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How do adventure, curiosity, and exploration contribute to well-being? Why do some of our most treasured memories come from experiences that weren’t pleasant at the time? Why do some researchers believe we need an additional dimension of well-being beyond happiness and feeling that life is meaningful?

The importance of connectedness to others is the focus of the September 2023 issue of MAPP Magazine. How does virtue grow as it resonates among friends? Why are some health care providers prescribing activities such as attending concerts and art museums and dance classes? Why does Sonja Lyubomirsky believe connectness is so important to happiness?

Let’s look at this year’s stellar IPPA World Congress from a Transcendent Strengths perspective. The transcendent strengths are those that help us connect to the larger universe. Expression of these strengths enhances the sense that life is meaningful: appreciation of beauty and excellence, gratitude, hope, humor, and spirituality. Let me highlight some speakers and experiences that made this event a high point of personal and professional transcendence.

The message of an Aesop’s fable, “A man is known by the company he keeps,” is often repeated as a cautionary tale. Stay away from the idle and the gluttonous, or you too may rejected by finer folk. But what if we took a Positive Psychology on that fable? What if being known by the company you keep is an opportunity for well-being?

The 8th IPPA World Congress on Positive Psychology wrapped up on a less than positive note: Eco-anxiety. Social inequality. The Replication Crisis. Co-Chair Andrew Soren shares why the key to well-being may be a focus on well-doing.

Is the PERMA model broad enough to address all of well-being? This was a question I heard addressed at the IPPA World Congress more than once. Here are some answers I heard from Steward Donaldson and Victoria Cabrera from the Clarmont University positive psychology department. They believe there are 4 additional elements needed to extend the model to cover work and other aspects of life.

Watch this quick video about how to praise our kids – and how not to do so.

The intersection where technology and well-being collide is the focus of the June 2023 issue of MAPP Magazine. How can well-being benefit from advances in technology? What role can positive psychology practitioners play in its responsible development? How do we keep our use of technology lined up with our values?

I invite you to the upcoming 8th World Congress on Positive Psychology. Over the course of the four days attendees will see the latest innovations in the field of positive psychology research and practice. To whet your appetite, I describe here 3 sessions that I can’t wait to attend. Be there in Vancouver BC, July 20-23.

This issue of the MAPP Magazine introduces the new magazine staff for the magazine with articles about their passion areas: Abi Tschetter writes about the power of personal narratives, Pax Tandon about the directions she thinks positive psychology should take, Mark O’Brien about a deeply personal experience of post-traumatic growth, and Kimberly Dickman about the importance of touch.

Trying to suppress my inner critic did not help me get writing done. What worked was listening to what my inner critic was trying to tell me and figuring how how to incorporate that insight into my writing practice. I learned to use curiosity and self-compassion to unlock my words.

If the name Clifton rings a bell, it should. For three generations starting with Donald Clifton, this remarkable American family has been synonymous with surveys and the systematic study of…

This issue of MAPP Magazine deals with the theme of Civic Engagement: how volunteering to help run elections can increase well-being; how positive psychology can be applied to approach discussions with adherents of extremist groups so that interventions are not perceived as personal attacks; and how members of a community can use strengths to make connections and facilitate curious conversations among those with opposing political views.

The latest issue of MAPP Magazine focuses on educational applications: applying Hope Theory with students on an immersive Holocaust education trip to Poland; making Positive Psychology accessible to high schoolers; and building resilience strengths in COVID-weary summer campers.

The practical problem with emotional contagion is not just in spotting the outbreak. By then it might be too late to save either self or a contact community from ill effect. But are there strategic tools to spot ominous spreads from afar? If you or people close to you do catch an emotional infection, how should it be treated? Can this kind of wave be contained? This book explores detection, identification, and containment of emotional contagion..

Today is the launch day for the eBook of Kathryn Britton’s new must-read guide to writing:Sit Write Share This book should be a resource in your personal library like a great cookbook is a staple in your kitchen. Kathryn suggests that people approach writing with an experimental mindset. Likely some of her 55 experiments will become favorite go-to staples that appear frequently on your writing menu, while others will help you think holistically about planning a dinner party — presumably the book or long-form piece that you want to write.

The latest issue of MAPP Magazine has been published by graduates of the MAPP Program at the University of Pennsylvania. This edition has more articles on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. It also addresses the value of mastermind groups and the journey to happiness via film.

Is this book going to help you dissent and defy? Quite possibly. This is also a book about excellent communication, effective change management, and meaningful interpersonal and emotional intelligence. At its core, this book is designed to change the way that its readers see the world and act within it.

While we cannot change our biology, we can still make progress toward our goals by developing a deeper awareness of what drives us, accepting what can and cannot be changed, and taking action to change what we can. This can be iterative process that moves us toward actually doing what we know is good for us.

The latest issue of MAPP Magazine has been published by graduates of the MAPP Program at the University of Pennsylvania. This edition has more articles on Positive Humanities. It also explores the factors that lead to habit formation.