Is that ticking clock in the background really helping us work harder and more efficiently? Or is it giving us incentives to rush, slack off, or feel frustrated? In what context do deadlines help us or hurt us?

Everyone has aspects of their life they want to change or improve upon. The trick is how do we stay committed to these intentions?

I just finished reading the latest edition of Psychology Today and came across a very interesting experiment. The results showed that students who were told that nervousness would improve performance ended up scoring better on their Graduate Record Exam (GRE) than students who were told nothing at all.
The study (PDF download) was done by [...]

What do psychologists mean when they talk about the state of flow? How can this state of mind benefit our productivity and overall life satisfaction?

We all have certain aspirations in life. Some of us tell our friends and family about them, some of us write them down, while others just feel comfortable enough keeping these dreams tucked inside their heads. Whatever we do – they are there. However, the more we address them, and the more we think and contemplate about how to achieve them, the greater chance we have to successfully follow through on these plans.

Please take a moment to reflect on your own goals of self-improvement. Ask yourself: “In what ways do these goals benefit the world as a whole?” If you cannot find any reasons – then it may be time to rethink your strategy and mindset.

By focusing on these different dimensions of life we can determine which areas need work and which areas we already have a good handle on.

The good life necessitates that we find balance. Whether it is physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, social or financial, how do we keep our lives together without drifting too far one way or another?

Positive Psychology is a recently developed branch of psychology that turns away from the focus of the treatment of mental illness, which is so common amongst most branches of applied psychology, and instead shifts its interests on what makes individuals and communities as a whole thrive and live happily.