Psychology Archives

You Can’t Know Everything: Accept This, and Find More Joy

How realistically do you perceive your own level of knowledge? Can you know everything you need to know when it comes to making decisions in life? When your expectations exceed your perceptions of reality, you suffer. In Solve for Happy, Mo Gawdat helps you bring your expectations into alignment with your perceptions. One area in which your expectations might get out of whack is with your own knowledge. Keep reading to understand how the limitations on your senses and language put limitations on your knowledge—and to learn how to find more happiness by accepting that you can’t know everything.

You Are Not Your Body: Dispel the Myth, and Find More Joy

Are you and your body one and the same? What difference does it make? In Solve for Happy, Mo Gawdat outlines an algorithm for happiness. It involves dispelling several misconceptions that cause us to suffer. One of these is the notion that our minds and our bodies are the same rather than distinct from each other. Read more to learn how you are not your body and what difference that makes for your happiness.

Embracing Imperfection: How to Accept Your Flaws

Why is it important to accept your flaws? How does hiding your flaws eat away at your chance of finding happiness? No matter how hard you try, you’re never going to be perfect. We all have our flaws and insecurities, and that’s OK. What’s not OK is being preoccupied with hiding them in an effort to project a false image of yourself to gain social approval. Here’s why it’s important to accept your flaws and embrace who you are, as flawed as you may be.

The Formula for Happiness: Gawdat’s Happiness Algorithm

Is there a formula for happiness? If so, how does it work? When your perceptions about life don’t rise to the level of your expectations, you’re unhappy. Happiness results when your perceptions exceed your expectations. This observation underpins Mo Gawdat’s algorithm for happiness that he discusses in his book Solve for Happy. Keep reading to learn about this formula for deep and lasting happiness and the assumptions it’s based on.

How to Improve Conversation Skills: Tips From Pros

Do you struggle with talking to people? Do you want to know how to improve your conversation skills? Conversation skills are well worth developing because our careers, romantic prospects, and social lives depend on connecting with other people. Conversations—even the most trivial, small talk—establish the emotional tone of our interactions and help us gauge how deeply we’d like to connect with each other. Here are a few things to keep in mind if you want to learn how to improve your conversation skills.

Solve for Happy by Mo Gawdat: Book Overview & Takeaways

Why are most people not as happy as they want to be? Is there a formula for happiness? The modern world is rife with obstacles to happiness. Many people view happiness as an elusive goal. However, we can be consistently happy if we bring our expectations and perceptions of our lives into alignment. In Solve for Happy, Mo Gawdat outlines an algorithm to do so. Keep reading for an overview of this encouraging book.

Best Positive Thinking Books to Add to Your Reading List

Do you struggle with negative thoughts? What are some of the best books that can help rewire your mind for more positivity? Many people live as victims of their own minds, consumed with negative thoughts that seem to control them. If that sounds like you, reading positive thinking books can be an untapped solution to these struggles. Here are Shortform’s picks of the best positive thinking books to add to your reading list.

The Cycle of Addiction: The 4 Stages, Explained

What is the cycle of addiction? What are the stages of this cycle? Addiction is more complex than taking one sip of alcohol and getting hooked. There’s a cycle people follow when they become dependent on a harmful substance, and it can make recovery extremely difficult. We’ve narrowed down the cycle of addiction into four stages: initial misuse, abuse, addiction, and initial recovery and relapse. Keep reading for a more in-depth look at each stage of the addiction cycle, and how to break the cycle.

Is Confidence a Skill or an Inborn Character Trait?

Is confidence a skill or something you’re born with? To what extent is confidence a matter of nurture as opposed to nature? Confidence helps you take bold steps in the face of obstacles or adversity because it reminds you that you have the strength to overcome and succeed. Some claim that confidence is a skill that can be developed through practice. Others say that confidence, akin to IQ, is determined by genetics. Here’s what science has to say on the matter.

Developing Discipline: The Psychology of Success

Why is it important to practice self-discipline? How does your capacity for self-discipline influence your life outcomes? By practicing discipline, you gain control over your thoughts and actions. This allows you to overcome bad habits, false excuses, distractions, and emotions in order to effectively accomplish daily tasks that lead to your long-term goals. Keep reading to learn about the psychology of discipline and some strategies to help you improve it.