Addressing the mental health crisis by fostering connections — This article is part of a Wise & Well Special Report: The United States of Depression. Forty-four percent of college students report experiencing symptoms of depression and 37 percent report experiencing symptoms of anxiety, according to the March 2023 Healthy Minds Survey, an annual web-based survey examining mental health among…

Learn About Fascinating Empirical Research with Practical Implications — I love talking about psychology — especially when it doesn’t involve grading! So I’m thrilled to be speaking this Saturday, August 12th as part of Medium Day. Want to join me? I hope you will — and here’s my schedule! First, at 2 pm I’m participating in a panel discussion…

People often privately feel uncomfortable about bad behavior they see around them but mistakenly believe their peers don’t share their concerns. — My husband and I spent a late August day several years ago settling in our oldest child, Andrew, for the start of his first year at college. We went to Walmart to buy a mini fridge and rug. We hung posters above his bed. …

Spending time near water improves psychological and physical well-being — A few years ago — aided by selling a rental property we’d owned for decades — my husband and I bought a beach house that we could almost afford. We texted our three children from the real estate office, telling them we had both good news and bad news. The…

If you’re not a naturally happy person, here are some scientific strategies to help you out of the gloom and doom. — I gave a talk a few years ago on the science of happiness at a large financial services convention in Orlando. At the end of my lecture, a woman approached me to tell me how much she enjoyed my presentation. …

Science reveals that we regret inaction far more than action — Last month I received a call from my middle child, a college senior, with quite surprising news. He’d just received an offer from the Peace Corps to spend 27 months working in Peru. My immediate response as a Mom — after offering him my congratulations — was to worry. Peru…

A detailed look at how shifting how you think about stress leads to better psychological and physical well-being. — A couple of weeks ago I was driving to give a talk when a massive traffic jam suddenly appeared. I sat on I-95 in an absolute standstill, watching the minutes tick by — and getting increasingly nervous that I wouldn’t arrive on time. Eventually traffic started slowly moving again, albeit…

A recent analysis published in The Washington Post examined data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ American Time Use Survey to compare rates of happiness across people in different professions. This analysis of America’s most — and least — happy workers revealed fascinating findings. Who are the least happy workers…

A summary of scientific research on method of building closer relationships as a way to increase happiness. — As many of us focus on setting goals for the new year, it’s tempting to focus on those with clear and measurable outcomes: lose ten pounds, stop drinking, run a 5K. …