Shawn Achor delivered lectures on positive psychology in the most popular class at Harvard, where he is the winner of over a dozen distinguished teaching awards. He is one of the world’s leading experts on the connection between success and happiness. He was featured on the cover of Harvard Business review for his research on happiness, and his TED talk is one of the most popular of all time with over 4 million views. PBS aired his lecture and it has been seen by millions.

Shawn teaches for the Advanced Management Program at Wharton Business School, and collaborates on research with Yale and Columbia University.

In 2007, Shawn founded Good Think to share his research with the world. Subsequently, Shawn has lectured or researched in more than 50 countries, speaking to CEOs in China, school children in South Africa, doctors in Dubai, and farmers in Zimbabwe.

He has spoken to the Royal Family in Abu Dhabi, doctors at St. Jude Children’s Hospital, and worked with the U.S. Department of Health to promote happiness. In 2012, Shawn helped lead the Everyday Matters campaign with the National MS Society and Genzyme to show how happiness remains a choice for those struggling with a chronic illness.

Shawn is the author of The Happiness Advantage (2010 Random House), where he explains what positive psychology is, how much we can change, and the practical applications for reaping the Happiness Advantage in the midst of change and challenge.

We talked with Shawn about positive psychology, optimism and happiness:

• • Is positive psychology just common sense?
  • Common sense doesn’t always translate into common action.
  • How do we make positive changes more likely to happen and how do we sustain those changes?
  • People define happiness differently: Joy, contentment, long-lasting, or short-term like eating a chocolate bar.
  • Happiness is a self-described activity.
  • Rational optimism – positivity: Taking a realistic assessment of where you are with the belief and hope that there is progress or change that can be made.
  • And so much more…

 

Each month 95,000 people tune-in to tune-up their performance and learn more about Emotional Intelligence. Join us today as we talk with Shawn Achor and the Happiness Advantage. Listen to the complete recording, without commercials, above.

Coaches Corner

We have been exploring the Emotional Intelligence competency of Confidence or Self-regard. This Coach’s Corner is on how your thinking impacts your decisions, judgements and success. It is excerpted from one of the 10 tools to raise your Confidence in my book, Leading with Emotional Intelligence. As an Executive Coach, one consistent strategy I use with my executives is to help them be more in charge of their default thought process.

In Chip and Dan Heath’s new book, Decisive, they write: “Why do we have such a hard time making good choices? … when it comes to making decisions, it is clear that our brains are flawed instruments.” Read more…

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