Is Marriage Good for Your Health?
Thursday, November 19th, 2009 | Tags: family, health, marriage | Leave a Comment »It’s conventional wisdom that marriage is good for your health, and sure enough, many studies do show that married people are healthier. But a recent study by John Hopkins University social demographer Mary Hughes and University of Chicago sociologist Linda ...
How to De-Stress
Monday, October 5th, 2009 | Tags: exercise, health | 1 Comment »When life gets stressful, many of us tend to dwell on whatever it is that’s causing us stress rather than taking a break to enjoy our favorite hobby or a meal with friends, which can seem like a waste of ...
Aging in Reverse: A Review of Counterclockwise
Friday, September 25th, 2009 | Tags: aging, happiness, health, mindfulness, positive psychology | 1 Comment »In Counterclockwise, Ellen Langer, a renowned social psychologist at Harvard, suggests that our beliefs and expectations impact our physical health at least as much as diets and doctors do. She argues that, as we grow older, our physical limitations are ...
The Dark Side of Self-Help
Wednesday, September 16th, 2009 | Tags: happiness, health | 6 Comments »“I am a beautiful person.” “I am capable of anything.” Self-help books and motivational speakers are often quick to recommend these kinds of personal mantras to make us feel better about ourselves. But it seems that for many of us, ...
Creative Thinking in the Crescent City
Friday, August 28th, 2009 | Tags: arts, cooperation, development, evolution, family, flow, health, money, motivation, need, optimism, positive psychology, prosocial behavior, psychology, social connections, social integration, sustainability | 1 Comment »[caption id="attachment_704" align="alignleft" width="326" caption="Lower Ninth Ward, 2009 "][/caption] This week marks the four-year anniversary of the devastation of New Orleans by Hurricane Katrina. As hurricane season begins again this year, some are left wondering how the survivors of the storm ...
How to Stick to Your Exercise Routine
Monday, July 27th, 2009 | Tags: exercise, health, motivation, psychology, self-actualization | Leave a Comment »When I started trail running eight years ago, getting into my running clothes and hitting the trail in the morning felt more like a visit to the dentist. I was in an emotional bind every single time, always looking for ...
The Art of Relief
Thursday, July 23rd, 2009 | Tags: arts, health | Leave a Comment »Some people do art to make a statement or make some money; others do it for fun. But new research suggests that producing art can also bring some highly therapeutic benefits to those in the grips of a terrible disease. Researchers ...
Mobilizing Health Pilot Has Begun!
Tuesday, July 7th, 2009 | Tags: Awards, Mobilizing Health, health, helping behavior, social capital | Leave a Comment »In our last post, we introduced our project, Mobilizing Health, before we left for our fieldwork in India. Mobilizing Health has received some funding from the Greater Good Science Center in the form of a summer fellowship to one of ...
Better Together: A review of The Lonely American
Thursday, June 18th, 2009 | Tags: Uncategorized, aging, happiness, health, nature, prosocial behavior, social connections, social exclusion, social integration | Leave a Comment »“Americans in the twenty-first century devote more technology to staying connected than any society in history, yet somehow the devices fail us: Studies show that we feel increasingly alone.” So begins the new book The Lonely American, by psychiatrists Jacqueline Olds ...
Center Fellow Leaves for India to Mobilize Health
Monday, June 8th, 2009 | Tags: Awards, Mobilizing Health, health, helping behavior, social capital | Leave a Comment »That’s me—Pooja Upadhyaya—with the video camera I’m taking with me to India for a project called Mobilizing Health, partially funded by a summer fellowship from the Greater Good Science Center. I leave today! I’ll be joined by two other Mobilizing Health ...
