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The Opposite of Depression | Samantha Boardman

Jul 6, 2022

Samantha Boardman, a Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Weill Cornell and author of Everyday Vitality, dives into the world of positive psychiatry. She explores the transformative concept of vitality as an antidote to depression, emphasizing the importance of meaningful social connections. Boardman shares insights on the 'three C's' that enhance well-being, the value of hobbies, and how failure can lead to growth. She highlights that happiness isn't solely internal and urges listeners to embrace challenges to foster resilience.

39:02

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Samantha Boardman

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Quick takeaways

Positive psychiatry emphasizes vitality as the antidote to depression by focusing on positivity over pathologies.

Engaging in meaningful activities, aligning actions with personal values, and normalizing failure promote vitality and resilience.

Deep dives

Positive Psychiatry and Vitality

Positive psychiatry, a focus on positivity over pathologies, offers vitality as the opposite of depression. Doctor Boardman highlights three Cs contributing to vitality: connections, contribution, and challenges. Emphasizing actions, connections to others, and positive challenges, positive psychiatry promotes finding strength within everyday life.

What is the Self?

01:17

Intro

6min

Transforming Psychiatry: From Pathology to Positivity

3min

Embracing Complexity: The Value of Negative Emotions

10min

Exploring Vitality: The Power of Meaningful Connections

3min

Building Connections and Personal Growth

10min

Embracing Challenges and the Power of Hobbies

4min

Embracing Challenges for Vitality

12min

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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