Positive Psychology

• Positive Psychology


  Scientific understanding & effective interventions to build thriving individuals, families & communities
• Positive Psychology (Seligman & Csikszentmihalyi, 2000)


  Scientific understanding & effective interventions to build thriving individuals, families & communities
• Positive Psychology (Gabel & Haidt, 2005)


  Study of the conditions & processes that contribute to the flourishing or optimal functioning of people, groups & institutions
• What do we mean by optimal functioning? Distinguished from toxic positivity
• Can we extend the definition? "... and challenge perception of 'psychology'" "... and critically engage with what it means to be positive"
• What does it actually mean to be happy?


  History, definitions, theories, and individual differences
• Historical roots of happiness


  • Aristotle's Eudaimonia: "human flourishing"
  • Epicurean: hedonism "simple pleasures"
  • LT versus ST (teenagers?)
  • Stoic reason & objectivity
  • With nature (logic, self-discipline)
  • Socrates → Self knowledge
  • Away from the body and to the soul
• Historical roots of happiness in world faiths

  • Judaic & Christian divine command of happiness
  • To be happy is to be moral
  • Virtues: protection from sin & promotion of happiness
• More recent historical roots of happiness

  • New Thought & Positive Thinking
  • Promotion of Agency (1950's ish)
  • Humanistic/Neo-Freudian Psychology
• Authentic Happiness (Seligman, 2000)

  1. The Pleasant Life (Life of Enjoyment)

  2. The Good Life (Life of Engagement)

  3. The Meaningful Life (Life of Affiliation)
• Subjective Happiness


  Hedonic component of Well-Being

  Cognitive component (life satisfaction)

  Affect (moods & emotional responses)
• Positive effects of subjective happiness
• Measurement of Subjective Well-Being (SWB)


  • PANAS (Watson et al., 1988)

  SWLS (Diener et al, 1985)

  Subjective Happiness Scale (e.g., Lyubomirsky & Lepper, 1999)

  Interview studies

  Physiological Markers
• Large Scale Studies of Subjective Well-Being
• Happiest Nations


  • Finland

  Denmark

  Iceland

  Israel

  Netherlands
• Unhappiest Nations


  • Zambia

  Tanzania

  Comoros

  Malawi

  Botswana
• Outcomes of world happiness report 2023
• European Social Survey (2012) - Deep dive into differences across Europe
• What is your definition of happiness? (What makes you happy?)
• What makes us happy? Why?

  • Income

  Relationships

  Work/Employment

  Health

  Religion
• Evolutionary & Genetic Models of Happiness

  Strong link with Personality

  Dynamic Equilibrium Theory

  Adaption Theories
• Lyubomirsky Evolutionary & Genetic Models

  Variety & Affective Forecasting

  Hedonic Adaptive Prevention Model
• Goal Theories of Happiness

  Pursuit of Goals

  Structure, meaning & agency

  AIM Approach for a "Happy Mindset"
• Discrepancy Theories of Happiness


  Relative Standards Model

  Affluenza

  Paradox of Choice
• Eudaimonic Happiness


  Well-being encapsulates actualization of human potential

  Pleasure & satisfaction - too simplistic

  Inclusion of meaning & purpose
• Authentic Happiness (2): PERMA

  Positive Emotions (The Pleasant Life)

  Engagement (The Good Life)

  Meaning (The Meaningful Life)

  Relationships (New): we need others to bring about happiness

  Accomplishment (New): achievement of goal
• Screpancy theories


  Theories that explain why we are not more happy
• Relative Standards Model


  • Social comparison
  • Links with personality
  • Affluenza (James, 2007)
  • Materialistic values spreading virally
  • Dissatisfaction & worthlessness
  • Paradox of Choice
  • Tyranny of Freedom
  • Satisficers vs Maximizers
• Eudaimonic happiness


  Well-being that encapsulates actualization of human potential
• Pleasure & satisfaction


  Too simplistic for well-being
• Inclusion of meaning & purpose


  Relation to Subjective happiness?
• Eudaimonic happiness


  Most popular view = EH as a state (e.g., Kashdan et al., 2008)
• Eudaimonic happiness


  Association with personality variables
• Authentic happiness (PERMA)


  • Positive Emotions
  • Engagement
  • Meaning
  • Relationships
  • Accomplishment
• Flow


  • Experienced when "performing at best"
  • Attention fully invested
  • Psychic Negentropy
  • Link to consciousness & "psychic energy"
  • Prevalence: 10-15% never; 10-15% every day
  • Most likely during: sports, dance, artistic pursuits, sex, socializing, study, listening to music… working!
• Flow


  • Structured activity (clear goals/immediate feedback)
  • Balance of challenge/skills
  • Complete concentration
  • Sense of control
  • Transformation of time
  • Activity for own sake
  • Personality (autotelic characteristics)
• Self-Determination Theory


  • Order & Predictability
  • Evolutionary function
  • Basic Need? Similar to Security Needs?
  • Autonomy
  • Competence
  • Relatedness
• Life Meaning & Purpose

  • Essential for fulfilment
  • More relevant than "search for happiness"?
  • Creative, experiential & attitudinal benefits
  • 7 major sources of meaning: Achievement/acceptance/relationships/intimacy/religion/self-transcendence/fairness
• Life Meaning & Purpose

  • Measurement and structure: Differentiation, elaboration & coherence
  • Enhances mental & physical well-being
  • Predicts life satisfaction and liking ratings
  • Combination of Meaning & SWB?
  • MHP Protective factor?
• Character Strengths


  • Sense of ownership, authenticity & motivation
  • 6 categories (or virtues): Creativity, Wisdom, Perseverance, Courage, Kindness, Humanity, Fairness, Justice, Self-control, Temperance, Spirituality, Transcendence