I’m fascinated by the idea of uncontrollable dancing. It seems a world away now, but it was once a familiar cultural phenomenon. In ancient Greek culture, for example, we read of the wild followers of Dionysus, also known as ho … Continue reading
Imagine being able to practice philosophy through the NHS. The idea is not as far-fetched as it sounds. In fact, therapists and counselors in the UK are beginning to put together something called ‘Philosophical CBT’, which could radically change how … Continue reading
I saw an interesting debate at the ‘general assembly’ of Occupy London this week, which I visited as a blogger / sympathizer / voyeur . The protestors were debating a motion on whether to grant the Tranquility Centre (a group … Continue reading
Yesterday, I went to the British Academy, to hear Richard Easterlin, the father of happiness economics, present his latest thinking, together with Andrew Oswald of Warwick University. Easterlin asked the provocative question: does higher income raise happiness in poorer countries? … Continue reading
After the riots in England earlier this month, emotions and education have loomed large in resulting social commentaries. One chief constable, Chris Sims of the West Midlands police, said of the Birmingham rioters that they were “not an angry crowd, … Continue reading
The Office of National Statistics published the findings of its national survey into well-being this week. The report is the result of 175 events across the country, attended by 2,500 people, as well as emails, postcards, tweets and blog comments, … Continue reading
After months of planning, last week it was finally time for the Centre’s one-and-a-half day conference on the theme ‘Mastering the Emotions: Control, Contagion and Chaos, 1800 to the Present Day’. This international and interdisciplinary gathering of scholars with a … Continue reading
There has been a series of fear-related British news stories during the last week. First there was the Archbishop of Canterbury, in an editorial for the New Statesman, warning the coalition government about the effects of their policies in such … Continue reading
The Department for Education has just released a report which evaluates the effectiveness of ‘emotional resilience classes’ in British schools. The classes were designed by Martin Seligman, professor at Penn University and the inventor of Positive Psychology, and rolled out … Continue reading
On my way to the US to escape the Royal Wedding, I killed time by selecting the King’s Speech on the in-flight movie. Having somehow conspired to miss Colin Firth’s Oscar winning portrayal of George VI the first time round … Continue reading