Blog #67 – Leisure & well-being part 3 By Dr. Mark Barry Last time, we looked at research highlighting how if we spend at least some of our leisure time engaged in activities that promote meaning, then that in turn can lead to a pay-off in terms of individual well-being. The flip-side…
Blog #66 – Leisure and well-being – Part 2 By Dr. Mark Barry In our last post, we focused on leisure time and how it may be more important in terms of individual well-being than sometimes assumed in the general population. While some stereotypes associate leisure with self-indulgent pursuits, we highlighted research evidence…
Blog #65 – Leisure and well-being By Dr. Mark Barry When we think of leisure time, certain images tend to come to mind. It is not unusual to imagine leisure as an exercise in self-indulgence, whether sprawled on a couch watching yet another box-set on television or perhaps on holiday, stationed at poolside with…
Blog #64 – Can we learn to be more optimistic? By Dr. Mark Barry One of the simplest ways to define optimism is to think of it in terms of the extent to which individuals have favourable expectations for the future. The more optimistic will imagine positive events awaiting them, while pessimists will…
Blog #63 – Spending, time, and well-being In recent posts, we have revisited the topic of money and happiness. More specifically, we took another look at the widely accepted claim that spending on experiences trumps spending on material things for happiness and well-being, noting that recent research suggests it may not be quite that simple,…
Blog #62 – Experience versus stuff By Dr. Mark Barry Last time, we revisited the question of whether we should spend money on experiences or material things when looking to boost happiness, and highlighted research findings indicating that the answer may depend upon your financial resources. More specifically, the work by Lee,…
Blog #61 – Experience versus stuff You might recall that earlier in this series we looked at the issue of money and happiness. More specifically, we attempted to answer the often asked question: Can money make you happy or happier? The answer, as is so often the case with psychology, was and remains best summed…
Blog #60 – Do introverts need to behave like extroverts? Earlier in this series, we looked at key markers that influence happiness. One of the recurring findings in this line of research is that behaviours linked with extraversion tend to correlate with high levels of happiness and well-being. As I alluded to at that…
Blog #59 – More on gratitude Last time, we looked at recent research findings on gratitude, specifically a study that reported on how we tend to underestimate the positive impact and overestimate the sense of awkwardness our gestures of gratitude can provoke in others, with this then having the unfortunate effect of making us…
Blog #58 – New insights on gratitude Long-time readers of this series will be aware of the link between gratitude and emotional well-being. In the past, we have highlighted a number of approaches supported by peer reviewed research which have pointed to the potential benefits for both parties in any such exchange, i.e., the…