Martin E.P. Seligman, Ph.D. AUTHENTIC

HAPPINESS Anne Rapley, EADM 826, Sept. 11, 2020

Authentic : Using the New

Positive Psychology to Realize Your

Potential for Lasting Fulfillment

What is Positive

Psychology?

Positive : “So Positive Psychology is Pillars of Positive Psychology - about the meaning of those - happy and unhappy Study of Study of Study of -glee moments, the tapestry they Positive Positive Positive - weave, and the strengths Traits Institutions

-contentent and virtues they display that -serenity make up the of your - Examples: Examples: Examples: life” (Seligman, 2002, p. 7). , intelligence, democracy, - hope, athleticism strong families

In this Issue:

What is Pos. Psychology? …… page 1 About the Author ……………….. page 1 About the Research Background………….page 2

What is a Meaningful Life?.....page 2

Happiness Equation……..……..page 2 Author Signature Strengths………..…..page 3

Positive Emotions…………....….page 4 He is the recipient of Increasing Happiness…..….….page 5 Dr. Martin E. P. His areas of study several lifetime Mansions of Life: Work………..page 6 Selignman is a include positive achievement awards, Mansions of Life: Parenting…page 7 Professor of psychology, learned and has published

Psychology at the helplessness, over 20 books and Mansions of Life: ……..…page 8 University of , 170 articles, Discussion Questions………….page 9 Pennsylvania and the , and including the Book Summary…………………page 9 director of the ethnopolitical national bestseller Critical Evaluation……………page 9 Positive Psychology conflict. Learned Optimism. Network.

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Anne Rapley, EADM 826, Sept. 11, 2020 AUTHENTIC HAPPINESS

“Authentic happiness comes from identifying and cultivating your

most fundamental strengths and using them every day in work, love, play, and parenting” (Seligman, 2002, p. xi)

Why do we Research have positive Background emotions in the first place? Studies have shown that happy people live longer, After World War II, there Dr. Martin Seligman’s are more productive at was a need for more learned helplessness work, endure therapists for veterans research showed that 1/3 better, have more of a returning from the war. of dogs never gave up in social life, and are more Psychologists largely filled situations where they had altruistic (Seligman, this role. There was also a no control over what 2002, p. 39-42). “By change of funding research happened to them, and activating an expansive, to focus more on mental 1/8 of the dogs were tolerant, and creative illness. This led to a helpless to begin with. , positive disease model of This led the researchers maximize the remedying deficits. In to ask what buffering social, intellectual, and recent years, there has strengths certain animals physical benefits that been more of a focus on possessed and whether will accrue” (Seligman, increasing people’s these strengths could be 2002, p. 44). strengths. increased?

What is the Meaningful Life?

The Pleasant Life: The Good Life: The Meaningful Life: -pursuit of postive -using signature strengths to achieve -using signature strengths for some feelings (momentary states) larger purpose -shortcuts to happiness: -what is gratification? Meeting a All 3 lives = A full life eg. chocolate, drugs, challenge by calling on your shopping strengths; to rise to the occasion -inauthentic

THE HAPPINESS EQUATION

H = S + C+ V

H = Enduring C = Life circumstances happiness V = Factors under S = range voluntary control

Continues on P3

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AUTHENTIC HAPPINESS Anne Rapley, EADM 826, Sept. 11, 2020

24 Strengths What are Virtues: What are your virtues? • Wisdom & knowledge signature stengths? Virtues are •

Love of Learning common to many • Love & and humanity Ingenuity philosophical • Justice Take the strengths test at traditions • Temperance Social Intelligence • Spirituality & www.authentichappiness.org transcendence Perspective Valor

Perseverance Integrity “Building strengths and virtue is not about learning, training, or conditioning, but about discovery, creation, and ownership” Loving Dr. Martin Seligman, p. 136 Citizenship The routes to “The Fairness these virtues are Mansions of called strengths Strengths: Signature Leadership (which are Life” to use Strengths: measurable and your -traits Self-control -deeply acquirable). -valued in its own signature characteristic of a Prudence Strengths are strengths in: right moral traits and person Humility -states we can be built. • Work -a person self- that require no Appreciation of Talents (eg. consciously owns, • Love further perfect pitch, celebrates, uses • Parenting justification running speed) everyday are nonmoral -others are -build on these to and are more elevated and Hope achieve deepest innate. inspired emotional Spirituality -supported in satisfaction by -feel invigorated institutions, etc. rather than drained when Zest using signature strengths

“….formulation of the good life: using your signature strengths every day in the main realms of your life to bring abundant gratification and authentic happiness” (Seligman, 2002, p. 161).

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Anne Rapley, EADM 826, Sept. 11, 2020 AUTHENTIC HAPPINESS

Positive

Emotions

About About About What the Past: the the determines how Present: Future: happy we are? Depression -joy -satisfaction -optimism • The Happiness Rates in - -ecstasy -hope -calm Thermostat – personal wealthy -fulfillment - set range for happiness, -zest - -trust mostly inherited nations -ebullience -serenity • The Hedonic Treadmill have been -pleasure – get used to good increasing -flow things in life and come

to expect more over the • Having more negative past 40 emotions doesn’t years. We necessarily mean you’ll have less positive have created emotions (not polar more opposite relation) shortcuts to • Women found to have both more positive and pleasure negative emotions than (T.V., drugs, men (Seligman, 2002, p. 57) etc.). Self- • Increased age not absorption related to less is a happiness, but less intense emotions symptom of overall depression.

• Happier people are more social Does Money Buy You • Being married is related to happiness Happiness?? (but could it be that The answer seems to be no! happier people are more likely to get “In very poor nations, where poverty married?) threatens life itself, being rich does predict • Subjective greater well-being. In wealthier nations, of how healthy you are however, where almost everyone has a basic is related to happiness safety net, increases in wealth have • Education, climate, negligible effects on personal happiness” race, gender all not related to level of -Dr. Martin Seligman, 2002, p. 53 happiness

• Religious people somewhat happier than nonreligious people Page 4

AUTHENTIC HAPPINESS Anne Rapley, EADM 826, Sept. 11, 2020

Ways to Feel Ways to More Happiness Feel More Increasing about the Past: Happiness

-Increase your gratitude about about the good things in your past Present: Happiness -Forgive past transgressions

-Breaking -Escaping tyranny of habituation (space determinism (let go of idea that out over your past determines your time more, so don’t future) get used to them)

-Savoring (deliberate conscious attention paid to pleasures, sharing with others, memory building, self-congratulation, sharpening , absorption)

-Mindfulness (shifting perspective to see situation as fresh, slow state of mind, origins in Buddhism)

Ways to Feel More Happiness about the Future:

-Increasing hope and optimism through disputing (arguing with yourself)

-Learning to argue with yourself: evidence, alternatives, implications (decatastrophizing), usefulness

-Optimism: Optimistic person sees bad events as temporary and specific / good events as permanent and universal. Pessimistic person sees bad events as permanent and universal / good events as temporary and specific.

-Hope: “Finding permanent and universal causes of good events along with temporary and specific causes for misfortune is the of hope” (Seligman, 2002, p. 92)

Increasing Optimism & Hope

A – Adversity B – automatically occurring C – Usual consequences D – Disputation of belief E – Energization occurring from successfully disputing

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Anne Rapley, EADM 826, Sept. 11, 2020 AUTHENTIC HAPPINESS

The Mansions of Life - Work

Money now matters less than life satisfaction (beyond the safety net, more money adds little to well-being) Job – do for a paycheck Career – personal investment in the work Calling – passionate commitment to work for its own sake

Any job can be a

What is flow? calling, and any calling can be a job. Flow – positive emotions Ways to increase your satisfaction at about the present; time stops work: when you are doing -use signature something you really enjoy; strengths everyday often with the absence of -see one’s work as emotion at the time; no contributing to conscious attached greater good -having flow at work -recraft your job to use your signature “Gratification dispels self- strengths more and absorption and the more one experience flow more has the flow that gratification often produces, the less depressed on is” (Seligman, 2002, p. 119)

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AUTHENTIC HAPPINESS Anne Rapley, EADM 826, Sept. 11, 2020

“….positive The Mansions of emotion Love: Parenting leads to exploration, Techniques for building positive emotions: which leads to mastery, -sleeping with -sibling rivalry and mastery your baby – worse if leads not -synchrony attention & only to more games is positive scarse -limit use of emotion but “no” (except for -bedtime to the danger or nuggets (best discovery of limits) moments, dreamland) your child’s -selective praise signature -making a deal & punishment strengths” (Seligman, 2002, p. Building Children’s 231). Strengths: “Augment Up to age 7, the main Test of children’s task is to increase positive positive emotions. strengths available at Reward all displays of www.authentichappiness.org emotions in any of the strengths. Allow child to display your children strengths in the course to start an of regular activities. upward spiral

of more

positive

emotion” (Seligman, 2002, p. 211)

Positive emotion “….broadens and builds the intellectual, social, and physical resources that are the bank account for your children to draw upon later in life” (Seligman, 2002, p. 209)

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Anne Rapley, EADM 826, Sept. 11, 2020 AUTHENTIC HAPPINESS

The Mansions of Life: Love

Types of Love: Ways of being loved: 1. Love of people who give us 1. Secure comfort (eg. children’s love for 2. Avoidant parents) 3. Anxious 2. Love of those who depend on us (eg. parents’ love for children) -suggestion that how a child bonds to 3. Romantic love – idealization of mother in childhood mirrored later in another life in romantic relationships -Marriage in corporates all 3 types of -securely attached people have higher love marital satisfaction -marriage invented by natural -styles of love affects – caregiving, selection, not culture (infants sex, and coping with bad events needing parents to bond with and look after them) -married people happier than non- married; have lower rates of depression -marital satisfaction declines over first decade

RESPONSIVE LISTENING

-validation

-eliminate inattention -don’t prepare rebuttal while listening -emotional state is a barrier -hot-button issues – use speaker-listener ritual of only speaking when holding piece of carpet; listener paraphrases

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AUTHENTIC HAPPINESS Anne Rapley, EADM 826, Sept. 11, 2020

Questions for Discussion and Reflection: Book Summary: Dr. Martin Seligman explains to readers how to 1. What are your signature achieve what he refers to as “the pleasant life”, “the strengths? good life”, and “the meaningful life”. Seligman the key to achieving authentic happiness is 2. How can you recreate your by utilizing one’s signature strengths in the position at work to better make “mansions of life” including work, love, and parenting. The 24 different strengths are detailed in use of your signature strengths on the book and the readers is directed to the author’s website where he/she can take an online test to a daily basis? determine what his/her own signature strengths are. 3. Have you ever experienced “flow” Then each of the areas of work, love, and parenting are discussed in detail, with specific examples before in your work where you given of ways to improve on each of these. are completely absorbed in the moment and time seems to stand Critical Evaluation: still? Authentic Happiness: Using the New Positive 4. Would you consider yourself an Psychology to Realize Your Potential for Lasting Fulfillment is written in an easy to follower manner. optimist or a pessimist? Seligman uses the act of storytelling to effectively engage the reader and to illustrate the points he is 5. Do you agree with Seligman’s making. Many concrete examples are given for definitions of the pleasant life, the ways to increase happiness in each of the mansions of life. The online resources where the reader can good life, and the meaningful life? take numerous tests are an added benefit. The final chapter of the book may be a stretch for some readers to buy into, however, as Seligman attempts to argue that although God may not presently exist, a God may be brought into existence through people striving to have a more purposeful life.

Reference: Seligman, M.E.P. (2002). Authentic happiness: Using the new positive psychology to realize your potential for lasting fulfillment. New York: Atria Paperback.

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