Rick Hanson

Seeing the good in others is a simple but very powerful way to feel happier and more confident, and become more loving and more productive in the world.

Remind yourself that you can act in competent, honorable and successful ways even when there is no sense of pressure.

I had a lightbulb moment recently: I was feeling stressed about all the stuff I had to do (you probably know the feeling). After this went on for a while, I stepped back and kind of watched my mind and could see that I was thinking of these various tasks as things.

In its own quiet way, ordinary friendliness takes a stand that is almost subversive these days: that the world has many more opportunities than threats, that most people want the best for others.

Compassion is natural; you don't have to force it; just open to the difficulty, the struggle, the stress, the impact of events, the sorrow and strain in the other person.

Humans are the most sociable species on earth -- for better and for worse. So how did we evolve the most loving brain on the planet?

By bringing mindful awareness to how your brain reacts to feeling threatened, you can stimulate the neural substrates of a mind that has more calm, wisdom and sense of inner strength.

Kids get labeled with one diagnosis after another with an overemphasis on their negative traits and less emphasis on the possibility that there's something inside that is quite beautiful.

"You have to know when to kick ass and when to kiss ass." That Tweetable maxim was Leonard Stern's principal advice to me during the six years I wor...

When we encounter someone, usually the mind automatically slots the person into a category: man, woman, your friend Tom, the kid next door, etc. Watch this happen in your own mind as you meet or talk with a co-worker, salesclerk or family member.