Elaine O'Brien, PhD, MAPP '08, is a positive psychology, fitness leadership, positive health promotion, movement science, aging, and well-being speaker, author, trainer, thought leader, people/project manager, educator, and consultant. Elaine creates programs promoting proactive positive health/fitness, and optimal performance. Elaine presents internationally and online. She advances health, fitness, and flourishing by inspiring people to move more and to find both enjoyment and meaning in motion via PEP: Positive Exercise Practices. Elaine's website. Full bio. Elaine's articles are here.
Selected quotations from The 4th European Conference of Positive Psychology (ECPP) on July 1-4, 2008, in Rijeka, Croatia:
- Ray Fowler at the IPPA Executive Board Meeting said, “Put kids into exercise programs and they learn to read. Exercise raises children’s cognitive and emotional potential.”
- Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi talked about helping people connect. He said, “It’s not just how you feel; Action is more important than the feeling. What are the ways we can positively impact society?”
When asked about how to actually make life better, Csikszentmihalyi talked about Civic Ventures – an organization focused on recognizing retirees over the age of 65 years who start new careers and ultimately help the world. Civic Ventures offers older adults a reward for their applied experience in a new setting.
- John Wang spoke about how those Physical Education teachers who are autonomous (as opposed to controlling) help students enjoy physical education.
- Carol Craig spoke of how in the UK children spend 5.5 hours on screens per day. She talked about the importance of exercise and diet as a Positive Intervention.
Rijeka Croatia
- Igor Srdoc of Slovenia talked about “live it learning” for at-risk kids and adolescents. He and his cohort work to develop teamwork and psycho-social well-being through positive interventions including outdoor recreation like camping trips.
- Todd Kashdan spoke about being in the present moment and mindfulness. He said, “Everything that involves a grateful moment involves mindfulness.” And he said, “The science is the foundation that makes us unique in figuring out how to create and sustain health and well-being.”
- Ilona Boniwell stated, “Positive psychology is a discipline in the making.”
- Nic Marks spoke about the dominant language being economics, and about the challenges of globalization and the 21st century. He queried, “What should human life be like in the 21st century?” and “How can policy be impacted to help people have a quality of living?” He spoke about how 50% of the world lives on less than $2.00 per day!
