Your Wise Brain

Practical insights into happiness, love, and wisdom from psychology, neuroscience, and Buddhism

Rick Hanson Ph.D.

Try a Gentler Tone, When Speaking With Others

Keep these points in mind: be mindful of tone, consider true purpose, lay a good foundation, gentle your body, don't use don't use inflammatory language, say what needs to be said.

Seek to Find the Best in Others

See what is best in others—it's a simple but very powerful way to feel happier and more confident, and become more loving and more productive in the world.

Do You Listen to Others?

It shows you're paying attention, gets things out in the open, and slows down emotional conversations.

If You Are Treated Badly, Don't React Badly

You have to find peace in your heart, not out there in the world.

The Importance of Feeling Cared For

Love, broadly defined, has been the primary driver of the development of the brain over the last 80 million years.

Declare Your Feelings from an Open Heart

Naming the truth — in particular, the facts of one's experience, which no one can disprove — with simplicity and sincerity, and without contentiousness or blame, has moral force.

Show Empathy for Others

Imagine being aware of the surface behavior of the people around you but oblivious to their inner life while they remain unmoved by your own. That's a world without empathy.

Be Neighborly

Being neighborly feels confident and happy, with a positive take on other people, moving toward the world instead of backing away from it.

Show Heartfelt Compassion for Others

Compassion is natural; you don't have to force it. Moments of compassion come in the flow of life. Try to be open to compassion for all beings.

Acknowledge Suffering

Watch and listen to those closest to you. What's hurting over there? Even if you admit that you are one of its causes. Opening to suffering is one of the bravest things you can do.

A Peaceful Heart Triumphs Over Anger

Feeling angry a lot of the time? These three things will help guide you to find peace.

Release Your Burdens

Carrying an unnecessary burden can be stressful and harmful. Instead, it's okay to drop that burden and let go of repetitive preoccupations.

Replenish Your Resources

Stress builds up over time, so it's important to do small things throughout the day to keep the stress meter in the "green zone." There are many ways to lower stress.

Be Honest and Fair

Honest and honorable people can have intense disagreements about how to run a family, school, or nation. But we have common ground in basic principles: tell the truth and be fair.

Show Deep Affection for Someone

At a time when you may feel powerless about the wider world, at least locally, here and now, you can make a real difference. Love is never defeated.

Embrace Happiness

Positive feelings can be present alongside negative ones. Happiness makes us stronger and fuels us to keep going for the sake of others.

Have Trust in Yourself

Be your whole self; it's your whole self that you can trust. See what happens when you let yourself fall backward into your own arms, trusting that they will catch you.

Reduce Stress

Stop the urgency of the day and let a quiet fill the air let your thoughts slow down. There is presence in this moment, and no worries about the future.

Nourish Stable Traits

Daily life is full of opportunities to notice or create experiences of inner strength, a psychological resource. Take it into yourself, making it a part of you.

Love Willingly

Love is a natural wellspring inside us all. It doesn't need to be pushed or pumped. It needs to be released.

Do Without Restraint or Reservation

The relentless pace of doing wears down mental and physical health. What you need to do while refreshing is have a sense of choice. See if you can focus on choice and how it feels.

Meditation, Training Attention

Meditation is the quintessential training of attention. Getting better control of your attention is the foundation of changing your brain for the better.

Steer Clear of Hurrying

Be mindful of hurrying—your own and others. See how other people assume deadlines that aren't actually real, or feel pressured and intense about things that aren't that important.

Temper Your Unneeded Fears Around Others

Most of the time, people don't care what you're doing—you are just a bit player in their own personal drama. Or if they do care, it's a passing feeling.

Take Care of Yourself

If you don't nourish the things that nourish you, they wither away. Start by doing one good thing for yourself tomorrow.

Discover Your Way

To choose good goals, we must balance the influences of the world and the murmurings of the heart. Knowing in your heart what is true for you will make a difference.

Change What You Are Doing

Sometimes it helps to change what you're doing, to shake things up, distract yourself, rest or enjoy something. A respite or some sort of pleasure will help to refuel you.

Release: When to Let Go

Self-critical thoughts, obsessions, defensive about your issues, or drinking too much: These things are relatively straightforward to deal with, even though it could be difficult.

Look for What's Good

We're wired to like some things but our liking or disliking depends a lot on what we pay attention to and on our own perspective.

If You Are Tired, Rest

Our minds are hauled along in a culture without a speed limit – but there's always a price for exceeding the limit. Pulling out of the mental traffic is an act of freedom and wisdom.

  • Previous
  • Page 1 (current)
  • Next