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The Powerlessness of Positive Thinking
The New Yorker: Since publishing “The Secret,” in 2006, the Australian author Rhonda Byrne has been writing self-help manifestos based on the idea that people who think positive thoughts are rewarded with happiness, wealth, influence
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Why Are Hundreds of Harvard Students Studying Ancient Chinese Philosophy?
The Atlantic: Picture a world where human relationships are challenging, narcissism and self-centeredness are on the rise, and there is disagreement on the best way for people to live harmoniously together. It sounds like 21st-century
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The Meanings of Life
Aeon Magazine: Parents often say: ‘I just want my children to be happy.’ It is unusual to hear: ‘I just want my children’s lives to be meaningful,’ yet that’s what most of us seem to
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Reflecting on a Lifetime of Achievement
As part of APS’s 25th Anniversary celebration, the Board of Directors is honoring 25 distinguished scientists who have had a profound impact on the field of psychological science over the past quarter-century. Eight individuals have
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Remembering Alice M. Isen
Alice M. Isen was a true scientific path-breaker. In an era of scientific psychology that was just overcoming the blinders of radical behaviorism to discover cognition, she nearly single-handedly initiated the modern scientific study of
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New Frontiers in the Science of Positive Emotions
The notion that positive emotions play a critical role in our well-being is not new. By studying the evolutionary origins of emotions and emotions’ specific effects on our health, scientists are discovering that positive emotions
