Authentic Happiness

The Imagination Institute has announced the recipients of nearly $3 million worth of grants to researchers at 16 institutions. These grants are aimed at the development of better ways of assessing and promoting imagination and creativity.

The Character Lab will award a total of up to $1.2 million in grants to support two-year, school-based research projects focused on character development interventions during the 2016-2017 and 2017-2018 school years. Each proposal may request up to $300,000. Letters of intent are due by September 1, 2015.

The Happiness and Well-Being Project will award a total of up to $5.1 million to support collaboration among well-being researchers across a wide range of disciplines. Between 12 and 20 grants will be awarded. Letters of intent are due October 15, 2015.

The sense that life has meaning and direction is associated with reduced risks of adverse health. This study tested the hypothesis that greater purpose in life is associated with lower risk of cerebral infarcts, a type of stroke caused by blockage in a blood vessel to the brain.

Psychological well-being of young people is a significant public health issue because adolescents who need help often do not seek it, leading to a high prevalence of mental health problems in this population.