The Science Of Positivity

The Science of Positivity teaches you how cynical thought habits are formed, and how you can rewire yourself to go beyond them.

A psychologist explains how to create a richer, healthier, more fulfilling life through a process called the upward spiral that incorporates innovative techniques for using positivity to influence relationships, health, and work.

Broadcasting Happiness will "inspire you and change your life." —Parade Magazine We are all broadcasters. As managers, colleagues, parents and friends, we are constantly transmitting information to the people around us, and the messages we choose to broadcast create success or hold us back. What's your broadcast? New research from the fields of positive psychology and neuroscience shows that small shifts in the way we communicate can create big ripple effects on business and educational outcomes, including 31 percent higher productivity, 25 percent better performance ratings, 37 percent higher sales, and 23 percent lower levels of stress. In Broadcasting Happiness, Michelle Gielan, former national CBS News anchor turned positive psychology researcher, shows you how changing your broadcast changes your power by sharing jaw-dropping stories and incredible research. Learn Michelle's simple research-based communication habits that have been featured in her PBS program Inspire Happiness and Oprah's 21 Days to Happiness class. Broadcasting Happiness will help you: - Inoculate your brain against stress and negativity by fact-checking challenges - Drive success by leading a conversation or communication with positivity - Rewrite debilitating thought patterns and turn them into fuel for resilience and growth - Deal with negative people in a way that lessens their power - Share bad news more effectively to increase future social capital - Create and sustain a positive culture at work or home by creating contagious optimism - Help the people you care about most move from negative to positive in seconds Broadcasting Happiness showcases how real individuals and organizations have used these techniques to achieve results that include increasing revenues by hundreds of millions of dollars, raising a school district's graduation rate by 45 percent, and shifting family gatherings from toxic to thriving. Changing your broadcast can change your life, your success, and the lives of others around you. Broadcasting Happiness will show you how!

In The Positivity Prescription, Dr Suzy Green distils the key principles behind Positive Psychology and outlines a six-week program that will allow you to create transformational and sustainable change to become your best possible self. While an abundance of books on happiness exist, The Positivity Prescription sorts the wheat from the chaff and includes 20 evidence-based Positivity Practices that will boost your mood and help you live your best life.

How do we thrive in our behaviors and experiences? Positive neuroscience research illuminates the brain mechanisms that enable human flourishing. Supported by the John Templeton Foundation's Positive Neuroscience Project, which Martin E. P. Seligman established in 2008, Positive Neuroscience provides an intersection between neuroscience and positive psychology. In this edited volume, leading researchers describe the neuroscience of social bonding, altruism, and the capacities for resilience and creativity. Part I (Social Bonds) describes the mechanisms that enable humans to connect with one another. Part II (Altruism) focuses on the neural mechanisms underlying the human ability and willingness to confer costly benefits on others. Part III (Resilience and Creativity) examines the mechanisms by which human brains overcome adversity, create, and discover. Specific topics include: a newly discovered nerve type that appears to be specialized for emotional communication; the effects of parenting on the male brain; how human altruism differs from that of other primates; the neural features of extraordinary altruists who have donated kidneys to strangers; and distinctive patterns of brain wiring that endow some people with exceptional musical abilities. Accessible to a broad academic audience, from advanced undergraduates to senior scholars, these subjects have generated a fascinating and highly convergent set of ideas and results, shaping our understanding of human nature.

Remediating deficits and managing disabilities has been a central preoccupation for clinical psychologists. Positive Psychology, in contrast, is concerned with the enhancement of happiness and well-being, involving the scientific study of the role of personal strengths and positive social systems in the promotion of optimal wellbeing. Alan Carr's Positive Psychology has become essential reading for anyone requiring a thorough and accessible introduction to the field. This new edition retains all the features that made the first edition so popular, including: accounts of major theories and relevant research learning objectives chapter summaries research and personal development questions suggestions for further reading measures for use in research glossaries of new terms. The book has also been completely updated to take account of recent research and major advances, and includes a new chapter on Positive Psychotherapy, an extended account of research on character strengths and virtues, and a discussion of recent ground-breaking research on emotional intelligence. This new edition of Positive Psychology will prove a valuable resource for psychology students and lecturers, as well as those involved in postgraduate training in related areas such as clinical psychology, social work, counselling and psychotherapy.

"The best general introduction to positive psychology available." Dr Alex Linley, University of Leicester, UK "Dr Ilona Boniwell is recognized as Europe’s leading researcher, innovator and thinker in the expanding world of positive psychology. Positive Psychology in a Nutshell offers something for everyone with an interest in discovering how to live optimally. This brilliant littlebook is packed with scientific evidence identifying the key ingredients that help to create a happy life. Read it and learn how to change yours for the better." Dr Cecilia d'Felice, Consultant Psychologist, Author and Columnist for The Times and The Metro "Positive Psychology in a Nutshell is a little gem of a book, beautifully and engagingly written, and having the marks of a cogent teacher who has mastered the contemporary structure, bounds and outreach of her field. This is a 'must read', and a welcome antidote for all thoseengaged in the caring professions." Richard Whitfield, Human Development Specialist, Educator, Poet and Chairman of Trustees of the Face-to-Face Trust "As good an introduction to positive psychology as you can read. A must-read book for all those involved in the education and health industries." Dr Anthony Seldon, Master, Wellington College, Berkshire, UK "Positive Psychology in a Nutshell is a comprehensive, user friendly, thoughtful introduction and critique of the field. Simply put, it is the best overview out there that can be read in a couple of sittings. Those with no psychology background find it fascinating and informative; those with serious credentials find it to be a credible overview and critique of the field." Dr Carol Kauffman, Co-founder and Director of the Coaching and Positive Psychology Initiative, Harvard Medical School, USA "In a nutshell, I could scarcely put down this intelligent, balanced and irresistible introduction to positive psychology!" Dr Sean Cameron, Co-Director, Practitioner Doctorate in Educational Psychology, University College London, UK "It is very readable, seductively so, and is no doubt as good an introduction to the subject as you can get ... Emotional wellbeing is complex and there are useful insights here to shore up the flabby phrases tossed around by politicians ... There are some parts of this book I will use and anyone who wants to find out about positive psychology should start here." Mike Shooter is a child psychiatrist and President of BACP, UK When you hear the words 'positive psychology' or 'the science of well-being', do you wonder what it's all about? 'What makes us fulfilled?' and 'Is happiness necessary for a good life?' Discover the latest thinking on the topics of happiness, flow, optimism, motivation, character strengths and love, and learn how to apply it to your life. Ilona Boniwell presents an engaging overview of the science of optimal functioning and well-being, which combines real readability with a broad academic base applied to day-to-day life. Now fully updated and enhanced with new material on how to: Change your mindset Practice mindfulness Develop better resilience Enhance your well-being at work Adopt positive leadership Introducing positive psychology in a friendly, straightforward way, this international bestseller is peppered with many simple tools and tips for daily living that will help you love your life.

Cynicism is popular because it stimulates the brain chemicals that make you feel good. It stimulates dopamine by making the world feel predictable. It triggers serotonin by making you feel superior to "the jerks." It triggers oxytocin by telling you who to trust. You pay a high price for these moments, unfortunately, because cynicism keeps you focused on problems instead of opportunities. Here is a way to PARE your cynicism with Personal Agency and Realistic Expectations. Here are 3-minute exercises that will build new thought habits in six weeks. Even if you're surrounded by a chorus of negativity, you can transcend cynicism and stimulate happy chemicals in new ways.