On the record

"Present [high-hope people] with an obstacle and they immediately start planning what they want to do about it and what path might prove most productive. Low-hope people look at the same obstacle and think, oh boy, here comes another failure."

--Rick Snyder, psychologist at the University of Kansas and author of the "Handbook of Hope" (2000), on the relationship between hopefulness and success, Washington Post, May 8.

"Anything pleasurable is still seen as somewhat sinful in this society. Maybe it's our Calvinist or Protestant ethic, but that's the climate we're up against."

--Barbara Fredrickson, psychology researcher at the University of Michigan and first-place winner of the John Marks Templeton Positive Psychology Prize, on the challenges facing research on positive psychology, USA Today, May 16.

"[Aphasics] seem to be more sensitive to nuances in facial expression that reveal a disconnect between what someone is trying to express and what they are really feeling."

--Nancy Etcoff, psychologist at Massachusetts General Hospital, on the ability of aphasics--people who have lost their language abilities due to stroke or some other form of brain damage--to detect lying, U.S. News & World Report, May 22.

"I understand the irony of treating Web addictions online. But why does Weight Watchers make food?"

--Kimberly Young, clinical psychologist who founded the Center for On-Line Addiction in Bradford, Pa., on the e-psychotherapy she offers, Washington Post, May 23.