The Opposite of Depression | Samantha Boardman

New episodes come out every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for free, with 1-week early access for Wondery+ subscribers.

Depression is a debilitating problem both on an individual and a societal level and it has only gotten worse during the pandemic. According to the World Health Organization, depression is now one of the leading causes of disability on the planet. 

Our guest today Dr. Samantha Boardman is going to talk about what she calls the opposite of depression— something called positive psychiatry. This approach focuses on the positive things in the lives of her patients rather than just the pathologies. 

Boardman is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medical College, which is also where she went to medical school and did her four year residency program. She later went back and got a Master’s degree in Applied Positive Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania. She recently put out a book called Everyday Vitality: Turning Stress into Strength

In this episode we talked about:

• The 3 C’s (factors contributing to vitality)
• The notion that our understanding of happiness does not have to be internally oriented
• How not all socializing is created equal
• Why identifying your values is important  
• The value of hobbies
• The flake factor
• And the value of failure 

Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/samantha-boardman-473