Can Positive Psychology Make You Happier?

Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsLevels of Positive PsychologyThe PERMA ModelUsesImpactPotential PitfallsHistory

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

Levels of Positive Psychology

The PERMA Model

Uses

Impact

Potential Pitfalls

History

Close

Positive psychology is one of the newestbranches of psychologyto emerge. This particular area of psychology focuses on how to help human beings prosper and lead healthy, happy lives. While many other branches of psychology tend to focus on dysfunction andabnormal behavior, positive psychology is centered on helping people become happier.

Positive psychology is designed to “complement and extend the problem-focused psychology that has been dominant for decades,” explained the late Christopher Peterson, author of “A Primer in Positive Psychology” and professor at the University of Michigan, in a 2008 article published inPsychology Today.

“Positive psychology is…a call for psychological science and practice to be as concerned with strength as with weakness; as interested in building the best things in life as in repairing the worst; and as concerned with making the lives of normal people fulfilling as with healing pathology,” Peterson wrote.

According to leading authorities in the field,Martin SeligmanandMihaly Csikszentmihalyi, positive psychology will help achieve “scientific understanding and effective interventions to build thriving in individuals, families, and communities.”

Positive psychology is often referred to as having three different levels:

Positive Psychology and the PERMA Model

In order to better explain and define well-being, which is a primary focus in positive psychology, Seligman created the PERMA model. PERMA is an acronym for the following five elements of well-being:

Positive psychology can have a range of real-world applications in areas includingeducation, therapy, self-help,stress management, and workplace issues.

Using strategies from positive psychology, teachers, coaches, therapists, and employers can motivate others and help individuals understand and develop their personal strengths.

Some of the major topics of interest inpositive psychologyinclude:

Press Play for Advice On Thinking More PositivelyThis episode ofThe Verywell Mind Podcastshares how to find the positive things in life. Click below to listen now.

Press Play for Advice On Thinking More Positively

This episode ofThe Verywell Mind Podcastshares how to find the positive things in life. Click below to listen now.

Impact of Positive Psychology

Some of the major findings of positive psychology include:

Positive psychology is often confused with positive thinking, and misconstrued as self-help tactics rather than research-backed theories. Positive thinking is a way of thinking ourselves into better behavior and greater resilience, rather than behaving our way into a different frame of mind.

Positive psychology, on the other hand, is the scientific study of what makes people thrive. It focuses on behaviors that can lead to a more optimized frame of mind as well as on thought patterns that lead to more functional behaviors.

History of Positive Psychology

“Before World War II, psychology had three distinct missions: curing mental illness, making the lives of all people more productive and fulfilling, and identifying and nurturing high talent,” wrote Seligman and Mihaly Csikszenmihalyi in 2000.

Here are a few more significant dates in the history of positive psychology:

Other important figures in positive psychology have included:

General interest in positive psychology has grown tremendously since the concept was introduced. Today, more and more people are searching for information on how they can become more fulfilled and achieve their full potential.

Positive Psychology vs. Positive Thinking

8 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Psychology Today.What is positive psychology, and what is it not?Seligman ME, Csikszentmihalyi M.Positive psychology. An introduction.Am Psychol. 2000;55(1):5‐14. doi:10.1037//0003-066x.55.1.5Joseph S.Positive Psychology in Practice: Promoting Human Flourishing in Work, Health, Education, and Everyday Life. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons; 2015.Ciarrochi J, Atkins PW, Hayes LL, Sahdra BK, Parker P.Contextual positive psychology: Policy recommendations for implementing positive psychology into schools.Front Psychol. 2016;7:1561.  doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01561Dunn EW, Aknin LB, Norton MI.Prosocial spending and happiness: Using money to benefit others pays off.Current Directions in Social Science. 2014;(23)1: 41-47. doi:10.1177/0963721413512503Harzer C, Ruch W.The relationships of character strengths with coping, work-related stress, and job satisfaction.Front Psychol. 2015;6:165. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00165Martela F, Pessi AB.Significant work is about self-realization and broader purpose: Defining the key dimensions of meaningful work.Front Psychol. 2018;9:363. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00363Boston Globe.Harvard’s crowded course to happiness.

8 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Psychology Today.What is positive psychology, and what is it not?Seligman ME, Csikszentmihalyi M.Positive psychology. An introduction.Am Psychol. 2000;55(1):5‐14. doi:10.1037//0003-066x.55.1.5Joseph S.Positive Psychology in Practice: Promoting Human Flourishing in Work, Health, Education, and Everyday Life. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons; 2015.Ciarrochi J, Atkins PW, Hayes LL, Sahdra BK, Parker P.Contextual positive psychology: Policy recommendations for implementing positive psychology into schools.Front Psychol. 2016;7:1561.  doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01561Dunn EW, Aknin LB, Norton MI.Prosocial spending and happiness: Using money to benefit others pays off.Current Directions in Social Science. 2014;(23)1: 41-47. doi:10.1177/0963721413512503Harzer C, Ruch W.The relationships of character strengths with coping, work-related stress, and job satisfaction.Front Psychol. 2015;6:165. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00165Martela F, Pessi AB.Significant work is about self-realization and broader purpose: Defining the key dimensions of meaningful work.Front Psychol. 2018;9:363. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00363Boston Globe.Harvard’s crowded course to happiness.

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Psychology Today.What is positive psychology, and what is it not?Seligman ME, Csikszentmihalyi M.Positive psychology. An introduction.Am Psychol. 2000;55(1):5‐14. doi:10.1037//0003-066x.55.1.5Joseph S.Positive Psychology in Practice: Promoting Human Flourishing in Work, Health, Education, and Everyday Life. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons; 2015.Ciarrochi J, Atkins PW, Hayes LL, Sahdra BK, Parker P.Contextual positive psychology: Policy recommendations for implementing positive psychology into schools.Front Psychol. 2016;7:1561.  doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01561Dunn EW, Aknin LB, Norton MI.Prosocial spending and happiness: Using money to benefit others pays off.Current Directions in Social Science. 2014;(23)1: 41-47. doi:10.1177/0963721413512503Harzer C, Ruch W.The relationships of character strengths with coping, work-related stress, and job satisfaction.Front Psychol. 2015;6:165. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00165Martela F, Pessi AB.Significant work is about self-realization and broader purpose: Defining the key dimensions of meaningful work.Front Psychol. 2018;9:363. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00363Boston Globe.Harvard’s crowded course to happiness.

Psychology Today.What is positive psychology, and what is it not?

Seligman ME, Csikszentmihalyi M.Positive psychology. An introduction.Am Psychol. 2000;55(1):5‐14. doi:10.1037//0003-066x.55.1.5

Joseph S.Positive Psychology in Practice: Promoting Human Flourishing in Work, Health, Education, and Everyday Life. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons; 2015.

Ciarrochi J, Atkins PW, Hayes LL, Sahdra BK, Parker P.Contextual positive psychology: Policy recommendations for implementing positive psychology into schools.Front Psychol. 2016;7:1561.  doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01561

Dunn EW, Aknin LB, Norton MI.Prosocial spending and happiness: Using money to benefit others pays off.Current Directions in Social Science. 2014;(23)1: 41-47. doi:10.1177/0963721413512503

Harzer C, Ruch W.The relationships of character strengths with coping, work-related stress, and job satisfaction.Front Psychol. 2015;6:165. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00165

Martela F, Pessi AB.Significant work is about self-realization and broader purpose: Defining the key dimensions of meaningful work.Front Psychol. 2018;9:363. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00363

Boston Globe.Harvard’s crowded course to happiness.

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