The Positive Psychology Podcast - Bringing The Science Of Happiness To Your Earbuds With Kristen Truempy

Did you know that you are a broadcaster and have a lots of influence over the people in your life? Former CBS news anchor turned Positive Psychologist Michelle Gielan discusses how changing what and how we broadcast is crucial for success, happiness and health. If Michelle's message resonated with you, you can get her audiobook Broadcasting Happiness for free if you go through http://strengthsphoenix.com/audible and sign-up for a trial membership. You can find out more about Michelle at http://michellegielan.com/ If you want to take the success scale go to http://broadcastinghappiness.com/success-scale/ And last but not least if you want to download the manifesto she talked about go to http://transformativejournalism.com/the-manifesto/ . 

If you take your well-being seriously you have to prioritize and manage it. Today I will share how I do this focusing mainly on the tools I use, mostly smartphone apps. You can find the full list of links on the page Apps to Manage Happiness

In our pursuit of happiness it is easy to become myopic. Why not freshen things up by trying, just for the length of this episode, to achieve utter misery? Randy Paterson is a psychologist and the author of the book How to be Miserable: 40 Strategies you Already use. He will shine a light on some of the strategies we use to be miserable (unless you are of course a regular listener, in which case, I trust, you have kicked most of these habits already ;-). For more episodes visit http://strengthsphoenix.com/listen For those of you who finally want to give Audible a try and support the podcast while doing so (at no extra cost to you) check out http://strengthsphoenix.com/audible  

Dan McAdams' work has illuminated how stories shape our identity. Today we dissect the elements of story to unearth the narrative we tell ourselves. Furthermore we will look at a life-stage model and how reaching or missing expected milestones can shape our identity. You can find more episodes at http://strengthsphoenix.com/listen To get a free audiobook of your choice check out http://strengthphoenix.com/audible

Maria Sirois from episode 21 on authenticity returns to the Positive Psychology Podcast to talk about happiness after loss. Maria has written A Short Course in Happiness After Loss: (and Other Dark, Difficult Times) We talk about when happiness is appropriate after loss, what we can do when tragedy strikes and how we can support those we love going through a hard time. Maria also mentions Viktor Frankl who has written an amazing book called Man's Search for Meaning If you want to hear Maria's take on authenticity check out episode 21. And last but not least if you need something a bit lighter to listen to after these serious topics you can search for Nicola Yoon's great novel Everything Everything on Audible, download it for free if you sign up to try out Audible's membership (which I have been using since 2006) and support the Positive Psychology Podcast at the same time.

Today we will talk about the philosophy of minimalism. It's not (yet) rooted in psychological evidence but based on what we know about what makes people happy and what doesn't it contains a lot of useful ideas. We will talk about what minimalism is and is not, what the benefits are as well as some guidelines to help you consider as you go about your life. And in case you would like to learn more about minimalism (I recommend Leo Babauta's The Simple Guide to a Minimalist Life) you can grab a free audiobook if you go through my website http://strengthsphoenix.com/audible More episodes can be found at http://strengthsphoenix.com/listen Why not be brave and leave the first review in your iTunes store?  

We will talk about the anatomy of habits, discuss BJ Fogg's work on tiny habits and then address some things which make successful habit implementation more likely. This episode is meant to revisit some of the aspects of the Happy Habits interview episode (number 26) and to add a different approach to habits that is easy and helpful. We will also talk about the obstacles and excuses that can trip you up. For those of you who want to delve deeper into the topic of habits I can recommend two books: The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg Better than Before by Gretchen Rubin If you go through this link you will not only get a new audiobook for free but you will also get the fuzzy feeling of knowing that you sponsored a month's worth of hosting fees.    

Comfort and convenience We seek comfort through convenience. The time that convenience was designed to create for more important things is often taken up by more convenience Convenience is a never ending task. Our tolerance for discomfort steadily decreases which in turn is related to a lowering of our psychological well-being A way out is to allow more risk and failure back into our lives Consumerism The number of ads outnumbers probably all other messages we get every day Without thinking about our relationship with consumerism it controls us Rethinking consumerism is not about saying goodbye to fun and joy It's about aligning what's important to us with how we spend our energy and resources This creates room for the great stuff Antidotes gratitude savouring mindfulness thinking about values and what you do and don't do creation Resources mentioned: The Upside of your Dark Side by Todd Kashdan & Robert Biswas-Diener Related episodes: Positive Money Savouring You can download any Audible book

One of the most interesting ways to implement positive psychology is by using techniques from the arts. You don't have to be a liberal arts college major to use and enjoy these techniques. Shannon Polly and I discuss how acting as if, posture, reading great speeches and improv theatre techniques help her Fortune 500 clients grow personally and develop and stronger executive presence. We also discuss how acting and authenticity relate to each other and have a special fun surprise at the end. Shannon is a leadership development facilitator, coach, speaker, author and founder of Shannon Polly and Associates, with degrees in both music and drama. She is also among the first 150 people in the world to graduate with a Masters of Science in Applied Positive Psychology. You can learn more about her work at http://shannonpolly.com/ Character Strengths Matter: How to Live a Full Live Shannon mentioned the comedian Yakov Smirnoff in case you're curious what a comedian with a positive psychology degree is like. Amy Cuddy

Episode 10 was for the guys, this one is for the ladies. Niyc Pidgeon, a positive psychologist who works mainly with female entrepreneurs and I discuss the differences between coaching men and women, when coaching makes sense, self-care and what kind of interventions Niyc uses with her clients to make them even more successful. Find out more about Niyc at http://www.niycpidgeon.com/ Niyc mentioned this book: Second Wave Positive Psychology by Kate Hefferon, Itai Ivtzan, Tim Lomas and Piers Worth. For more episodes of the Positive Psychology Podcast go to http://strengthsphoenix.com/listen

Elaine, a listener of the podcast, wrote in and suggested that I cover shame from the perspective of positive psychology. We will look at the work of Brené Brown, a rockstar shame and vulnerability researcher. Furthermore I will also address shame from a personal point of view, simply because not talking about it breeds more of it. For more episodes of the Positive Psychology Podcast check out http://strengthsphoenix.com/listen   gdt4f5er

What do we sacrifice on the altar of speed and instant everything? Why is the imperative for speed bad for you and what can we do about it? We will talk about some of the surprising benefits that patience has on our lives. For more episodes check out http://strengthsphoenix.com/listen

If you are new to the Positive Psychology Podcast (or a bit behind) and you are a bit lost why not check out the top 10 of 2015?

Who doesn't want more happiness, optimism and balance in their life? Self-compassion, championed by Dr. Kristin Neff, is one of those things that almost nobody has enough of. We are very self-critical because we're afraid otherwise we might lose our edge. That is however not true so why continue beating ourselves up? In this episode we explore what self-compassion is, why it's often misunderstood and what we can do to get more of it. For more episodes check out http://strengthsphoenix.com/listen  

Thanksgiving is over but regardless of the time of the year it's really helpful to be conscious of all the resources that are at our disposal. It provides us with perspective and show us that whatever is bothering us, is not the only thing we have (or lost) in life. In this episode we talk about 16 categories, some of which we don't usually think about, when thinking about what we have. If you are unhappy with your own resources you can use this list to build resources the same way people traditionally think about building wealth. For more episodes check out strengthsphoenix.com/listen  

The holiday season has kicked off and people all around the world are wondering what to do about 'negative' family members. Waiting them to change has not helped so what now? Try to involve them in a strengths-based conversation. See how different the conversation pans out when we start asking more meaningful questions than 'how are you?' I invited Erica Virvo on for this demonstration because her fun and adventurous spirit has led her to experience the kind of life many people dream they could lead themselves (hint: she's not a trust-fund baby). For more episodes of the Positive Psychology Podcast check out http://strengthsphoenix.com/listen

Dr. Richard Wiseman is on a mission to make people go to sleep more often and more deeply. You will hear what happens we we sleep, what happens when we don't sleep enough, the benefits of sleeping, how to fall asleep more easily and a little bit about dreams. For more episodes check out http://strengthsphoenix.com/listen  

Today we look at authentic leadership and why it's important for anyone, regardless of whether you have a formal leadership position or not. We will examine the benefits of authentic leadership, the qualities these authentic leaders have and how they lead. For more episodes check out http://strengthsphoenix.com/listen

While science is at the heart of positive psychology we sometimes need role models to understand how concepts like curiosity or growing beyond our comfort zones can be applied to our own lives. Nathaniel Boyle from the Daily Travel Podcast talks to us about how travel helps us to grow into our true selves. For more episodes check out http://strengthsphoenix.com/listen

Willpower is essential to to reach our goals. Yet as Kelly McGonigal points out in her book The Willpower Instinct common ideas about willpower are often wrong. In this  episode we look at these misconceptions and how to overcome them. For more episodes of the Positive Psychology Podcast check out http://strengthsphoenix.com/listen