Positive Debate

• 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