Comments for Nic Marks http://www.nicmarks.org Well-being researcher Thu, 22 Dec 2011 14:37:21 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1 Comment on More Mr Nice Guys by carline waugh http://www.nicmarks.org/2011/12/more-mr-nice-guys/#comment-137 carline waugh Thu, 22 Dec 2011 14:37:21 +0000 http://www.nicmarks.org/?p=251#comment-137 Don't smile at my homespun theorys, but I am a great believer in 'What goes around, comes around' And in the idea, that all the 'nastiness' and 'bad' a person has, well it grows inside a person, and manifests into Cancers, 'Stones' and Ulcers and such like? So maybe, if my Community Inclusive Cycling Group was profitable, it wouldn't have wasted time (£) on training me to Cycle my children to School. Which in the bigger scheme of things, has led to Publicity at Buckingham Palace, Pride Of Britain and the Olympic Torch. My voluntary work helping train folk with disabilities to cycle, every week, the place has been open since October 2009. Don’t smile at my homespun theorys, but I am a great believer in ‘What goes around, comes around’ And in the idea, that all the ‘nastiness’ and ‘bad’ a person has, well it grows inside a person, and manifests into Cancers, ‘Stones’ and Ulcers and such like?

So maybe, if my Community Inclusive Cycling Group was profitable, it wouldn’t have wasted time (£) on training me to Cycle my children to School. Which in the bigger scheme of things, has led to Publicity at Buckingham Palace, Pride Of Britain and the Olympic Torch. My voluntary work helping train folk with disabilities to cycle, every week, the place has been open since October 2009.

]]> Comment on More Mr Nice Guys by Rob http://www.nicmarks.org/2011/12/more-mr-nice-guys/#comment-133 Rob Tue, 13 Dec 2011 13:30:42 +0000 http://www.nicmarks.org/?p=251#comment-133 Agreed: our societies need to focus more on collective wellness than individual status and accumulation. This will become particularly important in the post-carbon future laying nearly immediately before us. In our hunter-gatherer past thousands of years ago an ability to compete and show dominance was a matter of survival. Some of the traits we now interpret as meanness may be vestiges of humanity's past. The psychological drive for competition and domination can be helpful, pushing us now to address situations in our lives and even to further our compassion. Imagine for a moment if we were to remove the profit motive from competition and domination. What if all these efforts were placed instead into our various communities' collective wellness? Imagine the impact if on even just one day, the billions in profits earned by multi-national corporations were channeled into local community projects. Consumers already show a tendency to support businesses that "give back;" if all businesses truly did this regularly, our economy might not be in such a slump. Businesses and consumers would also be better prepared mentally to transition to the new economy ahead. Agreed: our societies need to focus more on collective wellness than individual status and accumulation. This will become particularly important in the post-carbon future laying nearly immediately before us.

In our hunter-gatherer past thousands of years ago an ability to compete and show dominance was a matter of survival. Some of the traits we now interpret as meanness may be vestiges of humanity’s past. The psychological drive for competition and domination can be helpful, pushing us now to address situations in our lives and even to further our compassion.

Imagine for a moment if we were to remove the profit motive from competition and domination. What if all these efforts were placed instead into our various communities’ collective wellness? Imagine the impact if on even just one day, the billions in profits earned by multi-national corporations were channeled into local community projects. Consumers already show a tendency to support businesses that “give back;” if all businesses truly did this regularly, our economy might not be in such a slump. Businesses and consumers would also be better prepared mentally to transition to the new economy ahead.

]]> Comment on Book news by Mohit Mukherjee http://www.nicmarks.org/2011/08/book-news/#comment-115 Mohit Mukherjee Thu, 20 Oct 2011 19:57:09 +0000 http://www.nicmarks.org/?p=196#comment-115 I love your work and have shown your TED talk in several of my Executive Ed. courses. I unfortunately missed you at UPEACE when you were here as I was traveling. Thank you! Mohit I love your work and have shown your TED talk in several of my Executive Ed. courses. I unfortunately missed you at UPEACE when you were here as I was traveling.
Thank you!
Mohit

]]> Comment on Happy! by carline waugh http://www.nicmarks.org/2011/08/happy/#comment-114 carline waugh Thu, 29 Sep 2011 08:02:24 +0000 http://www.nicmarks.org/?p=218#comment-114 Hi, I'm really hesitant to write this, but a very 'uneducated' guess? Could be that whilst in pursuit of a goal or career move. Maybe one of the 5 essentials, is being neglected? Caroline Hi, I’m really hesitant to write this, but a very ‘uneducated’ guess? Could be that whilst in pursuit of a goal or career move. Maybe one of the 5 essentials, is being neglected?

Caroline

]]> Comment on Happy! by Nic http://www.nicmarks.org/2011/08/happy/#comment-108 Nic Mon, 05 Sep 2011 09:47:40 +0000 http://www.nicmarks.org/?p=218#comment-108 Phil, I think there are all sorts of risks associated with trying too hard to be happy ... I think that happiness flows out the side of other engaging activities and it why we have a developed a dynamic model of well-being that highlights all the 'feedback' loops between different elements of well-being/happiness. As with many new disciplines there is good and lass good research associated with it. Unfortunately some 'bad' practice has also used the label positive psychology and I think that has brought good research into disrepute unfairly. Researchers like Barbara Fredrickson are world class - and much of what Ehrenreich critiques is really not positive psychology at all. Grounded positivity is what we need really. All the best Nic Phil,
I think there are all sorts of risks associated with trying too hard to be happy … I think that happiness flows out the side of other engaging activities and it why we have a developed a dynamic model of well-being that highlights all the ‘feedback’ loops between different elements of well-being/happiness. As with many new disciplines there is good and lass good research associated with it. Unfortunately some ‘bad’ practice has also used the label positive psychology and I think that has brought good research into disrepute unfairly. Researchers like Barbara Fredrickson are world class – and much of what Ehrenreich critiques is really not positive psychology at all. Grounded positivity is what we need really.
All the best
Nic

]]> Comment on Happy! by Phil http://www.nicmarks.org/2011/08/happy/#comment-107 Phil Sun, 04 Sep 2011 16:30:05 +0000 http://www.nicmarks.org/?p=218#comment-107 Nick Thanks for running this web site and I've just printed off "The Five Ways" for further study. While I enjoy reading your comments and agree that a positive attitude to life is probably essential to happiness, I'm not convinced of the connection between "Positive Psychology" and happiness. I think it's perfectly possible to have a positive attitude to life while being fairly unhappy, for example by the relentless pursuit of a career that denies you a social life. In fact, since reading the book "Smile or Die" by Barbara Ehrenreich, I shudder every time I see the term "Positive Psychology", which seems to be an invention of the American psychiatric profession aimed at selling services which put the individual into an upbeat state so that they will feel good about something (a product, a service, a church or at being 'downsized') and don't ask the tough questions that perhaps they should. Also, Positive Psychology gives the impression that there is some ideal (and in truth, non-existent) state of happiness that we should aspired to. 25 centuries ago the Buddha (I'm not a Buddhist) observed that unhappiness derives from desire. So pursuing happiness in this way surely turns happiness into a desire and thus (paradoxically) risks causing further unhappiness. A few years ago I remember the sad case of Helen Rollason, a BBC sports journalist who died from cancer. I remember her saying before her death that she'd felt her symptoms a year before she sought medical help. The reason she gave for this procrastination was that her positive attitude to life meant that she had just shaken off her symptoms and got on with life. It seems an overly positive attitude can actually be quite a negative thing. Nick

Thanks for running this web site and I’ve just printed off “The Five Ways” for further study.

While I enjoy reading your comments and agree that a positive attitude to life is probably essential to happiness, I’m not convinced of the connection between “Positive Psychology” and happiness. I think it’s perfectly possible to have a positive attitude to life while being fairly unhappy, for example by the relentless pursuit of a career that denies you a social life.

In fact, since reading the book “Smile or Die” by Barbara Ehrenreich, I shudder every time I see the term “Positive Psychology”, which seems to be an invention of the American psychiatric profession aimed at selling services which put the individual into an upbeat state so that they will feel good about something (a product, a service, a church or at being ‘downsized’) and don’t ask the tough questions that perhaps they should.

Also, Positive Psychology gives the impression that there is some ideal (and in truth, non-existent) state of happiness that we should aspired to. 25 centuries ago the Buddha (I’m not a Buddhist) observed that unhappiness derives from desire. So pursuing happiness in this way surely turns happiness into a desire and thus (paradoxically) risks causing further unhappiness.

A few years ago I remember the sad case of Helen Rollason, a BBC sports journalist who died from cancer. I remember her saying before her death that she’d felt her symptoms a year before she sought medical help. The reason she gave for this procrastination was that her positive attitude to life meant that she had just shaken off her symptoms and got on with life. It seems an overly positive attitude can actually be quite a negative thing.

]]> Comment on The Happiness Manifesto by Jason http://www.nicmarks.org/2011/01/the-happiness-manifesto/#comment-103 Jason Wed, 03 Aug 2011 20:48:31 +0000 http://www.nicmarks.org/?p=177#comment-103 Nice work Nic. Very mindful insights. I especially enjoyed the points on flexibility. As a student of self awareness, charitable giving, and entrepreneurial productivity, I think your self described, "work in progress," raises questions about our humanity that broadens the possibility of sustained prosperity... Kudos also for publishing the critical remarks (above mine). THE HAPPINESS MANIFESTO is certainly part of the solution, not the problem... --jason Nice work Nic. Very mindful insights. I especially enjoyed the points on flexibility.

As a student of self awareness, charitable giving, and entrepreneurial productivity, I think your self described, “work in progress,” raises questions about our humanity that broadens the possibility of sustained prosperity…

Kudos also for publishing the critical remarks (above mine). THE HAPPINESS MANIFESTO is certainly part of the solution, not the problem…

–jason

]]> Comment on The Happiness Manifesto by Wells Baum http://www.nicmarks.org/2011/01/the-happiness-manifesto/#comment-102 Wells Baum Wed, 03 Aug 2011 05:23:20 +0000 http://www.nicmarks.org/?p=177#comment-102 Thanks for the quick read. Here's my book review: http://www.ramubi.com/2011/08/03/the-happiness-manifesto/ Thanks for the quick read.

Here’s my book review: http://www.ramubi.com/2011/08/03/the-happiness-manifesto/

]]> Comment on The Happiness Manifesto by The Happiness Manifesto | Ramubi http://www.nicmarks.org/2011/01/the-happiness-manifesto/#comment-101 The Happiness Manifesto | Ramubi Wed, 03 Aug 2011 05:22:39 +0000 http://www.nicmarks.org/?p=177#comment-101 [...] Link:  Nic’s announcement of his Kindle single. [...] [...] Link:  Nic’s announcement of his Kindle single. [...]

]]> Comment on The Happiness Manifesto by Peter Jones http://www.nicmarks.org/2011/01/the-happiness-manifesto/#comment-100 Peter Jones Sun, 05 Jun 2011 13:57:48 +0000 http://www.nicmarks.org/?p=177#comment-100 While sympathetic to your drift, I agree with liminality surfer, whoever he or she is. You are just not engaging with the massive forces of resistance and inertia that are deeply hostile to this project and what NEF stands for. Research, apparently, advocates connecting, being active, taking notice, learning, and giving. Our education system and child-care practices actively try to kill all these activities and impulses. Schools train children to sit still (active?), stop them noticing anything but what the teacher wants them to notice, destroys their natural urge to learn by forcing them to learn what they don't want to learn. Only the secure and happy feel free to give and connect. This security is a rare item in our culture. You appear to ignore all these destructive tendencies. You refer to something as 'adding shareholder value'. So if it doesn't do this, you won't do it?! The closest we have got to a revolution from below in the UK happened a few years ago, when people's free use of their cars was threatened by the tanker-drivers' strike. Vast numbers of citizens would prefer to be passive than active, 'comfortably numb'. You apparently ignore the causes of all this resistance and passivity. We have got a much bigger job to do than create a few 'lovely' slogans and buzzwords. While sympathetic to your drift, I agree with liminality surfer, whoever he or she is. You are just not engaging with the massive forces of resistance and inertia that are deeply hostile to this project and what NEF stands for. Research, apparently, advocates connecting, being active, taking notice, learning, and giving. Our education system and child-care practices actively try to kill all these activities and impulses. Schools train children to sit still (active?), stop them noticing anything but what the teacher wants them to notice, destroys their natural urge to learn by forcing them to learn what they don’t want to learn. Only the secure and happy feel free to give and connect. This security is a rare item in our culture. You appear to ignore all these destructive tendencies. You refer to something as ‘adding shareholder value’. So if it doesn’t do this, you won’t do it?! The closest we have got to a revolution from below in the UK happened a few years ago, when people’s free use of their cars was threatened by the tanker-drivers’ strike. Vast numbers of citizens would prefer to be passive than active, ‘comfortably numb’. You apparently ignore the causes of all this resistance and passivity. We have got a much bigger job to do than create a few ‘lovely’ slogans and buzzwords.

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