“Open Hearts Build Lives: Positive Emotions, Induced Through Loving-kindness Meditation, Build Consequential Personal Resources”.
October 28, 2008
Barbara Fredrickson and her colleagues just published some interesting new research in the “Journal of Personality and Social Psychology”. Here is the abstract:
B. L. Fredrickson’s (1998, 2001) broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions asserts that people’s daily experiences of positive emotions compound over time to build a variety of consequential personal resources. The authors tested this build hypothesis in a field experiment with working adults (n = 139), half of whom were randomly-assigned to begin a practice of loving-kindness meditation. Results showed that this meditation practice produced increases over time in daily experiences of positive emotions, which, in turn, produced increases in a wide range of personal resources (e.g., increased mindfulness, purpose in life, social support, decreased illness symptoms). In turn, these increments in personal resources predicted increased life satisfaction and reduced depressive symptoms. Discussion centers on how positive emotions are the mechanism of change for the type of mind-training practice studied here and how loving-kindness meditation is an intervention strategy that produces positive emotions in a way that outpaces the hedonic treadmill effect. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2008 APA, all rights reserved)
This research has many important implications for coaching, psychotherapy, education, personal practice and health enhancement.
“Thanksgiving Gratitude Box”
October 13, 2008
While enrolled in Marty Seligman’s first “Authentic Happiness Coaching” class in 2003, I created a new family tradition designed to maximize a sense of gratitude during the Thanksgiving Holiday. I purchased an inexpensive wooden box from a local Target store…it looks like a small “treasure box”. I set the box on the end of our kitchen counter along with several strips of paper and some pens. I asked each of my four sons to fill out a slip of paper each day stating one thing they were grateful for in their life….anything at all. My husband and I also filled out slips daily for the box. Since I knew my parents would be joining us for Thanksgiving, I sent small slips of paper to my parents in Florida asking them to do the same thing and then to bring them along to our family celebration. I started this ritual the day after Halloween so that there would be at least three weeks of gratitude slips. My sons needed a little “nudging” at first to remind them to fill out a slip each day but they soon became engaged in the ritual and it was apparent that it was having an effect on everyone’s attitude around the house. It was already our practice each night at dinner to go around the table and ask each person, “What was the best thing that happened to you today?” This ritual not only set the mood for the rest of the evening but it was a great way to engage the kids in talking about their day.
On Thanksgiving just before we sat down to our much anticipated feast, I asked everyone to gather in a circle and pass around the “Gratitude Box” drawing out a slip at random and reading it aloud. I was surprised by the powerful emotional reaction that this created. As the box went round and round the circle and the slips were read aloud, eyes became moist and there was an obvious loving glow created in everyone. It was clear that this ritual would become a permanent feature of our family’s tradition.
The Gratitude Box is now a five year long tradition and many things have changed in our family. Our oldest son lives in Chicago, our twin sons moved out into their own home, and my youngest son is in the Navy. In preparation for Thanksgiving, I’m sending strips of paper in a special letter to each of our sons and asking that they continue the tradition and bring their gratitude strips along to Thanksgiving Dinner. I’m sure they will. 
One of the most precious parts of this ritual is that I have kept all five years of strips…..reading them not only touches my heart but gives a “historical account” of all the growth and development of our sons and the family over these last five years. Counting one’s blessings is indeed a powerful way to maximize feelings of gratitude but the added dimension of doing this exercise as a family centered around a holiday such as Thanksgiving, is priceless. I highly recommend that you consider ways to create rituals that reinforce the practice of gratitude. It surely adds happiness to our lives and meaning to our connections to one another! Happy Thanksgiving!!!!!
The Audacity of Hope and Dealing with a Chronic Illness
January 30, 2008
Regardless of where you stand on the political spectrum in this charged election year, it’s striking to see the fire that has been ignited in many people, especially the younger generation by the emotional call of Barack Obama’s campaign for President. To those of us who study Positive Psychology it should come as no surprise. The power of hope can not be underestimated. Hope and optimism create positive emotion and as the research of Barbara Fredrickson teaches us, positive emotion broadens and builds our thought-action repertoire. Hope is akin to rocket fuel when elicited by a speaker who feels deep passion about his cause. Fear and terror elicit deep feelings as well but in a restricting, limiting fashion. Fear calls on survival mobilization. Fear can trump all other emotions when one perceives their life to be threatened. However, it does not lend itself to creative, expansive problem solving, like positive emotions such as hope do.
The attacks on 9-11 created an atmosphere of fear and terror in our country…it might be fair to say that we as a nation were “traumatized”. Terror management theory says that at such times, an authoritarian leader can be very appealing. The black and white, simplistic posture that such a leader represents can be reassuring to frightened people. The confusion, randomness of terror tactics can create a desire for order to return above all else. An authoritarian leader can seem very desirable in such a climate. “Tell me what to do, and promise that if I follow you, everything will be okay”. When the world is painted as black and white, good versus evil, things seem understandable again. As long as I am with the good guys, I’ll be okay, right? However, nothing in this complex world is simple, black or white or can be reduced to notions of absolute good and evil. Life can be random, unfair and maddeningly confusing, even during the best of times.
What does all this have to do with chronic illness, you may astutely ask? Well, having recently been diagnosed with a serious, chronic illness, I am no stranger to feelings of fear and terror. Will I survive? What does all this mean? Why me? How do I make sense of this? Which doctor or hospital can save me from this fate? All these questions and more are certainly part of my experience (and I imagine others in similar circumstance). Initially, survival is all one can think about. All of ones energy is mobilized in the direction of surviving. Sadness, grief, anger, fear are all part of the process. However, living “successfully” with a chronic illness requires the return of hope. Hope not only gets one out of bed in the morning (or off the couch) but begins to “broaden and build a thought action repertoire”. “How do I live now?” I’m still me, just rearranged in a new, unfamiliar fashion. What creative ways can I employ to live in harmony with this unwelcome reality? I need good doctors and good medical expertise but with an incurable, rare illness, there are no black and white simple answers. No doctor can keep me safe or predict the future for me. Statistics are nice but they never predict an individual journey through unknown territory. Hope and optimism broaden thinking, making creative solutions once again possible. When dealing with a chronic illness, “realistic optimism” is indispensable, in my opinion! Remaining optimistic, positive and hopeful gives you the fuel to creatively problem solve as you move through the many challenges that illness can present. I have relied heavily each and every day on the many cognitive techniques I learned though studying positive psychology principles.
This brings me back to what I originally began talking about and to what I’ve observed these last few days being played out on the larger world stage of politics. How does a country disheartened and traumatized (not unlike being diagnosed with an illness) find its center once again and move forward with a realistic sense of hope and optimism? Well, we can either stay stuck and overwhelmed in a state of fear or worse yet, apathy and cynicism….or we can focus on what is possible in this complex and ever changing world. Those leaders that know how to inspire hope, optimism, and bring about positive emotion have the best chance of helping our country thrive in our complex world. The inclusive, creative energy of a positive, hopeful leader can mobilize what is best in its citizenry. Positive emotion and energy in balance with realistic optimism will, in my opinion, be our best hope of thriving and healing. Not unlike those elements needed to thrive with a chronic illness.
Much wisdom can be gleaned from the field of Positive Psychology. It is not just a “feel good” exercise. The research and knowledge about powerful concepts such as gratitude, hope, optimism and positive emotion, just to name a few, have answers to many human dilemmas tricher poker en lignejeu de poker gratuitspoker online argentpoker multijoueur gratuitesregles tournoi pokerjeux poker tour en lignele pokersites de poker onlineregles poker 2play seven card stud onlinejeu de poker internetjouez pokerpoker games networld of series pokerstrategie poker onlinetelecharger partie pokerjouer poker omaha en lignejeu de carte poker gratuitesjouer poker mact?l?charger de poker onlineworld champion pokerjouez au poker en lignepoker gratuites hors ligneкомпютриjeu poker freewarelogiciel jeu pokerholdem poker onlinetilt pokertable de poker en lignepoker gratuites bruelregles de jeu poker,regles poker,regles poker hold hemjouer de pokersexy poker onlineprofessional poker tourregles poker holdemjouer poker en ligne gratuitestricher au poker en lignejouer o poker gratuitementpoker gratuites sur internetregles du jeu de pokerjeux poker a telechargerstud poker onlinebonus pokervideo poker a telechargerpoker gratuites cadeaujeu poker portables ,jeu de poker en ligne,jeu pokerwam poker comsalle poker onlineregles du poker texas holdemjeu poker a telechargerpoker en ligne paypal and I believe provide the best illumination when an individual or nation has temporarily lost its way!
My New Year’s Resolution
December 30, 2007
People often feel determined to make a commitment to do something new and different and decide a resolution for the new year. My new year’s resolution is that I go either jogging or walking, depending on my physical condition and the weather, for 30 minutes in the early morning every day for at least 5 years. I have decided this because I signed an important business contract recently. No failure is allowed in this business contract. So I must sustain myself for 5 years and maintain good physical and mental health conditions. I think that regular jogging or walking is ideal for this purpose. Let’s take a look at some literature regarding this.
The benefits of regular physical activity as described by Mayo Clinic article (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2007) are that it improves mood, combats chronic diseases, helps one manage one’s weight, strengthens one’s heart and lungs, promotes better sleep, can put the spark back into one’s sex life, and can be - gasp - fun.
Japanese physicians (Arita, H., 2003; Hara, K., Sato-Suzuki, I., and Arita, H., 2006) describe the serotonergic system in the brainstem as being activated by various regular rhythmic physical activities, including jogging, walking, Hula, Zen, etc., and thus observed remarkable improvements in psychophysiological measurements after long continuation of these activities, especially after 100 days.
A current well established public health recommendation of 30 munites’ light to moderate activity on most days of the week (U.S. Surgeon General, 1996; Japanese Ministry of Labour and Welfare, 2006) is considered effective for achieving these benefits.
I myself value jogging and walking because they provide me with a sense of control and management in my work and life. They thus blow depressive feelings away and let me feel strong confidence in my future success.
Wouldn’t you like to join me in jogging or walking to help your physical and emotional health?
Hisao Kano
Gratitude
November 25, 2007
Gratitude
by Linda Lawless
Gratitude is more or less important to you depending on your value system. The emerging field of positive psychology has identified Gratitude as one of its core values that helps people live fulfilling lives. You can assess your core values and even take a Gratitude self-assessment for FREE (click here).
The bottom line is that we are in the season of gratitude with Thanksgiving and the Holidays upon us, and knowing how to appreciate yourself and others is a key issue for the season.
Here’s an important tip regarding the expression of gratitude. One of the exercises Marty Seligman, author of Authentic Happiness, has students do is to write a Gratitude Letter. This letter thanks someone in your past or present for something they gave you. What he found was that when students wrote their letters they felt good about themselves and the letters recipient. Where they got into trouble was when they delivered the letter. Sometimes the letter was accepted graciously, but sometimes the recipient was confused and in some cases belligerent about being thanked for something they were not even aware of, i.e., being thanked for teaching their child resilience through frequent verbal abuse. So, when you get in touch with what you are grateful about yourself, sit with it and take in what you can. When you want to express gratitude to others, pause and ask yourself if they are ready to hear it.
During this season I recommend exploring your own value of gratitude by visiting the website above, and more simply, telling people you run into during your life, when you honestly appreciate what they have, or are doing that you appreciate them. I told my personal trainer how much I appreciated his ability to work around my aging bodies weekly needs and stopped him dead in his tracks while he dealt with being told something good for a change. I told the lady at the checkout stand in the market that I appreciated her daily good cheer and brought a tear to her eye.
On a larger scale, the Greater Good Magazine out of UC Berkeley, whose mission is devoted to the scientific understanding of happy and compassionate individuals, strong social bonds, and altruistic behavior, dedicated an article in their Summer 2007 edition to Gratitude. You can find it here.
Staying positive in Alaska
November 5, 2007
Today our sunrise was at 8:35 am and our sun-
set was at 4:49 pm. 8 hours and 15 minutes of
daylight. Everyday between now and 12/21
we lose more than 5 minutes of daylight.
After the 12/21 we savor the idea that we are
getting more daylight each day until June 21st
when we only have a few hours of colorful
twilight and total darkness.
This time of year most people go to work in
the dark and come home in the dark.
The positive side of our darkness is that here
in southern Alaska we have long and
colorful sunrises and sunsets and the
light of the white snow.
We also have Northern Lights and as one
travels north ( and lose more daylight)
they become more vivid and prevalent.
While we Alaskans love our sunny
days and nights in the summer, our winters
challenge each of us. Winter teaches us
new things about what keeps us going
as we figure out how to make it through
another dark, cold day. For me it is a com-
bination of developing close friendships, broad-
ening my mind, enjoying my work, being physi-
cally active outdoors and being involved with
communities of people.
Anchorage is alive with opportunities to be
active in anything imaginable and things that
only Alaskans could dream up (snowshoe
softball, ice bowling). However, the biggest
obstacle can be getting out of bed or off the
couch on a dark, cold day.
On Saturday and Sunday whether it’s 20
degrees above zero or below zero, I head off
to cross country ski, down hill ski or walk.
If I really have it together it’s mid day when
what sun we have is the strongest and the day
is the warmest. I found that having really
warm and comfortable winter gear is critical.
In the darkest part of the year I
use a high intensity (SAD) light to
keep my energy and mood positive. I can tell
that my mind wants the light and my body
wants that warmth of a bright thing shining
on me.
Last year some medical professionals in
the community started testing people for
Vitamin D deficiency. They discovered that
most Alaskans could feel lots better if they
took D supplements. Our bodies get vitamin
D naturally from our skin being touched by
sunlight for a period of time on a daily basis.
It turns out that feeling positive here in
Alaska takes determination, initiative
and an astute medical professional.
Elayne Hunter
Gratitude
November 2, 2007
We are coming up on Thanksgiving, a perfect event to explore what I’m grateful for. I find I am easily able to feel gratitude about other people, events, pets etc., and forget to feel grateful about my-self. I’ll explain.
I was babysitting my 3-year old grandson yesterday and found myself near the end of the day, as we were both growing tired, feeling grumpy. He stepped on my old dog who flipped out and threw herself into her water dish, which spilled over the floor, and I yelled at him. Of course he looked at me with those innocent 3-year old eyes and burst into tears. I don’t like to yell, especially at innocent children, and spent the rest of the day telling myself what a “bad” grandma I was. It took me until 11pm, laying in bed, to remember to appreciate all the good things I do for Max and my daughter, and forgiving myself for a minor lapse in emotional regulation. So for about 6 hours I forgot to appreciate, my-self, and at least I finally remembered to. I know some folks NEVER remember to appreciate themselves but being “in the field,” and especially specializing in positive psychology I hold myself to a higher standard. I figure if I can’t do it, how can I expect others I’m working with to do it.
So, I’m letting Thanksgiving this year be a reminder to appreciate and feel gratitude to life, people, and that includes my-self.
What are you grateful for?
Linda
Staying Positive
November 2, 2007
Much to my surprise I saw a comic in the San Francisco Chronicle that actually was in the positive psychology realm. The first box was an event that was ucky, then the hero came in and “Reframed” the event to something positive. He called this his “Reframing Studio,” and invited everyone to come to it whenever they wanted. I have carried this image with me as I go about my daily business and step into negative situtations, i.e., standing in line at the bank while someone is yelling at the teller. I enter my “Reframing Studio,” with the negative event and shape it into something positive on my own time.
The bank was a challenge. OK, to the Reframing Studio.
As the man in line vented, a fellow teller quietly walked over and helped the harried one, gently and effectively. The angry man got his banking done and left, yea. Studio work - The angry man, who was able to dump some emotion, created a situation where someone could be helpful to another. I hope the teller under assault felt gratitude about the help. Hmmm, this masterpiece may need more work but at least it’s a start.
What I like about my Reframing Studio is it gives me a place to take situations that I find disturbing, not in a good way, work on them, leave them there to come back to, if needed. I can lock the door when I’m ready to leave the disturbing event and reframing work and go about my day more at peace.
Let me know what you think about this practice.
Linda
Chapter 3 Choosing Happiness: Goals, Relationships, and Positive Thinking
September 27, 2007
Having just spent a day with Dan Siegel (The Mindful Brain) and hearing about neural plasticity, I was put off by the introduction to Chapter 3 and their belief in “biological determinism.” Realizing the authors and I come from different places, but are looking to the same outcomes, helping clients increase the happiness in their lives, I read on.
The three areas of focus are mentioned in the title of this chapter. I thought I knew a lot about goal setting and discovered a lot lot more. The power of relationships and thinking styles and habits are also thoughtfully explored. After I got over my resistance in the opening pages, I found this chapter very educational.
Positive psychology and managing serious diseases
August 18, 2007
As you may know I am struggling through a difficult period with an
autoimmune illness, Wegener’s disease. I dislike being a “patient” in every sense of the word but I have had to learn new adaptive skills to weather the storm.
Managing this illness has been life changing to say the least, and my
training in positive psychology has never been more useful. I am no stranger to stress caused by serious disease processes. I’ve been managing much too much stress, especially during the past two years due to my husband’s recurrence of cancer.
I also have many mothering demands and a really full practice to manage. Well, God had other plans and most of the way my life was structured has been turned upside down. I have had to close my psychotherapy practice for now which saddens me greatly. I am taking powerful immune suppressant drugs to put this disease back into remission. If I even catch a cold, its not good!
Its hard to watch yourself transform from a person of relatively good health into a patient. Not fun but temporary! I hate being dependent on others but I am learning. Illness is a wonderful teacher when God can’t get your attention in other ways!! There are so many gifts and blessings, even for “slow-learners” like me!
. . . So on many levels, things are really transforming! I have been using all the wonderful things I’ve learned over the years from Positive Psychology. I meditate each day, use guided imagery and hypnosis and practice all the “learned optimism” and cognitive techniques to get me through! Helping facilitate mind-body communication is key!
When it comes to medical decisions and taking tests, too much Optimism is not good. Marty Seligman suggests realistic, accurate optimism (maybe even pessimism) when making medical decisions. This makes a lot of sense to me now.
Gratitude and forgiveness of self are key to moving through! I love to
learn and do research on new things and I have marshaled all sorts of help from integrative and alternative medicine. It’s so exciting and I am VERY open to using all sorts of cutting-edge information. Curiosity is a good strength to have at this time!
Thanks for your good wishes, prayers and love… onward!