Geoffrey W. Sutton PhD, Psychology and Culture

  A Circle of Well-Being Gratitude and Joy One of the beautiful holiday connections in the United States is the Thanksgiving to Christmas festivities. Just after Thanksgiving, I noticed that a former student posted a photo of an ultrasound. She and her husband had smiles as they hugged. She posted her Spring due date. Great Expectations! We know a lot about gratitude. Saying thanks, writing gratitude letters, and keeping a gratitude journal are annual reminders of things we can do to promote our wellbeing and make the world a nicer place. That’s Thanksgiving. But psychologists have also begun the study of joy, which until recently has been hidden amongst a sea of happiness research. Enter Philip Watkins and his colleagues who find evidence that sets joy apart from other good feelings. Psychologists link the emotion of joy to good news. It’s not just any good news but something we long for—something we look forward to, hope for, and expect. Moreover, joy is not like getting ...

    JOY  & HAPPINESS       Joy to the World is a powerful anthem. Bells ring. Choirs sing. And people gather round trees, open presents, and gorge on meats and sweets. Joy seems to abound this time of year. Even news media seem keen on adding a dollop of good  news to their daily buffet of badness. Of course, the Christmas story is full of good news. Joy is an advent theme. In the Christmas story, Joy comes as a child. We know that joy. I recall the ultrasound picture of my first granddaughter. Marvelous. A happy moment for all. And of course you naturally want to celebrate by giving presents. So the joy spreads from inside to others. Especially the children who can barely wait to peak beneath the tree and ornament decorated swaddling paper wrapped lovingly around a precious gift. JOY has an effect. Psychologist Barbara Fredrickson has looked at the effects of positive emotions like joy and negative emotions like fe...

Religious testimonies are like stories of good news. We enjoy celebrating good news when we know the family. A recent study might explain a decline in public testimonies.  Imagine visiting a group of Evangelical Christians who are about to study the Gospel of John. They sit on hard plastic chairs while chattering about the weather, problems at work, and some aggravating post on social media. At some point, a leader asks the group to share their news stories and prayer requests. They’ll pray before beginning their Bible study. One woman tells the details of a sister struggling with cancer—she’s not expected to live. There is a concerted sigh of sadness. A man mentions worries about finding work. Heads nod in sympathy. Someone makes a note. Then an excited woman has some good news. She has a large smile on her face as she announces, “We’re pregnant!” She’s gesturing to her husband whose grin widens as his face reddens in response to all the attention. Smiles spread around the gr...

The American St. Nick The Men Who Restored Christmas A great Christmas story combines warmth, kindness, generosity, traditions, and a memorable event—especially one that brings hope against the backdrop of an evil empire. A true story describing how a few soldiers from the 28th Infantry Division restored Christmas for the children of Wiltz, Luxembourg ranks with the best. In late 1944, the allies had the German soldiers on the run. By December, some men were sent to Wiltz, Luxembourg for a much needed break. The townsfolk were grateful for the liberation from five years of Nazi rule including the ban on their Christmas tradition. This year they planned to restore the celebration of Saint Nicolas (Klees’chen) on 6 December but they were at a loss for gifts and treats. Jewish Corporal Harry Stutz meets with the local priest, Father Wolffe, and other town leaders to see what could be done. He then plans a party with help from fellow soldiers who cook...

A Merry Christmas Story Jesús Born Reports Lucas Back in the day, Cesar Augusto declared that everyone should have healthcare and all working families should have a path to citizenship. The deadline to sign up was 24 December. This happened when politicians did not get along. And everyone went online to register for healthcare. Those who were not citizens were to make sure they paid their taxes and completed a citizenship application. José and María, his pregnant fiancé who needed healthcare, could not even afford internet service. Anyway they bundled up and began their taxing trip into town to use cousin David’s line. David was out. Exhausted, they decided to stay at the Holly Day Inn, where they could get online. “Sorry guys, we’re full,” said Clark. José noticed a sign on an office door and asked if they could use that room. The kindhearted Clark nodded his head. Then María exclaimed, “omg, I’m like having a baby.” So Clark called 911. And María gave birth. She wr...

JOY ABORTED In the next five minutes, 8 or more mothers will lose their unborn child in the U.S. The joy of welcoming a baby into the world will be lost. Many mothers have lost a child more than once. Christmas is a season given to celebrations of joy and focused on gifts to children. But many families feel a deep sense of loss. Christmas without children can mean days of sadness. LOOK AT MY BABY! We met at breakfast and passed around the picture of my granddaughter before she was born. The beauty of an ultrasound photo brings joy and confirms hope for millions of parents and grandparents. She and her sister have been sources of great joy. Sadly, millions of parents and grandparents will not experience this joy. In fact, many mothers and fathers suffer in silence as they struggle with the loss of a child they may have wanted for years. The term miscarriage sounds so dispassionate. Miscarriage makes the loss of a pregnancy like another medical event instead of the de...

A Christmas Story Image Geoffrey W. Sutton with AI What's the Christmas Story about? Jesús Born Reports Lucas César Augusto, who loved making announcements almost as much as he loved peppermint bark, declared that everyone must sign up for healthcare by December 24. The website immediately collapsed in a dramatic swoon, and people across the land rushed around trying to find Wi‑Fi strong enough to revive it. José and María, expecting a baby any minute, didn’t have internet at home. So they bundled up, grabbed a blanket that smelled faintly of cinnamon, and trudged into town to borrow cousin David’s connection. David wasn’t there — his router blinked sadly, as if it too had given up — so they wandered to the Holly Day Inn. Clark, the night clerk, looked like he’d been working since last Christmas. “Sorry, folks, we’re full,” he said, gesturing toward a lobby overflowing with travelers, carolers, and one man who insisted he was a reindeer. José spotted a small office with a crooked...

Hope  Peace  Love  Joy I wish you a Merry Christmas

Hope  “May integrity   and uprightness   protect me,  because my  hope ,   is in you. ”         Psalm 25: 21 NIV Social media sites are full of pictures of parents and grandparents beaming as they hold new babies. Thousands of years ago, the Psalmist declared his hope in God. It is fitting that Jesus comes as a baby. Hope is a forward looking activity. What better way to hope in the future than to see a newborn full of possibilities? Of course, at the time of his birth few foresaw what would unfold for Jesus in the next few decades. Yet some came with hope-- there were shepherds and wise men. Christmas is a time to reflect on hope. To nurture the possibilities within any child, parents must devote considerable time and energy and personal resources. Parents are often tired and seek assistance from family and friends. Nurturing hope is an investment in the future. And for Christians, hope lives on beyond the life...