Topic: positive psychology

13 for ’13: Nontraditional Self-Help Books

13 for '13: Nontraditional Self-Help Books

In our continuing quest to provide you with new year’s inspiration, here’s a round-up of 13 nontraditional self-help books. If we lost you at “self-help”—wait! The emphasis is on the “nontraditional” here. There are no “skinny rules,” no dating rules, no rules at all, really, in our reading roundup. What you will find are serious, science-backed suggestions for self-improvement; tried and true time-management techniques; positive psychology; and a little bit of hippie-ing out. Hopefully, there’s something for everybody here — unless you’re a Rules girl. In that case, might we suggest you visit Cosmo? More »

Fall Health Syllabus: Nourish Your Mind And Body With These 7 New Books

Fall Health Syllabus: Nourish Your Mind And Body With These 7 New Books

Even if you’re not literally going ‘back to school,’ autumn is a great time to focus on self-improvement and learning new things. The following seven books, all broadly related to health and happiness, offer instruction on everything from increasing your happiness, willpower, and attention span to decreasing negative thought cycles and exposure to toxins. Add one (or all seven!) to your personal health lesson plan now. More »

Can You Increase Your Willpower?

Can You Increase Your Willpower?

Depending on which dictionary you consult, willpower means “energetic determination,” “firmness of will,” “the ability to control oneself and determine one’s actions” or “the strength of will to carry out one’s decisions, wishes or plans.” It all sounds good to me. Regardless of which definition we’re working with, willpower is something I’d like more of, and I’m certainly not alone. (Why else would motivational speakers exist?) But is willpower really something we can work on? Or are the strong-willed simply blessed—and the weak-willed doomed to their fate? More »

Happiness Researchers Say Don’t Just Be Satisfied—Flourish

Happiness Researchers Say Don't Just Be SatisfiedâFlourish

How do we measure happiness? It’s an age-old question, and one that most people would say is largely rhetorical. And now Martin Seligman, the man who wrote the book on happiness—literally—says it’s largely a mute point, as well.

In his latest book, Flourish, Seligman says there are five things crucial to well-being: positive emotion, engagement, relationships, meaning and accomplishment. More »

Feng Shui Yourself, Not Your Negative Friends

Feng Shui Yourself, Not Your Negative Friends

I love MindBodyGreen, one of my top sources for anything and everything related to yoga (including great recipes and inspirational quotes), but a post from author and contributor Jayme Barrett yesterday has had me feeling a little miffed. Her post, “Feng Shui Your Friends,” instructs readers to inventory their negative friends and, where necessary, “cut the cord” for the sake of your health. (Negative friends are like “energy vampires” who suck the life right out of you, she says.) While her advice might be spot on for particular situations, in general, I think our “negative friends” deserve more of a chance. More »