Authentic Happiness by Martin Seligman
“Relieving the states that make life miserable… has made building the states that make life worth living less of a priority. The time has finally arrived for a science that seeks to understand positive emotion, build strength and virtue, and provide guideposts for finding what Aristotle called the `good life’.”
Martin Seligman, author of Authentic Happiness: Using the New Positive Psychology to Realize Your Potential for Lasting Fulfillment.
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“The Study of Adult Development at Harvard University also identified four personal qualities (I have them in bold italics below, using the language of Seligman and Peterson’s Character Strengths and Virtues) among those the study called the “Happy-Well.”
1. a future orientation and the ability to anticipate and plan positively (hope and optimism)
2. the capacity for both gratitude and forgiveness
3. the ability to see the world through the eyes of another (the capacity to love and be loved)
4. the desire to do things with and for people (kindness, social intelligence).
So the bottom line for the long view, since none of us is getting any younger, despite botox:
* Your choices matter.
* Your character matters.
* Your behavior matters.
* Your education matters.
Positive Psychology seeks more people for the ranks of the happy-well at every age.”
From article The Happy-Well: Positive Psychology Tips for Living Well and Longer, by Sherri Fisher.
Also see more articles on Positive Psychology.
