The 7 best books on the science of happiness

1. In The Happiness Hypothesis: Finding Modern Truth in Ancient Wisdom, psychology professor Jonathan Haidt unearths ten great theories of happiness discovered by the thinkers of the past, from Plato to Jesus to Buddha, to reveal a surprising abundance of common tangents.      

22 rules of storytelling – according to Pixar’s Emma Coats

On Twitter, Pixar storyboard artist Emma Coats has compiled nuggets of narrative wisdom she’s received working for the animation studio over the years. It’s some sage stuff, although there’s nothing here about defending yourself from your childhood toys when they inevitably come to life with murder in their hearts. A truly glaring omission.   #7: Come up …

Psychology’s five aspects of wisdom

A recent article in the Economist used a complex, but somewhat small in scope, survey to study wisdom. They found that Americans definitely get smarter with age. They scored 45 points at age 25, and 55 by age 75. In comparison, the Japanese learn wisdom much quicker, scoring 51 in both age groups. This led …

Gray hair – in search of the Silvercat

I’m fascinated by the absence of gray hair in my life. As a ‘male’ youth of the feminist movement I have continually had women in positions of authority over me. There have only been a few male bosses who were worth their weight, while the females overwhelmingly dominate every aspect of my life. In many …