There are worries about its replicability and unreliable self-reports.
Promoting material achievement as part of happiness can make well-being seem out of reach.
Positive psychology gives the impression you can be happy by thinking the right thoughts.
At its core, positive psychology promotes the idea that we can achieve well-being by our own efforts, not considering physical illness and undeserved tragedy.
Positive psychology has become a commodity and has been cheapened by the thousands of coaches, consultants, and therapists who benefit from using wild claims for their lucrative products.
Over the past two decades, the positive psychology movement has brightened up psychological research with its science of happiness, human potential and flourishing. It argues that psychologists should not only investigate mental illness but also what makes life worth living.
Hedonistic: in order to live a happy life we must maximize pleasure and avoid pain. This view is often short-lived.
Eudaimonic approach: it takes the long view and argues that we should live authentically and for the greater good. We should pursue meaning and potential through kindness, justice, honesty, and courage.
The "science of happiness" was born as a result of Martin Seligman's (the father of positive psychology) endeavour to approach psychology beyond the idea of r...
Neuroscience research demonstrates the power of positive psychology:
Studies showed that repetitive negative thinking causes one pattern of brain activity, while positive thoughts can produce another.
Practices such as gratitude, mindfulness, and physical activity can change certain pathways within the brain.
Medication can also stimulate or suppress brain activity. Martin Seligman found a combined treatment plan of medication and therapy can help patients recover sooner.
In the newest version of positive psychology, your own personal happiness is just one part of the formula for understanding your overall sense of well-being.
To address the disconnect between happiness and deeper levels of satisfaction, researches proposed a model that characterizes people as falling into one of four well-being types.
Optimizing one’s positive emotions, and denying the reality of their negative experiences.
Feeling unhappy seeing the complexity of the world around them, and neglecting the positive aspects.
Having a generally negative view of themselves and the world.
Having a generally positive and empathetic view of the world.
Being happy means more than feeling good. True happiness comes from handling challenging and adverse situations, while collaborating and building lifelong bonds with the people in our lives.
A collective thinking process, where the good of all is considered leads to a level of happiness that cannot be attained by being selfish or self-concerned.
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