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POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY
Martin Seligman
Seligman describes positive psychology as: ‘the science that makes life worth
living’. (Seligman, TED2004). He found that happiness isn’t easily defined and
that it is made up of three independent parts.
The pleasant life
Experiencing pleasure gives positive emotion. So seek as many pleasant
moments as possible and find ways to enhance the pleasure through skills such
as mindfulness.
A life of engagement
Drawing on the work of Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi Seligman explains how being lost in
‘eudaimonian flow’ increases our state of happiness. Seligman believes
that this flow state can be encouraged through engaging in activities that use our
highest strengths.
The meaningful life
By doing things that feel meaning we feel that our own life has meaning. This
state can be achieved best when we use our ‘highest strengths’.
Further Resources
In this interview in 2009, Martin Seligman talks about Positive Psychology.