Authentic Happiness - Martin Seligman

Post date: Oct 29, 2012 5:55:03 PM

Positive Psychology Books

Review

This is a really important book in the field of positive psychology. It makes interesting reading for individuals as well as for academics and practitioners, and it contains evidence-based information on how to be happier yourself, how to help other people to be happier, and how positive psychology research shows us we can all be happier. The three pillars of Positive Psychology, Seligman tells us, are positive emotion, positive character, and positive institutions and this book tackles each of these areas. Individuals may particularly enjoy the sections on relationships , families and children, as well as the questionnaires.

Academic interest: This is a seminal text in the field of positive psychology, charting its origins, explaining the theory, and incorporating details of programmes for its implementation, and references to research and studies that provide evidence for the effectiveness of the approaches, exercises and activities it recommends. These references are contained in notes pages, which often contain brief descriptions of the studies. The theories have been updated in Seligman's recent book 'Flourish'.

Practitioners: Although this book was published in Britain in 2003, it remains a seminal text in the field of Positive Psychology, and contains details of studies that provide evidence for the effectiveness of the approaches, exercises and activities it recommends. Positive psychology and its associated ideas about happiness, wellbeing, and flourishing are widely applied in health and care settings.

Self-helpers: If you want to use the book as a self-help guide to enhancing your happiness, you will find that Authentic Happiness contains detailed exercises and questionnaires (also available at http://www.authentichappiness.sas.upenn.edu ) which can be used to identify your happiness characteristics including happiness levels, natural optimism, and 'signature strengths' (character strengths). Using these every day will make you feel happier, claims Seligman. There are also useful chapters on happiness at work, in relationships, and for our children.

Best Bits

The 'Values in Action Strengths Survey' which uses the 6 virtues (wisdom and knowledge, courage, humanity and love, justice, temperance and transcendence) and the associated 24 strengths to help you identify your personal strengths.

Authentic Happiness identifies 3 kinds of happiness, all of which contribute to our overall wellbeing:

• the pleasures (eg enjoyments like eating and sex, that satisfy our needs and desires)
• the gratifications (eg engrossing activities in which we are totally engaged)
• meaningfulness (eg serving a larger good; doing 'meaningful' things for the community)

A life full of the 'pleasures' is a 'pleasant life', and if you also experience frequent 'gratifications' either at work or through other activities, then you are living the 'good life'. If you also pursue goals and activities which give you a sense of purpose, service, and fulfilment then you are leading what Seligman calls 'the full life'.

• Did you know that 'giving' makes us happier than receiving?
• Did you know it makes us happier when we are totally focused on what we are doing (when we experience 'flow') whether that happens at work, or at home, while fully engaged in a personal interest or hobby.
• Did you know married people are happier than unmarried people? Find out more by reading the book.

About the author

Martin E P Seligman (Marty) is Director of the Positive Psychology Centre at the University of Pennsylvania, and has an international reputation for his work. He is the self-proclaimed co-founder of the Positive Psychology movement, which seeks to identify the sources of happiness and well-being, and focuses on 'mental health' (rather than mental illness). You may know of Seligman for some of his earlier, well-known psychology books including Learned Helplessness, and Learned Optimism. His most recent book Flourish was published in 2011, and updates the ideas contained in Authentic Happiness. His ideas pervade current approaches to wellbeing in government policy, health and education. If you liked this book you may also like to read Flourish by Martin Seligman, published in 2011, which follows on from Authentic Happiness with some new ideas and finding.