Host: Anti-Aging Psychologist Dr. Michael Brickey

Guest: Dr. Elizabeth Lombardo

Broadcast and podcast starting: February 1, 2009 on webtalkradio.net. After 2-8-10 the podcast is also on the links below (to download, right click download and select “save target as.”)

Dr. Lombardo’s emphasis is on treating happiness as a skill that we can learn and hone. Her approach is primarily cognitive behavioral—that is emphasizing what we think and what we do. She points out that 75% of visits to doctors involve no diagnosable medical condition. She approaches people with pain by acknowledging that their pain is real, then looking for the stress behind it and finding ways to lower the stress and to redirect attention to something else.

We talked about forgiving as one of the trickiest skills to acquire. Forgiveness isn’t about condoning what happened or forgetting what happened, but releasing yourself from the anger and stress that go with holding on to resentments. Thus, the person who forgives is the one who is freed and becomes the beneficiary.

We discussed three kinds of journaling:
1. journaling positive events or gratitude
2. tracking goals
3. addressing a specific negative event (to help resolve the angst or aftermath)
Journaling with a clear purpose in mind is much more efficient than keep a diary.

If you read Dr. Lombardo’s book cover to cover it would be easy to say these are all good points but I’m overwhelmed by all the approaches–and end up doing nothing. The solution is to start with assessing your values and let that your values assessment lead you to what to emphasize in being happier. I also note that if you are trying to solve a complex behavior like weight loss and not succeeding, the solution probably isn’t a magic pill or a magazine article with ten tips, but drilling down to better determine the dynamics of the problem and what tweaks are most likely to help.

Dr. Lombardo’s website is www.ahappyyou.com. Dr. Brickey’s other websites are www.DrBrickey.com an www.Anti-Aging-Speaker.com.ous love at every age.

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Host: Anti-Aging Psychologist Dr. Michael Brickey

Guest: Eric Weiner

Broadcast and podcast starting: 12-15-08 on webtalkradio.net. After 12-22-08 the podcast is also on the links below (to download, right click download and select “save target as.”)

We all want to be happy. It’s the quintessential American obsession. Did you ever visit the Bahamas or some other paradise and wonder if they were the happiest people in the world? NPR foreign correspondent Eric Weiner got tired of covering wars and disasters around the world and undertook a special assignment to find what countries are the happiest citizens. It’s an assignment that reminds me of Albert Brooks’s movie, Looking for Comedy in the Muslim world-a search with wit and interesting discoveries. His answers will probably surprise you and give some clues as to how you might more wisely seek happiness.

Factors that help determine whether a country is happy include an emphasis on family, friends, gratitude, trust, having a culture, relationships, and a love of the land (e.g., mountains). Ultimately, however, being a happy country is relational, not personal. Factors that did not correlate with (or correlate negatively with) whether a country is happy include: warm, sunny climate, wealth (once there is enough income for necessities), large income differences between rich and poor, and diversity. While the happiest countries were democratic, being democratic did not correlate with being a happy country because many democratic countries are young democracies that were dealing with poverty, war, and other huge challenges. As Tolstoy put it, all miserable countries are alike; happy ones are happy in their own ways.

Mr. Weiner is the author of The Geography of Bliss. His books are at www.EricWeinerBooks.com. Dr. Brickey’s other websites are www.DrBrickey.com and www.anti-aging-speaker.com.

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