Feeling anxious and perpetually behind? You are not alone. In a recent survey from the American Psychological Association, nearly half of the parents polled reported feeling overwhelming stress on most days. This unrelenting strain has become so prevalent in the U.S. that the Surgeon General issued an advisory warning on the mental health and well-being … Read more
Being mentally strong requires productive self-regulation of your emotions, thoughts, and behaviors. Yet few things are as difficult to control as a sense of confidence. You might feel self-assured one moment, and then something external, like a bad meeting with a boss, can send you into a spiral of insecurity. Growing your confidence is hard … Read more
In functional romantic relationships, it’s psychologically healthy to feel a deep sense of belonging and attachment. However, becoming overly reliant on another person to feel whole, healed and secure is not only harmful to our wellbeing — it can damage relationships over time. This behavior is often referred to in mental health circles as codependency. … Read more
Learning how to harness our attention is the “skill of the century,” says behavioral design expert Nir Eyal. D3sign | Moment | Getty Images Information overload. From music and games to social media and endless hours of entertainment, easy access to technology has meant that humans are perpetually distracted. “The cost of living in a … Read more
Nir Eyal is the author of “Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life.” Courtesy of Nir Eyal We all have bad habits. Whether its doomscrolling on social media, spending too much time on Netflix, or smoking and drinking excessively, some of these are unproductive at best, but many still choose to indulge … Read more
1. ‘What information do you need?’ Whether I am talking to a senator or a CEO, I’ve found that a surefire way to make any communication harder than it needs to be is by trying to read the other person’s mind. It is faster, and more valuable, to ask what information the other person needs, … Read more
From beans to greens, there are many foods that make up the traditional diets of people in the Blue Zones, a handful of areas in the world where people tend to live longer. My family is from the Greek Blue Zone of Ikaria — I spend about half of every year on the island and … Read more
Back in 2009, like so many during the Great Recession, I got laid off. I had been working 9-to-5 as an audio engineer, and working as a freelance music producer for indie bands on the side I decided to take the setback of losing my job and use it as a chance to devote time … Read more
I’ve spent the last decade immersed in the science of happiness, and I’ve learned that our relationships are the most important factor contributing to our personal wellbeing. While I was researching my new book, “New Happy: Getting Happiness Right in a World That’s Got It Wrong,” I discovered that there are two major barriers that … Read more
After three decades researching human hope and happiness, I discovered a method you can use to measure your happiness. It’s based on this simple equation: Hope ÷ Hunger = Happiness This math formula — hope divided by hunger equals happiness — says that the more hopeful and less hungry you are, the happier you become. … Read more
