Positive Psychology
Flow States: When Challenge Meets Skill
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi's research on flow shows that engagement depends on the fit between challenge and skill. Here is what the...
Blog
Insights on wellbeing
Research-grounded reflections on positive psychology, mental health, and what it means to build a good life.
Latest Posts
15 articlesFrom the Upward Spiral blog
Wellbeing
Not Depressed But Not Happy? You Might Be Languishing
You get through the day. Nothing is wrong, exactly. But something is flat. There is a name for that middle...
Resilience
Post-Traumatic Growth: What the Evidence Shows
Some people report meaningful growth after adversity. The research on post-traumatic growth is real, nuanced, and should never be used...
Positive Psychology
Character Strengths: What the Research Says
The VIA Classification identifies 24 character strengths found across cultures. Using yours deliberately is one of the most studied interventions...
Practice
The Case for Writing Things Down
Writing things down is not a productivity trick. Decades of research show it changes how your brain processes experience, and...
Resilience
Emotional Regulation Is Not Emotional Suppression
Pushing down difficult emotions is not the same as managing them. The research on emotional regulation draws a clear line...
Wellbeing
Hedonic Adaptation: Why More Does Not Feel Like More
A raise, a new home, a long-awaited purchase. The boost fades faster than expected. Hedonic adaptation explains why, and what...
Research
What ‘Evidence-Based’ Actually Means
The term gets used loosely. Here is what evidence-based actually means in psychology, and how to tell the difference when...
Mindfulness
Mindfulness Is Not Relaxation (And That Is Okay)
Mindfulness is commonly sold as a way to relax. The research defines it differently, and the difference matters more than...
Wellbeing
The Difference Between Coping and Flourishing
Most mental health support helps people return to baseline. But there is a whole territory beyond not struggling, and it...
Resilience
Resilience Is Not a Trait. It Is a Skill You Can Build.
Two decades of research have made this clear: the capacity to recover is not fixed at birth. Resilience is a...
Practice
Why Structure Matters More Than Motivation
Motivation fluctuates. A well-designed structure carries you through the days when it does not show up. Here is what the...