Update: 12/27/2009: This Emotional Life: Premieres January 4, 2010 on PBS.
It is indeed a happy new year for television viewers who tune into the PBS series, This Emotional Life, which will air in 3-parts beginning January 4-6, 2010 at 9/8 c. Watch a preview of This Emotional Life
This 3-part series represents what television does best. It opens a window into real lives, exploring ways to improve our social relationships, cope with emotional issues, and become more positive, resilient individuals.
The Emmy Award-winning team of Vulcan Productions and the producers of NOVA have created a three-part series that explores improving our social relationships, learning to cope with depression and anxiety, and becoming more positive, resilient individuals. The series was produced by Kunhardt McGee Productions. Harvard psychologist and best-selling author of Stumbling on Happiness, Professor Daniel Gilbert, talks with experts about the latest science on what makes us “tick” and how we can find support for the emotional issues we all face. Each episode weaves together the compelling personal stories of ordinary people and the latest scientific research along with revealing comments from celebrities like Chevy Chase, Larry David, Alanis Morissette, Robert Kennedy, Jr., and Richard Gere.
About the Episodes: The three episodes trace our relationships and what science reveals about them beginning with our very first one, the parent-child bond, and how our connections to others impact our happiness. Below are descriptions of This Emotional Life’s three episodes:
January 4, Episode 1: Family, Friends & Lovers: The first episode looks at the importance of relationships and why they are central to our emotional well-being. What are the cognitive and neurological processes underpinning our everyday interactions, and can they help us to understand why some relationships flourish and others fail? 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 — all to better understand the importance of social connections and relationships.
January 5, Episode 2: Facing Our Fears: In the second episode, we look at emotions that are commonly regarded as obstacles to happiness — such as anger, fear, anxiety and despair. Why do we have these emotions and how can we best manage them? 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 on the eve of attending college who is struggling to overcome clinical depression. We also meet veterans with posttraumatic 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.
January 6, Episode 3: Rethinking Happiness: Finally, the last episode explores happiness. It is so critical to our well-being and, yet, it remains an elusive goal for many of us. What is it, why is it important and how can we attain more of it? 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 whom 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.
Copyright: This Emotional Life is a co-production of the NOVA/WGBH Science Unit and Vulcan Productions, Inc. A Film by Kunhardt McGee Productions. ©/™ 2009 WGBH Educational Foundation and Vulcan Productions, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Funding for This Emotional Life is provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and public television viewers. SUPPORT PBS!
This Emotional Life is about human connections and understanding how our social interactions are deeply wired in our brains,” said Paula Apsell, Senior Executive Producer, NOVA/WGBH Science Unit and co-producer.
“The series looks at the latest, cutting-edge biological and social science behind our human nature to help us better understand what drives our emotions and what can lead us to happiness.” “Many Americans are struggling with mental health issues, suffering from mental illness or simply falling short of finding emotional health,” said A. Kathryn Power, M.Ed., and Director of the Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS) at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).
“We need to encourage individuals to understand their emotional lives and if necessary seek effective, evidence-based solutions. This project will be a valuable resource for that information.
As part of the research conducted in the making of the documentary, Vulcan Productions identified two areas that deserved deeper attention. As a result, Vulcan is developing two toolkits: one on early attachment for parents of infants and a second on the process of deployment for military service members and their families, before, during and after their tours of duty.
The Early Childhood Attachment Toolkit will focus on how parents and caregivers can develop strong attachments with their children, which are the keys to social and emotional development.
The Family Guide to Military Deployment will provide tangible resources to some of the 1.8 million servicemen and women who have been deployed and give them and their families usable tools and information to help during all phases of deployment.
Leading medical, health sciences and service organizations from around the country recognize the importance and potential impact of this multi-faceted project and are assisting in developing content. They are also taking part in events and distributing materials and resources.
The film is complemented by a content-rich Web site, This Emotional Life. It provides expert-vetted resources and opportunities to build social support networks around topics highlighted in the series, such as the importance of early attachment, how to heal strained or damaged relationships, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), stress, depression, grief, resilience and our pursuit of happiness.
The Web site is the centerpiece of a nationwide outreach campaign, extending the reach of the project beyond the broadcast. The effort provides people with valuable information, offers access to mechanisms for social support and helps mitigate the stigma attached to mental illness. Partners and contributors include the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Blue Star Families, the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance, Mental Health America, Mayo Clinic and the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
Mark this one on your calendar.
Updated: 12/29/2009 |18:54: Sign up and engage with "This Emotional Life". Sign up for updates at PBS. [This column will be updated as the show airs to add links to *The Early Childhood Attachment Tookit and **The Family Guide to Military Deployment Toolkit, along with other links of support and interest, especially military-family related support tools, as they become available.]
Please feel free to add links of support to families in the comments section or e-mail them to me directly at lorikoff@comcast.net. Thanks for your help!
Adopt a Soldier - Individualized support throughout deployment
Angel Bakers - Homemade treats for the deployed
Blankets of Belief - Showing deployed troops, "We believe in you!"
Blankets of Gratitude - Handcrafted love for hospitalized veterans
Blankets of Hope - Handcrafted comfort for the wounded
Cards Plus Team - Extra TLC for soldiers & families
Chaplain Support Team - Help chaplains support the troops
Community Team Leaders (CTLs) - Representing Soldiers' Angels at home
Eagle Cane Project - Handmade canes for the wounded
First Response Backpacks - Supplies for wounded in-country
Hero Packs - Care packages
Ladies of Liberty - Extra TLC for deployed females
Letter Writing Team - Personal letters for the deployed
Living Legends - Remembering the fallen and their families
Memorial Portraits - Drawings for families of the fallen
Operation Birthday Cake - Shipping gourmet birthday cakes to deployed troops
Operation Outreach - Supporting families waiting at home
Operation Phone Home - Calling cards
Operation Top Knot - Handmade gifts & virtual baby showers
Scarves - Handmade heat and sand protection
SA Germany - Supporting medevac'd wounded/ill and medical staff at Landstuhl
SOS:Kids - Helping deployed soldiers help local kids
Tank Support - Helping Veterans Travel to Medical Appointments
Valour-IT - Adaptive laptops for the wounded
VA Crochet & Craft - Handmade comfort & dignity for hospitalized Vets
Veterans Support - Assisting veterans facilities
Wounded TLC - Letters and care packages for the wounded
*The Early Childhood Attachment Toolkit will focus on how parents and caregivers can develop strong attachments with their children, which are the keys to social and emotional development.
**The Family Guide to Military Deployment will provide tangible resources to some of the 1.8 million servicemen and women who have been deployed and give them and their families usable tools and information to help during all phases of deployment.
Via: http://www.ted.com Dan Gilbert, author of Stumbling on Happiness, challenges the idea that we'll be miserable if we don't get what we want. Our "psychological immune system" lets us feel truly happy even when things dont go as planned.
Comments
As a scientist whose research was included in the series, I would disagree. Unfortunately, Dr. Gilbert sacrifices scientific integrity to cover an enormous amount of ground and tell an overly simplistic story. The public gets a lot of drama but not a lot of real understanding of how emotions work. As an example, Dr. Gilbert talks about the rational mind and the emotional mind at war. Several of the scientists try to point out that it is not that black and white but he continues to characterize it in this overly simplistic way. I don't believe that we need to dumb down science to make good television. I believe in the public. Too bad this program was not done better.
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