Flourish: A Visionary New Understanding of Happiness and Well-being by Martin Seligman
Dr. Seligman is the father of Positive Psychology, which explores what makes life worth living, instead of relieving misery. Building on his game-changing work on optimism, motivation, and strengths of character, his book Flourish unveiled the new well-being theory. Well-being is a construct and it has five measurable elements (PERMA) that contribute to it:
- Positive emotion
- Engagement (“That was fun”)
- Relationship (best antidote to the downs of life)
- Meaning (serving something bigger than self)
- Achievement (Pursuing mastery of self chosen area)
Flourish and positive psychology are used to train the U.S. Army in emotional resilience and post traumatic growth. Using these methods, innovative schools can educate for fulfillment in life and not just for workplace success; and corporations can improve performance at the same time as they raise employee well-being.
"Public policy follows only from what we measure - ... money, GDP, etc. So the success of government could be quantified only by how much it built wealth... The goal of wealth, in my view, is not just to produce more wealth but to engender flourishing."
A Call to Action:
A Letter to Your Legislators and School Policy Makers PDF in the link.
Send the letter to your policy makers now to advocate Resilience/Well-being Curriculum.
To get the petition form, go here Petition to Establish Resilience Curriculum
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Dr. Seligman Video on Positive Education, 2016
Dr. Seligman Video on PERMA and Flourishing in the Classroom, 2016
Authentic Happiness by Martin Seligman
This book was the first time any psychologist placed importance on mental wellbeing instead of focusing on mental illness. “Authentic Happiness” tells how and why happy people are the way they are. It highlights that the positive emotions of confidence, hope, and trust are fostered by the positive traits of kindness, humor, optimism, originality, courage, perspective, integrity, equity, and loyalty in the positive institutions (families, schools, and society). The three pillars of positivity serve us well in times of prosperity and act like a protective buffer in moments of troubles.
Published by Nicholas Brealey in 2017
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Learned Optimism by Martin Seligman
Based on his groundbreaking research on his theory of learned helplessness, Seligman wrote learned optimism to shed a positive light in the world of psychology and mental illness research. Seligman explains how to break the habit of quitting with a constructive explanatory style of thinking. The outcome of this positive thinking shift is less mental illness, improved mental toughness, and an overall happier version of you.
Seligman, Martin E. P. Learned Optimism. New York, A.A. Knopf, 1991.
The Optimistic Child by Martin Seligman
This book teaches the importance of instilling optimism in children. It explains how parents can raise their children to have a healthy outlook on life.
Seligman, Martin E. P., et al. The Optimistic Child. Boston, Mass., Houghton Mifflin, 1995.
Other Book Recommendations
- The Resilience Factor: 7 Keys to Finding Your Inner Strength and Overcoming Life’s Hurdles
- Mindset: The New Psychology of Success
- Character Strengths and Virtues: A Handbook and Classification
- Grit (Grit and Quit are the two sides of the sword. To win is to know when to grit and when to quit.)
- Quit (Read Grit and Quit together)
- Quiet
- Happy Together: Using the Science of Positive Psychology to Build Love That Lasts
- Dare to Lead
- Can’t Hurt Me
- How to Win Friends and Influence People
- The Happiness Project
- The Courage to be Disliked
- The Obstacle is the Way
- Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion
- How Confidence Works
- The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck
Tools for Well-being (Web Links)
- Strengths of Character Assessment (Free) Viacharacter.org
- Optimism Assessment (a small fee)
- 3 Positive Psychology Exercises
Relevant Articles, Videos, and Research information
- What is Resilience, and Why Is It Important to Bounce Back?
- Building Resilience – Martin Seligman
- Video (4 min): PERMA in the Classrooms – Martin Seligman. (PERMA – Positive Emotions, Engagement, Relationship, Meaning, & Achievement)
- Video interview: How to Fail Your Way to Success – Sara Blakely
Online Resources
Movies about Resilience/Perseverance/Grit
Sometimes it’s easier to see an example of resilience unfold, instead of learning or reading about it. And sometimes you just need to unwind with a relaxing movie night. There’s nothing like the art of cinema bringing to life stories of struggle, before driving home the message of resilience. One thing that I love about all of these movies is the way they demonstrate the hidden complexities that make up the incredible journey that is life.
- The Pursuit of Happyness
- Good Will Hunting
- Remember the Titans
- Forrest Gump
- Rocky
- Hidden Figures
- Soul Surfer
- October Sky
- The Karate Kid
- Wonder
- McFarland, USA
- Moneyball
- Molly’s Game
- King Richard
- The King’s Speech
- Unbroken
- Gladiator
- Queen of Katwe
- Shoplifters
- Social Network
- Top Gun
- Top Gun: Maverick
- The Theory of Everything
- Mulan
- Oppenheimer
- The Greatest Showman
- Legally Blonde
- Newsies
- Patch Adams
- Darkest Hour
- The Dark Knight
- Dunkirk