In the positive psychology world, Flow is a classic book, and for good reason. It was published in 1990 by one of the founding fathers of positive psychology, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, after he had already led decades of research on “optimal experience”. Csikszentmihalyi (he coaches us to say “chick-sent-me-high” to get close to the correct pronunciation) and read more…
Writing is like driving at night. You can only see as far as the headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.–E. L. Doctorow It turns out that writing a game is also like driving at night (E. L. Doctorow’s analogy I like so much). You don’t know how it’s going to turn read more…
Nudge is a book for people who want to help –but not force– others to make better decisions. I first learned of this book when Daniel Kahneman raved about it in Thinking Fast and Slow. I was looking forward to Nudge and was not disappointed. I recommend it to anyone who might be presenting choices to others, and therefore affecting read more…
A recent study showed that simply paying attention to what’s happening in your brain can change it. Research has found changes in learning and memory processes as well in emotional regulation in as little as 8 weeks. How can you practice focusing your attention to create changes in your own brain? While science has found that read more…
What is mindsight? In the words of the author, Dr. Daniel Siegel, “Mindsight is a kind of focused attention that allows us to see the internal workings of our minds…without being swept away by them.” Mindsight is essentially Siegel’s term for mindfulness meditation. Focus attention to achieve success Mindsight: The New Science of Personal Transformation teaches us the read more…
When I learned that exercise boosts mood and decreases depression on top of all the other health benefits, I made a vow to not let three days in a row go by without some physical activity in my life. In fact, this was the very first change I made to my life after learning about the science read more…
I often present the workshop Truly Tapping Your Strengths–And Those of Your Team! The basic gist is that if you focus on what’s right with people and get them to use that more, everyone does better work and enjoys it more. A common question from my awesome audiences is “If I think a job needs a particular set read more…
Scientific data clearly shows that happiness is contagious – and so are negative attitudes. In graphics showing the distribution of happier and less happy people, you will find obvious clusters of happiness and unhappiness–not a random distribution. But in what direction do positive and negative attitudes spread – and can we influence it? An audience read more…
We: How to Increase Performance and Profits through Full Engagement is so titled because the authors view employee engagement as a partnership between employees and their employers. I couldn’t agree more. Pay for Performance and Employee Engagement Early on in the book though, there is a part with which I disagree: the authors strongly argue that read more…
We can all easily list external factors that will take the joy out of work. Unrealistic deadlines, a constantly negative team member, or construction noise are all obviously destructive to a good mood. Chances are, we each have our own habits that put us in a bad mood – and these internal factors are often read more…