26. February 2009 by John Schinnerer.

Having a strong skeptical personal makeup, I have made a point throughout my career of backing up everything of which I write and speak upon with peer-reviewed scientific studies.  I have sought to put together a comprehensive theory of a happy, thriving and meaningful life. I have worked towards ways to dump out negative, destructive emotions and ways to cultivate positive, constructive emotions.

Many folks ask me for the names of the shoulders of the giants upon whom my work stands. For those individuals, and for others who might be interested, here are a few of the tremendous researchers to whom I am eternally grateful.

Forgiveness based on work of Dr. Fred Luskin, Director of Stanford Forgiveness Project. Dr. Luskin’s work has been successfully applied and researched in corporate, medical, legal and religious settings. He currently serves as a Senior Consultant in Health Promotion at Stanford University.

Positivity and Positive Emotions based on work of Barbara Fredrickson, Ph.D., University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, Kenan Distinguished Professor. She is the “genius of the positive psychology movement” according to Martin Seligman. She came up with the ‘broaden and build” theory for positive emotions as well as the 3:1 ratio for a flourishing life. Amazing work.

Mindfulness based on work of Jon Kabat-Zinn, Professor of Medicine Emeritus and founding director of the Stress Reduction Clinic and the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care, and Society at the University of Massachusetts Medical School.

Realistic Optimism, Happiness, Disputing Catastrophic Thoughts based on the work of Martin Seligman, founder of the field of positive psychology in 2000, devoted his career since then to furthering the study of positive emotion, positive character traits, and positive institutions. Seligman directs the Positive Psychology Center at the University of Pennsylvania.

Sustainable Happiness based on the work of Sonja Lyubomirsky, Ph.D., professor of psychology at U.C. Riverside. She won the 2002 Templeton Positive Psychology Prize and multiyear grant from NIMH. She recently wrote The How of Happiness: A New Approach to Getting the Life You Want.

Emotional Awareness based on the work of Paul Ekman, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology at UCSF. Ekman is a world-renowned expert in emotional research and nonverbal communication. His research has been supported by the National Institute of Mental Health for 46 years.

Emotions Within Relationships based on work of John Gottman,  Professor Emeritus of Psychology at the University of Washington, where he founded the Family Research Lab. He is well known for his work on marital stability and divorce prediction, which involves study of emotions (particularly disgust and contempt) and physiology as well as communication. His break-through research on marriage and parenting has earned him numerous national and international awards, including four NIMH Research Scientist Awards.

Moral Development and Positive Psychology based on the work of Jonathan Haidt, one of the world’s foremost authorities on positive psychology (the scientific study of human flourishing) and moral psychology (the study of why people care so much about right and wrong, and sometimes choose to do wrong). He is an Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of Virginia. He is the author of The Happiness Hypothesis: Finding modern truth in ancient wisdom, a widely-acclaimed book about how to construct a life of virtue, happiness, fulfillment and meaning.

Gratitude and Thankfulness based on the work of Robert Emmons, Ph.D. Dr. Emmons is currently a Professor of Psychology at the University of California, Davis. His research focuses on personal goals and purpose, spirituality, the psychology of gratitude and thankfulness, and subjective well-being.  Robert Emmons is the founding editor and editor-in-chief of The Journal of Positive Psychology. Widely regarded as the world’s foremost expert in the study of gratitude, Dr. Emmons was one of the early pioneers in the positive psychology movement.  Dr. Emmons has received research funding from the National Institute of Mental Health and the John M. Templeton Foundation.

Please feel free to take a look at the mountain of papers, books, and talks that these outstanding individuals have done. The world is a better place for them. All the best,
Dr. John L. Schinnerer

Posted in Consciousness, Subconscious mind, Emotional management, Emotional mind, Guide To Self Beginners Guide To Managing Emotion, Men's emotions, The human brain, Hope, Awareness, Mindfulness, Resiliency, Relationships, Morals and values, Ethics, Realistic optimism, Measuring emotions, Forgiveness, Positive Psychology, Counseling, Dr. John Schinnerer, Creativity, Staying calm, Happiness, Emotional IQ, Guide to Self, Life coach, Sports Psychology | Print | No Comments »

21. February 2009 by John Schinnerer.

Dr. Schinnerer will be speaking on Saturday, Feb. 28th at the San Ramon Valley Unified School District Parenting 2009 And Beyond Conference. It takes place at Dougherty Valley High School, 10550 Albion Road, in San Ramon.  Cost is a modest $35 for a day of worthwhile information on how to raise resilient, happy, thriving children. This cost also includes breakfast and lunch.

Dr. Schinnerer will speak on ‘How To Manage Anger in Your Child’ at 10:45 am.

For more info, go to https://www.signmeup.com/site/reg/register.aspx?fid=D42V7K7.

Only four seats left for Dr. John’s talk!

Posted in Emotional mind, Parenting, Emotional management, Anger Management, Mindfulness, Resiliency, Depression, Happiness, Dr. John Schinnerer, Positive Psychology, Guide to Self, Staying calm, School age bullies, School psychology, Bullies | Print | No Comments »

12. February 2009 by John Schinnerer.

By Dr. John Schinnerer

Guide To Self, Inc.

I played soccer yesterday. It was a simple pickup game that is held every Sunday during the off season. It’s a joy to me to be out there, with the smell of the grass, running with the ball, running without the ball, passing and shooting. I’m happy simply to be playing.

Inevitably, there is one player who is driven by something else, the need to win, perhaps. Such players have an uncanny ability to humiliate and criticize their own teammates and as a result bring down the overall performance of the team.

One person, in particular, plays as if our pickup game is the World Cup and is furious whenever one of his teammates makes a mistake on the field. He says things like, ‘Stop playing like a girl,’ ‘Never make such a stupid pass,’ or ‘You guys are an embarrassment.’ To put it bluntly, he is a bully.

Yesterday, he stole the ball from a player on his own team. His behavior inevitably leads to infighting amongst his team. One Sunday it led to a fistfight.

The whole situation fascinates me – sort of like observing a social experiment gone awry. This is particularly true given psychological research in the area of bullying, anxiety, relaxation and performance in the zone under pressure.

The Old Sports Mindset

In sports, there seems to be a stubborn mindset in which bullying is tolerated and, at times, encouraged. This tired, uninformed mindset justifies insults, intimidation, shame, and public embarrassment as viable ways to motivate people to excel. However, studies show that people usually shut down when negative emotions, especially fear and shame, arise. More specifically, the mind tends to freeze when these destructive emotions come into play.

Let’s return to the example of the bullying soccer player. When he lays into a teammate, and belittles their efforts, generally that teammate will feel a negative emotion such as anger or doubt. This anger or doubt has the effect of narrowing the player’s attention, usually creating more self-consciousness (or self-monitoring) in terms of how he or she is playing. In other words, it makes them consciously focus too much on their performance which makes them perform worse. As the victim quickly becomes angry and embarrassed, other players ‘catch’ the disrespected players anger and embarrassment. As a result, the overall performance of the team declines. Bullying behaviors work against the bully’s desired outcome which is victory. 

Negativity from Peers or Coaches Impairs Performance

The old school of thought was that a little yelling at players will ‘toughen them up and prepare them for real life.’ Now we know better. In 2003, Dr. Stephen Joseph at University of Warwick reported that ‘verbal abuse can have more impact upon victims’ self-worth than physical attacks, such as punching…stealing or the destruction of belongings.’  In 2007, JoLynn Carney at Penn State found that the trauma endured by individuals due to bullying results in changes in the body. The study found higher cortisol levels (a major stress hormone) in the saliva of individuals who had been bullied recently. That makes sense. What is amazing is that cortisol levels were elevated for individuals who simply thought about being bullied. Ironically, when cortisol levels go up and the body goes into fight-or-flight mode, the ability to think clearly and to learn goes down. So coaches who rely on fear and intimidation create an environment where less is learned and less is remembered to the extent that they create destructive emotions in others.  

New Learning Take Place in the Cortex

So what should the bully do if he really wants to win? His best action would be to help his teammates perform better by staying calm, and making room for learning via mistakes (e.g.,  ‘On this field, it’s okay to screw up’).  If he really wanted to win, he would know that the learning of new skills takes place in the cortex. And when you first learn a new skill, you actively use the cortex to consciously map out movement, plan actions, prioritize, and so on. When learning a new activity, brain scans show a great degree of activity in the cortex.

Practiced Skills Are Controlled By the Cerebellum

As an activity gets repeated, the cerebellum gradually takes over control of the activity. With practice or repetition, the activity goes from requiring a good deal of conscious thought (using the cortex) to requiring no conscious thought (when the activity is controlled via the cerebellum).  Once the activity becomes automatic, it becomes more energy efficient, precise, graceful and lightning fast. However, you cannot consciously access the cerebellum.  It all takes place on a level of which you are not consciously aware.

Optimal Performance Is Negated By Conscious Thought

Performance in the zone, or being fully engaged with a task, is not a result of conscious thought. It’s a result of not thinking. More specifically, it’s a matter of thinking only one thing. I’ll tell you more about what that ‘one thing’ is later.

When performing in the clutch, some experts will tell you ‘slow down’ and ‘take your time’,  or ‘relax.’

That is outstanding advice for the rest of your life. But it’s not such good advice when in the clutch.

Slowing down gets in the way of exceptional performance – too much time to think, too much self-monitoring (i.e., consciously thinking about your performance). It is better for your performance if you simply go through the routine you’ve practiced over and over. Ideally, you also want to create safe yet stress-inducing practices in an attempt to recreate the conditions under which you perform.

So the conscious mind can kick into high gear and mess up stellar performance. Is it possible to under think performance?

Yes, it is possible to be so unfocused that the performance isn’t even started, let alone finished.

How Much Thinking Is Optimal for Getting In the Zone?

So the question becomes, how much self-monitoring is best for optimal performance?

To answer this question, Dr. Daniel Gucciardi from the University of Western Australia looked at the putting performance of 20 golf pros under three conditions (January 2008, Psychology of Sports and Exercise). Golfers in the first group concentrated on three words having to do with their technique (e.g., ‘head’, ‘balance’ and ‘shoulders’); the second group concentrated on three words unrelated to putting (e.g., ‘white’, ‘black’ and ‘blue’); and the third group concentrated on one word which summed up the entire putting motion (e.g., ‘smooth’, ‘seamless’). When the golf pros putted without any pressure on them, their performance was similar – most did very well. Yet, when pressure was added in the form of cash prizes, the performance of the groups differed dramatically.

What Should You Think To Stay In The Zone?

Two of the groups performed very well under pressure: the group focusing on one word and the group focusing on words unrelated to putting. The group that focused on several words having to do with their technique performed poorly under pressure. These results were similar to a 1999 study by Lew Hardy from University of Wales. In other words, athletes who focus on a specific set of rules regarding technique during their performance (e.g., ‘keep head down’, ‘breathe every other stroke’ and ‘touch the wall with two hands’) are more apt to falter under pressure than those who do not have a specific set of rules in mind.

Focus on One All-Event-Encompassing Word for Best Performance

Therefore, the latest studies indicate that focusing on one word which idealizes the whole performance is best for achieving at a high level under pressure (e.g., ‘smooth’, ‘strong’, ‘beautiful’, or ‘effortless’). By concentrating solely on the All-Event-Encompassing word, the conscious mind is kept busy enough to prevent slipping into the thought stream which fouls up best performance. Yet, the All-Event-Encompassing word is sufficient to activate the automatic, unconscious muscle motor program.

Not too much, not too little.

Just enough.  

Smooth.

About the Author

Dr. John Schinnerer

Dr. John Schinnerer is in private practice helping people learn anger management, stress management and the latest ways to deal with destructive negative emotions. He teaches clients to seed more positive emotions in their life in an effort to get at Barbara Fredrickson’s 3:1 ratio for a happy, thriving life. His practice is located in the Danville-San Ramon Medical Center at 913 San Ramon Valley Blvd., #280, Danville, California 94526. He graduated summa cum laude from U.C. Berkeley with a Ph.D. in psychology. Dr. Schinnerer has been an executive and psychologist for over 10 years. Dr. John Schinnerer is President and Founder of Guide To Self, a company that coaches clients to their potential using the latest in positive psychology, mindfulness and attentional control. Dr. John Schinnerer hosted over 200 episodes of Guide To Self Radio, a prime time radio show, in the San Francisco Bay Area.  Dr. Schinnerer’s areas of expertise range from positive psychology, to emotional awareness, to moral development, to sports psychology. Dr. Schinnerer wrote the award-winning, Guide To Self: The Beginner’s Guide To Managing Emotion and Thought, which is available at Amazon.com, BarnesAndNoble.com and AuthorHouse.com.  

Posted in Emotional mind, Guide To Self Beginners Guide To Managing Emotion, Emotional management, Consciousness, Awareness, Mindfulness, Psychology & soccer, Happiness, Life coach, Dr. John Schinnerer, Guide to Self, Emotional IQ, Anxiety, Positive Psychology | Print | No Comments »

5. February 2009 by John Schinnerer.

Positive Psychology - Songs to Elevate, Inspire and Increase Happiness

Compiled by John Schinnerer, Ph.D. ( A clean list is available at http://www.guidetoself.com/articles/Positive_Psychology_Music.pdf)

Song Title                            Artist/Band 

Don’t Look Back              Peter Tosh And Mick Jagger 

Higher & Higher                                Jackie Wilson

1 + 1 = 2                                     Lou Bega

A Beautiful Morning                       The Rascals

A Dream                                  Common w/ will.i.am

Accidentally In Love                        Counting Crows

Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now             McFadden & Whitehead

Alive                                             P.O.D.

All Love                                Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers

All Star                                  Smash Mouth

All You Need Is Love                       The Beatles

At The Hop                         Danny & The Juniors

Barbara Ann                       The Beach Boys

Beautiful                              Christina Aguilera

Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy)          John Lennon

Beautiful Day                     U2

Believe                             Josh Groban

Better Now                        Collective Soul

Better Things                     The Kinks

Better Together                               Jack Johnson

Blue Heaven                                     The Pogues

Brown Eyed Girl                                Jimmy Buffett

Brown Eyed Girl                                Van Morrison

Bubbly                                            Colbie Caillat

Can You Feel The Love Tonight?                Elton John

Cannibals                                        Mark Knopfler

Catch Me (Short)                             Ali Tabatabaee/Krebitz/Riemann

Celebration                        Kool & The Gang

Champion                           Flipsyde

Charmed Life                     OST

Cheeseburger in Paradise            Jimmy Buffett

Child Of Mine                    Carole King

Closer to Free                    The BoDeans

Colors                                  will.i.am

Come On Get Happy                      The Partridge Family

Come On Over                  Shania Twain

Come So Far (Got So Far to Go)       Queen Latifah, Nikki Blonsky, Zac Efron & Elijah Kelly

Crazy                     Gnarls Barkley

Crazy Little Thing Called Love      QueenDance to the Music                         Sly & The Family StoneDancing In The Dark                        Bruce SpringsteenDancing in the Street                      Martha Reeves & The VandellasDarlin` Do Not Fear                          Brett DennenDiamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes       Paul SimonDie Walkure - The Ride Of The Valkyries                Wagner, RichardDiving                                            Hip SonDo The Mess Around                     Ray CharlesDo Wah Diddy Diddy                       Manfred MannDo You Believe In Magic                                Aly & A.J.Do You Wanna Dance                     The Beach BoysDon’t Fence Me In                           David ByrneDon’t Look Back                                Mick Jagger/Peter ToshDon’t Stop                           Fleetwood MacDon’t Stop Me Now                        QueenDon’t Worry, Be Happy                  Bobby McFerrinDream Big                           David CookDream On                           AerosmithDreamer                              Chris BrownDreams                                CranberriesDum Diddly                         Black Eyed Peas/Dante SantiagoEscape Part One                               McvicarEven Better Than the Real Thing               U2Every 1’s a Winner                           Hot ChocolateEvery Little Thing She Does is Magic         The PoliceEverybody Wants You                    Josh KelleyEveryday                             Dave Matthews BandEverything                          Ben HarperEverything About It Is A Love Song           Paul SimonFall Back Down                  RancidFame                                            Irene CaraFanfare For Rocky                            Bill ContiFast Car (feat. Paul Simon)           Wyclef JeanFather & Daugher                            Paul SimonFinally Woken                                  JemFlashdance (What a Feeling)       Irene CaraFor Once in My Life                         Stevie WonderForever                                Chris BrownForever Young                  Rod StewartForgiveness                        Amy SkyFrom This Moment On                  Shania TwainFun, Fun, Fun                    The Beach BoysGet Over It                         The EaglesGet Up, Stand Up                            Bob MarleyGet’cha Head in the Game           High School MusicalGetting Better                   Smash MouthGive A Little Love                             AswadGoing The Distance                         Bill ContiGonna Be My Girl                            JetGonna Fly Now                 Bill ContiGood Mother                    Jan ArdenGood Things                       The BoDeansGood Vibrations                               The Beach BoysGood Vibrations                               Marky Mark & The Funky BunchHakuna Matata                             Baha MenHallelujah (Your Love Is Amazing)             Brenton BrownHappy Girl                                     Martina McBrideHappy Together                               The TurtlesHere Comes the Sun                      The BeatlesHeroes                 David BowieHey There Delilah                            Plain White T’sHope                     ShaggyHot for Teacher                                Van HalenHot Hot Hot (Radio Edit)                                Buster PoindexterHow Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)     James TaylorHow You Live                     Point Of GraceI Am Not My Hair                             India Arie w/AkonI Believe I Can Fly                             R. KellyI Believe In You                 Bette MidlerI Believe In You                 Kylie MinogueI Can See Clearly Now                    Johnny NashI Don’t Ever Give Up                       Patty GriffinI Got You (I Feel Good)                  James BrownI Just Want to Celebrate                               Rare EarthI Like It                  Dixie ChicksI Will Never Be the Same              Melissa EtheridgeI Won’t Back Down                          Tom PettyI’m A Believer                    SmashmouthIf I Had A Million Dollars                                Barenaked LadiesI’m Alright (From “Caddyshack”)               Kenny LogginsI’m Coming Out                 Diana RossI’m Every Woman                            Chaka Kahn or Whitney HoustonI’m Into Something Good             Herman’s HermitsI’m Still Standing                               Elton JohnImagine                                John LennonIn The Mood                      Glenn Miller and His OrchestraIt’s Alright                            Dar WilliamsIt’s Amazing                        Mindy SmithIt’s My Turn Now                             Keke PalmerIt’s Still Rock And Roll To Me        Billy JoelI’ve Just Seen a Face                       Jim SturgessJohnny B. Goode                             Peter ToshJoy                         Mick JaggerJump Jive An’ Wail                           Brian Setzer OrchestraJungle Jym (Featuring G.love)    Jack JohnsonJungle Love                        Steve Miller BandJust Dance                          Lady GaGa & Colby O’DonisKeep On Growing                            Sheryl CrowLegacy                  Nicole NordemanLet it Go                               Tim McgrawLet My Love Open the Door        Pete TownshendLet the Music Play                           ShannonLet’s Live for Today                         The Grass RootsLife Is a Miracle                 Pato BantonLift Me Up                           Kate VoegeleLike A Rock                         Bob SegerListen to Your Heart                        D.H.T. Featuring EdméeLittle Deuce Coupe                          The Beach BoysLittle Less Conversation                                Elvis PresleyLive For Today                   Natalie GrantLive For Today                   Kottonmouth KingsLive It Up                             Jeannie OrtegaLive Your Life                     T.I. (feat. Rihanna)Love and Some Verses                  Iron & WineLove Can Move Mountains          Celine DionLove Comes                       The PosiesLove Generation                              Bob Sinclar & Gary PineLove Is The Only Law To Obey    Ziggy Marley and the Melody MakersLove Stimulation (Blank & Jones Remix)                HumateLove Train                           The O’JaysLove Wins Every Time                    McMaster and JamesLove, Reign O`er Me                       The WhoLovely Day                          Bill WithersLovely, Love My Family                 The RootsMagic Bus                            The WhoMambo No. 5                    Lou BegaMan Smart (Woman Smarter)    Harry BelafonteMan! I Feel Like A Woman!         Shania TwainMargaritaville                    Jimmy BuffettMe & Julio Down By The Schoolyard        Paul SimonMexico                 Jimmy BuffettMolly Smiles                       Jesse SpencerMoondance                       Van MorrisonMy Favorite Things                          Julie AndrewsNa Na Hey Hey Kiss Him                                SteamNever Gonna Break My Faith     Aretha Franklin & Mary J. BligeOb-La-Di, Ob-La-Da                         The BeatlesOh Happy Day                   The Edwin Hawkins SingersOne Bright Day                  Ziggy Marley and the Melody MakersOne Love                             Bob MarleyO-o-h Child                         The Five StairstepsOur House                          MadnessOver The Rainbow                           Iz Kamakawiwo’olePeace Love and Happiness          Bob MarleyPeace Train                         Cat StevensPeace, Love and Understanding                Elvis Costello & the AttractionsPon de Replay                   RihannaPretty Little Angle Eyes                 Curtis LeePush It to the Limit                          Corbin BleuPut a Little Love in Your Heart     Al Green & Annie LennoxRama Lama Ding Dong                   The EdselsRay of Light                         MadonnaRight Now                           Van HalenRock This Party (Everybody Dance Now)               Big Ali, Bob Sinclar & Dollar ManRock This Town                 Brian Setzer OrchestraRunnin Down A Dream                  Tom PettyShake Your Tail                  Ray CharlesShine                     Collective SoulShiny Happy People                        R.E.M.Sing, Sing, Sing (With A Swing)   Benny Goodman and His OrchestraSmile Like You Mean It                  The KillersSomewhere Over The Rainbow Iz Kamakawiwo’oleSon of Man                         Phil CollinsSpace Jam                           The Space CadetsStand by Me                      Ben E. KingStraight, No Chaser                         Miles DavisSuddenly I See                  KT Tunstall Sun Is Shining                    Bob MarleySunshine of Your Love                   CreamSupposed To Be                               Jack JohnsonSurfin’ Safari                       The Beach BoysSweet Escape                    Gwen StefaniTestify To Love                  WynonnaThank yous                         Janis IanThe 59th Street Bridge Song        Simon & GarfunkelThe Bare Necessities                      Bruce Reitherman & Phil HarrisThe Best                              Tina TurnerThe Harder They Come                 Jimmy CliffThe House Is Rockin’                       Stevie Ray VaughanThe Middle                         Jimmy Eat WorldThe Tide Is High                                BlondieThe Time of Your Life                     Randy NewmanThese Eyes                         The Guess WhoThinkin’ About You                          Trisha YearwoodThree Little Birds                              Bob MarleyTime of Your Life                              Green DayTrue Colors                         Macy GrayTrue Love Will Never Fade           Mark KnopflerTry a Little Harder                            The Rolling StonesTubthumping                     ChumbawambaTwo Worlds                        Phil CollinsUmbrella - Radio Edit                      RihannaUnder the Sea                   Samuel E. WrightUnwritten                           Natasha BedingfieldUp!                        Shania Twain Upbeat                 Terry Devine-KingWalk With You                   Della Reese & The Verity All-StarsWalking On Sunshine                     Katrina & The WavesWe Will Rock You                             QueenWe’re Going To Be Friends          Jack JohnsonWhat a Beautiful Day                      Chris CagleWhat a Wonderful World             Louis ArmstrongWhen You Believe                           Mariah Carey & Whitney HoustonWhere Is The Love                          Black Eyed PeasWhy Can’t We Be Friends             WarWith a Little Luck                              Paul McCartney & Wings Wingspan - Hits and HistoryWith My Own Two Hands             Ben HarperWith My Own Two Hands             Jack JohnsonWonderful World, Beautiful People         Jimmy CliffWouldn’t It Be Nice                         The Beach BoysYellow Submarine                            The BeatlesYou Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet          Bachman-Turner OverdriveYou Are My Number One             Smashmouth with Ranking RogerYou Are So Good To Me                                Third DayYou Can Get It If You Really Want             Jimmy CliffYou Can’t Stop the Beat                                Amanda Bynes, Elijah Kelly, John Travolta, Nikki Blonsky, Queen Latifah & Zac EfronYou Got It                            Roy Orbison or Bonnie RaittYou Make Me Feel Like Dancing                Leo SayerYou’ll Be Blessed                              Elton JohnYou’re Still The One                         Shania TwainYou’ve Got a Friend In Me           Randy NewmanZoot Suit Riot                     Cherry Poppin’ DaddiesI’d Like to Teach the World to Sing            Demi HolbornFree and Easy (Down the Road I Go)       Dierks Bentley Lucky                     Jason Mraz and Colbie Caillat Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate The Positive  Al JarreauWe Got the Funk                             Positive ForceDancing Queen                 AbbaSave The Last Dance for Me        Michael Buble

The Good Times Are Coming      Mamma Cass

Posted in Emotional management, Resiliency, Hope, Emotional mind, Positive mood music, Dr. John Schinnerer, Guide to Self, Happiness, Positive Psychology | Print | No Comments »

3. February 2009 by John Schinnerer.

Research has shown that music strongly affects our mood and our emotions, our thoughts and even our perceptions. Barb Fredrickson’s work demonstrates the positivity ratio is 3:1, that is we need three times as much positive emotions as negative emotions in our lives. 

Positive, constructive emotions are fleeting, ephemeral and quick. They can be easily outmuscled by negative or destructive emotions.

 We need to plant the seeds of positivity in the mind frequently and constantly. To that end. I have compiled a list of positive, upbeat, elevating songs so you can create your own playlist of positive psych songs.

 I would love to do a research study where only positive music is piped in to one team in an organization (as background music) compared to a no music condition as well as a popular radio station and track productivity, work engagement, creativity (innovation), sales, teamwork and so on.

I’ve had this positive playlist on for a couple weeks now and it works wonders for myself, my clients and my family. Try it for yourself.

The Official Positive Psychology Music Compilation is available free of charge at http://tinyurl.com/avafyy. Please send your suggestions for more positive songs to me at Info AT GuideToSelf.com! If I add your song to the list, I will email you a free pdf version of my award-winning book, Guide To Self: The Beginner’s Guide To Managing Emotion and Thought.

Thanks and enjoy!

Dr. John Schinnerer

Posted in Altruism, Resiliency, Men's emotions, Emotional management, Mindfulness, Hope, Music psychology, Energy psychology, Awareness, Emotional mind, Guide To Self Beginners Guide To Managing Emotion, Guide to Self, Life coach, Creativity, Dr. John Schinnerer, Emotional IQ, Staying calm, Morals and values, Positive mood music, Happiness, Positive Psychology | Print | No Comments »