Posts tagged with 'happiness'
Targeting behavioural activation better both for decreasing depression and increasing wellbeing (first post)
22nd May 2010
There are a series of meta-analyses showing that "behavioural activation" (BA) is a good treatment for depression and that it is as effective as best-established approaches like full cognitive behavioural therapy - see, for example, last year's paper by Trevor and colleagues "Behavioral activation treatments for depression in adults: a …
Walking in the Mamores: reflection (third post)
24th April 2010
Yesterday I wrote about climbing three of the Mamores here in the Highlands. For the last couple of years in the Spring (before the midges) I've gone camping and walking in the Scottish hills - last year in Glen Affric and the year before in the Fainnichs. I've written too …
Recent research: two studies on depression, one on sex, & three on positive psychology
24th September 2009
Here are half a dozen research papers that have recently interested me (all details & abstracts to these studies are given further down this blog posting). The first by Fournier et al is about whether to choose antidepressants or psychotherapy to treat depression. They found that marriage, unemployment and having …
The health professions: selfless vocation or well-paid career?
2nd August 2009
The overlap between money and the health professions seems to involve a complex, multi-faceted set of issues. I was triggered into thinking about this by the coincidence of three events. One was a conversation at the recent annual BABCP psychotherapy conference, a second was reading Lewis Hyde's book "The gift", …
Recent research: six articles on wellbeing – meaning in life, reappraisal, positive emotions, and neighbourliness
23rd July 2009
Here are six research articles (see below for abstracts and links) loosely falling into the overall area of wellbeing. Boyle, Barnes et al report on the association between purpose in life and mortality in older people. They found that greater purpose in life was associated with considerably reduced mortality even …
Exeter conference day 2: mindfulness & health anxiety, body dysmorphic disorder, therapeutic alliance, and politics
17th July 2009
Second day of the full conference. Again good conversation at breakfast ... great. Then off along small tracks through the university grounds to end up at a symposium on research using Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) to help people suffering from severe Health Anxiety Disorder. Four papers were presented. Although the …
“Smile intensity in photographs predicts divorce later in life”
5th July 2009
I do think that Matt Hertenstein and colleagues came up with an eye catching title here: Hertenstein, M., C. Hansel, et al. (2009). "Smile intensity in photographs predicts divorce later in life." Motivation and Emotion 33(2): 99-105. [Abstract/Full Text] [Free Full Text] Abstract: Based on social-functional accounts of emotion, we …
The Ben Lui group (first post): the challenge of balancing planning & savouring
15th June 2009
Tomorrow I hope to head North and West up past Stirling, Lochearnhead and Crianlarich to Strath Fillan. I should be able to park at a little village called Dalrigh just before Tyndrum. From there I can walk in by the River Cononish for about 7 km to get to Ben …
Three good books: “Positivity”, “The Compassionate Mind” & “The Spirit Level”
3rd May 2009
Here are three good, recently published books that are all highly relevant to the fields of stress, health & wellbeing. "Positivity" by Barbara Fredrickson (see below) is subtitled, a little breathlessly - "Groundbreaking research reveals how to embrace the hidden strength of positive emotions, overcome negativity, and thrive." Actually Professor …
New Year’s resolution – would you like to be happier?
28th December 2008
So here's a blast from the past ... that could be fun and useful for a New Year's resolution. I first came across Michael Fordyce's research year's ago (Fordyce 1977; Fordyce 1983). It was probably the first serious scientific exploration of how to help people become happier that I'd ever …