Positive Psychology and Flourishing in Tough Times

Introduction

• Positive psychology's rise over 20 years
• Focused on strengths that help individuals and communities thrive
• Aims to understand and cultivate a fulfilling life

Guest Introduction: Dr. Martin Seligman

• Professor of Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania
• Director of the Penn Positive Psychology Center
• Former APA President (1998)
• Renowned for work on resilience, learned helplessness, depression, optimism, and pessimism

Positive Psychology's Insights on COVID-19

• Personal anecdote: Dr. Seligman's family experience with COVID-19
• Key Concepts: Positive affective (cheerful, merry) vs. optimistic (forward-looking, hopeful)
  • Rhinovirus Study: Conducted by Sheldon Cohen
  • Optimism had no impact on cold severity
  • Cheerfulness led to fewer and less severe colds
  • Suggests fun and cheerfulness may protect against illness
• Practical applications: fun during quarantine
  • Activities: Dancing, singing, engaging in fun activities
  • Example: Getting a puppy for joy
• Long-term outlook: Importance of optimism and hope post-pandemic

Can One Learn to Be Optimistic?

• Dr. Seligman's personal experience as a natural pessimist
• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: Techniques to argue against pessimistic thoughts
  • Example: Seligman's exercise of evaluating catastrophic thoughts
    • Catastrophic, Best-case, Realistic scenarios

Effects of the Pandemic on Children

• Impact of school and social disruptions
• Important to foster optimism in children
• Writing about future potential: Yeats (pessimistic) vs. Juliana of Norwich (optimistic)

Learned Helplessness to Learned Hopefulness

• Early research: 50 years ago with animals
• Modern insights: Brain circuits involved in helplessness (dorsal raphe nucleus) and mastery (hope circuit)
• Key shift: Helplessness is the default; mastery and hope turn it off

Personal Epiphanies Leading to Positive Psychology

• Dream at the Guggenheim Museum: Influenced shift from experimental to clinical psychology
• Gardening with his daughter Nikki: Realization to stop being a grouch and inspire positive psychology

PERMA Model: The Pillars of a Good Life

• P: Positive Emotion
• E: Engagement
• R: Good Relationships
• M: Meaning
• A: Accomplishment

Continuing Research and Impact of the Pandemic

• Ongoing studies at Penn Positive Psychology Center
• Examples of shifts in national sentiment post-9/11

Criticism and Considerations of Positive Psychology

• Toxic Positivity: Over-forcing happiness can be harmful
• Balance of Individual vs. Collective Happiness: Societal reforms vs. personal flourishing

Unanswered Questions and Future Directions

• Dr. Seligman's ongoing work on agency and its historical impact on progress
• Key Hypothesis: Cultures believing in agency witness human progress
• Inspiration: Aiming to do for psychology what Jared Diamond did for ecology