Dr. Liraz Margalit – Positive Psychology and Buddhism: Two Paths to Happiness

You may be surprised, but life circumstances affect only 10% of our happiness, while genetics contributes another 40%. What about the rest? That depends on us.

The question is not whether suffering exists—suffering is an unavoidable part of life—but how we choose to deal with it. The optimistic part is that we have the ability to influence our lives: to know when to let go and when to fight, to understand what truly brings happiness, and how to reduce our attachment to whatever holds us back.

Buddhism explored these questions thousands of years ago, and today modern psychology confirms them. In this lecture, we will discover how Buddhist insights can help us in everyday life—from improving our ability to cope with stress to developing psychological resilience, compassion, and self-acceptance.