Thriving101

Living the best life ever.

Adoree Durayappah-Harrison MAPP

Even a Brief Introduction to Mindfulness Decreases Negative Emotion

New research shows how a 20-minute introduction to meditation decreases negative emotions and physical pain for individuals with no past training in mindfulness.

The "Coulda Regret" and the Dark Side of the Ideal Self

How the failure to meet the expectations of your ideal self causes enduring regrets.

9 Truths You Should Know About Expert Liars

Stop trying to spot a lie and learn to spot a liar! Recent research helps us identify the prolific liar skulking around our dating life, our workspace, or our social circles. 

3 Simple Strategies to Use When Struggling to Achieve a Goal

Having trouble achieving your goal? Don't work harder. Work less: in these ways.

Weight Loss Motivation: Secrets to Staying on Track, Part 3

In Part 3, the last in this series, we discuss how to apply this latest research on the importance of intrinsic motivation to your life. Learn how to tap into your unique drivers, what motivates you, what you enjoy, and discover how to connect fitness and weight loss to your interests and values for long-term success.

Weight Loss Motivation: Secrets to Staying on Track, Part 2

In 1996 a team of scientists from the Departments of Psychology and Medicine at the University of Rochester in New York wanted to investigate motivation and weight loss. The researchers found that the type of motivation the participants had significantly affected how much weight was lost.

Weight Loss Motivation: Secrets to Staying on Track, Part 1

A recent meta-analysis study in the Journal of the American Medical Association looked at different weight loss plans and found no significant difference between the success of one program versus another. It came down to the individual’s motivation to stay with the program that made all the difference.

Are You Being Too Assertive? Not Enough?

Many people want to be more assertive in the workplace. Being assertive can help you voice your opinions to your coworkers, help you negotiate that promotion and pay raise, and also has a number of health benefits.

The Real Reason Some of Us Are Chronically Late

The truth is that there are many reasons why people just can’t get somewhere on time.

The Secret Benefits of a Curious Mind

It's no surprise that when we are curious about something, it makes it easier to learn. But cutting-edge research published in the academic journal Neuron provides startling evidence for how a curious state of mind improves learning and memory for things we are not even interested in.

3 Steps for Changing Any Bad Habit or Forming Any Good One

Do you have a bad habit that you have been desperately trying to change for quite some time? Maybe it is quitting smoking or ending your love affair with donuts. Or maybe you are trying to cultivate a good habit such as going for daily runs or calling your mom more? Whatever the case, you know it isn't from a lack of trying.

Why Losing Weight May Be Harder for Night Owls

Are you a night owl and wondering how to lose weight? If so, one important step to help you meet your goals is to say good night to going to bed late. A new study has found that night owls are more sedentary and find it difficult to stick to exercise schedules.

How to Live to 110

Want to know how to live longer? Check out these diet and exercise habits of supercentenarians. Their tips might shock you.

The Spoiler Paradox

We go through great lengths to avoid overhearing the ending of a movie we haven’t seen or a book we haven’t read, and if we do overhear the end we feel that our experience is spoiled. After all that’s why they call them “spoilers”. But as it turns out, knowing the ending of a story before you read it doesn’t hurt the experience of the story; it makes it better.

Facebook Enhances Self-Esteem, Study Finds

Feeling down in the dumps and want to feel better? Log into Facebook and view your profile. Want to feel even better? Try editing your profile. A new study published in the February issue of Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking found that viewing and editing your Facebook profile could boost your self-esteem.

Playing Hard to Get Can Help You Get the Girl

Playing hard to get: Should you do it? Does it help you when dating?

Brain Study Reveals Secrets of Staying Madly in Love

Thanks to neurological research, we are a bit closer to demystifying the secrets behind achieving intense, lasting, romantic love.

How to Succeed By Having Good Posture

Remember when your mother would tell you, "STAND UP STRAIGHT"? Turns out, Mama ain't no fool! Your mother carped about your posture as a kid because she wanted you to become a successful adult. See, Mama knows that posture plays a pivotal role in whether you feel, and subsequently act, powerful. According to a recent study published in Psychological Science...

Want to Keep Your New Year’s Resolutions? Get Angry!

With 2011 here, we all have our New Year's Resolutions that we are simply adamant about keeping, right? And I bet, like most, you have tried practically every strategy for sticking with them and staying motivated through the year. Yet, there is one successful strategy that you might not have tried-intentionally, that is-and that's Anger.

Rejection: A Loser's Guide

Rejection hurts badly — yet, even after years of exposure, we are still not immune to its pernicious effects.

Rose-Colored Glasses Linked to Less Frontal Lobe Use

A recent study published in the journal NeuroImage explains the role of the frontal lobe in these glowing self-evaluations. The study's findings indicate that the less activity there is in the frontal lobe, the more likely we are to see ourselves through rose-colored glasses.

What Science Has to Say About Genuine vs. Fake Smiles

Ever noticed how there are basically two types of smiles: a genuine smile and a fake one?

Champagne Good for the Heart. A Toast to Your Health!

Just in time for New Year's Eve, a study published in the British Journal of Nutrition, reveals that champagne, like red wine, is good for your heart and blood circulation. The study from the University of Reading finds that drinking champagne in moderation (two glasses a day) has a positive effect on the way blood vessels function

Why We Continue to Eat When We're Full

New research from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center suggests that the hormone ghrelin might also act on the brain influencing the hedonic aspects of eating behavior.

The Art of Compassion, From a Storeowner to a Would-be Robber

We know that forgiveness and compassion are important for a meaningful, happy life. Yet, it is much easier to understand the importance of forgiveness than to actually practice it.

How Hourly or Salary Pay Affects Happiness

Will more money make you happier? Well, that depends on if you are paid hourly or salary according to a new study published in Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin.

Harry Potter and Human Flourishing

With Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince premiering this week in theaters across the country, I find it apropos to discuss the Harry Potter series and its contribution to Positive Psychology. "Wait a second," you might impetuously interject. "I didn't see that on Wikipedia!"