Carrie Bell, a graduate of the CAPP program, is an artist, educator, and seminar leader. On her website, she calls herself a social artist, a person who seeks to enhance human capacities in the light of social complexity. She has formal education in dance, fine arts, education – and now positive psychology! After years as […]
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Student Spotlight: Evan Schmiedehaus
Evan Schmiedehaus has been working in the same corporate setting for the past 22 years. You’d think this would make him an older man, but oh no. In 1997, he started as a stock boy and not just in any corporation. Evan was part of the launching of Whole Foods Markets in their hometown of […]
The Many Gifts of Positive Emotions
Who doesn’t enjoy feeling content, curious, elated, or excited? Positive emotions feel good. We look for experiences that create positive emotions and we want them to last. We may appreciate and savor them, we may take them for granted, or we may feel frustrated at how fleeting and brief positive states can be. But do […]
The Science of Awe
A recent study showed that people who frequently experience the emotion of awe had the lowest levels proinflammatory cytokines (fancy word for the good guys in your body that try to protect you during stress by creating inflammation). People used to think that awe was something that you happened to you. Â It wasn’t an emotion […]
Do You Know Your Character Strengths?
What is the first thing that comes to mind when you think about living a flourishing life? Take a moment and consider that question… Many of us will equate a flourishing life with a happy life. But what is happiness? What contributes to a life lived well? What are the main ingredients of wellbeing? This […]
Martin Seligman on Positive Psychology
Here are a few quotes by Martin Seligman, considered by many to be the “father” of Positive Psychology. “I believe it is within our capacity that by the year 2051 that 51 percent of the human population will be flourishing. hat is my charge.” “Habits of thinking need not be forever. One of the most […]
Mindset Matters (Part 1)
What is mindset and why is it important to know about? What if learning about mindset and the research behind it could mean the difference between being broken and devastated by failure and using a setback as fuel for growth, reinvention, and renewal? Indeed, we have sufficient empirical evidence suggesting that a fundamental distinction in […]
Positive Psychology: What it is & How it Can Improve Your Life
When people think of psychologists today, the first thing that comes to mind is talk therapy.  However, in the early days of psychology researchers spent very little time with psychotherapy.  Psychologist worked in the lab. They wanted to understandhow reflexes worked (i.e. Touch a hot stove… Ouch! Move your hand away), perception worked (i.e. I see […]