As if to overcome their reputation as practitioners of the ‘dismal science’, economists are now producing an economics of happiness. Ironically, what they find is that most of the determinants of happiness are beyond the grasp of the market. Happiness, rather than being determined primarily by income and possessions, is, at least in rich countries, more significantly affected by social relationships – by friendship, marriage, giving and volunteering. - Book excerpt
American inequality is at towering heights not seen since before the Great Depression. Wealth is packed at the top of the ladder, and dwindling on the rungs below. The picture naturally makes many uneasy. A new global research effort says we are quite right to worry about it. Two British epidemiologists say inequality is a public health issue, a national health issue. From crime rates to drug use to teenage pregnancy to heart disease and more, they say, the evidence shows inequality makes countries sick, even the rich. We investigate inequality, and the health of nations. - Tom Ashbrook, Host, WBUR's On Point
The first webinar in this spring's The Healing Brain series will be FREE! "When to Say When: The Dopamine Reward System from Moderation to Addiction" will be held Friday, March 25, 2011 from 11:00AM-12:30PM. This interactive online discussion with Dr. Amy Banks will introduce participants to the the role the dopamine reward system plays in human beings. How addictions highjack the dopamine reward system will also be explored, and how addictions affect relationships. - One CEU will be awarded (NASW, APA, LMHC, LMFT approved).
Through interviews with practitioners and researchers from a range of fields, we explore mentoring, teaching, and work relationships -- how do we build, strengthen, repair, maintain, and transition these important connections? What are the deeper elements of relational practice? Together, we will consider topics including trust, boundaries, growth-in-relation, energy-in-relation, encouragement, and balancing challenge and support. Further, we explore the emotional and spiritual aspects of relational practice. - Excerpt from www.relationalpractice.org
Judy Jordan was honored to join His Holiness the Dalai Lama in a panel discussion focusing on the relationship between meditation and psychotherapy at the Harvard Medical School.
"In the award-winning documentary Children Full of Life, a fourth-grade class in a primary school in Kanazawa, northwest of Tokyo, learn lessons about compassion from their homeroom teacher, Toshiro Kanamori. He instructs each to write their true inner feelings in a letter, and read it aloud in front of the class. By sharing their lives, the children begin to realize the importance of caring for their classmates."
Don't miss the first webinar of 2011 on Friday, January 21st. "The Smart Vagus": The Social Wisdom of Our Tenth Cranial Nerve" webinar will be an interactive discussion with Dr. Amy Banks introducing participants to the third branch of the autonomic nervous system, the smart vagus nerve. Dr. Banks will explore in depth the role this neural pathway plays in taming the stress response system so that we can find and maintain healthy human connections, and the ways that society can shape this neural pathway and how this neural pathway then helps shapes society.
We are updating our Community page on the JBMTI webiste! So please send us information about any courses, special projects, trainings, academic programs, therapy, social activism, organizational development, or other applications in which you are involved. Also feel free to forward this listing to any organizations or people you think would like to be included so they can send their information as well. Our goal is to include at least one listing per U.S. state and as many countries as possible. [Please note: This listing will not be used a referral directory, and we will updating our Research listings later in 2011.]
Listings can be sent to kprice@wellesley.edu. Thank you for your input!
WBUR's 
RCT practitioner Harriet Schwartz, Ph.D. has launched a wonderful new podcast series on her website, 
Don't miss the first webinar of 2011 on Friday, January 21st. "The Smart Vagus": The Social Wisdom of Our Tenth Cranial Nerve" webinar will be an interactive discussion with Dr. Amy Banks introducing participants to the third branch of the autonomic nervous system, the smart vagus nerve. Dr. Banks will explore in depth the role this neural pathway plays in taming the stress response system so that we can find and maintain healthy human connections, and the ways that society can shape this neural pathway and how this neural pathway then helps shapes society. 
We are updating our Community page on the JBMTI webiste! So please send us information about any courses, special projects, trainings, academic programs, therapy, social activism, organizational development, or other applications in which you are involved. Also feel free to forward this listing to any organizations or people you think would like to be included so they can send their information as well. Our goal is to include at least one listing per U.S. state and as many countries as possible. [Please note: This listing will not be used a referral directory, and we will updating our Research listings later in 2011.]