Positive Psychology Archives

A young child with curly hair and a blue shirt stands in front of a cloudy sky with two floating soap bubbles and a pink fabric draped behind them.

The brain-deep emotion that matters more than happiness

Happiness collapses the moment hardship arrives. Joy doesn’t. Historian Kate Bowler explains why joy can coexist with pain — and why that makes it a stronger, more fulfilling emotion.

Kate Bowler

A pencil tip touching paper with scattered graphite, with a row of brain MRI scans shown below.

6mins

Perception Box

The art and science of failing well

There’s bad failure — the kind we ignore or hide — and good failure, which becomes data for future progress. Three experts discuss how to tell the difference.

Tim Harford, Tal Ben-Shahar & Robert Sutton

Unlikely Collaborators

Close-up of a burnt matchstick with smoke swirling around its charred tip against a dark background.

2mins

Perception Box

Want to be more productive? Start by doing less

“In most instances, ‘good enough’ is good enough.” A time management expert, a cognitive scientist, and a psychologist share their takes on productivity, perfectionism, and the harm of hustle culture.

Laurie Santos, Oliver Burkeman & Melanie Katzman

Unlikely Collaborators

Close-up of a sepia-toned drawing showing a person with crossed arms, wearing a robe with highlights, against a background with a partial view of a stone wall.

2mins

The Well

This research team studies gratitude. Here’s what they’ve found.

Is gratitude to a deity different from gratitude to other people? Psychology and neuroscience professor Sarah Schnitker explains.

Sarah Schnitker

A painted woman's face is seen upside down on the left, looking at a large gray rock on the right, with a blue sky and clouds in the background.

2mins

The Well

When does self-discipline become virtue?

What separates a disciplined life from a virtuous one? Psychologist Sarah Schnitker says the answer lies in your purpose.

Sarah Schnitker

A person with long blonde hair wearing a beanie and plaid jacket looks upward outdoors; a transparent geometric square overlay is centered on the image.

2mins

Perception Box

3 experts explain how to escape the happiness paradox

Happiness researchers Robert Waldinger MD, Tal Ben-Shahar PhD, and Peter Baumann explain why the happiest people aren’t happy all the time.

Robert Waldinger, Tal Ben-Shahar & Peter Baumann

Unlikely Collaborators

A person in classical attire holds a laurel wreath and a palm branch against a blue sky background.

6mins

The Well

Is virtue worth pursuing? A psychologist explains

Virtue is hard to attain, and that’s the point. Sarah Schnitker explains why self-help shortcuts miss the mark.

Sarah Schnitker

A lighthouse shines its beam at dusk with the words "HAPPINESS GUIDES" in large white text over the image.

5mins

The Big Think Interview

We’ve been wrong about happiness. Here’s what philosophy says

"I think happiness is not a smiling face, it's more a smiling soul."

Jonny Thomson

Person with long hair, wearing a brown blazer, surrounded by text bubbles labeled "Narrative," "Negativity Bias," and "Confirmation Bias." Arrows connect the bubbles.

6mins

Perception Box

A neuroscientist’s guide to building a more positive reality

We’re all assigned a label at some point in our lives. You might be the smart one, the creative one or the lazy one. But is that designation really an […]

Nicole Vignola

Unlikely Collaborators

A close-up of two people with rosy cheeks, smiling and laughing together, wearing historical clothing and ornate collars.

7mins

The Well

There is a formula for happiness — but it’s highly misunderstood

“Happiness is NOT about feelings.” Harvard happiness expert Arthur Brooks debunks the biggest myths about humanity’s most sought-after state, and explains how to actually get it.

Arthur Brooks