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Shelley H Carson Ph.D.

About

Shelley H. Carson, Ph.D., is Lecturer at Harvard University, the Department of Psychology. She received her doctorate from Harvard in 2001, and has been conducting research and teaching on the topics of creativity, psychopathology, and resilience since then. Her work has been published in national and international scientific journals as well as scholarly volumes. Her research on the interface between psychopathology and creativity has been presented at national symposia and highlighted in national media, including the Discovery Channel, CNN, and NPR, and Radio Free Europe. She has also served as a consultant on a major Department of Defense web project providing mental health interventions for Service Members returning from deployment in Iraq and Afghanistan. She is author of the brodadly acclaimed 2010 book Your Creative Brain: Seven Steps to Maximize Imagination, Productivity, and Innovation in Your Life (Jossey-Bass). She is also co-author of Almost Depressed: Is My (or My Loved One's) Unhappiness a Problem (Hazelden), which will be released in October 2013.

Books by Shelley H Carson Ph.D.
Recent Posts
Zen of the Art of Grocery Shopping

 The Fourth of July holiday is a great opportunity to reflect on the abundance - of both opportunities and products - afforded by the American way of life. All too often we take this abundance for granted. Here's an example from my own life:

 The Fourth of July holiday is a great opportunity to reflect on the abundance - of both opportunities and products - afforded by the American way of life. All too often we take this abundance for granted. Here's an example from my own life:

From Tragedy to Art: Meaning-Making, Personal Narrative, and Life’s Adversities

I recently finished reading Dr. Nancy Rappaport's excellent book In Her Wake, and it reminded me once again that our lives are works of art - or at least they can be works of art if we choose to make them so.

I recently finished reading Dr. Nancy Rappaport's excellent book In Her Wake, and it reminded me once again that our lives are works of art - or at least they can be works of art if we choose to make them so.

Memorial Day and Commencement: Honoring the Past and Future of America

Memorial Day is our national day of gratitude to those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. This day is a way of officially saying "thank you" to those Americans who have died to protect our freedoms and our way of life. Most of those who have given their lives have been young - about the same age as the college grads who are currently celebrating their commencement.  

Memorial Day is our national day of gratitude to those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. This day is a way of officially saying "thank you" to those Americans who have died to protect our freedoms and our way of life. Most of those who have given their lives have been young - about the same age as the college grads who are currently celebrating their commencement.  

Hollywood Portrayal of Thinness, Success, and Butter

Anorexia Nervosa is great American tragedy. It's the most deadly of psychiatric illnesses, killing almost 20% of those afflicted. Media portrayal of unhealthy thinness as the ideal of feminine beauty is one (but certainly not the only) contributing factor to this devastating illness. That's why it's so refreshing to see Hollywood offer us a glamorous, oversized, butter-eating role model. 

Anorexia Nervosa is great American tragedy. It's the most deadly of psychiatric illnesses, killing almost 20% of those afflicted. Media portrayal of unhealthy thinness as the ideal of feminine beauty is one (but certainly not the only) contributing factor to this devastating illness. That's why it's so refreshing to see Hollywood offer us a glamorous, oversized, butter-eating role model. 

Novelty-Seeking, Hospital Beds, and the Spirit of Exploration

 It is 8 pm EDT on July, 20, 1969. Anticipation and excitement grip the nation. Sometime within the next few hours, the hatch of a small vehicle will open and history will be made.

 It is 8 pm EDT on July, 20, 1969. Anticipation and excitement grip the nation. Sometime within the next few hours, the hatch of a small vehicle will open and history will be made.

Creativity and the Aging Brain

The aging brain resembles the creative brain in several ways. For instance, the aging brain is more distractible and somewhat more disinhibited than the younger brain (so is the creative brain). Aging brains score better on tests of crystallized IQ (and creative brains use crystallized knowledge to make novel and original associations). These changes in the aging brain may make it ideally suited to accomplish work in a number of creative domains. So instead of promoting retirement at age 65, perhaps we as a society should be promoting transition at age 65: transition into a creative field where our growing resource of individuals with aging brains can preserve their wisdom in culturally-valued works of art, music, or writing.

The aging brain resembles the creative brain in several ways. For instance, the aging brain is more distractible and somewhat more disinhibited than the younger brain (so is the creative brain). Aging brains score better on tests of crystallized IQ (and creative brains use crystallized knowledge to make novel and original associations). These changes in the aging brain may make it ideally suited to accomplish work in a number of creative domains. So instead of promoting retirement at age 65, perhaps we as a society should be promoting transition at age 65: transition into a creative field where our growing resource of individuals with aging brains can preserve their wisdom in culturally-valued works of art, music, or writing.

How Do You Keep On Playing When You Know the Game Is Lost?

This has been a week for great victories and great defeats. I'd like to muse on the defeat side of the issue for a few minutes. Like millions of Americans I watched both John McCain's gracious concession speech and Barack Obama's eloquent victory speech. The speeches of both men on this historic night brought me to tears.

This has been a week for great victories and great defeats. I'd like to muse on the defeat side of the issue for a few minutes. Like millions of Americans I watched both John McCain's gracious concession speech and Barack Obama's eloquent victory speech. The speeches of both men on this historic night brought me to tears.

The Good Side of the Bad Economy

Several generations of Americans, from the Baby Boomers through the X and Y Generations, have grown up in a state of mind called the “more” mentality. Coincidentally (or not), the rate of depression has increased with every generation from the Baby Boomers on.

Several generations of Americans, from the Baby Boomers through the X and Y Generations, have grown up in a state of mind called the “more” mentality. Coincidentally (or not), the rate of depression has increased with every generation from the Baby Boomers on.

Sports Grief, Roller Coasters, and Sarah Palin

It’s a dull ache in the throat and stomach, accompanied by a sudden sinking feeling. I started noticing these physical symptoms of melancholy last week but couldn’t put my finger on the cause until I reread a Psychology Today blog on Sports Grief by colleague Steven Kotler that first appeared on June 25th. Then I realized that my symptoms coincided with the onset of the NFL season…

It’s a dull ache in the throat and stomach, accompanied by a sudden sinking feeling. I started noticing these physical symptoms of melancholy last week but couldn’t put my finger on the cause until I reread a Psychology Today blog on Sports Grief by colleague Steven Kotler that first appeared on June 25th. Then I realized that my symptoms coincided with the onset of the NFL season…