Find Your Bliss

How to create bliss today and every day.

Allison Aboud Holzer, M.A.T., M.F.A., C.P.C.C., coordinates the coaching program for the Emotionally Literate Schools study at Yale University's Health, Emotion & Behavior Lab. See full bio

August 17, 2009

Bliss Tip: Play More with Pets

Do you remember the scene in the movie Cast Away when Chuck Noland (played by Tom Hanks), watches his companion of four years drift away in the ocean and cries "Wilson! WILSON! I'm sorry Wilson, I'm so sorry..."? I sobbed during this scene in the movie, and then I left the theatre baffled at myself for crying over his pet volleyball! But, as any devoted pet owner will tell you: furry, scaly, and leathery friends alike often become members of the family. It's not so much a question of whether pets bring joy into our lives, but rather how... Read More

June 30, 2009

Veni, Vidi, Vici Rumination!

Just take a moment to imagine a cow chomping away - chewing and regurgitating, chewing and regurgitating the same clump of soggy grass. Well, this cud chewing metaphor turns out to be quite illustrative of how most people experience the act of worrying. Read More

April 16, 2009

Bliss Tip for “Bone Envy”

I recently dog-sat a puppy Pomeranian named Quincy who illustrated to me the darker side of Social Comparison Theory. When Quincy arrived, I immediately gave him a bone to help him feel at ease in my home. My Tibetan spaniel Stella watched inquisitively and immediately made a move to usurp Quincy's prized bone. Noticing her jealousy I tried to solve the problem by providing her with another bone of the same kind. I called her over to give her the new bone and she happily began chomping away. Problem solved? Not exactly... Read More

March 10, 2009

Finding Bliss: Expecting Blisters or Baconnaise?

On a recent Daily Show episode, John Stewart responded to President Obama's statement that "this is America: we don't do what's easy, we do what's necessary" by holding up a jar of Baconnaise. Stewart sarcastically retorted that Americans LOVE doing what's easy; so much that products exist like Baconnaise - for people who love bacon but don't actually want to exert the effort of cooking it! With the "happiness industry" rapidly on the rise, and the science of happiness rushing to keep up, do we expect that bliss-products and gurus will provide happiness to us with the same kind of ease? If so, I think we need to check our expectations. Read More

Happiness Basics

Research on how to increase positive moods and capitalize on your strengths has proliferated lately thanks to the positive psychology movement, and has shed light on ongoing insights into personality, mood, and cognition.

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