Unlock the power of positive psychology
Telling yourself to ‘stay positive’ can sometimes feel futile, but developing a positive mind-set could be the first big step on your journey to better mental health and wellbeing. Opening yourself up to the power of positive thinking can bring meaningful benefits to your life, whether at home or work.
‘Positive psychology’ is a modern science designed specifically with this objective. While many people may have encountered this term floating about, few have been given the opportunity to reflect on how its teachings can transform your wellbeing, let alone how you can incorporate positive psychology into your everyday life and begin to discover its rewards.
Defining positive psychology
Positive psychology focuses on the good things in our lives – our positive experiences, skills, great personality traits, and healthy relationships – instead of being overwhelmed by the bad.
This is not to say that fixing the bad is unimportant. Instead, Martin Seligman – one of positive psychology’s founding figures – wanted to complement the overwhelming negativity of modern psychology with a positive perspective.
Focusing on the positive
Motivated by the belief that modern psychology pays too much attention to the negative – to trauma, suffering, and pain – Seligman decided to pivot his research towards the positive: happiness, wellbeing, strengths, and flourishing.
Seligman began by considering learned helplessness. Observed in humans and some animals, learned helplessness is the expectation of pain and suffering without a way to stop it, to the extent that the individual or animal stops trying to escape the pain.
Comparing this to depression, Seligman noticed that teaching resilience – transforming learned helplessness into learned optimism – can help humans escape their negative spirals.
Who is Martin Seligman?
Who is Martin Seligman?
Modern positive psychology owes its existence to Martin Seligman, an American psychologist, educator, and author of self-help books. Seligman is renowned for his theory of learned helplessness, which is based on the concept of learning to acknowledge that not everything is within one’s control. This theory is extensively employed in resilience training programs in professional contexts as a management technique.
The PERMA model
In positive psychology, happiness means more than instant gratification – it is founded on wellbeing, which is developed over time. We need happiness to bring us fulfilment, which ultimately gives meaning to our lives. So, what steps can we take to achieve a state of happiness?
In his book Flourish (2011), Seligman created the PERMA model to demonstrate how happiness can be achieved. Rather than ‘happiness’, though, Seligman describes the PERMA model as achieving ‘flourishing’; when we follow PERMA, we feel fulfilled, and we flourish. PERMA means:
- P – Positive emotions: enjoyment in life
- E – Engagement: enjoying work and hobbies so much that your attention is absorbed
- R – Relationships: creating and maintaining connections with others
- M – Meaning: dedicating ourselves to a larger purpose
- A – Accomplishments: meeting our goals, bettering ourselves and persisting.
Following the PERMA model promotes authentic wellbeing. It’s not just about ‘staying positive’ or being optimistic, but rather about balancing our negative emotions and experiences with a drive to achieve PERMA. These actionable changes enable us to flourish.
How to practice positive psychology
The PERMA model is a great way to track your journey towards wellbeing. However, it is only helpful if you are making a conscious effort to fulfil the five letters. So, what can you do to ensure that you are fulfilling PERMA?
Positive emotions
Living in the moment and considering gratitude is key to experiencing positive emotions. Having a positive psychological outlook can actually lead to more success in your life.
To notice these emotions, try keeping a gratitude journal. Alternatively, you could try the Experience Sampling Method (ESM), which involves setting an alarm at a random point in the day, at which point you take a minute or two to take stock of how you are feeling right at that moment.
Engagement
Do the things you enjoy, and surround yourself with the people you enjoy the company of. Pick up a new hobby, go for coffee with your co-workers, or focus on an aspect of your job that you love the most.
Relationships
Deepen your relationships with others.
This could involve buying friends small gifts – spending money on other people generally results in more happiness for the giver.
Or, you could write a gratitude letter, a wonderful gift and reminder to friends and family that you care, are thinking about them, and are grateful for their presence in your life.
The more we cultivate gratitude, the happier we are. Being physically affectionate can also help: oxytocin produces great trust, empathy, and morality, boosting wellbeing.
Meaning
Volunteer somewhere, or donate money to a cause you believe in – doing this generally improves life satisfaction and may even reduce symptoms of depression. Random acts of kindness can inject meaning into your life and deepen your relationships with others.
Accomplishments
Set yourself goals, whether that’s at work, a physical challenge like running a marathon, or another hobby like knitting a hat. Find engaging activities, and decide where you want to be with that activity within two months, six months, and a year.
Summary
Maintaining a positive outlook can significantly benefit one’s mental and physical wellbeing. Positivity fosters resilience, enabling individuals to better cope with stress, setbacks, and challenges. Using the PERMA model can help you to improve your outlook on life and start making changes.
