It feels really good to be getting ready for Spring Break,
especially after the absence of the occasional long weekends and no time off
since the start of second semester. In that spirit, I thought I would review
several new books which encourage actions to promote happiness.
RESILIENT by Rick Hanson, a psychologist,
senior fellow of the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley, and
New
York Times bestselling author, will be published next Tuesday through Random
House’s Crown Publishing (as an aside, they also recently produced Gretchen
Rubin’s
The Four Tendencies which we are finding to be very popular). The
subtitle of
RESILIENT is “How to Grow an Unshakable Core of Calm,
Strength, and Happiness” and Hanson does a wonderful job of outlining steps to make
a difference in your life and outlook. He begins by defining resiliency as the
ability to “cope with adversity and push through challenges in the pursuit of
opportunities,” explaining further that “determination, self-worth and kindness
are what makes us resilient.” The first chapter is primarily about being compassionate
and kind to yourself, offering readings, exercises and a summary of key points.
Subsequent chapters have a similar
format and each focuses on one of four ways that we can develop to meet three
basic needs, for a total of twelve primary inner strengths. For example, these
topics include Mindfulness, Gratitude, Confidence and Courage. As Hanson says, “you
could explore a new chapter each month for a year of personal growth.”
I agree and definitely recommend this book, as
do numerous psychologists and researchers who study the brain and human
emotions.
Hanson has written extensively
on the subject and
his web site suggests many simple practices to help reduce stress and improve
well-being.
I saw many parallels to Hanson’s writing in another new book titled
BE HAPPY! by clinical psychologist Rebecca Ray,
published in early March by Quatro.
Using
a self-help type format, Ray describes “35 Powerful Methods for Personal Growth
& Well-Being.”
She advocates
devoting a relatively small amount of time (perhaps 15 minutes per day) to
nurture new habits, saying “these small actions will build up over time, and
before you know it, a positive habit will have taken root.”
Ray emphasizes developing positive emotions, using
activities to become engaged, and promoting healthy relationships as well as a
sense of meaning/purpose and accomplishment. She loosely groups her suggestions
under the categories: Choosing, Cultivating, Practicing and Making Space (for …).
The introduction to each section is cheerful
and colorful and they could easily provide inspirational posters (a
few images on amazon).
The “Choosing”
section, for example, notes joy, gratitude, kindness, patience, laughter, the
bright side, courage, self-love and flow. There is a brief quote from a well-
known person about each method, a page or so of explanation and, again,
suggested activities. This book’s relatively short format would coincide with
the school year (basically one method per week) and our homeroom advisors or
resource teachers might find value in discussing and reinforcing a new habit
(cultivating rest and sleep, making space for imperfection, etc.) on a weekly
basis.
Finally, I also previewed WHEN LIKES AREN'T ENOUGH written
by Tim Bono and published by Grand Central in mid-March. He, too, emphasizes
that “whether it’s listening to your favorite song, taking the long way to
class, or giving your attention to positive things happening around you, a
small behavior can make the difference between a mediocre and a happier day.” As a psychologist and professor at Washington
University in St. Louis, Bono seems to focus primarily on young adults and uses
many examples to which they would relate. In ten chapters he reviews over one
hundred studies. He writes in several sections about the mind body connection,
noting the benefits, for example, of smiling or striking a power pose. Bono
also reinforces the importance of sleep, offers suggestions for attention
training, and the need for social connection. He ultimately suggests that his
readers find the strategies that work best for them and be proactive in
implementing them, creating habits by going to run or going to sleep at the
same time each day. WHEN LIKES
AREN'T ENOUGH is subtitled “A Crash Course in the Science of Happiness”
and Bono hopes that it provides “a toolkit of strategies and interventions that
can bolster your psychological health and happiness.”
Bono teaches courses on the Psychology of Young Adulthood
and the Science of Happiness. Noting that record numbers of
college students are seeking treatment for depression and anxiety, the media
(New York Times,
Slate,
and others) has recently profiled similar courses. If interested, you can
enroll for free in Professor Laurie Santos’ popular Yale course through
Coursera.
One of our faculty
members is a close, personal friend of David Epstein (The Sports Gene) and this teacher is extremely enthusiastic (as he
should be) about Epstein’s latest non-fiction work: RANGE: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World. Epstein is
an engaging writer who begins by contrasting the stories of Tiger and Roger –
showing that Woods (the early specialist) and Federer (a generalist) achieved
dominance in their sports through different philosophies. Epstein continues by citing examples and
academic studies involving music, mathematics, education, science and medicine –
essentially giving his readers some broad and general exposure to his thesis. He
describes participants of one study who “were perfectly capable of learning
from experience, but failed at learning without experience. And [yet] that is
what a rapidly changing, wicked world demands – conceptual reasoning skills
that can connect new ideas and work across contexts.” Epstein repeatedly points
out that frustration actually means that you are learning. RANGE has been favorably
reviewed by The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Guardian and The Atlantic. I highly recommend
that you add it to your reading list. Epstein has made me want to do some more
exploring of the concepts (like Fermi thinking) and
resources (like University of Washington’s course on Calling Bullshit) that he
mentions, particularly in regards to the application for our students’ Junior
Theme research. If you are looking for more ideas to stretch your mind, consider
also the recent list of summer reads for educators recommended on Edutopia.
“The Power of Patience in a World Obsessed with Early
Achievement” is the subtitle for LATE BLOOMERS by Rich Karlgaard which
one of our administrators has been strongly recommending. There is a great deal
to discover in Karlgaard’s writing and beyond; he shares numerous anecdotes and
devotes roughly a quarter of the text to notes and sources. He begins by looking
at the potential consequences of how we measure and focus on achievement,
especially for young people: “when so many people believe they are inferior
based on a few narrow measurements made when they were children, society as a
whole suffers.” Karlgaard then shifts to a chapter on the strengths of Late Bloomers:
curiosity, compassion, resilience, equanimity, insight, and wisdom are all illustrated
with numerous inspirational examples. One memorable quote comes from a global
consultant named Don Peppers who says, “Not being curious is not only
intellectually lazy, but it shows a willful contempt for the facts. If you don’t
want to know the truth about something, then how moral can you claim to be?” Karlgaard
also mused about the idea that almost everyone seemed to self-identify as a
late bloomer and that perhaps some of the current, painful political discourse
is a result of people feeling “unacknowledged, unappreciated and disrespected.”
He encourages employers to take advantage of that potential, parents to “enjoy
your children as they are” and for educators to better meet the needs of late
bloomers. This past May, Karlgaard wrote a feature essay (adapted from his
book) called “It’s Never Too Late to Start a Brilliant Career” in The Wall Street Journal where he cited many examples including the recently deceased Toni
Morrison who “published her first novel, The
Bluest Eye, at 39 and won a Pulitzer Prize for Beloved at 56 and the Nobel Prize in Literature five years later.” Reading
LATE
BLOOMERS may cause you to re-evaluate the path to long-term happiness
for yourself and others. 
LIMITLESS MIND by Jo Boaler encourages us to “Learn, Lead, and
Live Without Barriers.” Boaler is the Nomellini-Olivier Professor of
Mathematics Education at Stanford University, and the faculty director of youcubed.
As you can see from that website, much of her work has focused on
mathematics and students in the K-8 range. However, the soon to be released LIMITLESS
MIND has application across ages. Boaler first debunks damaging
assumptions that limit confidence and willingness to try new things. Using a
fairly academic tone, she discusses neuroplasticity and then outlines six keys that
deal with our growth journey, the value of mistakes, relationships between
beliefs and health, multiple ways of learning, importance of creativity and
flexibility over speed, and importance of connections. I especially liked this
last section where she discusses how “part of the reason students give up on
learning is because they find it difficult and think they are alone in their
struggle.” Boaler stresses the importance of working together so that student
realize that “for everyone learning is a process and that obstacles are common.”
Just as I encourage my student researchers to be sure they use a variety of
sources (who will they invite to that metaphorical dinner party?), Boaler also notes
that “connecting with another person’s idea both requires and develops a higher
level of understanding.” Her examples for schools to encourage community involvement
are practical, including a profile of Shane Feldman, founder of Count Me In movement. LIMITLESS
MIND is filled with inspirational stories and is worth a look as we
continue to grow and “think differently.” As Boaler says, “we are all learning
all the time.” 
