what makes life most worth living

beauty is a science and science requires testing theories

against evidence

it is not a sequel to the secret

and should not be confused with untested self-help,

fly by night motivational speakers, or New Age philosophy

much of psychology has been concerned with answering the question

"what is wrong with you?" It has sought to make individuals

less miserable to treat pathology and mental illness

the goal positive psychology movement

used to make normal life more fulfilling

it asks the question "what is right with you?"

instead of trying to help a patient go from minus 8 back 20

the goal is to help individuals move up the other side of the scale

the field is intended to complement not replace traditional psychology

it does not seek to deny the importance of studying how things going wrong

but it does assert that strength is as important as weakness,

and that it is just as important to build on the best things in life,

as to repair the worst.

Positive psychology is concerned with increasing

well-being. Is will be in the same thing is happiness?

Not exactly. Martin Seligman, co-founder of the positive psychology movement,

describes will be in as being made up of five pillars

positive emotion, engagement,

relationships, meaning, and accomplishment.

ranchers and exploration in positive psychology

the term "flow" was coined by Mike Csikszentmihalyi

co-founder of the positive psychology movement. Flow

is a stat of absorbtion in one's work is characterized by intense concentration,

loss self-awareness, a feeling of being

perfectly challenged, neither bored nor overwhelmed,

and a sense that time is flying.

Flow is an intrinsically rewarding experience it can also help one achieve a goal,

or improve skills, and is highly related to creative insight.

mindfulness is intentionally focused awareness

ones immediate experience. the experience is one of moment by moment attention

to thoughts, emotions, physical sensations,

and surroundings. To practice mindfulness is to become grounded in the present

moment

benefits include reduction of stress anxiety

depression and chronic pain. learned optimism

is the idea that a talent for joy can be cultivated

That said, it's important to note the research tells us that the path to

fulfillment

requires considerable hard work. there are a few, any shortcuts, to

sustained happiness and well-being

anyone who says otherwise is selling something

it is contrasted with learned helplessness

which is when one believes that he or she has no control

over what occurs and that external forces

such as genetics or social class ultimately dictate

his or her ability to accomplish a task or succeed

evidence suggests that well being is not simply the result of a fortunate spin of

the genetic roulette wheel

there are things that people can actively do to lead more fulfilling lives

professor Howard Gardner is leading a large scale effort to identify key

individuals

and institutions that exemplify good work

work that is excellent in quality socially responsible

and meaningful to its practitioners the project

also seeks to determine how those two increase the incidents have good work

in our society the good work project argues that society as a whole

would be better off to encourage individuals to pursue excellence for it

homsy to gravitate toward project with a regularly achieve a sense of flow

and to find positions that will help them achieve higher levels of

fulfillment

is positive psychology and easy answer to all of society's problems?

no let's not be naive. But we must ask ourselves

if we applied the tenets of positive psychology to

education business and government if we encouraged individuals and communities

to build on their strengths if we focused attention

on the pillars of well-being if we channeled

more energy into what makes life worth living

what might be possible?