What do I need to actually balance? Why is balance so important? How can we achieve more balance? Listen and find out. A Happier Year is now available on AHappierYear.com! Use the code “happycastlistener” at checkout for 10% off. [01:00] A metaphor for balance [02:23] Social relationships [02:53] Mirror neurons [03:53] Bowling et al., “What makes your life good?” [06:13] Creating space for social relationships [07:31] Meaning and passion [13:20] Overwork [15:41] Disconnecting from work [17:43] Passions [18:50] Creating space References: Schnell, T. (2011). Individual differences in meaning-making: Considering the variety of sources of meaning, their density and diversity. Personality and Individual Differences, 51(5), 667-673. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2011.06.006 Uddin, L. Q., Iacoboni, M., Lange, C., & Keenan, J. P. (2007). The self and social cognition: The role of cortical midline structures and mirror neurons. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 11(4), 153-157. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2007.01.001 Kuroda, S., & Yamamoto, I. (2019). Why Do People Overwork at the Risk of Impairing Mental. Journal of Happiness Studies, 20(5), 1519–1538. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-018-0008-x SONNENTAG, S., & FRITZ, C. (2015). Recovery from job stress: The stressor-detachment model as an integrative framework. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 36(S1), S72-S103. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.1924 Bridekirk, J., Turcotte, J., & Oddson, B. (2016). Harmonious passions support cognitive resources. Motivation and Emotion, 40(4), 646–654. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11031-016-9561-y 

Happycast: The Science of Happiness

Balance, creating space in your life

 A Happier Year is on Kickstarter until November 13.  Don’t miss out on A Happier Year, an illustrated calendar with 366 science-based actions. Today we are going to talk about three different papers assessing: healthy selfishness, optimism, and acceptance. These three papers provide the basis for three actions in A Happier Year. Let's dive into these papers and get a sneak peak of whats in A Happier Year.    [00:00] Intro [02:36] Healthy Selfishness [06:25] Looking forward to tomorrow [09:25] Is anything bugging you right now?   References: Kaufman, S. B., & Jauk, E. (2020). Healthy Selfishness and Pathological Altruism: Measuring Two Paradoxical Forms of Selfishness. Frontiers in psychology, 11, 1006. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01006 Littman-Ovadia, H., & Nir, D. (2013;2014;). Looking forward to tomorrow: The buffering effect of a daily optimism intervention. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 9(2), 122-136. doi:10.1080/17439760.2013.853202 Ford, B. Q., Lam, P., John, O. P., & Mauss, I. B. (2018). The psychological health benefits of accepting negative emotions and thoughts: Laboratory, diary, and longitudinal evidence. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 115(6), 1075–1092. https://doi.org/10.1037/pspp0000157   Get a Happier Year on Kickstarter until November 13! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/trina/a-happier-year?ref=5b9z6i

A Happier Year: Healthy selfishness, looking forward, and acceptance

A Happier Year is on Kickstarter NOW! Click here to see!  Don’t miss out on A Happier Year, an illustrated calendar with 366 science-backed actions that promotes happiness. Fund the campaign with as little as CAD $1 (that's ≈ US$0.75/€0.64/£0.58) to help the Kickstarter algorithm discover us and you get a printable digital copy of A Happier Week. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/trina/a-happier-year?ref=5b9z6i   Want a chance to win a free copy of A Happier Year? Share the campaign, take a screenshot, and send it to: contest@ahappieryear.com Today we are learning about active leisure! Why do we feel so “blah” after watching Netflix and what can we do instead? What psychological needs are we missing out on?   [00:30] Something exciting! [02:30] Active leisure vs passive leisure [04:35] The benefits of active leisure [06:25] How does active leisure benefit us (vs passive leisure) [11:10] An example of active leisure: Rock climbing [13:05] Finding active leisure that suits you [14:06] What are you actually tired of? [15:54] A Happier Year is on Kickstarter! bit.ly/ahappieryear    References: Hu, X., Barber, L. K., & Santuzzi, A. M. (2020). Does active leisure improve worker well-being? an experimental daily diary approach. Journal of Happiness Studies, doi:10.1007/s10902-020-00305-w Kuykendall, L., Lei, X., Zhu, Z., & Hu, X. (2020). Leisure choices and employee Well‐Being: Comparing need fulfillment and Well‐Being during TV and other leisure activities. Applied Psychology : Health and Well-being, 12(2), 532-558. doi:10.1111/aphw.12196 

Active leisure, you can do more!

What is joy? We dig into how we define joy and talk about a strategy to add more joy to our lives. [00:00] Intro [1:10] Exciting Happycast news! [02:28] What is joy? [05:25] Joy as an emotion  [08:32] Joy as more than an emotion [11:25] Appreciative joy  [13:55] Joy journal [15:08] Tears of joy [20:05] Outro   Join the Facebook group to get a sneak peak of A Happier Year and give me some feedback! https://www.facebook.com/groups/957308811397774 References   Casioppo, D. (2019). The cultivation of joy: practices from the Buddhist tradition, positive psychology, and yogic philosophy. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 1–7. doi:10.1080/17439760.2019.1685577  Emmons, R. A. (2020). Joy: An introduction to this special issue. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 15(1), 1–4. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2019.1685580 Zeng, X., Sun, Y., Deng, Y., & Oei, T. P. S. (2019). Appreciative joy rooted in Chinese culture: Its relationship with strengths in values in action. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 1–10. Zeng, X., Wang, R., Oei, T. P. S., & Leung, F. Y. K. (2018). Heart of Joy: a Randomized Controlled Trail Evaluating the Effect of an Appreciative Joy Meditation Training on Subjective Well-Being and Attitudes. Mindfulness. doi:10.1007/s12671-018-0992-2  Matthew Kuan Johnson (2020) Joy: a review of the literature and suggestions for future directions, The Journal of Positive Psychology, 15:1, 5-24, DOI: 10.1080/17439760.2019.1685581 Oriana R. Aragón & John A. Bargh (2017): “So Happy I Could Shout!” and “So Happy I Could Cry!” Dimorphous expressions represent and communicate motivational aspects of positive emotions, Cognition and Emotion, DOI: 10.1080/02699931.2017.1301388 Matthew Kuan Johnson (2020) Joy: a review of the literature and suggestions for future directions, The Journal of Positive Psychology, 15:1, 5-24, DOI: 10.1080/17439760.2019.1685581 Aragón, O. R., & Clark, M. S. (2018). "tears of joy" & "smiles of joy" prompt distinct patterns of interpersonal emotion regulation. Cognition and Emotion, 32(5), 913-940. doi:10.1080/02699931.2017.1360253’ 

Joy, a deeper look

We are all feeling a little anxious and overwhelmed right now. Here are some science backed tips on how to feel a little better during these weird and scary times. [00:18] Intro [02:35] Stay social with video chats! [08:40] Get moving [13:24] Focus on what you can control [15:30] Disconnect from the news a little [17:44] Outro   References Tsai, H., Cheng, C., Shieh, W., & Chang, Y. (2020). Effects of a smartphone-based videoconferencing program for older nursing home residents on depression, loneliness, and quality of life: A quasi-experimental study. BMC Geriatrics, 20(1), 27-11. doi:10.1186/s12877-020-1426-2 Lathia, N., Sandstrom, G. M., Mascolo, C., & Rentfrow, P. J. (2017). Happier people live more active lives: Using smartphones to link happiness and physical activity. PloS One, 12(1), e0160589. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0160589  

Corona-cast, How to feel a little better during a worldwide pandemic

How can we gain more control of our feelings and of our lives?   [00:00] Intro [01:20] What is control?  [03:43] You can’t control everything [04:45] Study: Control helps older adults through stressful times [08:25] How to feel more in control   References: Thompson, S.C. (2017) The Role of Personal Control in Adaptive Functioning In C.R. Snyder, Shane J. Lopez, Lisa M. Edwards, and Susana C. Marques (Ed.), The Oxford Handbook of Positive Psychology, 3rd Edition. doi:10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199396511.013.22  Dulin, P. L., Hanson, B. L., & King, D. K. (2013). Perceived control as a longitudinal moderator of late-life stressors on depressive symptoms, Aging and Mental Health, 17(6), 718-723. https://doi.org/10.1080/13607863.2013.784956 

Control, put yourself in the driver’s seat

In a nutshell, psychological safety is about feeling safe to learn, contribute, and challenge the status quo without fear of being embarrassed or punished. Listen as Dr. Clark shares his wealth of knowledge on this topic.    [01:50] Dr. Clark’s background [03:30] The background of psychological safety [04:30] The basic definition of psychological safety [06:07] Why is psychological safety important? [06:40] Personal experiment with psychological safety [08:07] What are some common causes of fear? The four stages of psychological safety [11:55] The first sign of psychological safety: Inclusion safety [15:05] How to make people feel included? [17:05] Stage two: Learner safety [17:45] Stage three: Contributor safety [18:35] Stage four: Challenger safety [20:32] What’s something a leader might be doing that is undermining psychological safety [22:12] What can an employee do? How to disagree. [24:50] How to compete in a healthy way [28:00] Intended audience [29:20] How this relates to students [32:00] A better way to view failure [39:54] Parting thoughts   Get in touch with Dr. Clark tclark@leaderfactor.com https://www.leaderfactor.com   Get Dr. Clark’s book https://www.amazon.com/Stages-Psychological-Safety-Inclusion-Innovation/dp/1523087684

Psychological safety, a conversation with Dr. Timothy R. Clark

What is the secret to making and having friends? Listen in, it might surprise you!   [00:00] Intro [01:40] Spatial ecology [04:52] How many hours does it take to make a friend? Study 1 (adults that moved cities) [08:50] How many hours does it take to make a friend? Study 2 (college students) [10:50] Striving Behaviours, quality conversation [13:13] What is the secret to being liked? [15:20] Outtro    References: Ebbesen, E.B., Kjos, G.L., & Konečni, J. (1976).  Spatial ecology: Its effects on the choice of friends and enemies. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 12(6), 505-518. https://doi.org/10.1016/0022-1031(76)90030-5 Hall, J. A. (2019). How many hours does it take to make a friend ? Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 36(4), 1278–1296. https://doi.org/10.1177/0265407518761225 Aronson, E., & Worchel, P. (1966). Similarity versus liking as determinants of interpersonal attractiveness. Psychonomic Science, 5(4), 157-158. http://dx.doi.org/10.3758/BF03328329 

The secret to making friends

Join Christine Esovoloff and I as we have a conversation about the honest truths of self-love, self-compassion, accountability, and more!   [02:05] About Christine [02:47] About Dear Love, I’m Ready for You [03:12] Self love has so many definitions [04:22] Self-love isn’t an end point, it’s a journey [05:23] Chatting about study, self love helps you through failures [07:00] Treat yourself like you’d treat a friend [08:07] Why is it hard to be kind to ourselves? [08:49] Be gentle with yourself [09:53] Unpacking our baggage  [11:40] Holding ourselves accountable [13:36] One size doesn’t fit all [14:30] How Christine got involved with the book   [16:43] Outtro / where to find book / next week’s episode   References: Miyagawa, Y., Niiya, Y., & Taniguchi, J. (2019). When Life Gives You Lemons , Make Lemonade : Self ‑ Compassion Increases Adaptive Beliefs About Failure. Journal of Happiness Studies, (0123456789). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-019-00172-0   Dear Love, I’m Ready for You: Use discount code 'christine20' to get 20% off! https://goldenbrickroad.pub/products/dear-love-im-ready-for-you Find Christine on the web:  instagram.com/the_ginger_journal www.thegingerjournal.ca

Dear Love, a conversation about self-love

There’s a cocktail of chemicals swimming around in your brain in your brain when we have quality social relationships.   [01:24] Release those endorphins with social drinking [05:16] Endogenous opioids from social laughter [08:36] Be your spouse’s friend! [10:30] But have other friends, because your cortisol responds to it. [14:45] Outtro    References: Dunbar, R. I. M., Launay, J., Wlodarski, R., Robertson, C., Pearce, E., Carney, J., & Maccarron, P. (2017). Functional Benefits of ( Modest ) Alcohol Consumption, Adaptive Human Behavior and Physiology, 3, 118–133. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40750-016-0058-4 Manninen, S., Tuominen, L., Dunbar, R. I., Karjalainen, T., Hirvonen, J., Arponen, E., … Ja, I. P. (2017). Social Laughter Triggers Endogenous Opioid Release in Humans, 37(25), 6125–6131. https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0688-16.2017 Grover, S., & Helliwell, J. F. (2019). How ’ s Life at Home ? New Evidence on Marriage and the Set Point for Happiness. Journal of Happiness Studies, 20(2), 373–390. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-017-9941-3 Keneski, E., Neff, L. A., & Loving, T. J. (2018). The Importance of a Few Good Friends : Perceived Network Support Moderates the Association Between Daily Marital Conflict and Diurnal Cortisol, 9(8), 962–971. https://doi.org/10.1177/1948550617731499 

Friends, how they affect your brain chemistry

Those small interactions you have with strangers have quite a few hidden benefits!   [00:42] Talk to strangers on your commute, it’ll make you happier [07:15] Little social interactions make us happier [09:19] Introverts still need to talk  [11:45] Affective forecasting, the reason we don’t think we’ll enjoy eating spaghetti  [13:28] Smile at strangers, it makes them feel included [14:18] Put your phone down, you’ll smile more References Epley, N., & Schroeder, J. (2014). Mistakenly Seeking Solitude, Journal of Experimental Psychology, 143(5), 1980–1999. Sandstrom, G. M., & Dunn, E. W. (2014). Is Efficiency Overrated?: Minimal Social Interactions Lead to Belonging and Positive Affect, Social Psychological and Personality Science, 5(4), 437–442. https://doi.org/10.1177/1948550613502990 Zelenski, J. M., Whelan, D. C., Nealis, L. J., Besner, C. M., Santoro, M. S., & Wynn, J. E. (2013). Personality and Affective Forecasting : Trait Introverts Underpredict the Hedonic Benefits of Acting Extraverted, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 104(6), 1092–1108. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0032281 Wesselmann, E. D., Cardoso, F. D., Slater, S., & Williams, K. D. (2012). To Be Looked at as Though Air : Civil Attention Matters. Psychological Science, 23(2) 166 –168. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797611427921 Kushlev, K., Hunter, J. F., Proulx, J., Pressman, S. D., & Dunn, E. (2019). Computers in Human Behavior Smartphones reduce smiles between strangers. Computers in Human Behavior, 91, 12–16. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2018.09.023   Huge thanks to Ashley for suggesting this week's topic! :)

Strangers, maybe just friends you’ve never met

How do we stay happy while working?   [01:27] Overworking and happiness [07:25] Self-employment [10:20] Work Success [14:57] National well-being References: Kuroda, S., & Yamamoto, I. (2019). Why Do People Overwork at the Risk of Impairing Mental. Journal of Happiness Studies, 20(5), 1519–1538. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-018-0008-x Bujacz, A., Eib, C., & Toivanen, S. (2019). Not All Are Equal : A Latent Profile Analysis of Well ‑ Being Among the Self ‑ Employed. Journal of Happiness Studies, (0123456789). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-019-00147-1 Laguna, M., & Razmus, W. (2018). When I Feel My Business Succeeds , I Flourish : Reciprocal Relationships Between Positive Orientation , Work Engagement , and Entrepreneurial Success. Journal of Happiness Studies, (0123456789). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-018-0065-1 Ali, S., Mansoob, S., & Papyrakis, E. (2019). Happiness and the Resource Curse. Journal of Happiness Studies, (0123456789). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-019-00080-3 

Work is inevitable, happiness isn’t

Social support is so important. It can even impact your physiology.    [01:15] Friends make life good [03:22] What is social support? [07:40] How can social support make you happier? [08:55] The biology of social support [11:54] Hugs   References: Siedlecki, K.L., Salthouse, T.A., Oishi, S. and Sheena, J. (2014) The Relationship Between Social Support and Subjective Well- Being Across Age. Social Indicators Research, 117, 561-576. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-013-0361-4 Hooker, E.D., Zoccola, P.M., and Dickerson S.S. (2018). Toward a Biology of Social Support. In Snyder,  C.R., Lopez, S.J., Edwards, L.M., and Marques, S.C. (Eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Positive Psychology (3rd ed.), doi:10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199396511.013.41  Cohen, S., Janicki-Deverts, D., Turner, R.B., & Doyle, W.J. (2015). Does hugging provide stress-buffering social support? A study of susceptibility to upper respiratory infection and illness. Psychological science, 26(2), 135-47 .    

Social support, a safety net for your happiness

How can valuing things in our future make us happier?   [01:06] What is temporal discounting? [03:33] Those that discount the future and those that do not [06:00] Happiness and temporal discounting [09:07] Expecting something negative [11:30] So what can we do to stop discounting the future?   References Story, G. W., Vlaev, I., Seymour, B., Darzi, A., & Dolan, R. J. (2014). Does temporal discounting explain unhealthy behavior ? A systematic review and reinforcement learning perspective, 8(March), 1–20. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnbeh.2014.00076 Kennedy, J. (2019). Subjective Wellbeing and the Discount Rate. Journal of Happiness Studies, (0123456789). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-019-00096-9 Golub, S. A., Gilbert, D. T., & Wilson, T. D. (2009). Anticipating One’s Troubles: The Costs and Benefits of Negative Expectations. Emotion, 9(2), 277–281. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0014716 Kim, H., Schnall, S., & White, M. P. (2013). Similar Psychological Distance Reduces Temporal Discounting. https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167213488214  

Temporal discounting, get future you to thank you

Why are we sometimes less satisfied even though we have more? The peak-end rule can explain that!   [00:00] Introduction [00:55] How can more pain be better? [03:15] Quality of years, not quantity [06:39] The order matters [08:44] Why we sometimes are satisfied with less [11:46] Vacation and happiness   References Kahneman, D., Fredrickson, B. L., Schreiber, C. A., & Redelmeier, D. A. (1993). When More Pain Is Preferred To Less: Adding a Better End, 4(6), 401–405. Diener, E., Wirtz, D., & Oishi, S. (2001). End Effects of Rated Life Quality: The James Dean Effect. Psychological Science, 12(2), 124–128. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9280.00321 Do, A. M., Rupert, A. V., & Wolford, G. (2008). Evaluations of pleasurable experiences: The peak-end rule. Psychonomic Bulletin and Review, 15(1), 96–98. https://doi.org/10.3758/PBR.15.1.96 Kemp, S., Burt, C.D., & Furneaux, L. (2008). A test of the peak – end rule. Memory and Cognition, 36(1), 132-138. https://doi.org/10.3758/MC.36.1.132 

The peak-end rule, why quality matters for your happiness

This show shares the science of happiness (i.e., positive psychology) with you in an easily digestible form so that you can easily use it and apply it in your everyday life. My aim is to share science based ideas that will make you happier, more productive, and more successful.

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Happycast: The Science of Happiness

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