Happycast: The Science of Happiness

Latest Episodes:

Balance, creating space in your life Apr 22, 2021

Show notes

What do I need to actually balance? Why is balance so important? How can we achieve more balance? Listen and find out.

[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

A Happier Year: Healthy selfishness, looking forward, and acceptance Oct 28, 2020

Show notes

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 peek of what's 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

Active leisure, you can do more! Oct 06, 2020

Show notes

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

Joy, a deeper look Jul 15, 2020

Show notes

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

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'

Corona-cast, How to feel a little better during a worldwide pandemic Apr 08, 2020

Show notes

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

Control, put yourself in the driver's seat Dec 11, 2019

Show notes

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

Psychological safety, a conversation with Dr. Timothy R. Clark Nov 27, 2019

Show notes

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

The secret to making friends Nov 13, 2019

Show notes

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

Dear Love, a conversation about self-love Oct 30, 2019

Show notes

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

Friends, how they affect your brain chemistry Oct 16, 2019

Show notes

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

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Happycast: The Science of Happiness

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected