Searching for happiness: What makes life meaningful?

Recently I’ve been contemplating giving up on the modern world and moving to a cabin in the woods. I mean – what is with all of this techno...

5 Ways Gratitude Can Backfire

Gratitude is good. Good for your health and well-being. Good for your relationships. In fact, I've written about the benefits of gratitu...

How to End a Bad Relationship for Good

Sometimes we find ourselves in relationships that make us miserable more than they make us happy, relationships that we know in our hearts a...

Do it for Future You

Source It's only a month and a half into the New Year, and most of us have already abandoned our New Year's resolutions. We h...

The secret to flourishing? Science says it's in the numbers

Flourishing is in the numbers When it comes to human flourishing, science is getting pretty specific. Over the course of our daily lives, we...

Can Mindfulness Make You Happier?

Today's guest post comes from Sarah Roberts, Ph.D. candidate in Psychology at  the University of Quebec in Montreal and blogger a...

Perils of Positive Thinking

Fantasies are not the same as positive expectations. This morning, Kate Reilly, graduate student at New York University, joins Psych Your Mi...

The Dangers of Self-Forgiveness

Source The ability to forgive oneself for mistakes, large and small, is critical to psychological well-being. Difficulties with self-forgive...

Friday Fun: The Self-Esteem Playlist

Source We make playlists for everything from exercise to studying to lulling ourselves to sleep, so why not make one for self-esteem? Here a...

When Good is Bad and Bad is Good: Beyond "Positive" Psychology

What is the prescription for optimal living? The burgeoning field of positive psychology appears to have many of the answers: We should be ...

Friday Fun: A Week in the Life of a Grad Student

As a graduate student, I don't punch a clock or fill out a time card. Although I have a faculty advisor, I don't have a boss - no on...

No Pain, No Gain: The Psychology of Self-Punishment

Source One of my favorite professors once told the following story: She was in the check-out line at the grocery store, and two young childr...

How to trick yourself into keeping your New Year's Resolution

Source Year after year we make ambitious New Year's Resolutions, 90% of which ultimately fail, according to a  2007 study . There is no ...