It was an insightful experience for me to attend the Canadian Positive Psychology Association conference in Ottawa on July 17-18. Plus it was a real pleasure to attend the conference as your Career Buzz correspondent, collecting interviews five of which we share today, as part 1, more in part 2 in a few weeks. Special thanks to former Career Buzz host Louisa Jewell, who’s president of the CPPA, and conference chair Wayne Greenaway, and media coordinator, Todd Kettner, for helping organize the interviews.
1. Contemporary humans live in a culture that continually encourages them to focus on the acquisition of money, possessions, image, and status. A growing scientific literature shows that when people prioritize these extrinsic goals, they report lower levels of personal well-being, act in more competitive and unfriendly ways, and pursue lifestyles damaging to the ecosphere. Professor Tim Kasser gave a keynote talk called The Good Life or the Goods Life? Using the Science of Values to Live Well Together. Tim is Professor of Psychology at Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois.
2. Today you’ll also hear from presenter Lea Waters , speaking on the application of positive psychology to organizations. Lea is Professor at the University of Melbourne, Australia where she is the Director of the Positive Psychology Centre.
3. Her husband, Matt Scholes is the Director of Education at Australian Football League, who spoke on Successfully Infusing Positive Psychology into School Sporting Programs.
4. Mandy Wintink is the Founding Director of the Centre for Applied Neuroscience speaking on Cognitive and Affective Brain Function Improvements with Mindfulness Meditation and Yoga.
5. For literally thousands of years, the question of whether life has any higher meaning or purpose has vexed humanity. Now, after 25 centuries, modern psychological science has an answer to that question. The answer is “that is the wrong question.” We hear from keynote speaker, Professor Michael Steger, who’s talk was called Meaning in life: What we know, what we need to know.
[…] Professor Michael Steger as he shared his research on meaning in life with Career Buzz listeners (July 23, 2014). “Having meaning in life,” he said in my interview with him at the recent Canadian […]
[…] Professor Michael Steger as he shared his research on meaning in life with Career Buzz listeners (July 23, 2014). “Having meaning in life,” he said in my interview with him at the recent Canadian […]