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Professor Pozzulo’s Pick (September, 2025)

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  Professor Pozzulo’s Pick (September, 2025) Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Duckworth (2016, published by Scribner) My take: Some people seem to get back up no matter how many times they get knocked down while others struggle and hold on to setbacks. The difference between these two conditions may be something called “grit”. In Grit, The Power of Passion and Perseverance, Duckworth (2016), explores what it means to have grit, how to develop it, and why it is important. Duckworth also provides several evidence-based strategies on how to become “grittier”. Are successful people simply more talented? More intelligent? According to Duckworth, having grit is more important. (Agreed!) So, what is grit? Grit is the “passion and perseverance for long-term goals that involves a sustained effort to achieve a future objective despite setbacks”. Duckworth discusses four essentials of grit 1) interest - being genuinely interested/having a passion, 2) practice –practicing...
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September Giveaway! Giveaway closes September 5th

   We’re giving away a copy of September 's Professor Pozzulo’s Pick. Click on read more then click here to enter to win or copy the web address and search it in your browser:   https://carleton.ca/mental-health/septembergiveaway/
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August Giveaway! Giveaway closes August 8th

  We’re giving away a copy of A ugust 's Professor Pozzulo’s Pick. Click on read more then  click here  to enter to win or copy the web address and search it in your browser:  https://carleton.ca/mental-health/augustgiveaway/
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Professor Pozzulo’s Pick (August, 2025)

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  Professor Pozzulo’s Pick (August, 2025) Good Anxiety: Harnessing the power of the most misunderstood emotion by Dr. Wendy Suzuki with Billie Fitzpatrick (2021, published by Atria Books) My take: I think for anyone who experiences “everyday anxiety” (or stress or nervousness), it may be hard to imagine anxiety as something that might be “good” (I fall into this category!). In Good Anxiety: Harnessing the power of the most misunderstood emotion, Suzuki takes you on a science-filled journey of how anxiety works in our brains and how you can change those pathways for a more “positive” experience. Suzuki makes a distinction between clinical level anxiety and everyday anxiety. Although, the mechanisms may be similar, the book is oriented toward coping and changing our perceptions and reactions to this type of anxiety. Not only is there a lot of science in this book, but there are also several case examples that help illustrate the information. Three themes that emerged throughout the ...
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Professor Pozzulo’s Pick (July, 2025)

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  Professor Pozzulo’s Pick (July, 2025) Get it Done: Surprising Lessons from the Science of Motivation , Ayelet Fishbach (2022, published by Little, Brown Spark) My take: Have you ever experienced that excitement to embark on a new goal (you’ll start Monday!), only to find that part way through to reaching your goal, that you lost interest, your motivation wanes. In Get it Done: Surprising Lessons from the Science of Motivation , Fishbach (2022) explores the complex construct of motivation. You’ll discover barriers to motivation and how to deal with them so you can reach your goals. Fishbach provides a fulsome examination of the science of motivation. She explores orientations such as cup half full or empty and what motivates under these different perspectives. Intriguingly, which part of the glass motivates you will depend on context and the importance of your goal. At the end of each chapter, a series of questions allow you to reflect to better understand the science and strategi...
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July Giveaway! Giveaway closes July 4th

We’re giving away a copy of July 's Professor Pozzulo’s Pick. Click on read more then  click here  to enter to win or copy the web address and search it in your browser:   https://carleton.ca/mental-health/julygiveaway/
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Professor Pozzulo’s Pick (June, 2025)

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  Professor Pozzulo’s Pick (June, 2025) The Ritual Effect: From Habit to Ritual, Harness the Surprising Power of Everyday Actions by Michael Norton (2024, published by Scribner) My take: You may have heard of athletes engaging in a series of actions before each game, or maybe you yourself have a “ritual” that you do before some event that is important to you. In The Ritual Effect: From Habit to Ritual, Harness the Surprising Power of Everyday Actions , Norton reviews the science of rituals and how they can improve our mood and well-being. According to Norton, rituals have the ability to increase different emotions -– something he calls emodiversity – that in turn, can increase your well-being. Experiencing a greater range of emotions has been found to be related to increased mental (and physical) health. Norton presents a vast array of rituals from personal to those developed and used around the world. Take for example, the ritual of having a cup of tea with your partner after dinn...
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