![]() Kim advises writing down three things you are grateful for each night, and making a list of the kind things you've done for others. Chan School of Public Health.įeelings of gratitude, a pillar of positive psychology, are one area where the power of positive thinking and positive psychology intersect. Eric Kim, who studies the phenomenon at the Harvard T.H. "When comparing the most optimistic to the least optimistic, the most optimistic have a reduced risk of dying from cancer, infection, stroke, heart disease, and lung disease," says Dr. Positive thoughts and positive attitudes-what we call positive thinking-can lead to direct, positive health outcomes. Positive psychology is otherwise known as the science of human flourishing, the search for satisfaction and contentment that’s within everyone’s reach. There is a difference between positive psychology and positive thinking. That stressful discussion with your granddaughter about her attire? It’s a chance to learn the styles and modes of dress the younger generation is adopting. That driver who cut in front of you? It’s a reminder to build distance between you and other motorists. Positive thinking is the conscious act of finding the positive side of an act or encounter. Accept that being nervous is normal and will ease once you get going.Overcome the urge to stop every time you make a mistake.Pay attention to your bodily sensations and posture.Choose an activity that provides new feelings, experiences or insights.What strategies can help you incorporate flow into a positive psychology practice? You would like to repeat the experience.You have clear goals, but you aren’t focused on the goal line.You are in control and work effortlessly.You aren’t interrupted by extraneous thoughts.Your awareness of yourself is only in relation to the activity itself. You don’t care how you look or how you are perceived by others.What happens when you are in a flow state? Flow theory revolves around creating more of these opportunities, which can be a potent route toward increased happiness. In either case, the activity leads to a positive short-term emotional experience. A video gamer can achieve flow by mastering a new challenge on her game console. A skilled woodworker might enter flow by building a chest of drawers, for example. What is flow and how is it related to positive psychology?įlow is a state of intense absorption in work or an activity that one finds pleasurable. Having children is supposed to be joyful, but the added stress of caregiving can lead to marital dissatisfaction.īy understanding what does, and does not, make us happy, we can arrive at the three pillars of positive psychology: One would think youth makes people happy, but people in their 80s rank their psychological well-being even higher than people in their 20s. ![]() He demonstrated that money makes people happy, but only up to the point where basic needs are met. Economist Richard Easterlin first tracked the happiness-income paradox in the 1970s. It’s helpful to first understand what won’t make you happy. Learning how positive psychology is applied begins with the search for self-fulfillment, which can push back the ill effects of depression, failed relationships, and the drudgery of unfulfilling work. What are the pillars of positive psychology? Pursuing these attributes leads to the benefits of positive psychology: savoring the good in your life by being with the people you love, and finding real pleasure in doing the things you find meaningful. It encourages tapping into your inner strengths, and connecting with others to lead to a heightened sense of gratitude, and the happiness that comes with it. The history of positive psychology reveals that though ancient philosophers promoted different pathways to happiness, they believed it begins with knowing your true self, and acting in accordance with your virtues.Ī more modern definition of positive psychology disavows the fleeting pleasures of materialism and “winning,” to focus on the act of cultivating satisfaction and contentment. The basis for most of the world’s religions begins with a path toward inner peace, deeper meaning, and greater enlightenment-the hallmarks of positive psychology.
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