Emily's News
Read some good news selected for you by Emily, the Centre's Psychology Researcher
More is not always better
There is a mistaken assumption which is that if we give people more choices then they will be happier. However, the research shows that though some choice is good more is not necessarily better. For example, people who have too many options often regret their choices and feel anxious and dissatisfied. This research is backed up by a new study which shows that too many choices, whether good or bad, can be mentally exhausting.
Values are the key to happiness
Recent research conducted by an all-party group of Christian MPs suggests that discontent in the UK has risen due to a decline in key values rather than material wealth. The authors say that if we were to return to some of the values which were once the norm in society then happiness and well-being would increase.
The long tem effect of antidepressants. Who am I?
Since the 1990’s it has become much more common for young people to be prescribed medication for depression and anxiety, and this is more extreme in the States. Many young people are on these drugs for a long time. Do we know the long term effects of these drugs on young people’s development?
If at First You Don't Succeed, Your in Excellent Company
What would you do if you thought, or someone told you, that something was impossible and that you would never achieve it? Would you try for it anyway? Or, what would you do if you failed at something, then you failed again, and again and again. Would you keep trying despite the setbacks?
Joining the International Positive Psychology Association
Some of you may know that our Chief Execuative Carol is the secretary for the International Positive Psychology Association (IPPA)
Happiness is the measure of true wealth
The Centre is delighted that the distinguished British philosopher AC Grayling has entered the debate about happiness. You may know that we’ve been concerned about how happiness is being used by economist Richard Layard, and taken up in the media.
Healthier diets foster success and well-being
We recently hosted an event on flourishing in adolescence, where Dr Alex Richardson from Oxford university presented some scientific findings on the importance of consuming certain foods, such as those foods containing omega three fatty acids. The research shows that certain fats are vital for our well-being and that increasing our intake of these fats positively impacts upon our thoughts, feelings and behaviour. A new study further supports Alex’s findings - that diet is vitally important for well-being, by showing that children who have healthier diets do better in school.
Training in the arts improves thinking
It has long been observed that people who play music perform better in other academic activities. Since 2004, cognitive neuroscientists, from seven large universities in The States, have been working to understand whether ‘smart people are drawn to the arts, or whether arts training makes people smart’ The study group released preliminary findings earlier this month which conclude that arts training improves thinking: it improves math, reading skills and memory.
The commercialisation of young people
Cambridge University Professor Robin Alexander is involved in the biggest review of Primary education in 40 years. Alexander is arguing that adults, and the commercial world which they have created, are contributing to the unhappiness among our young people. He says that primary schools are now engulfed with the cult of celebrity, materialism and violence. What’s more is that the stress caused by modernity is interfering with young people’s ability to overcome setbacks; and so interferes with their learning.
A resource for young people
A new website was launched earlier this week by the Young Scot. The aim of the webiste is to provide young people with an online resource of activities which will be on in thier area, and which they can get involved in. Young people can search according to specific categories and according to where they live. The activities they can participate in range from volunteering opportunities to learning activities as well many other things.
Restricting TV time reduces obestiy
Recent research shows that parents who cut down on the amount of ‘Television Time’ their children participate in per week, has a direct effect on these youngsters weight 2 years down the line: their Body mass index lowered. The researchers say that this is because less ‘TV Time’ encourages young people to be more active and eat less food.
Is happiness fixed from birth?
Researchers have just published findings which are being interpreted to mean that happiness is fixed. What they say is that the study supports the idea that we are either born happy or unhappy; and that there is nothing we can do about it. However, the claim that happiness is fixed is flawed, and a closer look at the findings from this study could in fact support the opposite conclusion: happiness levels are not entirely fixed. This is because the researchers leave a portion of happiness unexplained.
Revolution of values
In the February issue of the Psychologist magazine, Associate Professor Tim Kasser puts forward a convincing argument attacking western materialism. He argues that we have become a thing centred, rather than person centred, culture and that this has several consequences: it is leading to unhappiness; harming the environment and destroying social connections. He calls for a revolution of values.
The drugs don't work - but therapy will?
A recent study shows that antidepressant medication has little clinical benefit for the majority of depressed people. The research highlights that these drugs only help a small number of the most severely depressed individuals. Some say that a good alternative would be to increase the number of talking therapists for people with depression – is this really the most helpful solution?
Shifting the focus to staff well-being
Health secretary Alan Johnson has called for organisations to put well-being higher up on their list of priorities. He also argued for GP's to change their focus when writing sick notes, suggesting that they focus on what people can do given their situation rather than signing them off for weeks at a time. Johnson’s announcement was part of a speech he gave last week at the British Heart Foundation conference in London.
Debate on teaching happiness
There is an interesting debate in the Guardian today, between Anthony Seldon and Frank Ferudi, on 'Can we teach people to be happy'
Older people are happy
Recent research reveals that young people think that growing old will be a miserable experience, despite the fact that older people report being happy. The study found that young people who are pessimistic about growing older are more likely to engage in unhealthy behaviors - such as excessive drinking.
Can people be too happy?
According to recent research extreme happiness has its downsides - and people really can be too happy. The study finds that people who score very high (10 on a one to ten point scale) are less successful in education, income and political participation than those who score moderately happy (7 or 8 on a ten point scale) . This paper questions whether it is sensible for a society to encourage already happy people to aspire to even higher levels of happiness.
What makes children happy?
Researchers at the University of British Columbia have found that spirituality plays a role in childhood happiness. Previous research has shown that spirituality accounts for 4 or 5% of happiness in adults. This study found that spirituality accounts for 6.5-16.5% of children’s happiness. The researchers thought that young peoples’ spirituality would be too immature to account for their well-being and say that the findings have implications for happiness being built into children’s experiences.
From the tennis court to the work place
Researchers from the Centre for Sport and Exercise Science at Sheffield Hallam University are working with organisations like the Royal Yachting Association and English Golf to directly apply the findings within the workplace. They are translating the mental habits of high flying athletes to motivate and engage people at work. Primarily they are interested in how different people respond to stress and pressure.
Who's fooling whom?
Workers in the UK are much more likely to suppress their natural behaviour at work and take on a false personality compared to the average European worker, according to a recent study. The study reveals that adopting a ‘fake’ personality at interview and in the workplace can lead to stress.
Why life is good
A recent article in the New Statesman discusses the dangerous discrepancy which exists between our private optimism and our public pessimism. This gap, Matthew Taylor believes, is caused by certain aspects of modernity: a sharp rise in individualism and a perception that events are beyond our control. We have come to view our authentic selves as revealed in private and personal spheres, rather than the public and social. Taylor suggests that we need to forge a new collectivism which is missing from modern life: a place where people can renew hope and develop ideas and solutions, as well as creating a more balanced and ethical media.
Work stress and heart disease: the mediators
Stress at work can influence employees behaviours, such as their level of physical activity and their diet. It can also have a biological impact on the body, raising the risk of heart diseaase.
Antidepressant studies unpublished
Recent research published in The New England Journal of Medicine shows that the makers of antidepressants, such as Prozac, are misleading doctors and consumers about the ‘true’ effectiveness of these drugs. The paper reviews 74 trials involving 12 drugs. The researchers revealed that only 14% of studies which showed disappointing or uncertain results were reported, while all of the positive studies, except one, were reported. The researchers caution that this selective publication can lead doctors to believe that drugs are more effective than they really are.
Happiness event
The Centre hosted two events last week: one in Dundee and one in Glasgow, which featured Tal Ben Shahar from Harvard University. Both of the events sold out and were a huge success. Tal presented scientific studies which have implications for how we might begin to make positive changes both at an individual and a group level.
Caveman blues
A news item by John Naish, for the Times online, shows how ‘modern life baffles our Stone Age brains into thinking we can never have enough’ He looks at how our primitive instincts are leading us to: over consume, over eat and feel fearful and unhappy. The article suggests that we need to challenge our beliefs that ‘more is better’ and endorse a philosophy of ‘enough now’. He also suggests that we make a conscious effort to express more gratitude for the things we have. Our ancestors would have worked hard for the things which come so easily to us. Naish also suggests that we accept ourselves for who we are with out feeling the need to be richer, cooler or someone different.
Slowing the hedonic treadmill
Research, conducted at the University of Pennsylvania, shows that paying attention to the details can help us avoid becoming bored with the same old things. It could help people stay on diets, reduce novelty spending and maintain levels of happiness.
Exercising judgement: the psychology of fitness
One in five adults in Scotland is now clinically obese, and the figure is expected to rise. A recent article in psychological science looks at the growing body of research into why people exercise, and why they don’t. This article brings together some research which highlights some things which can help people to get active. Preferring to be sedentary is not an innate human trait. We have a basic need for physical activity and this is being undermined. This article has research from the leading experts and it provides some useful tips for sustainable exercise.
Mental Health in Education
In Australia, The Mental Health and Workforce Division are seeking to help teachers, mentors and lecturers integrate mental health into the primary, secondary and undergraduate curriculum.
Tal's tips for happiness
A recent news article, published in the Guardian at the end of December, features Tal Ben Shahar: Harvard University’s most popular lecturer. Based on scientific evidence Tal says that money, wealth and status do not provide happiness: we have got richer but not happier. With the rise in GDP there has also been a rise in depression and anxiety levels. Positive Psychology is providing some insights into how people can counteract the negative effects of modern life. Tal gives the reader four useful tips. These are things which may help reduce things like depression and anxiety and increase things like happiness.
Public policy and effects of media violence
In a recent article, in Social Issues and Policy Review, Psychologists explore the literature on the effects of media violence on children and the lack of public policy to curb the risk. The authors, Doug Gentile, Muniba Saleem and Craig Anderson say that more can be done than has previously been tried, to reduce children’s media violence exposure. There are hundreds of studies which link media violence to aggression in children and adolescents, yet attempts to reduce children’s media violence exposure have failed.They suggest a few changes which can be made.
A new way to think about social relations
An article in todays Boston globe details the work by Harvard social psychologist Todd Pittinsky. Pittinsky challenges the widely held belief that we can improve society by eliminating the negative attitudes people hold towards other people and groups. Pittinsky is critical because this approach has nothing to say about the benefits of generating positive attitudes towards others. Pittinskys research is showing that negative and positive attitudes are not opposite ends of a spectrum, but are independent. Instead of training people to hate each other less, Pittinsky says, it may be time to teach them to like each other more.
Happiness can help cut blood pressure and obesity
Research published in the American Journal of Epidemiology has shown that those who report more positive emotion have lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol. Cortisol has been associated with many adverse outcomes such as the thickening of the arteries which leads to heart disease, abdominal obesity and impaired immune functioning, along with other adverse effects.
Brain turns to the positive when faced with death
A recent study carried out by psychologists Nathan DeWall and Roy Baumeister shows that when people are faced with thoughts of death their mind isn’t paralysed with negativity or fear. Instead, the brain instinctively moves towards happier images and ideas.
Cultivating happiness
Can we teach children to be happier by focusing more on the positive and by building resilience? Christine Carter, the executive director of the Greater Good Science Centre at University of California: Berkeley, has created a new project at the Centre which aims to teach parents about the ‘social science of raising happy kids’
Creative work is good for your health
A study, published in this month’s Journal of Health and Social Behavior, has found that creative activity helps people to stay healthy. The study shows that employees who have more control over their daily activities, and do challenging work they enjoy, are likely to be in better health.
Attending to the positive reduces worrying
Recent research shows that people can learn to reduce their worries by attending to the positive. The study investigated whether what we focus our attention on influences our ability to stop worrying.
Giving gifts or our time to others is good for us
An article in today’s New York Times talks about why giving gifts, and other non material things, is an important part of human interaction. The article draws on research from psychology to show that the act of giving is good for our own selves, as well as for others.
Disguising unsustainable actions eases our mind
Eminent Psychologist, Albert Bandura argues that many of us are pursuing practices that are detrimental to the environment and are not sustainable. Yet, we justify these actions by a kind of moral disengagement. This eases our conscience but does not ease the negative impact these practices will have on the planet and future generations. The evidence suggests that personal economic savings on energy consumption might be offset by increased consumption of goods and services, which may be more harmful for the environment.
Babies prefer helpers
A recent study, published in the November issue of the Journal of Nature, has found that babies are able to distinguish helpful from unhelpful people. The Yale researchers found that babies prefer individuals who help others to those who either do nothing, or interfere with others’ goals
The growth mindset and success
Carol Dweck has written an article in this month’s edition of Scientific American Mind. Dweck spells out the secret to raising smart kids: don’t tell them they are. Instead, Dweck recommends that people should praise for effort, strategies and process if they want to foster motivation and success in young people.
Searching for happiness at work
A recent article, by Professor Warr, in the December issue of ‘The Psychologist’ magazine takes a look at happiness in the workplace. Professor Warr is a leading psychologist at the Institute of Work Psychology in Sheffield. He writes about the complex nature of happiness and discusses his framework for research and practice. Warr suggests that it would help if investigators and practitioners in organisations could think about happiness in 6 different ways. These are detailed below.
Child well-being and income inequality
Recent research published by UNICEF shows that child well-being in rich countries is related more to income inequality rather than further economic growth. The researchers looked at what affected child well-being more: being poor, or being poorer than others. They found that the latter had more of a damaging effect on children’s well-being.
Giving is better than receiving
Research shows that giving to others is important for health and well-being. Studies have shown that providing social support for others is more beneficial than receiving it.
Living arrangements: happiness, health and old age
A recent study, based on findings from 19 European countries, found that in a lot of countries, including the UK, older people living alone were less happy and had lower life satisfaction than those who lived with others. There were some differences between European countries. Older people in Scandinavia were happier than in other regions of Europe.
Storytelling for business
Telling stories is a unique human skill which everyone can do. In the workplace people are telling stories all the time. This article looks at how stories can be harnessed, taught and exploited at work, in order to facilitate change and motivate people.
Violent video games are great aggression teachers
Recent research has shown that violent video games can teach aggression to the people playing them. The researchers found that this is because video games use the same techniques that really great teachers use.
Teamwork improves learning and career success
A recent longitudinal study has shown that students participating in cooperative learning activities learn better and develop higher level skills. The study was carried out by Professor Elsa Sanchez and Professor Richard Craig at the University of Pennsylvania, within the horticulture department. The researchers designed their Plant Systematics course around a cooperative learning module.
Can a lack of sleep cause Psychiatric disorders?
Almost all psychiatric disorders show some problems with sleep. Recent research shows that a lack of sleep can cause psychological disturbances, rather than the other way around.
Oxytocin reveals why we are generous
Researchers have shown that oxytocin, otherwise known as the love hormone, is associated with increased giving. Neuroeconomist Paul J. Zak of Claremont Graduate University has previously shown that oxytocin increases trust. His most recent study shows that oxytocin has an even bigger effect on generosity, than on trust.
Thought control and chocolate consumption
Research from the University of Hertfordshire has found that deliberately suppressing the thought of eating chocolate has the ironic effect of causing increased chocolate consumption.
Bringing parenting classes to the football field
An Assistant Professor at the University of Buffalo has been using football to help fathers get interested in, and understand, their children’s attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder(ADHD). The researcher suggests that this type of intervention leads to improved success on the field, which translates into success at home and school.
Optimism and the brain
As humans we have a natural tendency to be optimistic. A recent study has shed light on the relationship between optimism and the brain. They found that people generally tend to be optimistic and that there are specific areas of the brain involved in positive future thinking. This study offers a possible mechanism mediating the observed optimism bias. The research has implications for depression because we know that depressed people tend to be pessimistic. It also has implications for the effect of interventions on the brain. People can learn to be optimistic and it may be that this could positively impact on the brain; further studies would need to examine this.
Happiness and recovery from negative events
A recent study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology has found that while European-Americans claim to be happy in general - more happy than Asia Koreans or Japanese - they are more easily made less happy when faced with negative events and recover at a slower rate.
Health and economic impact of reducing class sizes
A longitudinal randomised study conducted in the U.S. has found that a simple intervention i.e. reducing class sizes from 22-25 pupils to 13-17 pupils in kindergarten, has a positive long term effect on health and achievement. The study suggests that reducing class sizes is more effective in generating more quality adjusted life-year gains per dollar invested than the majority of medical interventions.
Some things get better with age
While there are certain realities of getting older such as physical and cognitive decline, the research is finding that older people are happy and content, and happier than their younger counterparts. Psychologist Laura Carstensen calls this the paradox of aging. The explanation seems not to be biological but experiential
Flourishing
One of the,many, themes which emerged during yesterday's conference on 'Wisdom and Flamboyance' was that mental health is not just the absence of mental illness. Though they are closely related, they do not lie on a continuum with mental health at one end and mental illness at the other. Instead we need to create the conditions which promote flourishing. In the older years this means not only boosting positive emotion but also looking at things such as creating meaning and purpose in life.
Body-mind techniques increase performance
A recent study shows that a short term (5 day) course in body-mind meditation training improved attention control and reduced stress in undergraduate students, compared to those students who undertook a relaxation training course. In addition, those people in the meditation course showed lower levels of anger, depression, anxiety and fatigue
Learning beyond the classroom
Learning is a lifelong process: It doesn't stop when we leave school. Psychology has made major advancements in what is known about learning across the lifespan. A group of more than 30 researchers are brigding the gap between the ivory tower and the mainstreet by disseminating this knowledge and carrying out research.
Resilient parenting
There are some people who thrive and do well in life despite having experienced poor parenting and parental bonds. A recent study has focused on two groups of mothers who report poor bonding with their parents, one group that is predictably vulnerable and one that is functioning adaptively and providing good parenting to their own infants. The findings show that individuals who report poor bonds with their parents can overcome their experiences to become resilient individuals and successful parents.
Predicting Health vs. Predicting Disease
Corey Keyes is one of the keynote speakers at our event on the 11th of October, Corey was part of the Predicting Health Symposium, at Emory University last year.
Raising Grateful Children
People who model gratitude will be more likely to elicit it in others, according to Professor Jeffrey Froh.
The brain's response to a growth mindset
Recent neuroimaging studies support Carol Dweck's theory of intelligence. Brain imaging experiments illustrate the benefits of adopting a ‘growth mindset’. Adopting a belief that people can increase their ability through hard work and effort has been shown to have a positive impact on a persons learning and success. In contrast, adopting a ‘fixed’ mindset, leads to decreased performance and feelings of helplessness after failure as well as anxiety after success.
The impact of loneliness on health and well-being
A recent study reveals that loneliness may have a long term impact on health and well-being. According to this study loneliness can take its toll as life progresses.
Self regulation is important for academic success
A study by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania has found that a child’s ability to regulate their behavior (e.g. paying attention to a task, delaying gratification or inhibiting impulsive behavior) was more important than intelligence, for academic success.
Simple Interventions can reduce achievement gaps
Simple psychological Interventions, which do not cost much in time or money, can be effective in reducing the achievment gap and raising performance in marginalised groups.
Good lives don't need to cost the earth
Europe is less carbon efficient now than 40 years ago says new index of carbon efficiency and human well-being. Europe-wide research by nef (the new economics foundation), using a new measure of carbon efficiency and real economic progress reveals that Europe is less efficient today at delivering human well-being than it was 40 years ago.
Is depression overdiagnosed? yes.
The number of people being diagnosed as suffering from depression has been rising. According to Professor Gordon Parker, from the University of New South Wales, we are misdiagnosing unhappiness.
The impact of well-being on health outcomes
Researchers in California have carried out a meta-analysis to examine the effects of well-being (e.g. positive emotion, happiness, life satisfaction, optimism) on health outcomes (e.g. objective physical outcomes such as stress levels and longevity).
High hope and problem gambling
A recent study conducted at the University of Western Sydney has revealed that having high levels of hope may have a downside. In relation to gambling, the research has revealed that problem gamblers have higher and more enduring levels of hope that they will win, compared to other people.
Gratitude is good medicine for organ recipients
A recent study has found that, after the effects of immunosuppressant drugs, gratitude may be the best medicine for organ transplant patients.
Talking about problems is not always a good thing
Recent research published in the Journal of Developmental Psychology has found that girls who excessively discuss problems and who constantly vent over personal problems, show increased levels of anxiety and depression – this was not found for boys.
Resilience: build skills to endure hardship
People who are resilient rebound more quickly from setback or challenges compared to those who don't utilise resilient characteristics.
Mindset website
Here is a website which has everything you might want to know about Professor Carol Dwecks work on mindsets. It has some useful articles, tips and information for those who want to apply her theory.
Moving from good to great
How can good companies become great companies?
The myth of the teen brain
We blame teenage turmoil on immature brains. But did the brain cause the turmoil, or did the turmoil shape the brains?
Young people can change the world
City Year is an American national organization based on the belief that young people can change the world.
Brain's response means that we learn from mistake
Researchers at the University of Exeter have identified, for the first time, a mechanism in the brain that reacts in just 0.1 second to things that have resulted in us making errors in the past.
Virtual 'Vital Friends'
‘Vital friends: the people you can’t afford to live without’ a book by Tom Rath, explores the positive difference it makes to people’s professional lives to have ‘best friends’ at work
Leave No Child Inside
'Leave No Child Inside' is a growing movement, in the States, which wants to get children out of the house and back to nature
The Effort Effect
According to psychology Professor Carol Dweck overcoming failure is important for success.
Educational site which shares good practice
This seems like a good way of sharing practices.
Children are not mad or bad, they are just scared
Child expert Dorothy Rowe has suggested that the increasing number of children diagnosed with ADHD and Bipolar disorder has arisen as a result of experts misdiagnosing fear and anxiety.
There's much more to a walk in the park
Researchers at the University of Sheffield have found that parks rich in species are not only beneficial for the environment but also for people's general levels of well-being
The science of team success
'A growing body of research shows that groups can systematically enhance their performance'
The biology of charitable donations
Humans often sacrifice material benefits to endorse or to oppose societal causes based on moral beliefs
How children use their local environment
A recent study, at University College London, has found that children's spatial behavior changes depending on where they are, who they are with and what they are doing.
This is your life (and how you tell it)
Researchers have found that the brain has a natural ability to create stories
The Older-and-Wiser Hypothesis
What does it mean to be wise? can wisdom be measured and studied? Are older people wiser than the young?
The (other) Secret
The Secret, a 'positive thinking' book and DVD, distorts science and may be undermining for various groups of people
Motivation and positive relationships
Research from the University of Rochester has shown that people who do something for a partner,
Country walks can help reduce depression
Research from the University of Essex highlights the need to reconnect with nature
Learning from Malawi
Children in Malawi have been taking pictures of their experiences in the environment they live in.
Handicapping with optimism
Optimism has been shown to predict a candidates success in political elections
Coaching interventions in educational settings
Coaching interventions with ‘normal’ high school students can increase hope and cognitive hardiness.
Want to achieve something - like voting tomorrow?
Researchers have found that taking a third person perspective when visualising doing something raises the likelihood of going on to perform the desired behavior
Learning about positive psychology
If we want Positive Psychology to stay then we need people to learn about this subject
Mellowing with age may help you live longer
Mellowing with age can help you to live longer.
Job vacancy for lecturer in Positive Psychology
Why societies should pursue happiness
Is pursuing happiness a good thing? according to Professor Barry Schwartz it depends on how you define it.
Is it wrong to teach children about feelings?
concepts such as 'emotional literacy' and self-esteem have been challenged by researchers in the UK and the US.
How not to talk to your kids
85% of Americans think that telling their kids that they are smart is important.
How to beat the genetic set point for happiness
According to happiness expert, Sonia Lyubomirsky, happiness is partly genes, a small amount of circumstance and about 40% of intentional activity
Mental health, blood pressure & happiness
Researchers from Warwick University have found that measuring mental health and blood pressure is a better indicator of happiness than Gross Domestic Product
Positive ageing
A study conducted at the University of Colorado has revealed that some things get better with age.
Jennifer Aniston to play Harvard Professor.
Jennifer Aniston is to play Harvard Professor Ellen Langer in an up and coming movie called 'Counter Clockwise'
