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Selected Positive Psychology Books

Positivity: Groundbreaking Research Reveals How to Embrace the Hidden Strength of Positive Emotions, Overcome Negativity, and Thrive by Barbara Fredrickson

by Barbara Fredrickson

World renowned researcher Dr. Barbara Fredrickson gives you the lab-tested tools necessary to create a healthier, more vibrant, and flourishing life through a process she calls "the upward spiral."
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Positive Therapy: A Metatheory for Positive Psychological Practice by Stephen Joseph and P. Alex Linley

by Stephen Joseph and P. Alex Linley

Positive psychology emphasises the need to understand the positive side of human experience, as well as understanding and ameliorating psychopathology and distress. Positive Therapy explores the relevance of positive psychology to therapy.

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Positive Psychology At The Movies: Using Films to Build Virtues and Character Strengths by Ryan M. Niemiec

by Ryan M. Niemiec

Movies are a powerful and enjoyable medium for learning. This book shows exactly how to use film to learn about the concepts and the real-life benefits of positive psychology, both for self-improvement and in classes or seminars.
 
Positive psychology is a science concerned with strengths and virtues, particularly those that lead to fulfillment, connectedness, and meaning in life. Drawing on the authors vast experience of teaching, movie discussion groups, and with patients, Positive Psychology at the Movies combines research-based advice on how to improve life and flourish with clear explanations of the scientific background using movies to exemplify, illuminate, and inspire.
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The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less by Barry Schwartz

by Barry Schwartz

In The Paradox of Choice, Barry Schwartz explains at what point choice -- the hallmark of individual freedom and self-determination that we so cherish -- becomes detrimental to our psychological and emotional well-being. In accessible, engaging, and anecdotal prose, Schwartz shows how the dramatic explosion in choice -- from the mundane to the profound challenges of balancing career, family, and individual needs -- has paradoxically become a problem instead of a solution. Schwartz also shows how our obsession with choice encourages us to seek that which makes us feel worse.

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Optimal Human Being: An Integrated Multi-Level Perspective by Kennon M. Sheldon

by Kennon M. Sheldon

Ken Sheldon's comprehensive new book addresses two questions: how can individuals best integrate the different facets of themselves to achieve "optimal human being", and how can researchers best integrate the different levels of analysis within the human sciences to understand "optimal human being" in general? In the process, the book supplies two new frameworks—one for viewing the human sciences as a group, and the other for viewing personality theory within that group. 

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The Myths of Happiness: What Should Make You Happy, but Doesn't, What Shouldn't Make You Happy, but Does by Sonja Lyubomirsky

by Sonja Lyubomirsky

In The Myths of Happiness, Sonja Lyubomirsky isolates the major turning points of adult life, looking to both successes (marriage, children, wealth) and challenges (divorce, financial ruin, illness) to reveal that our misconceptions about the impact of such events is perhaps the greatest threat to our long-term well-being.
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Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol Dweck

by Carol Dweck

Dweck explains why it’s not just our abilities and talent that bring us success–but whether we approach them with a fixed or growth mindset. She makes clear why praising intelligence and ability doesn’t foster self-esteem and lead to accomplishment, but may actually jeopardize success. With the right mindset, we can motivate our kids and help them to raise their grades, as well as reach our own goals–personal and professional. Dweck reveals what all great parents, teachers, CEOs, and athletes already know: how a simple idea about the brain can create a love of learning and a resilience that is the basis of great accomplishment in every area.

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Love 2.0: How Our Supreme Emotion Affects Everything We Feel, Think, Do, and Become by Barbara Fredrickson

by Barbara Fredrickson

We all know love matters, but in this groundbreaking book positive emotions expert Barbara Fredrickson shows us how much. Even more than happiness and optimism, love holds the key to improving our mental and physical health as well as lengthening our lives.

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Human Accomplishment: The Pursuit of Excellence in the Arts and Sciences, 800 B.C. to 1950 by Charles Murray

The How of Happiness: A New Approach to Getting the Life You Want by Sonja Lyubomirsky

by Sonja Lyubomirsky

You see here a different kind of happiness book. The How of Happiness is a comprehensive guide to understanding the elemetns of happiness based on years of groundbreaking scientific research. It is also a practical, empowering, and easy-to-follow workbook, incorporating happiness strategies, excercises in new ways of thinking, and quizzes for understanding our individuality, all in an effort to help us realize our innate potential for joy and ways to sustain it in our lives. Drawing upon years of pioneering research with thousands of men and women, The How of Happiness is both a powerful contribution to the field of positive psychology and a gift to people who have sought to take their happiness into their own hands.

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