The Enemies of Gratitude

From childhood, we're taught that honesty is the best policy. Yet in everyday life, we hedge, soften our words, and leave things unsaid. This week, we talk with psychologist Steven Pinker about why indirect speech is such a fundamental part of human relationships. How long can yo ... Show More

Think about the last time a piece of music stopped you in your tracks, or a novel kept you up late at night. Why do these experiences feel so powerful? Psychobiologist Daisy Fancourt says engagement with the arts can help to regulate our emotions, build resilience, and support lo ... Show More

When we look at the people we love, how clearly do we really see them? This week, we talk with psychologist Edward Lemay about how our fears, desires, and insecurities can shape our perceptions of our partners — sometimes creating the very reality we expect. He explains how we ca ... Show More

We’re always told that gratitude is the route to happiness – that we should be grateful for every experience we have. But when life feels like it’s falling apart, gratitude can feel less like a comfort and more like pressure. In reality, gratitude and pain often have to coexist. ... Show More

The practice of gratitude may help us to overcome our natural human tendency to focus on the negative. Here's why. 

It’s that time of year when everyone reminds us to be grateful—but what if you’re not feeling it? Despite its proven benefits, gratitude can be surprisingly challenging to practice. In this episode, Monica dives into why it’s difficult for so many of us to engage with gratitude, ... Show More

When gratitude comes to mind, we tend to focus on the positive aspects of our lives that bring us joy and fulfillment. But have you ever contemplated whether the true key to fully embracing life lies in being grateful for everything, including the challenges and hardships we enco ... Show More

I often see many of my clients trying to use a gratitude practice against themselves in a way that can be quite harmful to their mental health. In this episode, I want to talk to you about how to tell if you’re misusing gratitude or maybe even using it as a weapon against yoursel ... Show More

Psychologist Daniel Gilbert delves deep into the weird, counterintuitive science of happiness and explains why our minds worry about things we needn’t worry about (and fail to worry about things we really should worry about).We're doing a TED Interview survey! If you have a few m ... Show More

Humans are complex creature, and we experience many more emotions than happiness and gratitude. So how should we handle those? 

<p>As a friend of a friend's hairdresser once said: "it's hard to be hateful with a plateful of grateful." Is it? In this pre-holidays quickie episode, Alie is grumpy as hell and decides to research the neuroscience of gratitude. Does it work? Who's studying it? Does she need to ... Show More