Tonight I am hosting a TEDxAsheville Salon, presenting Martin Seligman’s excellent video on positive psychology. Afterwards we’ll discuss the video. If you’re in Asheville, you should attend.
Positive psychology studies happiness and well-being. Unlike much of psychology (but not all), it studies people who are not feeling depressed, suicidal, addicted or schizophrenic. It studies those feeling elated and satisfied with their lives.
But why?
To learn what makes people happy and to teach others to be happy.
The secret: happiness can be learned. It can be increased by practicing specific techniques, similar to how muscles grow from strength training exercises (and just like muscles, happiness is partly genetic).
Over the past year, I’ve been reading about positive psychology, well-being and happiness. As a followup to TEDxAsheville Salon tonight, I’ve collected links and resources I’ve bookmarked on the science of happiness below. Please enjoy.
Videos & Films
- TED: Martin Seligman on Positive Psychology
- TED: Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi on Flow
- TED: Dan Gilbert on Why Are We Happy?
- The Happy Documentary
- Webinar on the Science of Happiness: 7 Habits of Happy People
- TED Talks with keyword ‘happiness’
Books
- Well Being: The Five Essential Elements by Tom Rath & Jim Harter
- Authentic Happiness: Using the New Positive Psychology to Realize Your Potential for Lasting Fulfillment by Martin Seligman
- Stumbling on Happiness by Dan Gilbert
- The Happiness Advantage: The Seven Principles of Positive Psychology That Fuel Success and Performance at Work by Shawn Achor
- Better Than Chocolate: 50 Proven Ways to Feel Happier by Simon Reynolds
- The Happiness Hypothesis: Finding Modern Truth in Ancient Wisdom by Jonathan Haidt
- The Geography of Bliss: One Grump’s Search for the Happiest Places in the World by Eric Weiner
Articles
- The 7 Habits of Highly Happy People
- 14 Ways to be Happier Right Now
- C’mon, Get Happy? It’s Easier Said Than Done
- The Happy Marriage Is the ‘Me’ Marriage
- How Trivial Decisions Will Impact Your Happiness
Blogs & Web Sites
- Pursuit of Happiness
- Authentic Happiness
- Well Being: Official Book Web Site
- The Happiness Project
- The Positivity Blog
- How To Be Happier
I don’t claim this list is complete. Nor have I finished reading all these. But it’s a start.
Have I missed any useful links on positive psychology? Add them in the comments below.
5 comments
Ed Melendez says:
September 8, 2011 at 5:15 pm (UTC -5)
Hi Trevor. Definitely suggest checking out The Happiness Hypothesis: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Happiness_Hypothesis
trevor says:
September 9, 2011 at 11:13 am (UTC -5)
Thanks for the recommendation. I just added it to the book list. From the Wikipedia article, this looks like an excellent book.
If I had read the overview before the discussion yesterday, this would have been perfect as the discussion centered around science vs. traditional spiritual methods of creating happiness.
Hope you’re doing well. It’s been years since we’ve talked. If you’re ever in Asheville, let me know and we’ll grab lunch.
Pratt Bennet says:
December 10, 2011 at 11:10 am (UTC -5)
Great list, Trevor. Thanks for sharing.
I would add a few that I have found very useful in my coaching work with clients seeking to become more engaged in both their personal and work lives:
The How of Happiness, by Sonja Lyubomirsky (great on what kinds of activities research has shown actually help make people happier)
Drive, by Daniel Pink (great on explaining what makes people happier, more motivated, more productive, and happier at work)
Rewire Your Brain, by John Arden (great on learning how to break out of destructive/unproductive patterns and how to create and reinforce more productive ones).
trevor says:
December 20, 2011 at 4:52 pm (UTC -5)
Thanks for the suggestions. Just added them to my Amazon reading list.
Tea says:
September 12, 2012 at 8:11 am (UTC -5)
Thanks! Great list