4 Habits for Energy, Productivity, & Happiness That Changed My Life (Science-Backed)

When neuroscientist Jill Bolte Taylor suffered a stroke on the left side of her brain, she was uniquely qualified to observe and report on the experience of losing her cognitive functions. However, she was surprised to learn that as her stroke silenced her mind, she developed feelings of deep inner peace and connection that had lain dormant in the right half of her brain. Taylor’s newfound capacity for empathy and stillness redefined her awareness of herself and the world, and led her to believe that we can all find that peace if we become aware of how our brains function and consciously tap its hidden resources.

In this guide, we’ll cover Taylor’s account of her stroke, her recovery, and her insights on mental and emotional self-care. We’ll discuss Taylor’s recommendations on how best to support stroke survivors, and we’ll compare her experience to the findings of experts on neuroscience, psychology, and mental well-being.

Do you prefer to listen to sad songs? Do you seek out beauty in everyday life? If so, you may have a bittersweet disposition. In Bittersweet, Susan Cain defines bittersweetness as the state of experiencing intense joy, sadness, and yearning simultaneously. She argues that you can glean greater meaning and wisdom from life when you embrace bittersweetness, even if you don’t naturally have a bittersweet disposition.

In this guide, we’ll explore different facets of bittersweetness, starting with the link between bittersweetness and our yearning for love and belonging. We’ll also discuss the hidden power of sadness for fostering empathy and creativity. Finally, we’ll examine how awareness of life’s impermanence can help us find deeper meaning in our relationships and everyday lives. In our commentary, we’ll discuss the science behind bittersweet emotions, different perspectives on how to think about impermanence, and further suggestions for coping with grief.

Happiness is more than just a positive state of mind—it’s a state of being that enhances your health, strengthens your relationships, and fuels both your creativity and productivity. However, though many people are aware of these benefits and try to feel happier, their efforts often fail to create consistent, long-term happiness.

In The How of Happiness, Sonja Lyubomirsky—psychology professor and recipient of the Templeton Positive Psychology Prize—addresses this challenge. Drawing from her extensive research as well as insights from leading scientists in the positive psychology field, she unpacks the factors that fuel happiness and provides practical strategies to nurture and sustain it.

In this guide, we’ll explore Lyubomirsky's thoughts on what contributes to long-term happiness and how you can amplify it in your life. Additionally, we’ll supplement her ideas with psychological research and actionable methods from other self-improvement authors and practitioners.

There are many tips and tricks for how to optimize your productivity, but how do you know what works best for you? In Your Brain at Work, business consultant David Rock argues that the secret to productivity boils down to knowing how your brain uses energy, and if you understand the neuroscience behind that process, you can more effectively schedule your day, regulate your emotions, collaborate with others, spark your creativity, and find your focus.

In this guide, we’ll explore Rock’s recommendations for using your brain’s natural energy fluctuations to boost your productivity, and we’ll outline actionables he recommends based on his research. We’ll also look at how his strategies compare to advice from other productivity experts and psychologists.

Do you constantly start ambitious projects only to run out of steam halfway through? You’re not alone. Although it’s easy to be enthusiastic about your goals while setting them, many people find that this motivation fades quickly. But it doesn’t have to—in Finish What You Start, psychology expert Peter Hollins explains how to develop mindsets and habits that will empower you to follow through on your life goals.

In this guide, you’ll learn how to spur yourself into action by identifying your existing sources of motivation and designing an environment that constantly reminds you of them. You’ll also discover valuable tips for resisting distractions and defeating procrastination. In our commentary, we’ll add to Hollins’s advice for maximizing your motivation with tips from books like Drive and High Performance Habits. We’ll also draw on books like Atomic Habits and The Willpower Instinct to explain some of the neurobiology behind sustained motivation.

According to psychiatrist and brain health expert Daniel G. Amen, many people’s physical, mental, and cognitive issues arise from physical damage to specific regions of the brain and their associated functions. To effectively treat and overcome these issues, you must help your brain recover from physical damage and enhance its overall health.

In Change Your Brain, Change Your Life, Amen asserts that even if your brain's health has been compromised, it has the potential for recovery and rejuvenation. Leveraging over 30 years of patient treatment experience, alongside insights gained from cutting-edge brain scans, he provides practical strategies for optimizing your brain's health and overcoming unwanted symptoms.

This guide explores how brain scans revealed the flaws of traditional treatment and informed Amen’s approach and offers practical advice for anyone to enhance their brain health. Additionally, our commentary will expand on Amen’s ideas with research and advice from other health experts.

According to psychiatrist and brain health expert Daniel G. Amen, many people’s physical, mental, and cognitive issues arise from physical damage to specific regions of the brain and their associated functions. To effectively treat and overcome these issues, you must help your brain recover from physical damage and enhance its overall health.

In Change Your Brain, Change Your Life, Amen asserts that even if your brain's health has been compromised, it has the potential for recovery and rejuvenation. Leveraging over 30 years of patient treatment experience, alongside insights gained from cutting-edge brain scans, he provides practical strategies for optimizing your brain's health and overcoming unwanted symptoms.

This guide explores how brain scans revealed the flaws of traditional treatment and informed Amen’s approach and offers practical advice for anyone to enhance their brain health. Additionally, our commentary will expand on Amen’s ideas with research and advice from other health experts.

Do you constantly start ambitious projects only to run out of steam halfway through? You’re not alone. Although it’s easy to be enthusiastic about your goals while setting them, many people find that this motivation fades quickly. But it doesn’t have to—in Finish What You Start, psychology expert Peter Hollins explains how to develop mindsets and habits that will empower you to follow through on your life goals.

In this guide, you’ll learn how to spur yourself into action by identifying your existing sources of motivation and designing an environment that constantly reminds you of them. You’ll also discover valuable tips for resisting distractions and defeating procrastination. In our commentary, we’ll add to Hollins’s advice for maximizing your motivation with tips from books like Drive and High Performance Habits. We’ll also draw on books like Atomic Habits and The Willpower Instinct to explain some of the neurobiology behind sustained motivation.

Our brains are uniquely complex information processors, yet most people know little about how they work. In Brain Rules, John Medina writes that when we understand how our brains have evolved, we can use their natural impulses and tendencies to our advantage, improving our thinking and learning in all aspects of our lives.

John Medina is a molecular biologist who focuses on psychiatric disorders. Medina wrote this book in order to help the general public understand in a simple, accessible way how brains work and how the functions of the brain affect how we interact with the world. In this guide, we discuss the 12 rules he’s identified that summarize the brain’s core functions, abilities, and limitations. We also offer ways to apply Medina’s principles in your daily life and discuss scientific and cultural ideas related to his brain rules.

According to psychiatrist and brain health expert Daniel G. Amen, many people’s physical, mental, and cognitive issues arise from physical damage to specific regions of the brain and their associated functions. To effectively treat and overcome these issues, you must help your brain recover from physical damage and enhance its overall health.

In Change Your Brain, Change Your Life, Amen asserts that even if your brain's health has been compromised, it has the potential for recovery and rejuvenation. Leveraging over 30 years of patient treatment experience, alongside insights gained from cutting-edge brain scans, he provides practical strategies for optimizing your brain's health and overcoming unwanted symptoms.

This guide explores how brain scans revealed the flaws of traditional treatment and informed Amen’s approach and offers practical advice for anyone to enhance their brain health. Additionally, our commentary will expand on Amen’s ideas with research and advice from other health experts.

Do your genes control you, or do you control them? In The Biology of Belief, developmental biologist Bruce Lipton challenges the notion that genes determine our destiny and argues that we have more control over our health and genetic expression than we think.

Lipton is known for his groundbreaking stem cell research at Stanford Medical School and his work in the field of epigenetics. In this book, he presents evidence from his research on cellular life to support the idea that our reality is created by how we interpret and react to our environment. This means that our thoughts have a more powerful influence on us than we tend to recognize.

In this guide, we’ll explain how Lipton arrived at his insights through his knowledge about the functions of cells. We’ll compare Lipton’s ideas to other research that examines the mind-body connection, and we’ll explore resources that could help mitigate the faulty subconscious programs that influence our lives.

Do you prefer to listen to sad songs? Do you seek out beauty in everyday life? If so, you may have a bittersweet disposition. In Bittersweet, Susan Cain defines bittersweetness as the state of experiencing intense joy, sadness, and yearning simultaneously. She argues that you can glean greater meaning and wisdom from life when you embrace bittersweetness, even if you don’t naturally have a bittersweet disposition.

In this guide, we’ll explore different facets of bittersweetness, starting with the link between bittersweetness and our yearning for love and belonging. We’ll also discuss the hidden power of sadness for fostering empathy and creativity. Finally, we’ll examine how awareness of life’s impermanence can help us find deeper meaning in our relationships and everyday lives. In our commentary, we’ll discuss the science behind bittersweet emotions, different perspectives on how to think about impermanence, and further suggestions for coping with grief.