Positivity - Top Notch Research Reveals the 3 to 1 Ratio that Will Change Your Life

World renowned researcher Dr. Barbara Fredrickson provides the lab-tested tools necessary to create a healthier, more vibrant, and flourishing life through a process she calls "the upward spiral." You'll discover:What positivity is, and why it needs to be heartfelt to be effective; The ten sometimes surprising forms of positivity; Why positivity is more important than happiness; How positivity can enhance relationships, work, and health, and how it relieves depression, broadens minds, and builds lives ;The top-notch research that backs the 3-to-1 "positivity ratio" as a key tipping point ... Read full article
Benefits of Teaching Positivity to Children

Follow the advice of "fake it 'til you make it" or just "be positive", and you may end up oozing a kind of "toxic insincerity" says Dr. Barbara Fredrickson, Professor of Psychology and specialist investigator of positive emotions and psychophysiology at the University of North Carolina. Dr. Fredrickson was speaking at a workshop that was part of the Young Minds conference held last week at Darling Harbour in Sydney. Teaching the benefits of positivity, Dr. Fredrickson says instead of ‘thinking positive’, we should aim to identify the experiences and contexts that give us a positive emotion, and then repeat them. Research indicates that experiencing positive and negative emotions in about a 3-to-1 ratio, has the potential to enhance your relationships, improve your health, relieve depression, and broaden your mind. Read full article
Time Affluence for Children - a Cure for Affluenza
Preparing for this segment on The Morning Show, I looked up one of my favourite researchers and writers on happiness, Tal Ben Shahar. Ben Shahar has many strings to his bow including teaching Positive Psychology at Harvard and author of best seller books "Happier" and "Being Happy"....Tal Ben Shahar and his colleagues frequently cite the single biggest predictor of happiness as 'Time Affluence' - this is really having time to do things that are important to you and meaningful for you ... Read full article
Wednesday Gratitude – Summer, Sydney and Christmas Trees
This is part of our Christmas Tree. I took the photo this morning.Until about 5 years ago we (I mean my husband) used to always make the pilgrimage out to the live Christmas tree farm (somewhere west of Sydney) and choose the perfectly-shaped tree, cut it down and with some difficulty, wedge it into the car next to one or two over-excited children. Read full article
Gratitude - Connections - Sydney Bloggers Festival

Just remembered - last week I committed to blogging about gratitude on a Wednesday. As it happens, I have a lot to be grateful for today. And that's in spite of a low-grade headache and a fast start to the day requiring 3 children and I and husband leaving the house by 7.30 without forgetting to feed the cat. I attended the Sydney Bloggers Festival today. Here's my gratitude list for the day: Read full article
Gratitude - and Grumpy Moods - Will You Join Me?

Gratitude is on my mind. Not because I am feeling particularly grateful for one thing but because sometimes an appreciative state of mind can snap me out of a bad mood. I've read numerous times that we can improve our mental health and perhaps even our physical health simply by making a habit of noting all the things we're grateful for. And I believe it can make a difference. Most nights I ask our Mr 8 what he liked about his day so that he can also go to sleep with thoughts of gratitude and happiness. Read full article
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