Positive debate

• Education: For

  Seligman 2009 - randomly assigned 347 9th graders to PPC or control class, students & parents did questionnaire, found PPC students were more cooperative & had better social skills
• Work: For - Flow theory


  Experiences will be most positive when challenges & skills are high, found most experience flow situations 3x more at work than leisure
• Leisure time: For

  People can increase experience of flow & the quality of life by being more conscious & more active in use of leisure time
• Education: Against.

  Research found lack of empirical evidence, argues research tends to be based on small-scale or short-term interventions
• Education: Against

  Seligman admitted further research is needed to ensure such programmes are 'effective with students from a variety of socio-economic and cultural backgrounds
• Education: Against.

  Adding positive-ism to the curriculum means other essential subjects will need to be dropped, society may end up paying more for students to leave school with fewer academic achievements
• Health: For

  Research followed 6,000 men & women aged 25-74 for 20 yrs, found those with high levels of 'emotional vitality (enthusiasm/hopefulness/ engagement/emotional balance) had reduced risk of coronary heart disease
• Work: Against

  Research findings support the concept of 'choose a job you love, & you will never have to work a day in your life' - this is not a new idea, has positive-ism offered anything new?
• Work: Against

  Diener found modest correlation of +.12 between income & happiness. - a very weak correlation.
• Leisure +Lifestyle choice: Against

  Leisure activities that increase flow may not be accessible to all - some can't afford, or don't have access
• Leisure and Lifestyle: Against

  Difficult to assess the impact movements have on society
• Economic implications:

  Unhappiness & stress has high costs to businesses & economy in general, e.g. staff sickness & staff turnover estimated to cost UK economy £26 billion p/year
• Social implications:

  Happy workers found to be 12% more productive - suggests a direct link between happiness & productivity
• Economic implications:

  Healthier working environments would save NHS about £55 million in the long run
• Health: Against

  It is difficult to prove a cause & effect relationship between happiness and health