Positive Debate

Cards (14)

  • Education, Workplace, Healthcare
  • Relevant in Education
    80,000 young people suffer with depression in UK
    Seligman found positive psychology curriculum = higher self worth and grades ( 347 9th grade students were more cooperative and better social skills)
  • Relevant in Education
    Baltimore School replaced detention with a mindfulness moment room and used x2 15 minutes sessions daily = no more suspensions
    Positive psychology in schools makes students more engaged and teaching well being skills = higher grades
  • Not relevant in education
    Oxford + Cambridge myriad trials - 400 schools showed little difference on a positive psychology curriculum or not
    Seligman argued only worked on a motivated middle class students and no tests done on working class
  • Not relevant in education
    Spence + Shortt - most research is small scale and lacks population validity and ignored long term effects
  • Relevant in Workplace
    Oswald - happy condition (10 min comedy video) vs control did better at paid arithmetic test = 12% more productive when rewarded
    Mihali - creates flow (absorbed and engaged) = increases productivity and decreases absences
    Google coaches mindfulness due to evidence it helps
    benefits both employees and company = higher profits and productivity and less sick days
  • Not Relevant in Workplace
    Flow - new outlook on old idea (Confucius 551 BC "Do a job you love")
    This concept is a luxury we cant afford as we need money = boring jobs need doing
  • Relevant in Health Care
    Davidson et al - MBSR vs Control group had more positive brain activity and produced more antibodies to flue jab
    Kubonzsky = Thurston - longitudinal study of 600 over 20 years found those with higher emotional stability and happiness had a lower chance of coronary heart disease
    helps mental health and immune system
  • Not Relevant in Healthcare
    Davidson et al - cant properly establish cause and effect as immune system were not initially method so could be naturally higher
    Hard to trust correlational research - are they healthy because they happy or happy because they are healthy
    Thus healthcare may = reluctant to invest in Positive until further research conducted
  • Ethical + Social
    Children learn life long skills to manage well being
  • Ethical + Social
    Better mental = physical health = low NHS costs
  • Ethical + Social
    Better workers performance = economy increases
  • Ethical + Social
    Happier Healthier society ( if these areas invested in)
  • Ethical + Social
    Unfair/unethical to blame 1/5 of UK in poverty for being unhappy as some people aren't in control of their situation and this is bound to affect their happiness