Are Gratitude Lists Too Good To Be True?
When you hear the research about gratitude improving your health, making you feel more connected to others, and lifting your mood - are you skeptical? How are you going to feel better just by making a...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Your Guilty Conscience's Secret Message
Macbeth did it over murder. What’s your excuse? Sometimes, our hands just won’t come clean no matter how often or how hard we scrub. Assuming you’re not a Danish lord with ambitions for the crown,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Don’t Fake it Until You Make It: 7 Zen Habits
I abhor the phrase, “Fake it ‘til you make it.” The very fact that anyone would want to fake anything is intrinsically dishonest and feels bad.Why not re-imagine the way you want to be with real...
View ArticleMaking Meaningful Memories at Thanksgiving
Holidays can be great. Many people have a day (or more) off from work, which allows them to spend time with loved ones, and perhaps enjoy the bounty of good food. So for some, holidays are heavenly....
View ArticleClik here to view.
Feminine Physique
In the middle of BBC World news is a story about a South Korean pop star turned to bodybuilding. The Korean feminine body ideal, the report reveals, has long been petite and thin, but is now changing...
View ArticleThe Doctor and the Patient
Shipwrecks ever stir the soul. The intense isolation of being lost at sea is deeply penetrating. As I stare up over morning coffee at a watercolor of the British schooner Walter Miller that was...
View ArticleLike Real-estate, Feline House Soiling Is All About Location
Elimination outside of the litter box in unwanted locations is the most common cat owner complaint and a major reason that cats are taken to a shelter or rescue center. Yet contrary to what some pet...
View ArticleAdvanced Ninja People Skills
I have an allergy to superiority. It’s my Achilles heel. Start talking down to me and patronizing me in a belittling tone and I can feel my blood pressure begin to step up. My nervous system triggers...
View ArticleWhen Fighting Cancer, Resilience Isn't About Inner Strengths
I study resilience all around the world, and the thing I’ve learned most is that what we have inside of us (personal strengths, positive beliefs, hope for the future, etc.) accounts very little for why...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Telling Lies: Fact, Fiction, and Nonsense, by Maria Hartwig
Bella's intro: The most famous deception researcher in the world is Paul Ekman. You've probably read about him or his work and seen him on TV, either as himself or Tim Roth, the actor who played him on...
View ArticleThe 11 People We Love to Hate at Work
It’s not always fair to use labels to describe people, but sometimes, they just fit. See how many of these Evil Eleven work at your organization. They can try your patience, kill your morale, and...
View ArticleThe Real Reason Why Your Partner May Not Be Listening To You
I'm amazed at how many people just don't get this: It is hard to open your ears and your heart if your mouth is wide-open and flapping away. As I describe in my relationship book, Why Can't You Read My...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Happy Thanksgiving: The Benefits of Gratitude
A little over six months ago a student walked into my office and proposed a thesis project that transformed my entire lab. His idea was pretty simple—we know that gratitude interventions increase...
View ArticleClik here to view.
If Anger Is a Gift, Let's Not Do Gifts This Christmas
The following is my rebuttal to Michael Karson's recent post, ‘The Gift of Anger’. This post was just one of a plethora of pro-anger posts assembled recently under the collection, 'Benefits of...
View Article3 Tips to Make Your Attitude of Gratitude Last Over Time
Today is Thanksgiving and the phrases, I'm grateful" and "Be grateful" are going to be expressed over and over by millions of people. That is a really good thing!I so happy that I have seen more and...
View ArticleClik here to view.
How to Avoid Bargain-Brained Holiday Shopping Pitfalls
The biggest shopping season of the year is upon us. And no matter how well you shop or how much you like shopping, you, like the rest of us, are more likely than not to start the New Year with a couple...
View ArticleUse This One Word To Have More Self-Control With Food
I have found it alarming that in this information age where there is so much accessible nutrtion and exercise information, that child and adult obesity rates have soared. At the end of the day, no...
View ArticleClik here to view.
"The Grand Prix of Hallucinations"
“I used to be a captive of my symptoms. Now I investigate them.” So spoke a man suffering for decades from schizophrenia to a roomful of people, some also former mental patients and some not. He was...
View ArticleGratitude: What I Have Learned From My Patients
Individuals with eating disorders and their families often struggle during the holiday season. Fear of food, fat, self-condemnation, relational stress, anxiety and depression often are themes in...
View ArticleTwo Concepts of Oppression
The Oxford English Dictionary defines “oppression” as “the state of being subject to unjust treatment or control.” However, this does not mean that those so subject are aware of their unjust...
View Article