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. But as one who talks and writes about the science of happiness with great regularity, let me share what…

Choose Experiences Over Belongings — In October 2016, my brother Matt — a long-time season ticket holder for the Chicago Cubs — called me to get advice on a very unusual dilemma: what should he do with his four tickets for the upcoming World Series game? One option was to take his wife and two…

A summary of scientific research on the benefits of dogs for psychological and physical well-being. — In May of 2017, my family adopted a highly traumatized dog from a local shelter. Daisy had been dropped off at a shelter in Louisiana along with her 10 puppies; they were all brought up to Massachusetts by a local rescue agency. After weaning, her puppies were all promptly adopted…

Sixteen years ago, my mother spent what would turn out to be her last Mother’s Day in a hospital, recovering from the effects of yet another failed round of chemotherapy. I’ve thought repeatedly about the last few months of her life during this pandemic, and how we were all so…

Last week a friend called me to share a story about her daughter, Claire, a recent college graduate living and working in Boston. In March, as it was starting to become clear that the coronavirus was going to severely impact daily life in Massachusetts, Claire — who is Asian —…