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…
Increasing happiness (Part 2) The last couple of decades have seen an explosion of interest in psychological research into happiness. More specifically, researchers are devoting more attention than ever before into investigating strategies and interventions designed to increase individual happiness. This area of research interest will continue to be our prime focus in the coming…
Happiness is a topic we have touched on before in this series and will continue to do as we proceed. There is one simple reason to explain why we have and will focus so much on happiness – we are all interested in it. More specifically, I’m willing to assume that everyone reading these words…
The ratio of positive to negative experiences One of the more intuitively obvious markers of well-being is the experience of positive emotions, events, and interactions. Essentially, positive experiences will make us feel good, and the more positive encounters or moments we have, the more positive emotions we will feel. Against this backdrop, many researchers…