NPR’s Take on Happiness A broad look at happiness from a pop-star, some scientists, a businessman, and a monk I drove for over an hour on Christmas Eve eve, some of it in the middle of traffic. Holiday present-buying traffic—almost as bad as Black Friday traffic. I know I drove for over an hour because […]
What to Do When Others Aren’t Happy And how to preserve your own happiness You wake up feeling super happy. You meet a friend for breakfast who shows up super grouchy. Dang. What do you do? Let us start with what not to do: 1) Do not immediately try to make them feel better (see this […]
To Get More Happiness, Feel More Sadness Opening the Aperture of Emotions To get more happiness, feel more sadness. This is another way of interacting with reality, one in which we can LIVE more fully, embracing everything. Opening the lens is a way of being that is more rich and rewarding than constant re-framing. This […]
How to Give and Receive Compliments, Better Are You Screwing This Common Interaction Up? You may not know it, but there is an art to giving and receiving compliments. And if you are not a practicing artist, you are likely missing the full effect of receiving appreciation. Furthermore, the compliments you pay are likely going […]
Living the Happy Paradox Overcome the Cultural Bias that Equates Happiness with Progress Within a few years, your iPhone is outdated. Within a few months, the newest hit song is overplayed. And within a week, the big reveal from Game of Thrones is old news. It is easy to get caught up in the zeitgeist of today’s […]
It’s Never Too Late for Authenticity Dear Jordan, I had a huge crush on my co-worker but I never made a move because she was in a committed relationship. They split up, we went out for a few drinks, and seemingly against all odds, we had a one night stand. That was 7 months ago […]
Examining The Science of Nature + Happiness “Imagine a therapy that had no known side effects, was readily available, and could improve your cognitive functioning at zero cost. Such a therapy has been known to philosophers, writers, and laypeople alike: interacting with nature […] these effects have recently been documented.” [1] Today’s Hap is simple: Spend […]
A Timeless, Effortless, and Little-Practiced Secret to Starting and Maintaining Quality Relationships. The secret is actually so simple that I am pretty sure it will disappoint you. But that does not keep it from being true. Like most perennial wisdom, the secret to picking up the perfect girl is deceptively simple, and yet often difficult […]
Examining the Benefits and Problems of Being Busy I read this on my facebook feed and it made me pause. I like being busy, but I also like to relax. I immediately agree with this statement, but I generally want to question blanket generalizations. What counts as busy? Why do we glorify it and what […]
Make this Weekend a Night to Remember and Wake Up Feeling Great For many twenty and thirty year olds, barhopping is the go-to activity for Friday and Saturday nights. Young people spend a huge amount of time socializing around alcohol. While there is nothing morally wrong or even unhealthy about moderate consumption of alcohol—in fact a […]
Can you imagine what the world would be like if the weapons of today were in the hands of our conquering ancestors? The people who counted slaves as ⅗ of a human or not human at all? Those who killed people of different religions, or started wars with tribes who shared family members?
There is something that makes modern times different, that keeps us from physically annihilating our competition or challenging them to life or death duels. Most people are not aware of it because it is hard to see from the inside, it is difficult to talk about, and it can be misconstrued in a way that seems oppressive, arrogant, and judgemental.
Most people look at what is directly in front of their faces and forget to zoom out and see the context of the entire story of humanity. Doing so the difference can be seen more clearly. Although it is by no means universal, there is a worldwide moral and social development that is more inclusive of others and more tolerant of differences.
And of course our previous way of existing in the world—the hate towards our closest neighbors, the ego and ethnocentricism—still exist. That’s exactly what makes nuclear weapons development in Iran and North Korea so frightening. Yet they are the extreme minority, whereas in the past their point of view was commonplace.
Are You Secretly Ignoring Your Achievements and Causing Unhappiness? If you look at your feet when you climb a mountain, you never realize how far you have come until you are done. Each step feels as difficult—perhaps even more difficult—than the last. If you never look at the broader context of your journey, you might assume that […]