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June 2014



What are the limits of gratitude -- and when can it backfire? What biological structures link "thank you" to its health benefits? Do some people benefit more from gratitude than others?

 

These were just some of the questions asked at the Greater Good Gratitude Summit on June 7, where we connected our gratitude research fellows with more than 600 people online and in-person. Read all about the new scientific insights gleaned at the summit.

 
Also on Greater Good:
Mindful Parenting, Happy Families

We all know that parents don't always exude compassion and equanimity toward their kids, especially when just getting out the door can involve a battle of wills.

 

But in her new book, Mindful Discipline, psychologist and mother Shauna Shapiro lays out a parenting path that combines firm boundaries with loving connection for a more balanced parent-child relationship.

 

And new research from the Netherlands echoes this, showing that mindful parenting is associated with better well-being in in parents and their adolescent children alike. 
GGSC Event: Self-Compassion with Kristin Neff
Kristin Neff

Self Compassion & the Cultivation of Happiness with Kristin Neff

When: November 7, 2014

Where: International House, UC Berkeley Campus

 

Research suggests that self-compassion reduces anxiety, makes us more resilient in the face of challenges, and improves our overall mental health.

  

This day-long seminar led by Mindful Self-Compassion founder Kristin Neff, will offer strategies for cultivating self-compassion, boosting happiness, and reducing stress in yourself and others.

Six CEUs are available to health professionals and, as always, GGSC members receive a great discount!
The Science of Happiness: Free Online Course

Enroll in the GGSC's FREE online Science of Happiness class and join the 50,000 (and counting) people from around the world who are taking action to increase their well-being. 

 

The GGSC's Dacher Keltner and Emiliana Simon-Thomas will cover connection, compassion, forgiveness, mindfulness, awe, and other research-tested techniques and practices to boost happiness. 
 
Guest lecturers include happiness expert Sonja Lyubomirsky, mindfulness expert Jon Kabat-Zinn and world-renowned neuropsychologist Rick Hanson.
 
The eight-week online course begins on September 9, though students can proceed at their own pace. 
 
Six or 16 continuing education credit hours are available for a modest fee. More information here.
Other Upcoming Events

Mindfulness Facilitators Retreat

When: June 22 

Where: Spirit Rock Meditation Center, Woodacre, CA

 

A one-day retreat for those who are currently facilitating or plan to be facilitating mindfulness, or for clinicians using mindfulness in therapeutic interventions. Cosponsored by UCLA's Mindful Awareness Research Center. 

 

The Siegel-Gottman Summit

When: July 25-26th

Where: Seattle, Washington

 

At this event featuring Drs. John and Julie Gottman and Dr. Dan Siegel, learn the science behind how the brain develops and is shaped through relationships. 

 

Special discount for GGSC readers: use code SUMMITGGSC at checkout for 5% off.

Meet Our Goldberg Undergraduate Fellows
This month, meet our two 2013-2014 Goldberg Undergraduate Fellows, Suetching "Kelly" Yu and Nikolay Nichiporuk.

 

Yu just graduated from UC Berkeley as a pre-veterinary student majoring in integrative biology. Her project aimed to manipulate specific limbic neurons in rats to boost empathic behavior. 

 

Nichiporuk just graduated from UC Berkeley with a major in psychology. His project asked whether the powerful are more likely than the powerless to help a victim in an emergency situation when bystanders are present.   

 

Stay tuned! Our 2014-2015 UC Berkeley graduate and undergraduate fellows will be announced in a newsletter later this summer.