From the Blog
Writings on Well-Being Dr. Rick Hanson

Being Well Podcast: Attachment Masterclass: Sue Johnson, Rick Hanson, Julie Mennano, and Elizabeth Ferreira
In this special episode of Being Well, Forrest is joined by four leading experts for a masterclass on the science of attachment.
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Here is a talk from the San Rafael Meditation group with Rick Hanson. It is titled Recognizing Stillness.
More information on the San Rafael Mediation group can be found here.
QUIZ: How do you Contribute to the World?
You offer many things to others each day in ways large and small. Sometimes people feel good about their contributions into the world - and sometimes they don’t, feeling anxious, stressed, or inadequate. Learn how you feel about your own contributions, with this short...
Here is a talk from the San Rafael Meditation group with Rick Hanson. It is titled What We Practice.
More information on the San Rafael Mediation group can be found here.
QUIZ: Do You Realize Your Dreams?
What we do with our childhood hopes and dreams affects us as we change and grow our entire lives. By listening to your longings you can reclaim the dreams you had for yourself as a child and find work that is at the intersection of what you love, what you're talented...
Here is a talk from the San Rafael Meditation group with Rick Hanson. It is titled Practice for Others, Too.
More information on the San Rafael Mediation group can be found here.
Dr. Rick Hanson on Bulletproof Radio
I was recently interviewed on the Bulletproof Radio podcast by Bulletproof founder Dave Asprey! Bulletproof Radio is one of the top health podcasts on iTunes, they have over half a million followers. We discussed how to get the best out of meaningful experiences,...
Rick Hanson on the Art of Charm Podcast
I was recently a guest on The Art of Charm podcast (one of the most popular shows on iTunes!) to discuss the power of Taking in the Good and the ways we can build more confident brains. I had a great conversation with AoC founder Jordan Harbinger, I hope you enjoy it....
Questions about the Negativity Bias
I receive a lot of questions about the negativity bias and how to over come it. Here are a few: "Is the brain still evolving? Even though we have a brain sculpted by Stone Age experiences, is the brain in any way advancing into a more highly evolved version of...
21 Ways to Feel Good about Yourself
Simple steps for more self-worth, self-compassion, and confidence, from Rick Hanson.
From Shame to Self-Worth: Development of Shame Spectrum Feelings in Childhood
Welcome to the third and last part of the series, From Shame to Self-Worth. Last week we discussed the Neurobiology of Shame here and we started with the Introduction here. This week we will learn that shame is a very primal emotion, one that has a lot of traction in...
From Shame to Self-Worth: Evolutionary Neurobiology of Shame
This week we will continue from last week's introduction in the From Shame to Self-Worth series by gaining an understanding of the evolution of shame. [As we go through this somewhat intellectual material, try to make it real for yourself by relating it to your own...
From Shame to Self-Worth: Introduction
In this three part series, we will look at where shame comes from, in human evolutionary history, and in personal development. There also are three quite powerful exercises in seeing through, releasing, and replacing (with worth) any feelings you may have along the...
Reflections from the Porch
This is the fourth post in the series on Your Precious Life. Here's Part One, Part Two, and Part Three. In it we’ll look back on our lives from a perspective set many years in the future. We’ll start by imagining that you are sitting on a porch somewhere, on your...
Meditations for Happiness
Happiness is far more than a positive feeling that comes and goes. Science is now proving that happiness is a skill that you can develop. My audio program - Meditations for Happiness: Rewire Your Brain for Lasting Contentment and Peace - brings you a series of...
Being For Yourself
This is the third post in the series on Your Precious Life. Here's Part One and Part Two. In it we’ll find the new strength you can uncover through Being For Yourself. Let’s begin with another practice, similar to the one we did in the last post. But this time we’ll...
Meditations to Change Your Brain
In this audio excerpt from Meditations to Change Your Brain: Rewire Your Neural Pathways to Transform Your Life, Richard Mendius and I offer seven guided practices to “rebuild” your brain for lasting joy and fulfillment. I hope you like it. I'd love to hear your...
Being For Something
This is the second post in the series on Your Precious Life. You can find Part One here. In it we’ll look at the power of Being For Something. Let’s do a brief practice together. Think of it as an exercise for your mind. You can keep your eyes open or closed, take...
I’d like to offer some of my central practices that help me grapple with the First Noble Truth, particularly focusing on skillful means. In this talk at the Spirit Rock Meditation Center I go over some ways to cultivate the feeling of being for something, how to be on one’s own side enough that you actually want to do something about your suffering, and how to stay in the brain’s “home base” of calm, contentment, and caring in the face of the hard things in life.
Feel Safer
Feeling safer is a tricky subject, with complications that can be both personal and political. (This topic and others are explored in depth in my interview with New Dimensions.) Yes, there are real threats out there, but evolution and other factors have left a lot of...
Your Precious Life
This series of blog posts is about Your Precious Life: what an incredible opportunity it is to have a life. At all.Part 1: Your Precious LifePart 2: Being For SomethingPart 3: Being For YourselfPart 4: Reflections from the PorchPart 5: The Beauty of Life in the Face...
Rick’s Picks: Randy Pausch’s Last Lecture
Rick's Picks is a new series of posts highlighting the very best content online. Carnegie Mellon Professor Randy Pausch (Oct. 23, 1960 - July 25, 2008) was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in September 2006, and in August 2007 he was given a terminal diagnosis. He...