Blog #33 – Life satisfaction We have touched on this topic before, but it is important to pay specific attention to the distinction between happiness and life satisfaction, as it relates to well-being. In early posts in this series, we highlighted the potential for disappointment if an individual’s sole strategy for boosting their well-being…
Several months ago, we devoted an entry in this series to the relationship between money and happiness. More specifically, we highlighted research findings suggesting the sometimes unquestioned assumption that more money will make us happier does not stand up to close scrutiny. What that research – conducted by Daniel Kahneman and Angus Deaton – found…
The benefits of negative emotions Having devoted several posts recently to the area of increasing happiness, we shifted gears a little last time out and focused on the potential hazards of being too committed to the idea of cultivating positivity. In today’s post, we will take that one step further and highlight some of…
What Is Heart Failure? Heart failure is a condition in which the heart can’t pump enough blood to meet the body’s needs. In some cases, the heart can’t fill with enough blood. In other cases, the heart can’t pump blood to the rest of the body with enough force. Some people have both problems. The…
Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA) Screening is now available in MPHC The 4th Practice in conjuction with Affidea What is an AAA? The aorta is the main vessel carrying blood around your body. In some people, especially older men, the wall of the aorta gradually weakens and starts to expand. See diagrammatic illustration below. Is an…
In recent posts, our focus has been on happiness. More specifically, we have concerned ourselves with different approaches to increasing happiness, with these strategies grounded in theory and supported by research findings. One of the recurring motifs in this area is the role played by positivity and the experience of positive emotion. Let us be…
Increasing happiness (Part 6) Martin Seligman is synonymous with positive psychology, which, in turn, is closely linked in the public mind with research into happiness and well-being. As that connection would suggest, Seligman has devoted considerable time and effort to theorising and conducting research on well-being-related topics. We mentioned him in a post very early…
Increasing happiness (Part 5) In recent weeks, we have looked at the idea of increasing happiness from several different angles, e.g., cultivating gratitude, using signature strengths, and actively trying to boost your own mood. There are many other possible avenues through which we can explore this topic, and, in this post, we will look at…
Last time, we looked at the role that self-selection can play in happiness and well-being-related research. In doing so, we highlighted a study which found that while participants who are enthusiastic about the prospect of taking part in interventions designed to boost well-being are likely to benefit most, the positive results that such studies frequently…
We concluded last time by raising the issue of how self-selection may muddy the waters in happiness/well-being-related research. Self-selection in this context refers to a scenario in which researchers seek out participants for well-being research and attract responses from individuals who are interested in cultivating personal well-being and boosting their happiness. I refer to this…