S-1: Mindfulness strengthens parts of the brain connected with emotion regulation, happiness, learning & memory, and perspective-taking

• Kilpatrick, L.A., Suyenobu, B.Y., Smith, S.R. et al. (2011). Impact of mindfulness-based stress reduction training on intrinsic brain connectivity. NeuroImage.
• Hölzel, B.K., Carmody, J., Vangel, M. et al. (2011). Mindfulness practice leads to increases in regional brain gray matter density. Psychiatry Research.

S-2: Health benefits of savoring

• Weinstein, N. & Ryan, R. (2010). When helping helps: Autonomous motivation for pro-social behavior and its influence on well-being for the helper and recipient. Journal of Personal and Social Psychology.
• Bryant, Fred and Veroff, Joseph. (2006) Savoring: A New Model of Positive Experience. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
• Wood, J. V., Heimpel, S. A., & Michela, J. L. (2003). Savoring versus dampening: Self-esteem differences in regulating positive affect. Journal of Personal and Social Psychology.
• Bryant, F.B. (2003) Savoring beliefs inventory (SBI): A scale for measuring beliefs about savoring. Journal of Mental Health.

S-3: Positive emotion regulation and well-being

• Quoidbach, J., Berry, E.V., Hansenne, M., Mikolajczak, M. (2010). Positive emotion regulation and well-being: Comparing the impact of eight savoring and dampening strategies. Personality and Individual Differences.

S-4: Mindfulness trains the brain for happiness

• Davidson, R. J. & McEwen, B. S. (2012). Social influences on neuroplasticity: Stress and interventions to promote well-being. Nature Neuroscience.
• Epstein, Robert (2011). "Fight the Frazzled Mind", Scientific American Mind.
• Epstein, Robert. (2010). "What Makes A Good Mind?" Scientific American Mind.
• Sedlmeier, P., Eberth, J., Schwarz, M. Zimmermann, D., Haarig, F., Jaeger, S., & Kunze, S. (2012). The psychological effects of meditation: A meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin.

S-5: Benefits of meditation

• Ditto, B., Eclache, M., & Goldman, N. (2006). Short term autonomic and cardiovascular effects of mindfulness body scan meditation. Annals of Behaviral Medicine.
• Chiesa, A., & Serretti, A. (2009). Mindfulness based stress reduction for stress management in healthy people: a review and meta analysis. Institute of Psychiatry, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy.
• Kilpatrick, L.A., Suyenobu, B.Y., Smith, S.R., et al. (2011). Impact of mindfulness-based stress reduction training on intrinsic brain connectivity. NeuroImage.
• Lee, Roberta. (2010). The Superstress Solution. New York: Random House.
• Kabat-Zinn, J. (2003). Mindfulness-Based interventions in context: Past, present, and future. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice.

S-6: Impact of mindfulness meditation on brain and immune function

• Davidson, R.J., Kabat-Zinn, J., Schumacher, J. et al. (2003). Alterations in brain and immune function produced by mindfulness meditation. Psychosomatic Medicine.

S-7: Capitalizing on good news

• Langston, C. A. (1994). Capitalizing on and coping with daily-life events: Expressive responses to positive events. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.
• Bryant, F.B. & Veroff, J. (2006). A four-factor model of perceived control: Avoiding, coping, obtaining, and savoring. Journal of Personality.

S-8: Benefits of capitalization

• Gable, S.L., Reis, H.T., Impett, E.A. & Asher, E.R. (2004). What do you do when things go right? The intrapersonal and interpersonal benefits of sharing positive events. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.
• Gable, S. L., Gonzaga, G., & Strachman, A. (2006). Will you be there for me when things go right? Social support for positive events. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.
• Reis, H.T. & Shaver, P. (1988). Intimacy as an interpersonal process. In S. Duck (Ed.), Handbook of Personal Relationships: Theory, Research, and Interventions. John Wiley and Sons.

S-9: Benefits of laughing with spouse

• Bazzini, D. G., Stack, E. P., Martinicin, P. D., & Davis, C. (2007). Remember when we...?”: The effects of reminiscing about laughter on relationship satisfaction. Motivation and Emotion.
• Fraley, B., & Aron, A. (2004). The effect of shared humorous experience on closeness in initial encounters. Journal of Personal Relationships.

S-10: Savoring memories

• Bryant, F. B., Smart, C. M., & King, S. P. (2005). Using the past to enhance the present: Boosting happiness through positive reminiscence. Journal of Happiness Studies.

S-11: Flow and optimal experience

• Csikszentmihalyi, Mihaly and Csikszentmihalyi, Isabella Selega. Optimal Experience: Psychological Studies of Flow in Consciousness. Cambridge University Press, 1998.
• Moneta, G.B., & Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1996). The effect of perceived challenges and skills on the quality of subjective experience. Journal of Personality.
• Csikszentmihalyi, Mihaly. (1998). Finding Flow: The Psychology of Engagement with Everyday Life. New York: Basic Books.
• Nakamura, J. & Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2009)Flow Theory and Research , in Lopez, S. & Snyder, R. Oxford Handbook of Positive Psychology (2nd edition).
• Csikszentmihalyi, Mihaly. Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience. Harper Perennial. 2008.
• Nakamura, J. & Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2009) Flow Theory and Research, in Lopez, S. & Snyder, R. Oxford Handbook of Positive Psychology (2nd edition).
• Kotler, S. (2014) Create a Work Environment That Fosters Flow. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2014/05/create-a-work-environment-that-fosters-flow
• https://www.ted.com/talks/mihaly_csikszentmihalyi_on_flow

S-12: Mindfulness-based stress reduction

• Grossman, P., Niemann, L., Schmidt, S., & Walach, H. (2004). Mindfulness-based stress reduction and health benefits: A meta-analysis. Journal of Psychosomatic Research.
• http://mbct.com/about/
• Shapiro, M., Brown, K. W. & Biegel, G. M. (2007). Teaching self-care to caregivers: Effects of mindfulness-based stress reduction on the mental health of therapists in training. Training and Education in Professional Psychology.

S-13: Effect of thought-stopping on mood

• Teasdale, V. & Rezin, J.D. (1978). Effect of thought-stopping on thoughts, mood, and corrugator EMG in depressed patients. Behaviour Research and Therapy.

S-14: Benefits of distraction

• Brockner, J. & Hulton, A.J.B. (1978). How to reverse the vicious cycle of low self-esteem: The importance of attentional focus. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.
• Lyubomirsky, S., Caldwell, N.D. & Nolen-Hoeksema, S. (1998). Effects of ruminative and distracting responses to depressed mood on retrieval of autobiographical memories. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.
• Lyubomirsky, Sonja (2008). The How of Happiness. Penguin Books.

S-15: Mind-wandering leads to less happiness

• Killingsworth, M.A., & Gilbert, D.T. (2010). A wandering mind is an unhappy mind. Science.

S-16: Effects of meditation-training on the brain

• Desbordes, G., Negi, L.T., Pace, T.W.W. et al. (2012). Effects of mindful-attention and compassion meditation training on amygdala response to emotional stimuli in an ordinary, non-meditative state. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience.

S-17: Benefits of loving-kindness meditation

• Hutcherson, C.A., Seppälä, E.M., & Gross, J.J. (2008). Lovingkindness meditation increases social connectedness. Emotion.
• Fredrickson, B.L., Cohn, M.A., Coffey, K.A., Pek, J., & Finkel, S.M. (2008). Open hearts build lives: Positive emotions, induced through loving-kindness meditation, build consequential personal resources. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.
• Salzberg, Sharon. (2011) Real Happiness: The Power of Meditation. Workman Publishing.
• Kok, B. E., Coffey, K. A., Cohn, M. A., Catalino, L. I., Vacharkulksemsek, T., Algoe, S. B., Brantley, M. & Fredrickson, B. L. (2013). How positive emotions build physical health: Perceived positive social connections account for the upward spiral between positive emotions and vagal tone. Psychological Science.

S-18: Brain enters meditative state when you enter green spaces

• Aspinall, P., Mavros, P., Coyne, R, & Roe, J. (2013). The urban brain: analysing outdoor physical activity with mobile EEG. British Journal of Sports Medicine.
• http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/03/27/easing-brain-fatigue-with-a-walk-in-the-park/?_r=1

S-19: Savoring the future: Benefits of joyfully anticipating future events

• Lyubomirsky, Sonja (2008). The How of Happiness. Penguin Books.
• Dunn, Elizabeth & Norton, Michael. (2013). Happy Money: The Science of Smarter Spending. Simon & Schuster.
• Schacter, D.L. (2012) Adaptive Constructive Processes and the Future of Memory. American Psychologist.
• Ostby, Y. et al (2012) Mental Time Travel and Default-Mode Network Functional Connectivity in the Developing Brain.

S-20: Reframing negative thoughts boosts resilience

• Brinol, P. (2012). Treating thoughts as material objects can increase or decrease their impact on evaluation. Psychological Science.
• http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/two-takes-depression/201102/acceptance-and-commitment-therapy
• Seligman, M. E. (2002) Newsweek. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12360828

S-21: Looking at nature activates parts of brain linked to emotional stability and optimism; boosts creativity

• Kim, G., Jeong, G., Kim, T. et al. (2010). Functional neuroanatomy associated with natural and urban scenic views in the human brain. 3.0T Functional MR Imaging. Korean Journal of Radiology.
• Atchley RA, Strayer DL, Atchley P (2012) Creativity in the Wild: Improving Creative Reasoning through Immersion in Natural Settings. PLoS ONE

S-22: Spending on experiences, not material objects, leads to happiness in long run

• Hill, G., Howell, R.T. (2009) The mediators of experiential purchases: Determining the impact of psychological needs satisfaction and social comparison. The Journal of Positive Psychology.

S-23: Boost mood with a positive portfolio

• Fredrickson, Barbara. (2009). Positivity.

S-24: Daydreaming boosts creativity

• Baird, B., Smallwood, J., Mrazek, M.D., Kam, J.W.Y., Franklin, M.S., Schooler, J.W. (2012). Inspired by Distraction: Mind Wandering Facilitates Creative Incubation. Psychological Science.

S-25: Mindfulness enhances relationships

• Barnes, S., Brown, K.W., Krusemark, E., Campbell, W.K., Rogge, R.D., (2007). The role of mindfulness in romantic relationship satisfaction and responses to relationship stress. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy.
• Carson, J.W., Carson, K.M. et al. (2003) Mindfulness-based relationship enhancement. Behavior Therapy.

S-26: Mindfulness aids working memory and flexible thinking

• Jha, A.P., Stanley, E.A., Kiyonaga, A., Wong, L., Gelfand, L. (2010). Examining the protective effects of mindfulness training on working memory capacity and affective experience. Emotion.
• Siegel, D.J. (2007) Reflections on The Mindful Brain: A Brief Overview Adapted from The Mindful Brain: Reflection and Attunement in the Cultivation of Well-Being.

S-27: Yoga boosts mood, reduces stress

• Kiecolt-Glaser, J.K., Christian, L., Preston, H., et al. (2010). Stress, inflammation, and yoga practice. Psychosomatic Medicine.
• Lee, Roberta. (2010). The SuperStress Solution. New York: Random House.

S-28: Bliss is linked to longevity

• Tonya L. Jacobs, Elissa S. Epel, Jue Lin, Elizabeth H. Blackburn, Owen M. Wolkowitz, David A. Bridwell, Anthony P. Zanesco, Stephen R. Aichele, Baljinder K. Sahdra, Katherine A. MacLean. Intensive meditation training, immune cell telomerase activity, and psychological mediators. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 2010

S-29: Importance of being present during our social interactions

• Dutton, J.E. (2003). Fostering high-quality connections. Stanford Social Innovation Review.

S-30: Mindfulness meditation reduces anxiety

• Zeidan, F., Martucci, K.T. et al. (2013). Neural correlates of mindfulness meditation-related anxiety relief. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience.

S-31: Yoga improves brain function

• Gothe, N., Pontefex, M.B. et al. (2012). The acute effects of yoga on executive function. Journal of Physical Activity & Health.

S-32: Spacing out our indulgences allows us to enjoy them more

• Quoidbach, J., Dunn, E. (Forthcoming) Give it up: A strategy for combatting hedonic adaptation. Social Psychological and Personality Science.
• Nelson, L.D., Meyvis, T., Galak, J. (2009) Enhancing the television-viewing experience through commerical interruptions. Journal of Consumer Research.
• Nelson, L.D., Meyvis, T. (2008) Interrupted consumption: Disrupting adaptation to hedonic experiences. Journal of Marketing Research.

S-33: People procrastinate enjoyable experiences

• Shu, S., Gneezy, A. (2010) Procrastination of enjoyable experiences. Journal of Marketing Research.

S-34: Focusing on places we haven't visited ramps up thrill of traveling, even to nearby locations

• Quoidbach, J., Dunn, E., Bustin, G, et al. (Forthcoming) The Price of Awesomeness: How a Wealth of Experiences Impoverishes Savoring.

S-35: Interacting with strangers or treating partners as strangers can boost joy in interactions

• Dunn, E., Biesanz, J., Human, L., et al. (2007) Misunderstanding the affective consequences of everyday social interactions: the hidden benefits of putting one’s best face forward. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.

S-36: Benefits of relaxation for physical and emotional health

• Broadbent, E. et al. (2012). A brief relaxation intervention reduces stress and improves surgical wound healing response: A randomized trial. Brian, Behavior, & Immunity.
• Benson, Herbert. (2000). The Relaxation Response. New York: HarperTorch.
• Hanson, Rick. (2013). Hardwiring Happiness. New York: Harmony Books.
• Rees, B. (2011). Overview of outcome data of potential meditation training for soldier resilience. Military Medicine.
• http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/features/relax-your-way-to-perfect-health-1763109.html
• http://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/six-relaxation-techniques-to-reduce-stress

S-37: Interacting with nature results in a cognitive boost, reduces stress & anxiety, preserves positive mood

• Berman, M.G., Jonides, J. & Kaplan, S. (2008). The cognitive benefits of interacting with nature. Psychological Science.
• http://dirt.asla.org/2011/09/08/research-shows-nature-helps-with-stress/
• Bratman, G.N. et al. (2014) The benefits of nature experience: Improved affect and cognition. Landscape and Urban Planning.

S-38: Looking at nature makes us feel more connected, caring, generous

• Weinstein, N., Przybylski, A.K., & Ryan, R.M. et al. (2009). Can nature make us more caring? Effects of immersion in nature on intrinsic aspirations and generosity. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin.

S-39: Benefits of progressive muscle relaxation

• Lee, Roberta. (2010). The Superstress Solution. New York: Random House.

S-40: Benefits of tai chi

• Jin, P. (1992). Efficacy of tai chi, brisk walking, meditation, and reading in reducing mental and emotional stress. Journal of Psychosomatic Research.

S-41: The benefits of looking at art

• Jones, Daniel P. and Peart, Karen. (2009). "Class Helping Future Doctors Learn the Art of Observation," Yale News.

S-42: The benefits of reducing noise in our lives

• Achor, Shawn. (2013). Before Happiness. New York: Crown Business.
• Burden of disease from environmental noise - Quantification of healthy life years lost in Europe, World Health Organization: http://www.who.int/quantifying_ehimpacts/publications/e94888/en/

S-43: The joy we get from a happy experience grows over time; joy from material purchases fade over time

• Carter, T., Gilovich, T. (2010)The relative relativity of material and experiential purchases. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.

S-44: Our experiences are constantly resculpting the brain

• Hanson, Rick. (2013) Hardwiring Happiness: The New Brain Science of Contentment, Calm, and Confidence. Harmony Books.

S-45: When good experiences become encoded in neural structure, negative moments are a less powerful influence on happiness

• Fredrickson, B.L. et al (2003) What Good Are Positive Emotions in Crisis? A Prospective Study of Resilience and Emotions Following the Terrorist Attacks on the U.S. on 9/11/01. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.
• Fredrickson, B.L., Levenson, R. (1998) Positive Emotions Speed Recovery from the Cardiovascular Sequelae of Negative Emotions. Psychology Press.

S-46: Savoring good experiences rewires brains for more resilience, happiness, plus better health and relationships

• Tugade, M.M., Fredrickson, B.L. (2007) Regulation of Positive Emotions: Emotion Regulation Strategies that Promote Resilience. Journal of Happiness Studies.
• Hanson, Rick. (2013) Hardwiring Happiness: The New Brain Science of Contentment, Calm, and Confidence. Harmony Books.

S-47: Recognizing stable good conditions can give us a sense of comfort, security and relief

• Hanson, Rick. (2013) Hardwiring Happiness: The New Brain Science of Contentment, Calm, and Confidence. Harmony Books.

S-48: Knowing that both pleasantness and unpleasantness are constantly changing can actually help us feel better when we’re in a negative place

• Hanson, Rick. (2013) Hardwiring Happiness: The New Brain Science of Contentment, Calm, and Confidence. Harmony Books.

S-49: To find what’s fresh in your commonplace positive experiences, you can look for unexpected rewards

• Hanson, Rick. (2013) Hardwiring Happiness: The New Brain Science of Contentment, Calm, and Confidence. Harmony Books.

S-50: Practicing mindfulness strengthens lateral networks of brain

• Farb, N.A.S., Segal, Z.V., Mayberg, H., Bean, J., McKeon, D., Fatima, Z., & Anderson, A.K.(2007). Attending to the present: Mindfulness meditation reveals distinct neural modes of self-reflection. SCAN.

S-51: Couples who put a happy spin on their history together are likely to be happy in the future

• Gottman, John M. (1999) The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work. Three Rivers Press.

S-52: Mindfulness helps keep our autopilot mind in check

• Niemiec, R. M. (2014). Mindfulness and character strengths: A practical guide to flourishing. Cambridge, MA: Hogrefe.
• Segal, Z. V., Williams, J. M. G., & Teasdale, J. D. (2013). Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for depression: A new approach to preventing relapse (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Guilford.

S-53: Definition of mindfulness

• Bishop, S. R., Lau, M., et al. (2004). Mindfulness: A proposed operational definition. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice.
• Niemiec, R. M. (2012). Mindful living: Character strengths interventions as pathways for the five mindfulness trainings. International Journal of Wellbeing.
• Segal, Z. V., Williams, J. M. G., & Teasdale, J. D. (2013). Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for depression: A new approach to preventing relapse (2nd ed.). New York: Guilford.
• Kabat-Zinn, J. (1990). Full Catastrophe Living. New York, NY: Dell.
• http://greatergood.berkeley.edu/topic/mindfulness/definition
• Salzberg, Sharon. (2011) Real Happiness: The Power of Meditation. Workman Publishing.

S-54: Mindfulness helps us see ourselves for who we really are

• Carlson, E. N. (2013). Overcoming the barriers to self-knowledge: Mindfulness as a path to seeing yourself as you really are. Perspectives on Psychological Science.

S-55: Get feedback from others on character strengths to build up mindfulness of our own strengths

• Niemiec, R. M. (2014). Mindfulness and character strengths: A practical guide to flourishing. Cambridge, MA: Hogrefe.
• Pronin, E. (2009). The introspection illusion. In M. P. Zanna (Ed.), Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 41 (pp. 1-67). Burlington, VT: Academic Press.
• Research by the VIA Institute on Character. www.viacharacter.org