My happiness may not be your happiness just as your happiness may not be mine.  While we may not agree on what makes us happy, we do agree that we all seek happiness.

Some of us are intuitively happy.  For these people, happiness is a natural place. ... read more >

We’re each in charge.  We’re in command of our own life and our own happiness.  That’s nice, we think.  But, what does that really mean?  Instead, just tell me what I have to do to be happy.  My plate is loaded.  If I’m in charge, what do I need to do?    

Many of us don’t exactly know what to do to grow our sense of well-being.... read more >

Let a Smile Be Your Umbrella was a popular song in the Sixties.  Its message is universal.  Wherever you are on this earth, a smile will improve your experience.  The physical act of smiling actually changes our body and it warms the people around us. 

A smile can change our mood and the mood of others.  The simple act of a smile can change other people’s day – you can alter their mood with a smile.... read more >

Whatever our age, wherever we live, no matter what our income, we tend to see our future as rosy.  Optimism, it turns out, is a human condition.  We foresee a good future for us and for our children.  Neuroscientist, Tali Sharot, calls the belief in a better future optimism bias.¹  Interestingly, we don’t forecast a positive future for everyone, only for our children and us.

What does that really mean?  And, how can we be optimistic about our future when we are fighting wars, tornadoes are ravaging parts of... read more >

We all do it, some more than others. We smile when we are happy, we smile when we see someone who is meaningful to us.  We’re all smilers, automatically responding with a smile, right?  No.  Not all of us smile regularly.

Early on in life, we learn that a smile can serve a social purpose.  That’s done mostly by girls, however, as boys often refrain from smiling because it’s seen as too emotional.... read more >

It doesn’t have to be New Years; we can set goals on any day of the year.  The time of year won’t drive our success.  What will help to ensure our success is the specifics of our goal.  In the case of goals, your success is definitely in the details.

How much detail?  A great deal.  The acronym that follows will be your guide to smart goal setting:... read more >

How Does Google Change Our Memory Skills?  Have you ever worried that your brain might go soft because you use Google to get your answers?  The terrific news is that you no longer need to remember all the details.  Columbia University psychologist, Betsy Sparrow’s research shows that our memories are changing but in a positive way.  We are becoming less reliant on data and better able to process information.  The internet has become our primary form of external memory – we know where to go to find the information we seek. ... read more >

At our very core, we each have our own set of strengths.  These strengths play an important role in our daily lives.  Usually, we feel energized and satisfied when we use our strengths.  In fact, research shows that our greatest successes are the result of our using our unique strengths.

What do we know about strengths?  We know that many companies now use strengths training.  We know, in fact, that many businesses  seek a balance of character strengths for their staff.  That’s fine but what do we know... read more >