Authentic Happiness

by Dacher Keltner, 2013

Can science aid us in the pursuit of happiness? UC Berkeley professor Dacher Keltner makes an evolutionary case for the emergence of compassion, tracing the argument to Darwin, and illustrating how kindness is the pathway to happiness.

by Dacher Keltner, 2010

Dacher Keltner is a psychology professor at UC Berkeley whose research focuses on two time-honored questions. A first is the biological and evolutionary origins of human emotion, with a special concentration on compassion, awe, love, and beauty, and how emotions shape all kinds of judgments. A second is the study of power, status and social class, and the nature of moral intuitions. Dacher is the co-author of two best selling textbooks, one on human emotion, the other on social psychology, as well as Born to Be Good: The Science of a Meaningful Life, published in January 2009 by WW Norton Publishers, and The Compassionate Instinct, to be published by WW Norton in 2010.

by Robert Emmons, 2012

Gratitude as the Lynchpin Between Adversity and Delight

UC Davis Professor, Robert Emmons, PhD's lecture at the Institute for Spirituality and Health's 21st annual Psychotherapy and Faith Conference

Conference Theme - Happiness and Suffering: What It Means to be Human

Held November 16th, 2012 at St. Paul's United Methodist Church, Houston, TX

by Robert Emmons, 2014

Psychologist Robert Emmons (UC Davis) suggests that gratitude is at the core of the Ignatian examen of consciousness. It is an interior depth we experience out of which flows a profound sense of being gifted. As a fundamental orientation, gratitude lends significance and meaning to relationships, events, experiences, and ultimately, to life itself. Setting aside time on a daily basis to recall the graces one has received has the potential to interweave and thread together a sustainable life theme of highly cherished personal meaning just as it nourishes a fundamental life stance whose thrust is decidedly positive. As a consequence, when stirred to profound gratitude, we are led to experience and interpret life situations in ways thatcall forth from us an openness to and engagement with the world through purposeful actions in order to share and increase the very good we have received. Ignatian spirituality deepens our understanding of the nature, origins, and functions of gratitude and can guide practical ways to cultivate gratitude on a daily basis.

by Robert Emmons, 2014

In introductory remarks at the Greater Good Gratitude Summit in June 2014, the world's leading expert on the science of gratitude reveals the power of gratitude to transform our lives.

by Robert Emmons, 2014

Robert Emmons (Professor of Psychology, UC Davis) explains how gratitude can heal, energize, and change human lives, with reference to recent empirical psychological research. Delivered at Biola University on March 6, 2014. Co-sponsored by Biola CCT and Rosemead School of Psychology.

by Barbara Fredrickson, 2009

Dr. Barbara Fredrickson, Kenan Distinguished Professor of Psychology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, discusses her new book, "Positivity" that focuses on what positivity is, and why it needs to be heartfelt to be effective.

by Barbara Fredrickson, 2013

Barbara L. Fredrickson, Ph.D., is Kenan Distinguished Professor of Psychology and Director of the Positive Emotions and Psychophysiology Lab (a.k.a. PEP Lab, PositiveEmotions.org) at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is the author of 100+ peer-reviewed articles and book chapters as well as Positivity (www.PositivityRatio.com) and Love 2.0 (www.PositivityResonance.com). An internationally popular keynote speaker, her work has influenced scholars and practitioners worldwide, within education, business, healthcare, the military, and beyond.

By Jane Dutton

Corrosive work relationships are like black holes that swallow up energy that people need to do their jobs. In contrast, high-quality relationships generate and sustain energy, equipping people to do work and do it well. Grounded in solid research, this book uses energy as a measurement to describe the power of positive and negative connections in people's experience at work. Author Jane Dutton provides three pathways for turning negative connections into positive ones that create and sustain employee resilience and flexibility, facilitate the speed and quality of learning, and build individual commitment and cooperation. Through compelling and illustrative stories, Energize Your Workplace offers managers, executives, and human resource professionals the resources they need to build high-quality connections in the workplace.

By Ed Diener

The Collected Works of Ed Diener, in 3 volumes, present the major works of the leading research scientist studying happiness and well-being. The first volume presents the major theory and review papers of Ed Diener, giving a broad overview of findings in the field, and the theories of well-being. The second volume focuses on culture, citing findings that are mostly all derived from the Diener laboratory and his students. The third volume on measurement is the most applied and practical one because it discusses all the measures used, and presents new measures.