Karen Deppa, MAPP '15, is an associate editor of the MAPP Magazine and principal of PilotLight Resilience Resources. She is also the lead author of the 2016 SpringerBriefs in Fire e-book, Resilience Training for Firefighters: An Approach to Prevent Behavioral Health Problems and developer of the class Respond with Resilience™ Psychological Wellness for Emergency Services First Responders. LinkedIn Profile. Karen's articles for Positive Psychology News are here.
The latest issue of MAPP Magazine, published by graduates of the MAPP Program at the University of Pennsylvania, is dedicated to the Positive Humanities. The Positive Humanities is an emerging field. It brings together the humanities (including the arts) and the sciences to understand the unique role humanities play in individual and collective human flourishing. We hope this issue will inspire you to use arts and humanities often and effectively in your daily life to support your well-being.
The mission of the MAPP Magazine is first to keep Penn MAPP alumni connected and second to share the wide range of our applications of positive psychology with a broader audience to inspire collaboration and growth in the field. You can find back issues of the MAPP Magazine online. You can also subscribe to have it sent to you by email.
The link between creativity and positive psychology is surprisingly complex and varied. Creativity can increase a sense of purpose and personal growth, and high levels of positive mood are directly related to innovative behavior.
Georgia Shreve, MAPP ’12, explores this intricate relationship with evidence from fifty different studies to reveal how creativity and well-being both anticipate and derive from each other.
Do song lyrics affect our well-being? Singer-songwriter and recording artist Tricia Fox Ransom, MAPP ’15, dedicated her capstone to answering this burning question. According to lyricist Yip Harburg, “Words make you think… music makes you feel…but a song makes you feel thoughts.” Read about Tricia’s quest to examine the influence of lyrics on emotions.
Positive Humanities, Revelations, and Love
When learning specialist and educational consultant, Aren Cohen, MAPP ’07, wants to inspire her students, she turns to the humanities. Through literature and her deep knowledge of positive psychology, she helps students expand their understanding of the human experience—and consciously embrace important relationships in their own lives.
I invite you to subscribe to the MAPP Magazine to receive future articles as soon as published.
