Born to be Good: The Science of a Meaningful Life

This seminar offers a path toward a happier, healthier, and more compassionate life. Drawing on cutting-edge research, Dacher Keltner will share tested methods for cultivating and sustaining positive emotions such as amusement, love, awe, gratitude, and compassion, and he’ll explore the myriad long-term benefits of positive emotions for our children, spouses, coworkers, and clients.

The first day will involve in-depth discussions of the new science surrounding emotions like compassion, awe and the sacred, amusement, gratitude, and forgiveness. Participants will be shown how these emotions shape our brains and bodies, the cultural and community practices that cultivate these emotions, how essential they are to well-being and physical health, and the science-tested practices and skills that can boost these emotions, and in turn an individual’s overall wellbeing. The second day will focus on practice, contemplation, and integrating these emotions more deeply into the activities of daily life. Throughout the workshop, participants will engage in practices that activate these emotions, from narrative exercises to various forms of contemplation.

For more information please visit http://webapp.esalen.org/workshops/9003