JD Murphy has always loved tools and learning. A few years ago (with some help from YouTube), he taught himself about lumber milling, and now he spends his free time milling wood right in his driveway in Cedar Park, Texas. The hobby brings him joy and has helped him discover his creative side.
joy
This Is My Thing: Sword Fighting!
Anna Beard fell in love with swords when she saw ‘Return of the Jedi’ as a child. But it was only a few years ago that she finally learned the sport of sword fighting. Now she finds her joy in swords, sword fighting, and teaching others how to sword fight.
This Is My Thing: Ukulele!
A few years ago, six longtime friends — all retired — decided to form a ukulele band together. It wasn’t really planned, but after one of them decided to take up the instrument as a hobby, five more followed suit. Now they all meet up every week to catch up, chat, and play the ukulele together as the ‘Austin Ukuladies.’
Effective Subversion
There is more to making change happen than meets the eye. In this edition of Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke talk about the art and psychology of effective subversion.
Still Joy
The COVID-19 pandemic and the recent winter storm in Texas have compounded the anxiety and helplessness many feel. Still, there are always moments of joy — no matter how small. That was the inspiration for this Typewriter Rodeo poem.
The Psychology of Happiness
Many people chase after goals that seem to them important and promising—getting into the right college, getting the dream job, moving to a big house. But what do you really need to be happy? To have a sense of fulfillment and joy? And why is it important?
Listen back to KUT’s Views and Brews recorded live at The Cactus Cafe in Austin, Texas as Rebecca McInroy, Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke, of Two Guys on Your Head, ask: What characterizes well-being?
Why Talk About Happiness?
Listen back to Two Guys on Your Head recorded live at The Cactus Cafe in Austin, Texas for a Views and Brews, as KUT’s Rebecca McInroy talks with Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke about the psychology of happiness.
Many people chase after goals that seem to them important and promising—getting into the right college, getting the dream job, moving to a big house. But what do you really need to be happy? To have a sense of fulfillment and joy? And why is it important?
Joy vs. Happiness
We might think the idea of happiness and joy are interchangeable, but as Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke discuss on this episode Two Guys on Your Head they are very different.
Joy
What is joy? That is the question that prompted this week’s edition of Two Guys on Your Head with Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke.
You might vaguely understand the definition of joy, but when it comes to the psychology of joy the more know the better equip you are to set yourself up to experience more joy in your life daily.
Higher Ed: A Mindset Shift Can Elicit Satisfaction And Even Joy From Intellectual Struggle
Learning is not always easy. Some subjects, concepts and teachers are just plain tough. Mastering that material can be frustrating and even discouraging. In this episode of the KUT podcast “Higher Ed,” KUT’s Jennifer Stayton talks with Southwestern University President Dr. Ed Burger about how a shift in mindset can help learners at any age harness lessons, power and even joy from those struggles.
Challenges and frustrations that we encounter in and out of the classroom can elicit a variety of emotions including anger and frustration. Not wanting to wallow in negativity, we attempt to move on from that sensation as quickly as we can.
“We look upon those things, and those emotions, as negative,” Ed notes. “People are saying that they want to avoid and we want to get past it.”
But what if those negative feelings were framed differently – perhaps as fuel instead of foil?
“Imagine a mindset where the idea of struggle generates a positive emotion. The feeling of frustration generates something that helps you move you forward, ” says Ed. “Imagine a world inside one’s mind where those feelings … enhance our learning and drive us to go further and inspire us to reach new levels rather than squelch our interest or enthusiasm.”
Ed encourages students struggling with a difficult subject or concept to harness the power of that conflict to assist their learning.
“What if we looked upon those emotions and tried to use them as empowering tools to continue the struggle and to move beyond the frustration” Ed wonders “by using the frustration as a catapult to push us and throw us into a new place?”
Ed believes applying mindfulness to this endeavor can actually propel learners beyond simply converting their frustration into fuel.
“If we intentionally acknowledge and then try to make those moments of frustration or struggle joyful, we can,” Ed asserts.
Joyful? Listen to the full episode for more on extracting joy from the struggles of learning. And prepare for a new puzzler – anagram-style – that might test that idea of power and joy born from struggle!
This episode was recorded on April 2, 2019.