Fields

Food and family are often at the heart of our holiday gatherings, traditions, and celebrations. The newest issue of MAPP Magazine explores a theme very relevant to the holidays: Food, Family, and Flourishing.

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?

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 …

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 …

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

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 …

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 …

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 strength finding. Unlike many polling organizations, their company Gallup Inc. is focused as much on surveyed individuals as on trends in politics or consumer preferences. …

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 …

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 …

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 …

August 31 is the launch date for the new book, The Business of Race: How to Create and Sustain an Antiracist Workplace and Why It’s Actually Good for Business. At first blush, the title says it all: who the book is for, why it matters, and what we can aspire to achieve. But as a …

The latest issue of MAPP Magazine has been published by graduates of the MAPP Program at the University of Pennsylvania. This edition is dedicated to the Positive Humanities.

Does Zoom fatigue happen partly because we are getting fewer opportunities to be energized by each other? What can we do to regain some of the ability to energize each other through remote connections?

Sharing memories of Ed Diener, a positive psychology pioneer whose work has touched millions. We invite you to share your pictures and memories in the comments.

Graduates of the MAPP Program at Penn have just published another issue of the MAPP Magazine with articles about maintaining well-being during the pandemic, caregiving, and exploring character strengths.

What if there is a false dichotomy between optimism and pessimism?  Could the same individual filter with the caution of the pessimist and choose the hope and positive outcomes of the optimist?

Jaime’s idea of practical self-reliance serves up a welcome, encouraging balm for my weary heart. Jaime gives us hope and inspiration to celebrate the simple and good. In the spirit of thanksgiving wherever you are, I’m happy to share some resources to help you boost your practical self-reliance.

Since you can’t escape yourself, it would serve you better to learn how to be a better friend to yourself, to become someone you don’t need to escape from.

Add positivity, healthy awareness, and joy to your life with a free online resource sponsored by the Penn Master of Applied Positive Psychology (MAPP) Alumni Association. Along with the goal of helping people find more joy in the moment, the team also wants to help people apply positivity in order to fight infection, thereby lessening …