The Positive Psychology Podcast - Bringing the Science of Happiness to your Earbuds with Kristen Truempy

For all the peeps who are not into rap but want to shake their booty to original music made by yours truly I give you Goofballs Unite!   What's a revolutionary thing to do? It's to badly dance in your truth Unconcerned with a perfect appearance Or propagating eternal youth   Do you remember what you didn't do? All in the name of being cool? Don't waste tonight and realise The marketing slogans made you shy   If you look at me from behind It's not a twerk that you will find. Got no idea what my ass is doing but I am having a great time.   You've skipped leg day all your life your squats are shaky but the groove's divine Hit the dancefloor don't be shy   Goofballs ahoi, let's unite   (Bridge) There they are smirking away Eyerolls rolling throwing shade Sometimes they're just in your thoughts They should never call the shots In their world they're the height of cool Unless they change they peak at school How bizarre would it be to let losers determine your destiny?   My jiggly bits wrote half this song how dare I praise 'em? That's so wrong Imagine me having the gall A big girl that claims space at all   Hey I bust out of my seams still got plenty of self-esteem Hit the dancefloor, don't be shy Goofballs ahoi, let's unite   The most revolutionary thing to do Is to badly dance in your truth Unconcerned with a perfect appearance Or propagating eternal youth   When you're connected to your bliss How will they sell their stupid shit? How will they keep on ruling you? If you live the values that you choose?      

This episode was inspired by a conversation I had with a friend about her teenage daughter. While body image is particularly hard to navigate in your teens even as adults many of us struggle. Today we'll talk about why multiple perspectives are important, what doesn't help, and what I call the offense and the defense.

Casper ter Kuile is on a mission to build a world of joyful belonging and one of the ways to get there are rituals. In times of trouble and change rituals can give us something to replenish our physical, mental and spiritual resources. Casper and I chat about how rituals are different from habits, how we can find rituals that really are an expression of our true self and that even the most mundane objects, such as milk cartons, can be used to engage more deeply with life. I've been wanting to chat to Casper since 2016 because he's someone who is truly invested in bringing innovation to spirituality. He is also the host of a hugely popular podcast called "Harry Potter and the Sacred Text". Long term listeners might recognize this podcast as the other creator Vanessa Zoltan talked about it back in 2016 on episode 89.

What is happening in the US right now is an extreme version of things that have been around for hundreds or probably thousands of years. If you are confused or surprised by what's happening in Minneapolis and other cities you need to listen. How to be Antiracist 75 Things White People Can Do For Racial Justice Transcript

In this episode we look at ways to steer through the crisis while accounting both for the hard and the positive. We'll look at common ways anxiety and depression take over your brain and how to replace those patterns with something more healthy. Transcript

There's a lot to say about what is going on now: this is the first of two episodes dedicated to Coronavirus. In this episode we'll look at what it is and what issues are to be considered. In episode 119 I will look at the psychology part of things and ideas on how to respond mentally to what is happening.

My little cousin knew how to ask for Calpol when he was like two years old. Yet when it comes to psychological wounds we are not that well informed. Meet Guy Winch who is on a mission to change that. https://www.guywinch.com/ Watch the video and sign up for their newsletter at Represent.US Transcript

This episode is about what we can do to not just make ourselves but society a little better. If you want to support Kiva click here: Positive Psychology Podcast Lending Team Transcript

The word narcissist is bandied around quite a lot these days. What is it from a clinical perspective? When does thinking well of yourself actually mean something darker is going on? And what can people do who live with or love(d) a narcissist? Barbara Monett is here to illuminate us on these issues both from a professional and a personal perspective. This is a longer one but I think it's worth sticking around, especially since Barbara dropped a truth bomb at the end that I feel is applicable to parents, teachers, bosses and anyone who has to work with others. You can find her here: //www.barbaramonettlcsw.com/ You will find the transcript of this conversation when it's ready

What do we talk about when we talk about trust? Is trust really disappearing? Ken will introduce us to his framework that allows us to think about trust in a deeper and more thoughtful way and illuminate issues such as trust in politics or whether overly trusting people are stupid or gullible. If you have any friends who are deaf or hard of hearing but you feel they might benefit from this episode you can send them right over to the transcript. Transcript  

This episode is full of questions and ideas to get you thinking about sex in a more positive way. Sexual identity, sex positivity, porn and religion are covered among other things. For our friends who are hard of hearing I am starting to include transcripts. Just visit this link for the full transcript (scroll down. The transcript might go live a few hours after the episode itself): http://strengthsphoenix.com/podcast/113-sex-the-positive-psychology-podcast/  

One thing that I have been obsessed about for years is bringing the message of positive psychology to places where they might not be expected. That's why I started the podcast in the first place, fooled around with Amazon Alexa and most recently started to have some fun with GarageBand. Therefore I proudly present my first piece of music. Have fun and try to listen to the lyrics :)

Democracy is a huge force for good in the world and it's under threat. It's one of the things we take the granted the most but pay a very high price if it crumbles. Civic duties might not be as sexy as catchy habits or yoga poses but they are key to living peacefully and creating the conditions so people can flourish. In this episode we talk about the relationship between democracy and happiness, what democracy is, what helps and what hinders democracy. Also if flamingos and giraffes could have babies with each other and then talk, that's exactly what I sound like in this episode.

Today we're talking about masculinity, femininity and what's in between. We'll dive into sex, gender, toxicity and how we can do better. 

Malcolm and Simone Collins want to wake people up to really truly think about life. What are you optimizing your life for? Could it be something that is not a positive emotion? This chat is a wild ride which might get some feathers ruffled. For this one you need to open your mind, put aside the times when you might feel personally attacked and instead try to give some of these controversial ideas serious thought. As a reward you'll get to hear the weirdest Positive Psychology analogy I have ever come across. The Pragmatist's Guide to Life

Don't bail if you don't run. Everything that William talks about you can also do while walking. This episode is about how issues such as depression can be treated with movement. Check out Wiliam's TEDx talk here: Movement is medicine If you own an Amazon Echo device have a look at the growing list of apps I have built. 

Turns out the way psychologists define humility differs from what the dictionary teaches you. Listen in to hear what humility is, what it's not, why it's useful, what researchers have learned about it and how women and men differ.  If you have an Amazon Alexa / Echo device please check out the Positive Psychology Quiz or the Meditation Myth Buster. 

Can we teach businesses to put happiness and meaning at the core of what they do? Today our guest is Carlos Saba, founder of the Happy Startup School. This one is interesting for all businesses, startup or not. We learn how these companies do things differently from business as usual.  Check out the Happy Startup School here On a different note calling all the people who have an Amazon Echo/Alexa device. Check out my new skill Positive Psychology Quiz. Just tell your device to enable Positive Psychology Quiz.

Writing is one the most powerful and yet under-appreciated positive interventions that exist. Today I talk to Dr. Megan C. Hayes about making a mess, encounters on the page and why journalling as usual might not be sustainable. http://www.positivejournal.org/free-stuff/   Books and articles mentioned: Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott The new Diary by Tristine Rainer Expressive Writing by James Pennebaker Beyond Expressive Writing by Sophie Nicholls

Happiness is not one thing. It contains multitudes and this episode is about pointing out various sources of happiness. If you have an Amazon Alexa and you catch yourself coming up with reasons or doubts about meditation check out "Meditation Myth Buster". It gives you a single meditation myth which will hopefully help you to break down those barriers. I did this in the hope to get more people take the plunge and just get started on a regular practice.      

Susanna Halonen returns to the podcast with this conversation which is a meandering happiness buffet with lots of different bits to choose from. The poet Hafiz Evidence based theories versus interesting ideas What can poetry and philosophy contribute to a good life? The average scientific paper is read two or seven times (Susanna and I heard different numbers) Intuition Susanna's discomfort with how technology is shaping our lives and the voluntary limitations she puts on herself to ensure that she takes time for important things A sin against adulthood Happiness is Here, her new book A controversial relationship tip The happiest country in the world is where Susanna is from. She'll give us some insight into why that may be. Learn more about Susanna and her new book Happiness is Here

Parapsychology investigates some pretty incredible phenomena including extra-sensory perception, telekinesis and even reincarnation. Jeffrey Mishlove and I discuss what parapsychology does, its relationship with mainstream psychology and how challenging our own assumptions can help us learn things, we otherwise wouldn't have known. If you want to dive deeper into the research he talks about you can check out his youTube channel.  

We talk a lot about the things that make us happy and are supposed to change our life. Some of us try out a bit of advice here and there but most of us don't go about it fully. Tal Gur gave himself 10 years to achieve 100 goals. Today we hear from a doer, someone who decided that he was ready to dedicate himself fully to explore and experience what a fulfilled life really means.

This episode is mostly for professionals and students in positive psychology, HR or management. We can produce the best research in the world but if we don't go where the majority of the worlds' attention is heading, it will not matter how good we are. Whenever something new comes along, like say the internet, smartphones or even the teabag people always repeat the same reasons why it's stupid, irrelevant or dangerous (There is actually a fantastic podcast that covers this topic called The Pessimists' Archive). Then once mass adoption hits they play catch up and try to be seen in a sea of millions (Good luck starting an app in the Appstore in 2018). That's why I hugely respect what CAPP has done. They have combined the technology of virtual reality with their expertise of personality assessment to come up with a novel product that I believe a lot of HR people will start to use in the near future. Even if you are not interested in virtual reality in itself this episode is worth listening to, as Jamie Betts explains not only, how this assessment works and why virtual reality is important, but how these kind of innovations get rolling in the first place. It's very possible that you as a researcher, executive or tech geek might get some cool ideas how to implement the ideas we talk about in your own work. If you are a positive psychology professional or researcher I implore you to invest 5-10% of your attention to understand where the future is going and how you can get your message across in that environment. This episode is a good starting point for that.   https://gumroad.com/l/brainwash    

Certain ideas keep coming up again and again, no matter what topic we cover in the podcast. These seven concepts let you take a step back and focus on the meta ideas which help you leverage whatever kind of personal growth you are aspiring to. If you have tried a few times to change your thoughts, but have lacked the structure and recurring practice to do it, check out Brainwash.  

Kelly McGonigal's book the Upside of your Stress challenges everything we believe to know about stress. We discuss how previous research has been misunderstood, some surprising truths about stress and how we can develop a healthy stress response. Find more episodes here: http://strengthsphoenix.com/listen

This ain't no typo. There are some violations that we tremendously enjoy. Don't worry it's not as dangerous as it sounds. Listen in to learn more about an integral part of happiness and well-being and how you can get more of it in your own life. http://strengthsphoenix.com/listen

Imagine yoga for a second: was it a white, slender and well-off hetero-sexual woman? Well what about tattooed, black, fat and queer folks? Is it not for them? Jessamyn Stanley is an inspiring yoga teacher who doesn't just not fit the mould but demonstrates that these moulds are unnecessary altogether. We discuss how yoga can be a vehicle for body positivity, mindfulness and a constructive kind of comfort during hard times. Also it's important that we don't mistake the postures for yoga. The practice is about so much more. Watch Jessamyn doing some poses that I as an overweight woman thought would squash my brain. Listen to my own yoga journey and check out Positive Psychology on the Go. Jessamyn mentioned this online resource for classes: https://www.yogaglo.com/

Parents and non-parents want to know how to see and grow the best in the (young) people around them. Lea Waters is here to talk about how to turn on the Strengths Switch, how our own challenges shape how we see our children and what actually happens once we dedicate ourselves to strengths in daily life. You can take a test to see how you score in strengths-based parenting on her website http://www.strengthswitch.com/ (scroll down past the videos to find the resources).    

Emotion differentiation is a the closest thing to a psychological superpower. Having it gives you all kinds of benefits and protection while the absence of it has lots of drawbacks. The good news is that it is a very straight-forward skill to learn. http://strengthsphoenix.com/listen

Today Mary Shores, CEO and author, will join us to talk about Why even a debt collection agency can bring positive change to the world How one powerful rule changed her business for the better A simple question to help align your actions with your goals Getting out of a dark place in 5 Steps Affirmation Deep Dive Business has been underrepresented in this podcast so it's good to have Mary with us. Okay full disclosure words such as karma will be discussed (and I will put them in a psychology context so the skeptics can chill...). Links: Pre-Order Conscious Communication and receive two bonues (Dream with a Deadline and Daily Desires Journal) Ignite your Dreams Workbook Fearless Ambition Facebook Group  

Internalizations The Pressure of Balance Unlimited Good versus Winner-takes-it-All Why Self-Compassion is your Foundation

Acceptance versus resignation Sailboat metaphor Is only the best good enough for you? The Full Monty or Nothing Corporate Disillusionment Gaming bestseller lists Fire under my rear-end You are the Ambassador Now The Value of Tension Missing the old days

Dani DiPirro is the creator of Positively Present . We talk self-love (it's not just self-care!), facing and working on our fears and when it's time to seek professional guidance. 

Collateral Benefits A Co-Worker Chooses Looking Back at Anger Don't Pay it Back When it's out of your Hands Leave your Ego Alone Please forget the One Surprising Answer to Being more Kind

  How you behave while you wait Strengthsspotting The Happiness Formula in your daily life Sacrifice no more http://strengthsphoenix.com/listen https://anchor.fm/s/acde4c      

So you've lost your religion. Or you always thought it was stupid to begin with. Maybe you are religious but are not quite satisfied. Today we look at this idea that we can find spirituality in sometimes unexpected places. Join us on Facebook

Short, bite-sized, breathless and birdsong-filled reflections on how to live a good life: Emotion Thermometers How feelings over logic saved a life Hurray for abs I was a coward Role models Cultivating your inner life Meditation in real time

Introducing real-life bite-sized positive psychology goodness. For a while I have been thinking how I could use more real life examples to illustrate the concepts we talk about in the regular episodes. Enter Anchor.fm This is raw, real-life as it happens, sometimes out of breath other times cursing a bit more than I usually do but always with one mission: to be right there for you with helpful thoughts and examples to improve your day. I have been recording on Anchor every day for a week, usually multiple times a day. Hope you enjoy it.

Okay right now it's just me and my mother so come one over and be one of the cool people who joined from the very beginning. I want us to get to know each other (you know a lot about me and I mostly likely don't know you yet), share things that will help all of us become the people we want to be and of course chat about episodes. I will also share content from my new station at Anchor.fm It's like Twitter but for audio and allows me to share examples and stories as they happen in real time, always with an eye on making your day better. Furthermore I want you to decide which happiness commandments should be featured in the 100th episode and of course introduce yourself. Find the Facebook page by searching for "The Positive Psychology Podcast" (somebody else snatched up Positive Psychology Podcast) or click on here http://strengthsphoenix.com/facebook

At work, as parents and in our relationships we say that we want one thing but then we behave to encourage something completely different. If our words and behaviours do not line up we will experience a lot of unnecessary conflict. Check out what kind of incentives make people tick.  To get your Happiness Habit Apps Guide check check out http://strengthsphoenix.com and click on GET SOME.

Maybe you don't need the tactics and motivation shared in this excerpt but chances are you know someone who would be grateful for a little bit more mental peace and quiet. Share this with them. Everything becomes better and more peaceful the more people can focus on what is important instead of the mental chatter that keeps us unhappy. http://gum.co/brainwash    

Did technology make relationships better (hello Skype) or does it make us lonely? Today we talk to Jason Feifer, host of the thought-provoking podcast Pessimists' Archive and editor-in-chief of Entrepreneur Magazine to learn how to think about technology and the effects it has on our lives. You will also learn a fancy Japanese term you can throw around at the next dinner party and hear a guy speak a really really old language. And if you want a little mental brain update check out http://gum.co/brainwash

If you love Harry Potter you are probably excited by the title but if you are not hold your horses and give our insightful guest Vanessa Zoltan a chance: the principles we discuss can be applied to your favourite books, music and movies and even if you don't care about any of these things this discussion will make you consider your spiritual life and why it's helpful to cultivate one even if you're an atheist (like Vanessa is). In their hit podcast Harry Potter and the Sacred Text Vanessa and her co-host Casper ter Kuile use different practices to unlock the mysteries of the books. This deepened understanding can help all of us to live a life that is based on our values and that uses role models to handle moments of crisis well. For more episodes go to http://strengthsphoenix.com/listen To rewire your brain for more positivity and self-compassion check out http://gum.co/brainwash

From the distinctly unsexy depths of logic and classical psychology comes an episode on how to not be like your enemies: judgmental, illogical and manipulative. To grab your free coaching spot visit http://strengthsphoenix.com Click on the lower right contact/schedule now button and set your appointment instantly.

We are both terrified and fascinated with risk. Today we talk to adventurer-badass Suzy Madge who researched positive risk in ski-mountaineers but also drops out of helicopters to ski remote mountains in places like Afghanistan. Furthermore Suzy works with police forces and is therefore perfectly equipped to illuminate risk from several different perspectives. She talks about how relative the perception of risk is, why calculated risk taking is important and how high-risk situations can lead to transcendent experiences. http://www.suzymadge.com/ http://gum.co/brainwash

Here comes the second installment on depression where Doug Behrendt tells us about his experience with suicidal depression and how he fought his way back into life, one habit at a time. Hear what Doug a former pharmaceutical rep has to say about antidepressants. You can reach him at [email protected] www.crashburnthrive.com   You love listening to podcasts so why not show a clueless relative or friend what they're missing? Doing things for others feels good and the more listeners come in the more great podcasts will be produced. http://strengthsphoenix.com/listen

These are politically tumultuous times. In this episode we discuss some "necessary disillusionments" that we have to overcome in ourselves, stories that are unhelpful that we have to let go of to proceed and we dive into how opposing parties can find some real common ground. I will not shy away from super-charged topics (particularly one) where I make the argument that there are important reasons to not just force your political will onto others but why some unexpected science should make us rethink some of our opinions. You will be encouraged to think about what a democracy that deserves that name would be like and how you can be part of an 'emotional climate change' to secure sustainable political progress. To build the kind of mindset that can help you navigate difficult political times check out my audiobook Brainwash at http://gum.co/brainwash  

Consumerism has a lot of downsides but what if rather than giving up hope we look at how to make it better? For that to happen we need to become aware of our relationship with materialism, limiting beliefs we have even if we don't know it and what alternatives already exist. You clearly love podcasts so why not teach someone how to listen to them and help them find shows they would enjoy? For more episodes of the Positive Psychology Podcast visit http://strengthsphoenix.com/listen And if you are fed up with seeing the world from a cynical and hopeless point of view check out my audiobook Brainwash http://strengthsphoenix.com/shop  

Steven talks to us about how magic impacts well-being and what we can do to get some of that threefold goodness into our own lives. If you wait for the end you will hear an action-movie style ad for my audiobook Brainwash. http://gum.co/brainwash