The Series, This Emotional Life
How are we happy? Is adolescence the most difficult stage of life? These are but a few of the questions explored in the PBS program, This Emotional Life, shown earlier in 2010.
Behind the symbol of a telephone on the pages is a 24-hour hotline for suicide issues and those in emotional distress. The number to is call: 800-273-TALK
One of the topics is Intimate Relationships including: Long-term, committed, intimate relationships are a source of joy and well-being for many people. People in healthy long-term relationships report higher levels of happiness, fewer health problems, and longer life spans. Their children also do better, with lower rates of substance abuse and greater success in school and in their own adult relationships. Although an estimated 45% of marriages end in divorce, remarriage is common and support is available for couples and their children going through this transition.
Episode 1: Family, Friends & LoversThe first episode, Family, Friends & Lovers, looks at the importance of relationships and why they are central to our emotional well-being.
We meet a young boy adopted from a Russian orphanage, whose story illustrates how a lack of attachment in infancy fundamentally shapes his ability to build relationships for years to come. We meet the young parents of newborn twins, a couple in therapy for a troubled marriage, a teenager who was bullied with tragic consequences, two women grappling with the stress of workplace conflicts and other characters. Through their stories we achieve a better understanding of the importance of social connections and relationships.
Episode 2: Facing Our Fears
In the second episode, Facing Our Fears, we look at emotions that are commonly regarded as obstacles to happiness — such as anger, fear, anxiety, and despair.
Our brains are designed for survival, and the negative emotions they create are vital to that mission. But those negative emotions can spiral out of control with debilitating effects. We meet a woman whose inability to control her temper is jeopardizing her relationships, a college student whose fear of flying is limiting her life and a teenager who is struggling to overcome clinical depression on the eve of attending college. We also meet veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder and follow their journeys to find effective treatment.
Across the episode, science reminds us that we are of two minds — a rational brain that’s relatively new and an emotional brain that’s older than time. Sometimes emotion overwhelms reason, sometimes reason outwits emotion, and it is the endless struggle that makes our lives so painful, so joyous and so interesting.
Episode 3: Rethinking Happiness
The last episode, Rethinking Happiness, explores happiness. It is so critical to our well-being, and, yet, it remains such an elusive goal for many of us.
We meet individuals facing major turning points in their lives — a job loss, a cancer diagnosis, the death of a child, an accident — as well as those facing more common struggles. We learn from the latest research that we often incorrectly predict what will bring us greater happiness, leading us to look for it in the wrong places.
As the study of behavior turns more toward positive emotions, we explore the latest research on the activities and qualities that foster them, such as meditation, compassion, forgiveness and altruism. We also share the remarkable stories of resilient individuals that scientists are studying to learn more about us all, including a man who overcame an abusive childhood to become a renowned surgeon and a Vietnam veteran who survived torture, solitary confinement and seven years as a POW, yet emerged emotionally unscathed. Understanding why some people have the ability to bounce back after disaster strikes, while others do not, sheds light on how all of us can lead happier, more fulfilling lives.
The film ends by coming full circle to the understanding that it is the quality of our relationships — with friends, family and the larger community — that ultimately defines our happiness.
Special sections of the site include The Tap Code, video about Bob Shumaker, a former POW in Vietnam, who describes how he and his fellow prisoners developed a social network that was crucial to their surviving three years in solitary confinement. They succeeded by creating a tap code that allowed them to communicate through their cell walls. The additional topic here is resilience and connecting:
Another topic is Autism and Lonliness. The Resource Finder includes locating mental health and well-being support organizations in your area by adding your zip code.
The three part series was produced by the NOVA/WGBH Science Unit and Vulcan Productions.
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