10 Keys to Happier Living
Happiness matters to all of us. And by focusing our time and energy on things that have been shown to consistently bring happiness, each of us can live rich, rewarding lives. The recently launched project, Action for Happiness, has identified practical actions that anyone can take in their everyday lives -- not only to help boost their own happiness but also to contribute to building better, more ... posted on May 15 2011, 22,918 reads

5 Powerful Tools for Reflection
"Reflection is actually one of the secrets to my success. At least once a day, and more often several times a day, I reflect on my day, on my life, on what I've been doing right, and what isn't working. I reflect on every aspect of my life, and from this habit of reflection, I am able to continuously improve. Reflection is what gave me the topic of this post, and the tips that are to follow. Refle... posted on May 08 2011, 21,985 reads

Why Can't We Be Good?
Philosopher and professor Jacob Needleman maintains that humans have the capacity for great good. In his book "Why Can't We Be Good", he explores what causes us to go astray, and what can help us to stay focused on what he believes is our purpose: to serve. In his book and the interview, offers one practical way of keeping on track--deep listening. Based on experience with many groups of students,... posted on Apr 28 2011, 12,658 reads

75-Year-Old Retiree Brings Smiles to Street Corners
Hundreds of people sleep on San Diego's streets each night, on corners, beneath the interstate and across from the public library. They hang out in small groups or sit alone, watching the time pass. But when a wiry man with dark glasses approaches, everyone seems to perk up. The man is David Ross, better known as Waterman Dave. For years, he's handed out hundreds of bottles of water each day to th... posted on Apr 27 2011, 4,136 reads

I Wish This Was ...
At first glance, it looks like someone plastered "Hello, My Name is" name tags all over the city. Take a step closer, and the tag reads, "I Wish This Was..." A public installation artist, designer, and urban planner, Candy Chang likes to make cities more comfortable for people. She came up with the project, ideal for its super low barrier of entry, to allow her fellow citizens to express their ide... posted on Apr 25 2011, 3,781 reads

Love, Honor, and Thank
If you've ever lived with anyone else --from a spouse to a college roommate --you've probably had conflicts over doing the dishes, the laundry, and countless other household chores. But researchers Jess Alberts and Angela Trethewey have found that a successful relationship doesn't just depend on how partners divide their household chores; it also depends on how they each express gratitude for the ... posted on Apr 24 2011, 15,441 reads

The Art of Giving
First there was Ehren. Then Fariba, and Ashley. Ehren Tool: "Literally a woman took a photograph of a bowl that I made for her and sold the photograph of the bowl for thousands of dollars in New York. You can't ask for thousands of dollars for a ceramic bowl. [laughs] But the photograph will last only fifty years; the ceramic piece will last a couple of thousand. So rather than accept five dollars... posted on Apr 19 2011, 2,804 reads

Bell Curve of Empathy
Rhesus monkeys can be trained to pull a chain to obtain food but will refuse to do so if this means another monkey receives an electric shock. How do those monkeys compare with Nazi concentration camp guards? It was childhood tales of Nazi atrocities that first set the Cambridge psychologist, Simon Baron-Cohen, on the path of studying human cruelty and empathy. Instead of "evil", Simon frames such... posted on Apr 17 2011, 8,602 reads

The Chef's Way of Giving Back
When, Haley, who had struggled through poverty most of his life, finally started garnering success in his restaurant business, he realized that he still wasn't happy. So, while he was searching for something that would make his life more meaningful, that something found him instead: the children. At a charity event, Haley agreed to sponsor two orphaned girls. Back then, he had no clue that these g... posted on Apr 15 2011, 3,464 reads

82 Hour Hunger Fast
Anna Hazare, a 73-year-old Gandhian, sat fasting in the burning sun, and he promises to stay until death -- unless his Indian government agreed to consider a powerful law that could rid Indian politics of the scourge of corruption. A tall order. Yet, after single-handedly provoking a people's revolution that galavinized millions of his countrymen, the 72-year-old activist who launched what he cal... posted on Apr 09 2011, 7,581 reads