UP ... a repositivitory of good news

Understanding Positivity Unleashing Potential Undermining Pessimism

[wiseblood]

#Banksy on #CharlieHebdo.

[understandingpositivity-blog]

Radiolab on Bliss

Moments of total, world-shaking bliss are not easy to come by. Maybe that's what makes them feel so life-altering when they strike. And so worth chasing. This hour: stories of striving, grasping, tripping, and falling for happiness, perfection, and ideals.

[understandingpositivity-blog]

How to make your children happy

"These 11 questions focus your children on how to make themselves happy. Eventually, your children will internalize these questions and ask them in their own heads. Then you'll have given them the gift of happiness, which will make you so (you guessed it) happy." READ MORE

[understandingpositivity-blog]

How to make yourself stronger ... the road to self-efficacy

"We are often stronger than we give ourselves credit for.  Celebrate your successes and the accomplishments of those around you.  Learn from these achievements just as you would learn from your mistakes." READ MORE  

[understandingpositivity-blog]

Why 2014 was the most peaceful year in world history...

"An explosion rocks the Syrian city of Kobane during a reported suicide car bombing by the Islamic State, as seen from the Turkey-Syria border, on Oct. 20, 2014. The small picture is very bad, but the big picture of violence around the world is about as good as it’s ever been.

"The only sound way to appraise the state of the world is to count. How many violent acts has the world seen compared with the number of opportunities? ... To be sure, adding up corpses and comparing the tallies across different times and places can seem callous, as if it minimized the tragedy of the victims in less violent decades and regions. But a quantitative mindset is in fact the morally enlightened one. It treats every human life as having equal value, rather than privileging the people who are closest to us or most photogenic. And it holds out the hope that we might identify the causes of violence and thereby implement the measures that are most likely to reduce it. Let’s examine the major categories in turn." READ MORE

[understandingpositivity-blog]

Enlightened Self-interest Plus Fun ... What if work was awesome?

From angry waiters who literally can’t see their customers to stressed nurses who are too slow to respond to emergencies, unhappiness is bad news at work...

"Even if you don’t see work as your primary source of happiness, no one wants to be miserable for 40 or more hours a week. This is one of those situations where both bosses and staff can win, so long as the focus is on making the work itself enjoyable, rather than on providing distractions. So how can organisations get it right? Well, lots are trying." READ MORE

[understandingpositivity-blog]

Putting Play on a Pedestal in New York

"On small cards annotating the exhibits are thoughts on play – some unrepentantly abstract – from thinkers as diverse as ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus and contemporary Hungarian psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. Meanwhile, all around, kids tear about the room, marvelling at the giant kaleidoscope and mastering the chutes and pulleys of the overhead ball machine. It is unlike any museum I’ve seen before." READ MORE

[understandingpositivity-blog]

The Bad Boys of Positive Psychology

Giovanni Rodriguez on re-evaluating the value of embracing our dark side... READ MORE

[understandingpositivity-blog]

Wholeness Over Happiness ... Step Outside of Your Comfort Zone

What might the goal of wholeness -- rather than happiness -- open up in your life?...

"Every emotion is useful. Rarely does anger turn into the kind of overwhelming rage that leads to violence, more often it stirs you to defend yourself and those you care about, and to maintain healthy boundaries. Similarly, embarrassment is often a signal that we've made a small mistake and that a small correction is required. And guilt may signal that you're violating your own moral code and therefore need to adjust either your actions or your code. Rather than avoiding or suppressing these emotions, see them as opportunities for learning and growth." READ MORE...

[understandingpositivity-blog]

Five daily practices to bring happiness ... OK, three

Journalist half-arsedly tries five daily practices to find happiness ... claims uplift in spirit anyway

[understandingpositivity-blog]

We Are Built To Be Kind ... the brain really cares about other people....