Books in the Positive Psychology News series
The positive character traits and positive habits of individuals.
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.
Exploring and applying character strengths can help us improve relationships, buffer against negative feelings, and manage problems as well as enhance our well-being during this challenging time. We offer some simple suggestions for activating different character strengths while dealing with this international pandemic.
We are so excited to have the esteemed author Louisa Jewell as our guest for the first ever PPND webinar. Join us for a three part program: A brief interview, followed by a highpoint from her brand new book, and live questions from the audience.
Developing our strengths at work, learning how to do more of those things we’re good at and actually enjoy doing, has become a multi-million dollar global industry, but where is it making the most difference?
The Flourishing Center, in partnership with the New York Open Center, is granting a Certification in Applied Positive Psychology (CAPP) through a 6-month program that has been approved by the New York Board of Education. The program covers all the topics that make positive psychology so fascinating, including gratitude, resilience, positive emotions, mindset, flow, strengths, and self-regulation. It also covers topics that are becoming mainstream in positive psychology, such as mindfulness, altruism, spirituality, neuroscience, and physical vitality.
What is humility? Are those high in humility low in self-esteem? How can we moderate humility when it is overused and enhance it when it is underused?
“What can we as a country do to significantly improve the life chances of millions of poor children?” This is the question that reporter Paul Tough asks us to tackle with him in How Children Succeed. This book is passionately written and soundly researched. If Paul Tough is right, and I hope that he is, medical professionals, social workers, educators, and parents can join one another to build communities that help all of our children succeed.
If some happiness is good, is more even better? Now positive psychology researchers have conducted a meta-study to explore the costs of extremes. Researchers Barry Schwartz and Adam Grant have explored whether there really is such a thing as too much happiness or an extreme level of a given strength, to the point that happiness and strength become counterproductive for well-being.
This is the first in a series of positive psychology stories from the Chinese culture. Each story will be about a paragon of one of the 24 character strengths described in Character Strengths and Virtues. Let’s start with persistence.
Robert Biswas-Diener, Todd Kashdan, and Gurpal Minhas are about to take strengths theory to the next level with a new article titled A Dynamic Approach to Psychological Strengths Development and Intervention scheduled for publication in The Journal of Positive Psychology. Having had the privilege of reading an early copy, I can tell you that it is worth reading. They willingly admit where more data is needed, but they want to engage individuals and practitioners in developing a more complete research base that will take strengths theory to the next level.
Positive psychology was created to address an overwhelming bias in the psychological and social sciences towards a deficit based approach to mental health. The question becomes, once this bias is corrected, does positive psychology simply fade away, leaving a more holistic, balanced and integrated psychology behind in its stead? Or will we always need this new domain to keep us from lapsing back to our focus on the dark side?
The need for seemingly endless snow removal has gotten me interested in self-regulation and willpower. It turns out that people who believe that they can’t take it anymore may be right! There’s new research that ties our self-control to our beliefs about it, questioning the model of self-control as a limited resource.
The Positive Neuroscience Project has announced the recipients of the 2010 Templeton Positive Neuroscience Awards, $2.9 million given to 15 new research projects at the intersection of neuroscience and positive psychology. Read on to learn about the winning projects that explore a range of topics including how the brain enables humans to flourish, the biological bases of altruism, and the effects of positive interventions on the brain.
Celebrating Strengths in Schools is a program that introduces positive psychology to schools by weaving concepts into the existing curriculum rather than by introducing them in special units. Jenny Fox…
On a busy street in central Hong Kong, a car pulled out of a building as I walked past it. The driver stopped the car and let me pass. He…
Conventional wisdom says we gain strengths from overcoming adversity, which I don’t disagree with. However, I also believe that tapping into our strengths helps us deal with adversity while going…
As part of this month’s theme of exploring character strengths, we’d like to add our thanks to the gratitude that Christopher Peterson and Martin Seligman expressed to 40 social scientists…
I propose the addition of Piety to the collection of character strengths. Piety reflects acceptance and recognition of social order through reverence, fidelity and devotion to parents, elders, teachers, mentors, homeland, God, or other higher order. It is unilateral love and kindness, more than respect, honor and duty.
We all think, but may not think well. Critical thinking, however, is a reflective process that is clear, precise and purposeful. “I cannot teach anybody anything, I can only make…
As I read Fredrickson’s book, I couldn’t help recalling a wonderful episode from my mini-vacation two weeks ago on a private rain forest island in Malaysia. I find restaurants a great place to practice positivity, and very often, receive great service in return. Positive customer behavior begets positive service. Here’s what I do in restaurants.