It’s one thing to stick up for yourself & others. It’s a different matter to get caught up in wrangles, contentiousness – in a word: quarrels.
Rick Hanson
Author / Psychologist
Follow on:
Expertise
Biography
Rick Hanson, Ph.D. is a psychologist, Senior Fellow at UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center, and New York Times best-selling author. His seven books have been published in 33 languages, and include Making Great Relationships, Neurodharma, Resilient, Hardwiring Happiness, Just One Thing, Buddha’s Brain, and Mother Nurture – with over a million copies in English alone. He's the founder of the Global Compassion Coalition and the Wellspring Institute for Neuroscience and Contemplative Wisdom, as well as the co-host of the Being Well Podcast – which has been downloaded over 15 million times. His free newsletters have over 260,000 subscribers and his online programs have scholarships available for those in need. He’s lectured at NASA, Google, Oxford, and Harvard. An expert on positive neuroplasticity, his work has been featured on CBS, NPR, the BBC, and other major media. He began meditating in 1974 and has taught in meditation centers worldwide. He and his wife live in Northern California and have two adult children. He loves the wilderness and taking a break from emails.
Articles
Being Well Podcast: People Pleasing, AI Therapy, and Sexual Transference: May Mailbag
Dr. Rick and Forrest open the mailbag and answer questions from listeners about people pleasing, the potential (and pitfalls) of using AI as a therapist, and what to do when you develop strong feelings for your therapist.
Meditation + Talk: Key Steps in Your Personal Growth Journey
Discover six key turning points on the path of practice—from calming the mind to letting go of craving—and come home to the peaceful strength already inside you.
Feed the Mouse
When you feel fed – physically, emotionally, conceptually – you naturally let go of longing, disappointment, frustration, and craving. The hungry heart gets a full meal; goals are attained and the striving for them relaxes; one feels lifted by life as it is. What a relief!
Feeling fed also helps you enjoy positive emotions such as pleasure, contentment, accomplishment, ease, and worth. As researchers have shown, these good feelings reduce stress, help people bounce back from illness and loss, strengthen resilience, draw attention to the big picture, and build inner resources. And when your own cup runneth over, studies have found that you’re more inclined to give to others; feeling good helps you do good.
Being Well Podcast: Disorganized Attachment: Heal By Embracing Your Needs
Dr. Rick and Forrest explore disorganized, or “fearful,” attachment, a complex style that occurs when emotional intimacy and distance both feel uncomfortable, and typically arises based on difficult life experiences.
Meditation + Talk: The Quiet Strength You Already Have Inside
Feeling overwhelmed, stuck, or like you’re not enough? Learn how to stop striving, trust your inner wisdom, and tap into the quiet strength already in you.
Refill Your Cupboard
Most parents are busy one way or another most of the time and hitting the red line on stress. They look around and wonder, where’s the support?
Being Well Podcast: Living with Depression | Dr. Scott Eilers
Forrest is joined by clinical psychologist Dr. Scott Eilers to explore how he both treats and lives with chronic depression.
Meditation + Talk: Four Ways to Deal with Life’s Challenges Without Suffering Them
Struggling with stress, regret, or overwhelm? Learn four powerful ways to calm your mind, stop overthinking, and find real peace—backed by brain science.
See What’s Likable
Liking feels good, and it encourages us to approach and engage the world. We’re wired to like some things, but our liking or disliking depends greatly on what we pay attention to and our own perspective.
Being Well Podcast: Live Show: Yung Pueblo on Relationships, Change, and Mindfulness
Forrest is joined by poet and author Diego Perez – better known as Yung Pueblo – for a live conversation recorded at City Arts & Lectures in San Francisco.
Meditation + Talk: Engaged Buddhism – Including Today
Explore how engaged Buddhism connects inner healing with outer change—practical ways to face systemic suffering with wisdom, compassion, and courage.