In this episode, we're discussing Martin Seligman's influential positive psychology book, Authentic Happiness. Here is the book's summary from Amazon.com:  A national bestseller, Authentic Happiness launched the revolutionary new science of Positive Psychology—and sparked a coast-to-coast debate on the nature of real happiness.  According to esteemed psychologist and bestselling author Martin Seligman, happiness is not the result of good genes or luck. Real, lasting happiness comes from focusing on one’s personal strengths rather than weaknesses—and working with them to improve all aspects of one’s life. Using practical exercises, brief tests, and a dynamic website program, Seligman shows readers how to identify their highest virtues and use them in ways they haven’t yet considered. Accessible and proven, Authentic Happiness is the most powerful work of popular psychology in years.   Podcast Episode          

Authentic Happiness by Martin Seligman

Psychology enthusiasts from around the world meet up monthly for a lively skype conversation about an important psych book. Emphasis on how these ideas are relevant in our own lives.

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Self-Improvement

 This episode is an old conversation from 2015 about the book The 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman.  Here is a summary of the book from Amazon:   Falling in love is easy. Staying in love—that’s the challenge! How can you keep your relationship fresh and growing amid the demands, conflicts, and just plain boredom of everyday life?  In the #1 New York Times bestseller The 5 Love Languages, you’ll discover the secret that has transformed millions of relationships worldwide. Whether your relationship is flourishing or failing, Dr. Gary Chapman’s proven approach to showing and receiving love will help you experience deeper and richer levels of intimacy with your partner—starting today.  The 5 Love Languages is as practical as it is insightful. Updated to reflect the complexities of relationships today, this new edition reveals intrinsic truths and applies relevant, actionable wisdom in ways that work.  Podcast episode         

The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love that Lasts by Gary Chapman

This episode is an old discussion from October 2014 about the book The Happiness Advantage by Shawn Achor.  Here is a description of the book from Amazon:  Most people want to be successful in life. And of course, everyone wants to be happy. When it comes to the pursuit of success and happiness, most people assume the same formula: if you work hard, you will become successful, and once you become successful, then you'll be happy. The only problem is that a decade of cutting-edge research in the field of positive psychology has proven that this formula is backwards. Success does not beget happiness.  Based on the largest study ever conducted on happiness and human potential (a survey conducted by the author of more than 1,600 students), Harvard lecturer Shawn Achor shares seven core principles of positive psychology that each one of us can use to improve our performance, grow our careers, and gain a competitive edge at work. He reveals how happiness actually fuels success and performance, not the other way around. Why? Because when we are happier and more positive we are more engaged, creative, resilient to stress, and productive. The Happiness Advantage will appeal to anyone who wants practical advice on how to become happier and also more successful.  Podcast episode          

The Happiness Advantage: The 7 Principles of Positive Psychology That Fuel Success and Performance at Work by Shawn Achor

This episode is a discussion about Willpower: Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength by Roy Baumeister and John Tierney. Here is a summary of the book from Amazon.com:  Pioneering research psychologist Roy F. Baumeister collaborates with New York Timesscience writer John Tierney to revolutionize our understanding of the most coveted human virtue: self-control. Drawing on cutting-edge research and the wisdom of real-life experts,Willpower shares lessons on how to focus our strength, resist temptation, and redirect our lives. It shows readers how to be realistic when setting goals, monitor their progress, and how to keep faith when they falter. By blending practical wisdom with the best of recent research science, Willpower makes it clear that whatever we seek—from happiness to good health to financial security—we won’t reach our goals without first learning to harness self-control. Podcast Episode.        

Willpower: Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength by Roy Baumeister and John Tierney

This episode is a discussion about Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman. Here is a summary of the book:  In the international bestseller, Thinking, Fast and Slow, Daniel Kahneman, the renowned psychologist and winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics, takes us on a groundbreaking tour of the mind and explains the two systems that drive the way we think. System 1 is fast, intuitive, and emotional; System 2 is slower, more deliberative, and more logical. The impact of overconfidence on corporate strategies, the difficulties of predicting what will make us happy in the future, the profound effect of cognitive biases on everything from playing the stock market to planning our next vacation—each of these can be understood only by knowing how the two systems shape our judgments and decisions.  Engaging the reader in a lively conversation about how we think, Kahneman reveals where we can and cannot trust our intuitions and how we can tap into the benefits of slow thinking. He offers practical and enlightening insights into how choices are made in both our business and our personal lives—and how we can use different techniques to guard against the mental glitches that often get us into trouble. Winner of the National Academy of Sciences Best Book Award and the Los Angeles Times Book Prize and selected by The New York Times Book Review as one of the ten best books of 2011, Thinking, Fast and Slow is destined to be a classic.   Podcast Episode.         

Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman

 This episode is a discussion about Where to Draw the Line: How to Set Healthy Boundaries Every Day by Anne Katherine. Here is a summary of the book:   From the acclaimed author of the perennial favorite Boundaries, Where to Draw the Line is a practical guide to establishing and maintaining healthy boundaries in many different situations. With every encounter, we either demonstrate that we’ll protect what we value or that we’ll give ourselves away. Healthy boundaries preserve our integrity. Unlike defenses, which isolate us from our true selves and from those we love, boundaries filter out harm. This book provides the tools and insights needed to create boundaries so that we can allow time and energy for the things that matter—and helps break down limiting defenses that stunt personal growth.  Focusing on every facet of daily life—from friendships and sexual relationships to dress and appearance to money, food, and psychotherapy—Katherine presents case studies highlighting the ways in which individuals violate their own boundaries or let other people breach them. Using real-life examples, from self-sacrificing mothers to obsessive neat freaks, she offers specific advice on making choices that balance one’s own needs with the needs of others. Boundaries are the unseen structures that support healthy, productive lives. Where to Draw the Line shows readers how to strengthen them and hold them in place every day.  Topics we discuss include:  The key difference between boundaries and defences   How to deal with boundary errors and boundary violations   How we can responsibly uphold our boundaries   What we need to do if we commit a boundary error or violation ourselves   During the conversation, we talk about NVC, which is short for Non-Violent Communication. If you'd like to find out more about this communication framework, you can listen to the discussion we had about it here.    Podcast Epsiode           

Authentic Happiness by Martin Seligman

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