My apologies to all visitors who want to read in English. I am no native speaker and I am in the process of adapting my site for you all. This means that my language will not be flawless in the beginning. If you want to find my papers about happiness that have been edited by native speakers, just click. If you have seen any mistakes, please contact me.

This is an article I wrote for the ma\gazine Ode. It was published in an abridged version.

Psychologically speaking, the catch phrase ‘Yes we can’ sums up a healthy mental attitude that enhances the probabilities of a life that is happily ever after. Taking the optimistic message literally, however, can have dire consequences. We may also need to appreciate the power of negativity. It is essential to acknowledge what we cannot.

Ask, believe, receive. This beautiful idea had no secrets for Andrea; it was firmly grounded in her personality. She recently discovered that the changes in her lifestyle that came with having to sit for hours in a row at a desk for her beloved new job, created bodily changes. She now has some trouble fitting into clothes that used to be loose. Although she dreads the idea she will look like her mother at middle age, she is not bothered by the first steps in this direction. Her picture of the future is as bright as ever. She has booked a holiday to a beach resort in four months, and she already imagines that she will look stunning in bathing suit. When her colleagues invite her for a drink in town, she enthusiastically agrees. She quickly takes a snack, because drinking means that dinner will be postponed.

Is wisdom the supreme part of happiness? Together with Monika Ardelt I have tried to give an empirical answer to this question. Our paper has appeared online in the Journal of Happiness Studies. You can download the paper here.