happiness |

Happiness and the Resistance to Change December 1, 2009

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: Sherri Siegel

Category: Emotions & Inner Life, Personal Growth & Change

Why do we keep making the same resolutions year after year? Armand DiMele and Dr. Sherry Siegel, M.D. dig into the inner force that blocks change, tracing resistance through its many disguises including procrastination, self-criticism, and forgetting. Armand’s concept of the internal “engineer” offers a fresh way to understand why the familiar, even when harmful, feels safer than growth.

What Makes You Real May 6, 2008

Category: Identity & The Self, Personal Growth & Change

What does it mean to be your authentic self? Armand DiMele examines how people mistake the absence of pain, the comfort of control, or the praise of others for genuine selfhood. A reading from the Velveteen Rabbit anchors the conversation, and charged phone calls push the inquiry into real territory.

The Pursuit of Happiness with Nicholas Vreeland October 4, 2007

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: Alexandra Beller, Nicholas Vreeland

Category: Emotions & Inner Life, Meaning, Spirituality & Philosophy

True happiness cannot be captured in a memory, a possession, or another person. Armand DiMele explores that argument with Nicholas Vreeland of the Tibet Center, previewing the Dalai Lama’s Radio City teachings on emptiness, and choreographer Alexandra Beller, whose new dance piece stages the futile human habit of chasing happiness outside ourselves.

What Normal Actually Looks Like June 6, 2006

Host: Armand DiMele

Category: Emotions & Inner Life, Identity & The Self

Most people mistake loudness, generosity, or relentless positivity for psychological health. Armand DiMele maps a spectrum from the quietly content ordinary person outward in both directions, arguing that extremes on either end, whether manic joy, compulsive giving, cold stoicism, or rage, all signal unmet needs rather than genuine wellbeing.

The Neuroscience of Happiness March 15, 2006

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: Roberta Maria Atti

Category: Emotions & Inner Life, The Mind & Neuroscience

What does the brain actually look like when it’s happy? Armand DiMele and co-host Roberta Maria Atti dig into fMRI research on monks, competing philosophical theories of happiness, and the idea that each person has a neurological “thermostat” they keep returning to no matter what fortune brings.

Why Flowers Make Us Happy November 9, 2005

Host: Armand DiMele

Category: Emotions & Inner Life, The Mind & Neuroscience

Flowers evolved 140 million years ago and may have developed beauty as a survival strategy by triggering genuine happiness in humans. Armand DiMele and co-host Roberta Maria Ati examine research showing 100% Duchenne smile responses to flowers, the contagion of facial expressions, and the deep evolutionary bond between humans and flowering plants.

What Keeps Couples Together with Dr. Terry Orbach Undated

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: Dr. Terry Orbach

Category: Love & Romantic Relationships, Personal Growth & Change

Longitudinal research on 373 couples reveals that shared values matter more than personality, conflict predicts stability better than its absence, and men and women respond very differently to relationship talk. Dr. Terry Orbach walks Armand DiMele through five evidence-based steps for strengthening a good marriage.