Blogs

The Good Life

Positive psychology and what makes life worth living.

by Christopher Peterson

Christopher Peterson is professor of psychology at the University of Michigan. See full bio

The Good Life

January 19, 2010

Steve Jobs: Lessons for the Good Life

I recently watched the 2005 Stanford University Commencement Address by Steve Jobs. Perhaps you have already seen it - the website reports 1.4 million hits! Read More

January 18, 2010

Martin Luther King, Jr. - The Dream and the Data

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
- Martin Luther King, Jr. (August 28, 1963)

Today - January 18, 2010 - those of us in United States and elsewhere celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Read More

January 16, 2010

There Are No Bad Racks

This blog entry is about Scrabble, where one's "rack" is the seven tiles in front of you. This blog entry is also about Scrabble as a metaphor for the good life.

January 14, 2010

Optimism Goes Underground

In a previous blog entry, I discussed recent criticisms of positive thinking and especially positive psychology. Is the United States being undermined by the tendency to look on the bright side? I concluded no, but maybe that was rash. Read More

January 12, 2010

The Positive Analogue of a Phobia

I don't just write blog entries for Psychology Today - I also read them, at least those that are flagged as "essential" or "most read" posts. Read More

January 7, 2010

Passion and Positive Psychology

Love has no pride when I call out your name.
Oh ... I'd give anything to see you again.
-Eric Kaz & Libby Titus Read More

January 5, 2010

Wakeup Calls

I was surfing this morning and came across a website that archived the songs played every morning by mission control to the crew of STS-88, the first Space Shuttle mission to the International Space Station.

Here is the link, and it appears that you can download the songs yourself. Read More

January 4, 2010

The Good Life: Ends and Means

What makes life worth living? Read More

January 1, 2010

Happy and Not-So-Happy New Years

I have a close friend and colleague who was born and raised in South Korea. We talk a great deal, and I am usually struck - when I stop and reflect - that people from very different backgrounds often share very much in common. Read More

December 31, 2009

The Good Life as a Ponzi Scheme

We periodically hear about the unraveling of a Ponzi scheme - most recently, think Bernard Madoff and his $65 billion enterprise - and decry those who induce people to invest money, which is then used to pay off other investors, ostensibly as profit but not really. 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.

Go to the Happiness Basics page for more on Happiness including:

Current Issue

Heartbreak and Home Runs: The Power of First Experiences

How early life experiences shape our character.

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