Authentic Happiness

By Ed Diener, Richard Lucas, Ulrich Schimmack, John Helliwell

In this volume, the authors explain the reasons why subjective indicators of well-being are needed. They describe how these indicators can offer useful input and provide examples of policy uses of well-being measures. The book then delves into objections to the use of subjective well-being indicators for policy purposes and discusses why these objections are not warranted. Finally, the book contains answers pertaining to the measures that are currently in use and describes the types of measures that are most likely to be valuable in the policy domain.

By Shane Lopez

Positive psychology, the pursuit of understanding optimal human functioning, is reshaping the scholarly and public views of how we see the science of psychology. The Encyclopedia of Positive Psychology provides a comprehensive and accessible summary of this growing area of scholarship and practice.

By Shane Lopez

Social scientists have learned more about how people respond to emotional experiences in productive ways. They now know more than they once did about curbing the effects of negative emotions, about making the most of positive emotions, and about how these practices lead to positive life outcomes. Given these discoveries, this set addresses the strengths, emotions, positive growth, and human flourishing of positive psychology.

By Alan Carr

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.

By Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

Drawing on nearly one hundred interviews with exceptional people, from biologists and physicists, to politicians and business leaders, to poets and artists, as well as his thirty years of research on the subject, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi uses his famous flow theory to explore the creative process. He discusses such ideas as why creative individuals are often seen as selfish and arrogant, and why the "tortured genius" is largely a myth. Most important, he explains why creativity needs to be cultivated and is necessary for the future of our country, if not the world.

By Marcus Buckingham

Research data show that most people do not come close to making full use of their assets at work. Go Put Your Strengths to Work aims to change that by kick-starting the “strengths revolution” that began with Buckingham’s earlier books. Through a six-step, six-week experience, Go Put Your Strengths to Work shows you how to seize control of your assets and rewrite your job description under the nose of your boss.

By Robert Biswas-Diener and Todd Kashdan

In The Upside of Your Dark Side, two pioneering researchers in the field of psychology show that while mindfulness, kindness, and positivity can take us far, they cannot take us all the way. Sometimes, they can even hold us back. Emotions such as anger, anxiety, guilt, and sadness might feel uncomfortable, but it turns out that they are also incredibly useful. The key lies in what the authors call “emotional, social, and mental agility,” the ability to access our full range of emotions and behavior—not just the “good” ones—in order to respond most effectively to whatever situation we might encounter.

by Amy Wrzesniewski, 2014

Rarely are jobs designed to match the talents, preferences, and aspirations of the individual. Dr. Amy Wrzesniewski, professor of Organizational Behavior at the Yale School of Management, discussed the art and science of job crafting. Wrzesniewski studied hospital maintenance workers to look at how job crafting affected their work experience and morale. She set up two groups - one simply followed the job description while the second was asked to take on other, related tasks of their own choosing. Differences between the two groups were significant - the second group found meaning in their work and saw themselves and their purpose as radically different from their counterparts. Allowing an employee to influence work scope changes the meaning of that work, and allows them to take ownership of their job. Wrzesniewski’s work shows that job crafting can foster engagement, job satisfaction, and resilience.

by George Vaillant, 2014

Professor George Vaillant delivers his fascinating lecture: 75 Years in the Making - The Importance of Relationships to Health, Resilience and Successful Ageing at the OnePlusOne Edith Dominian Memorial Lecture.

by George Vaillant, 2014

As a psychiatrist and professor at Harvard Medical School and the Director of Research at the Department of Psychiatry, George Eman Vaillant M.D. has a lot of duties. To add to them, he has been responsible for the Grant Study, the longest longitudinal study of human development ever undertaken. Since 1938, this study has been keeping a very close eye on 200 diverse men.

One of the men, Godfrey Camille, was particularly interesting. Emotionally crippled and lonely as a youngster, Godfrey was accustomed to exhibiting negative coping styles like hypochondria, narcissism and displacement. All of these emotional issues took a toll on him in life, making it difficult for him to truly connect to others. However at the time of his death, he was 82 and in the middle of an active game of squash. At the time of his death, he was a retired medical doctor with his own practice, a devoted husband and an exemplary father. His memorial service was packed with mourning friends. His children described him as a man who lived a very simple life, full of very rich relationships.