Purpose or Case Report: The discussion of physician burnout and burnout mitigation is a hot topic, intensified as the global community emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic. Like many physicians, pediatric radiologists were affected by the burdens and fears of providing high-quality care in an already strained healthcare system worsened by the demands of the pandemic. Couple this with increasing imaging study volumes, the natural isolation associated with radiology, and the general shortage of pediatric radiologists, and the perfect storm for burnout emerges.

The study of positive physiology or “the science of happiness” has progressively gained public attention since its initial inception by Martin Seligman while serving as the elected director of the American Physiological Association in the 1990s. The current trend in happiness research is demonstrated in the plethora of peer-reviewed social science articles on a wide array of topics and has been popularized by several online courses taught by physiologists at top-tier academic institutions. The basic tenets have been further disseminated through podcasts and books, designed to help improve well-being.

Although these topics are not unique to pediatric radiology, they fully apply to the Homo sapiens trained as a pediatric radiologist. In this exhibit, we will review a wide array of subjects ranging from cultivating self-compassion, reframing our negative emotions as data points, developing mindfulness, discovering gratitude, and understanding the importance of social connection. Diving into the peer-reviewed research, we will demonstrate that sometimes what our beleaguered brains think we need after a long day at the reading station (eg. a pint of ice cream and binge movie streaming) may not be the best solution for our long-term well-being.

The study of happiness will help even the most frazzled pediatric radiologist have more meaningful career. This exhibit will further provide pediatric radiologists with simple ways to recognize when they have shifted into survival mode and assist them in recovery. Targeted to the most skeptical physician, these tools are aimed to improve career satisfaction and help pediatric radiologist rediscover the "joie de vivre."
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