I think there are different kinds of happiness. We know when we're happy a lot of the time, but then there are those moments that have more of an afterglow, when the happiness has more depth.

I've been thinking about disowning some of my genes lately. I have a few healthy, happy, long-living optimists in my family tree - most of them fans of Christian Science founder Mary Baker Eddy, a major champion of positive thinking. But I've got plenty of ancestors who played out more tortured hands.

Looking for the perfect day is not going to make us happy, because that day isn't going to come.

When I was a kid, my mother's parenting style teetered between benign neglect and intense bouts of violence.

I think there are different kinds of happiness. We know when we're happy a lot of the time, but then there are those moments that have more of an afterglow, when the happiness has more depth.

Some caregivers want to reciprocate the care they themselves received as children.

One thing that blocks flow is self-consciousness.