Tag: happiness
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Our Brain is Teflon for the Positive, Velcro for the Negative
Neuroscience based Habits for Happiness… There is a saying that I heard recently from Elsa Punset… “Our brain is teflon for the positive and velcro for the negative” It is a powerful metaphor. It is solidly grounded in psychological research. In good relationships the ratio of positive to negative comments is 7:1. 1 negative comment…
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Happiness: Be Interested in the Changing Seasons
“To be interested in the changing seasons is a happier state of mind than to be hopelessly in love with Spring” George Santayana I spent most of this week in Ireland teaching at UCD Smurfit Business School and then running a corporate event at Croke Park. This week’s video is from Croke park – you…
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Success Lessons from Kung Fu Panda: Inner Peace and Accepting Who You Really Are
“The only thing that matters is what you choose to be now” Po from Kung Fu Panda The number 2 film on my “all time most watched” list is Kung Fu Panda 2. It was my daughter’s favourite during many of our travels together over the last decade. It is a film that had something…
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Happiness 101: Learn to Eat Lentils
What is the activity that you could do for €10 that would give you the most happiness over 1 hour? for €100? for €1000? for €10,000? This video is from Dublin. My dad makes an appearance. Some scenes from the Ireland vs Argentina rugby, and from Trinity College and at UCD Smurfit Business Schools where…
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Three Life Paths
University of Pennsylvania psychologist Martin Seligman categorised hundreds of people into three groups based on how they pursued happiness: The Pleasant Life: People in pursuit of the Pleasant Life seek happiness by looking for pleasure. They are good at savouring the moment and making their pleasures last. The Engaged Life: People in pursuit of the…
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3 key words for better Friendships… and Happiness…
Happy People share one characteristic in common. There are many different approaches to happiness, and many varied approaches… but there is one vital ingredient. It is very hard to find someone who is happy who doesn’t have strong, quality friendships and a satisfying romantic relationship. (Even imaginary friends help. Children with imaginary friends are more…
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The Wrong Thing to Live for
Imagine looking back at the age of 75 and realising that you chose the wrong thing to live for? Realising that all those years of work and sacrifice were for something that you now do not value? Living to Please Elizabeth Over at the excellent Art of Manliness blog there is a recent post about Walter Raleigh.…
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Happiness = The Quality of Your Relationships
What keeps us happy and healthy as we go through life? If you think it’s fame and money, you’re not alone – but, according to psychiatrist Robert Waldinger, you’re mistaken. What is the Most Important Aspect of a Happy Life? It is the quality and depth of your relationships that make all the difference… to…
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Imagination defines humanity
It is imagination that makes humans unique in nature. Genetically we differ 2% from chimpanzees and 3% from worms. It is not our genes that have us living in penthouses and connecting on facebook. Our difference is the human cortex, the layer of brain that is most highly developed in humans. The cortex is where…
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Are Business and Society always in Conflict?
Communities are Conservative, Business is Progressive There is an inherent conflict between communities and companies. Communities (family, neighbourhood, tradition) try to maintain stability. Companies are driven by the nature of the capitalism market system to innovate and change. (See Schumpeter’s “creative destruction” on wikipedia) . Stability vs Destruction Companies close their factories and replace deeply experienced craft…