About

My fascination with people began in the third grade when my parents took me out of school to travel down the Amazon in a dugout canoe. Interacting with tribal people deep in the jungle provided a foundation for a lifelong curiosity about culture. This interest ultimately led me to a career traveling the world and studying happiness. My scientific pursuit of the emotional good life has led me to such far flung places as India, Greenland, Israel, Kenya, and Spain. In each of these countries I have gained a little more insight into what makes people happy, and I try to apply these lessons in my own life, teaching, and coaching. I have published nearly two dozen scientific articles and my research has been featured in Time, Newsweek, Men's Health, CNN, Science & Spirit, and a variety of other print and video media. I am co-author of Happiness: Unlocking the mysteries of psychological wealth (2008).

As the Program Director for Education & Learning at the Center for Applied Positive Psychology, I have the pleasure of translating scientific jargon into useable skills and interventions for professional development and personal growth. My interest in the practical applications of positive psychology led me to write Positive Psychology Coaching: Putting the science of happiness to work for your clients (Wiley, 2007), with Ben Dean.

I am also concerned with those less fortunate than myself. In an effort to make sure that the benefits of positive psychology are available to everyone I co-founded a positive psychology humanitarian organization called The Strengths Project. To learn more go to The Strengths Project.