If so, what does this mean for our life and our happiness?įor Seligman, the strengths are the “route” through we achieve virtues in our life.
And while we might be tempted to assume that happiness causes positive emotions, Seligman wonders, instead, whether positive emotions cause happiness. In short, positive emotions are frequently paired with happy circumstances. When surveyed, those who were photographed with genuine, “Duchenne” smiles were more likely to find themselves, in their mid-life, married with families and involved in richer social lives. Another study used high school yearbook photos of women to see if the ultimate expression of happiness (a smile) might also be used as an indicator as to how satisfied they might be 20 years later. It seemed that the nuns who expressed positive emotions more intensely and more frequently in their daily journals also happened to outlive many of the nuns who clearly did not.
For example, one study observed nuns who were, for the most part, leading virtually identical lifestyles. Many studies have shown that positive emotions are frequently accompanied by fortunate circumstances (e.g., longer life, health, large social networks, etc). More importantly for us, their studies have shown that happiness can be taught and learned. The next generation of psychologists such as Seligman, Ed Diener, and Mihaly Csiskzenmihalyi are working to scientifically study the effects of positive emotions and the ways in which they affect health, performance, and overall life satisfaction. Yet, Maslow was an intuitively inspired theorist with little methodologically sound, empirical evidence to support his claims. One of Seligman’s forerunners, Abraham Maslow, helped to call attention to humanistic psychology, which focused on human strengths and potential rather than neuroses and pathologies. 1999.) In many ways, this signaled the opening of a new perspective for the field of psychology. We had baked the part about mental illness The other side’s unbaked, the side of strength, the side of what we’re good at.” (Address, Lincoln Summit, Sep. Seligman’s theory is that it reconciles two conflicting views of human happiness, the individualistic approach, which emphasizes that we should take care of ourselves and nurture our own strengths, and the altruistic approach, which tends to downplay individuality and emphasizes sacrifice for the greater purpose.Ī significant moment in Seligman’s life was his landmark speech in 1998, at the time of his inauguration as the president of the American Psychological Association (APA) when he declared that psychologists need to study what makes happy people happy! He noted, “The most important thing, the most general thing I learned, was that psychology was half-baked, literally half-baked. Consequently the final stage is the Meaningful Life, in which we find a deep sense of fulfilment by employing our unique strengths for a purpose greater than ourselves. Yet one of the best ways of discovering this value is by nourishing our unique strengths in contributing to the happiness of our fellow humans. According to modern theories of self-esteem life is only genuinely satisfying if we discover value within ourselves. We can remain pleasantly stuck at this stage or we can go on to experience the Good Life, which is achieved through discovering our unique virtues and strengths, and employing them creatively to enhance our lives. The Pleasant Life is realised if we learn to savour and appreciate such basic pleasures as companionship, the natural environment and our bodily needs. Make a Difference: Change the World, Change Yourself.High School Happiness and Wellbeing Curriculum.Student Mental Health and Wellbeing: Remarkable News from Scotland.
Annotated Bibliography – Mindfulness & Positive Thinking.Review of Key Studies on Mindfulness & Positive Thinking.The Philosophy & Science of Mindfulness.
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