Here are three recent talks/podcasts we think underscore the importance – and benefits – of working with people in a therapeutic practice. We hope you enjoy them.
This first talk is quite short. It comes from the Hidden Brain podcast series and it addresses how expectations can affect a person’s potential. It’s summarized nicely by this quote from the host Shankar Vedantam:
“Throughout our lives, we evaluate our children, our students, our friends and our colleagues. What isn’t always clear to them or to us is the power of these expectations to transform people’s lives. Sometimes our expectations attach leaden weights to wings and keep dreams from taking flight. Other times our beliefs can lift people up, make them run harder and reach for more.”
It’s only 6 ½ minutes; listen here.
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Our second recommendation is a TED talk about one of the longest longitudinal studies to date. It started by following 268 Harvard sophomores in the year 1938 with the goal of tracking their health and experiences to find clues to leading happy and healthy lives.
What they found was that, more than social class, IQ or even genes, what keeps people happy and healthy throughout their lives is close relationships. In fact, the people who were the most satisfied with their relationships at age 50 were the healthiest at age 80.
Listen to the 13-minute TED talk by the study’s current director, Dr. Robert Waldinger, titled “What Makes a Good Life?”
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Our last recommendation seconds the idea that relationships are important for living a long, healthy and happy life. And it goes further to emphasize the importance of actual face-to-face interactions. In fact, according to developmental psychologist Susan Pinker in her TED talk and book The Village Effect, in-person interactions “create a biological forcefield against disease and decline.” Because we are hard-wired to connect with other human beings, face-to-face contact is critical for learning, happiness, resilience and even longevity.
Listen to her 16-minute TED talk.
In a career where you spend your days interacting face-to-face with people with whom you have strong relationships, these findings should add to your own happiness quotient.
We thank you for the good work you do every day.
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