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…
There is a long-established tradition in psychology for encouraging what has been termed as disclosive writing. For many years, studies investigating the effectiveness of such writing tended to ask participants to write about traumatic or emotionally upsetting events over a specified period of time, typically three or four days. The logic behind this approach is…
Experiences or ‘stuff’? When living in a society that emphasises consumption it can be easy to be sucked into the idea that more ‘stuff’ will bring with it more happiness. It is difficult to avoid the constant barrage of advertising on television, radio, the internet, and even billboards in this country, and at least as…
The Minister for Health Simon Harris TD visited MPHC on 12th January 2017. He was given a guided tour of the facility and witnessed the great work being done by all the staff in MPHC. Minister for Heath Simon Harris TD with Senior Cardiac Technician Mary Mary Minister for Health Simon Harris TD, Dr Tony…
How many times have you found yourself thinking along the lines of “I would love to be able to do that” only to then tell yourself “but I’ll never be able to”? This kind of internal commentary can cross a wide spectrum of possibilities, from, for example, learning to play a musical instrument to starting…