Happiness

The Secret Formula of Self-Kindness

Imagine you had a friend who is there for you whenever you need them. Someone who cares about you, who listens patiently, and who is kind, forgiving, and compassionate. It’s probably fair to say that we all would want a friend like this. And even more: We likely all want to be this kind of …

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Thriving: What Kind of Psychotherapy Naturally Produces It?

Just because you’re not sick, doesn’t mean you’re healthy. We are used to that idea in physical health. Being cancer free is not the same as being fit—you have to take the steps needed to develop your physical strength, endurance, and flexibility. Not having the flu is great, but vigor depends on eating well, exercising, …

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Is Self-Compassion More Important Than Self-Esteem?

Is it important to love yourself? It seems that depends on how you do it. Few concepts in popular psychology have gotten more attention over the last few decades than self-esteem and its importance in life success and long-term mental health. Of course, much of this discussion has focused on young people, and how families, …

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The Mental Spider That Claims to Be Us

Not too long ago, perhaps a couple hundred thousand years, an obscure primate species called “human” learned a new trick. We learned to relate one thing to another arbitrarily — we learned to have one thing stand for another. We acquired symbolic thought. The comedian Emo Philips has a saying that captures the situation we …

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