What is Positive Psychology?

The study of the positive things that help individual people and communities to flourish is a welcome area of research, I'd say. After all, psychology has been so thoroughly focused on studying what's ailing us ever since 1879 when Wilhelm Wundt, a professor at the University of Leipzig, Germany, first founded psychology as a recognized academic discipline. At last psychology has evolved to the point where we now have the study of mental wellness to counterbalance the study of mental illness.

Presently there are three general areas of study in positive psychology:
1. Pleasant Life, a.k.a. life of enjoyment. Researchers in this area look at the positive feelings and emotions that people experience through normal healthy living. This can include our interactions with other people, actively pursuing our hobbies, entertainment and so on.

2. Good Life, a.k.a. life of engagement. This area investigates the positive impact on people who are seamlessly absorbed at a heightened level in a primary activity of their choosing. You may have heard this described in pop culture terms as "being in the flow". Think Olympic athletes. You know you are in a state of flow when there's a very good to perfect match between a particular strength you have and a task you are performing.

3. Meaningful Life, a.k.a. life of affiliation. This area of positive psychology looks at how people experience a sense of well-being, meaning/purpose and or belonging by being part of (remember we humans are pack animals) making a contribution to something bigger than the individual self. This can involve volunteer work, philanthropy, spirituality, working for social good, etc.

By studying positive psychology researchers are finding that the positive experiences in life, both internally and externally, go a long way to enhancing our quality of life, especially in the area of health. Anger and stress, for instance, over time will deteriorate you health where as enjoyable feelings and experiences will enhance your health.

The positive psychology research community has identified six positive psychological traits that human beings experience. They are: Wisdom and Knowledge, Courage, Humanity,Justice,
Temperance (i.e. forgiveness) and Transcendence.

By officially identifying these traits researchers hope that psychology professionals be they doctors, counselors, therapists, coaches etc. will use the identification of these traits to build up other's lives who may be down or depressed but aren't suffering from any form of recognized mental illness.

On American college campuses today courses in positive psychology are some of the most popular. Maybe this is a reflection that more and more of us want to approach our lives positively.

There's an old Perry Como song from the 1950's that pops up on the radio now and then.The chorus goes like this:

You better accent-thu-ate the positive,
E-lim-inate the negative,
An' latch on
To the affirmative
Don't mess with Mister in-between!
No, don't mess with Mister in-between!

Not a bad motto to live by!