers are happier in life and in love by Elizabeth Bernstein


Psychology Today: The Perils of Pursuing Pleasure by Michael Bishop


Guardian: How to stay happy when the sky is falling in by Oliver Burkeman


CityLab: The Price of Happiness in Cities by Richard Florida


Atlantic: 7 Ways to Find Meaning at Work by Uri Friedman


Harvard Business Review: Everyone Suffers from Imposter Syndrome — Here’s How to Handle it by Andy Molinsky


Psychology Today: Why Is There Hardly Any Purpose, Trust or Joy at Work? by Dan Pontefract


Fast Company: Scientific Proof That Buying Things Can Actually Lead To Happiness (Sometimes) by Dinsa Sachan


New York Mag: Can Attachment Theory Explain All Our Relationships? by Bethany Saltman


New Yorker: A Better Kind of Happiness by Will Storr


CNBC: A psychologist says this is the formula for success by Marguerite Ward

Mappalicious - Positive Psychology news Digest

Positive Psychology News Digest on Mappalicious | No. 7/16

My favorite pieces covering Positive Psychology and adjacent from (roughly) the last seven days:

Inc: 11 Signs You Have the Grit You Need to Succeed by Travis Bradberry


Forbes: The Surprising Power Of Appreciation At Work by Chris Cancialosi


Greater Good Science Center: Can Helping Others Help You Find Meaning in Life? by Elizabeth Hopper


New Yorker: How People Learn to Become Resilient by Maria Konnikova


Wall Street Journal: ‘Resilience’ skills help you remain positive and productive under stress by Laura Landro


Forbes: Amy Cuddy: How Leaders Can Be More Present In The Workplace by Dan Schawbel


Boston Globe: How nice bosses get ahead by Emma Seppälä


Washington Post: What people around the world mean when they say they’re happy by Ana Swanson


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“I am the Father of Positive Psychology, not Learned Helplessness”, Martin Seligman says

Martin Seligman & Nico RoseIs a scientist (morally) responsible for his scientific discoveries? In a way yes, I would guess. If you help to develop the atomic bomb (knowing what kind of destruction it´ll cause…) and put it in the hand of the military, you´re at least partly responsible in case it is actually used. But what if somebody else (unknowingly…) takes your scientific discovery – and uses it in a way that is fundamentally the opposite of what you intended it to be?

Because this is what happened to the co-founder of Positive Psychology, Martin Seligman. Over the last couple of weeks, Marty was mentioned in several articles covering the “CIA torture report”, e.g., here in the New York Magazine. Supposedly, two psychologists that helped the CIA to develop “more efficient” torture methods said they were “inspired” to do so by research on the subject of learned helplessness, a framework that was first described by Marty in the late 1960s (this was his breakthrough as an internationally acclaimed researcher; here´s one of the first articles on the subject from 1967), and that was subsequently used to develop effective treatment methods for depression.

Some articles even (falsely!) claimed that Marty was directly involved in the development of torture methods. For instance, this so happened in the “Spiegel” (“Mirror”), Germany´s leading weekly magazine on politics and culture. Luckily, I was able to help Marty to some extent with my knowledge of the German media system. At the end of the day, an intervention led to a significant reformulation of central aspects of the article. The newspaper even apologized to him for having made those false claims.

If you are interested in the development of the concept of learned helplessness and its (alleged) role in torture methods (and Marty´s thoughts and feelings on this unfortunate issue): there´s a superb article on this topic by Maria Konnikova in the New Yorker.