“Money can’t buy you happiness, but it can buy you a yacht big enough to pull up right alongside it.” – David Lee Roth While that’s a funny quote, it’s not terribly accurate according to the science of happiness. Long story short, money helps many individuals, families, and countries to be happier, but it typically doesn’t read more…
To boost your happiness at work next week, would you choose: A) A good but ordinary lunch with a different colleague every day for one week; or B) Grinding through lunch alone at your desk each day for four days, then a special delicious lunch out with a colleague one day? Thinking about the San read more…
Note: This is an article I co-wrote with Chris Wilson, a psychologist who integrates mindfulness exercises into his personal and professional life. He also took the two photos you see in this post. You can find out more about him and his work at www.drchristopherwilson.com. The article has originally been published in Positive Psychology News read more…
If I had just five minutes of your time, I would tell you the most important science of being happier at work. Because I believe: We all deserve to be happy at work. Science tells us why to be happier: it brings benefits including (but not limited to) success, creativity, engagement, sociability, productivity and health. read more…
If I had just three minutes of your time, I would tell you the most important lessons from applying the science of happiness to work. Because I believe: Happiness means many things to many people. Scientists use the term “subjective well-being” which hints at two important facts: I mean all of that every time I read more…
If I had just one minute, I would tell you the most important lessons from the science of happiness. Because I believe: At least 40% of your happiness is determined by what you think and do. Happiness is largely a choice. First, make progress toward goals that are important to you. The sustainable source of read more…
I never would have predicted that my junior high drafting class, a cliché, graphic recording, neuroscience, and presentations would all have something in common. It was the first day of my junior high drafting class, and my classmate was standing at the front of the room with a podium hiding the object in his hands. read more…
Since leaving Intel to work on Happy Brain Science full time, a common question has been “What’s your story? How did you get to this point?” I was a cognitive science major at Vassar College (it turned co-ed in 1969, in case you were wondering). I’ve long been fascinated by what makes brains tick. But read more…
Watching yourself on video can be a very strange experience. You are rarely watching yourself. Depending on your personality and self-esteem, you may immediately cringe, or be very proud of yourself. I recently managed to get a few short videos of me presenting up on YouTube, including this one. I find it quite difficult to read more…
In a series of studies published by Kimberlee Weaver of Virginia Tech and Stephen M. Garcia & Norbert Schwarz from the University of Michigan, they describe the “presenter’s paradox”. In the eyes of most presenters more is better, whether presenting information or gifts. The paradox is that in the eyes of most recipients, a less valuable read more…