Positive Psychology News May 11

Story 1: “The Childhood Roots of Adult Happiness” [May 11 2007] – By Aren Cohen. Last night I went to hear a child psychiatrist named Edward M. Hallowell give a talk on his new book “The Childhood Roots of Adult Happiness.”

Dr. Hallowell.. takes a strengths-based approach to treating children with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), Worry/Anxiety and Child Learning Disabilities… He explained that he often uses a metaphor with kids when explaining ADD. “You have a Ferrari brain; a really terrific and speedy brain,” he said, “the only thing is that you have Chevy breaks [sic]. We have to work on improving the breaks.”

Story 2: Let Your Unconscious Mind Go to Work for You, By David J. Pollay [May 1 2007] “Think! Think harder. Come on! Think.” How often have you said that to yourself? If you just think harder and faster, you’ll figure it out.

Science is saying, “Wait a minute.” Your most creative ideas do not come to you after you squint and make a thinking sound, “mmmmm.” Research is pointing to a better way to get the best answers: It’s through your unconscious mind….

Psychology researcher Jon Haidt in the The Happiness Hypothesis: Finding Modern Truth in Ancient Wisdom wrote, “And whenever one pursues a goal, a part of the mind automatically monitors progress, so that it can order corrections or know when success has been achieved.”

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The above are two stories listed on the Positive Psychology News page.