Positive Psychology: An Introduction

Seligman, AuthorMartin E.P., & Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2000). Positive Psychology: An Introduction . American Psychologist. 55, 5-14.

People high on optimism tend to have better moods, to be more persevering and successful, and to experience better physical health.

The other two candidates for promoting happiness Myers considers are economic growth and income (not much there, after a minimum threshold of affluence is passed) and close personal relationships (a strong association).

(myers= david myers, and he published this info in 2000)

But perhaps we are blinded to the survival value of positive emotions precisely because they are so important. Like the fish who is unaware of the water in which it swims, we take for granted a certain amount of hope, love, enjoyment, and trust because these are the very conditions that allow us to go on living.

Cultures may turn their attention to creativity, virtue, and the highest qualities in life only when they are stable, prosperous and at peace. Athens during the 5th century B.C., Florence of the 15th century, and Victorian England are examples of cultures that focused on positive qualities.

Balkan nations put cultural stars on a pedestal

Bilefsky, D. (2007, November 11). Balkans nations put cultural stars on a pedestal. International Herald Tribune. Retrieved November 26, 2007, from http://www.iht.com


In Zitiste, Serbia, a statue of Rocky (yes, as in Rocky Balboa from Rocky I, II, III, IV, V, VI....) has been put up, only 12 miles away from the future site of a Tarzan sculpture in the village of Medja. The Tarzan statue will commemerate Olympic swimmer and actor Johnny Weismuller.

In Mostar, a Bosnian city scarred by war between Bosnian Muslims and Bosnian Croats, a statue of Bruce Lee was built to commemerate the actor, who "brought cultures together and embodieded the fight for justice."

In Cacak (southwest of Blegrade), a statue of former topless model Samantha Fox will be built soon, say city officials. She captured the attention of the locals when she performed her hit song, "Touch Me (I Want Your Body)."

"But Bojan Marceta, a 28-year-old local cameraman who raised €5,000, or about $7,300, to commission the statue, said Rocky was a universal hero and far more deserving of respect than Serbia's own recent leadership.

"Nobody from the wars of the 1990s or from the former Yugoslavia deserves a monument, because all our leaders did was to prevent us from progressing," said Marceta, who celebrated the unveiling of the statue in August with fireworks at a public concert. "My generation can't find role models, so we have to look elsewhere. Hollywood can provide an answer.""

(My country has not provided heros to build statues of, so we have to find heros elsewhere. Thank you, Hollywood.)

"Dragan Pusara, an assistant to the mayor, said he hoped that the brawny likeness of Weissmuller, the town's native son, would bring luck and investment to Medja after devastating floods.
He said Tarzan was a fitting icon for Serbs because he had been put in the jungle with nothing and, against all odds, managed to survive. Tarzan, he added, would transcend the ethnic divisions of Medja - home to Serbs, Hungarians and Serbs of German descent - because "he belongs to everyone."
"After World War II, hundreds of displaced people arrived here with their families and one piece of luggage, and they needed to be strong to survive just like Tarzan," Pusara said.""

Some sociologists say that the Balkan states suffered an identity crisis after the wars in the 1990s, when it was hard to tell the differene between opressors and victims. In Hollywood movies, it's very obvious who the heros and villians are, so it's easy to pick a hero to make a statue of.

staying happier for longer

Seligman, M., Professor. (2006, May 9). Staying happier for longer. BBC News. Retrieved November 26, 2007, from BBC Web site: http://news.bbc.co.uk

This article says that our levels of happiness are generally predetermined, and that life events won't change your happiness levels in the long run. Winning the lottery will give you a temporary high, but won't turn a grouch into a saint. Conversely, a bubbly mother won't be turned into Scrooge if an accident leaves her paralyzed.

Seligman says that simple happiness activities like "three blessings" (writing down three things that went well each day) are most useful in trying to cheer up a person.
"We looked at the effect on severe depression of doing just the first web exercise, three blessings.
In this uncontrolled study, 94% of severely depressed people became less depressed and 92% became happier, with an average symptom relief of a whopping 50% over only 15 days."
"At the end of three months about 10% of the patients with medication or treatment as usual improved, versus 70% of the patients in positive psychotherapy."
"While these exercises increase well being among relatively untroubled people, there is one surprising implication for serious depression: psychotherapy traditionally is where you go to talk about your troubles." (in psychotherapy, you focus on your trouble and hardships; in postive psychology, you focus on the good things. maybe this is why therapy doesn't help everyone)


So, people are happier when they focus on the good things in their life. It follows that, after they write down three good things that happened to them today, they feel happier. If they watch a TV show about happy things, does this allow them to think about the good things in their life? Or do they compare themselves to those on TV and get sad cuz their lives aren't as good? Previous research suggests the latter (that they'll compare and feel less worthy).

Happiness test

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/happiness_formula/4785402.stm

test designed by Professor Ed Diener, University of Illinois

People who score high on life satisfaction tend to have close and supportive family and friends, whereas those who do not have close friends and family are more likely to be dissatisfied.

Another factor that influences the life satisfaction of most people is work or school, or performance in an important role such as homemaker or grandparent.

A third factor that influences the life satisfaction of most people is personal - satisfaction with the self, religious or spiritual life, learning and growth, and leisure.

When a person tends to be chronically dissatisfied, they should look within themselves and ask whether they need to develop more positive attitudes to life and the world.


in my own words
-it has been proved time time and again that personal relationships make us happier than most everything else. if our family connections are strong and we have a good set of friends, we will be happiest.
-in america, we put a strong emphasis on the individual (though you know you need a source to back this up...). as we export our tv shows, they glorify the individual who doesn't rely on anyone to succeed. this could make people more unhappy, because it encourages them to shun their families. this could be especially detrimental in a culture that emphasizes family first. in this way, globalized media (especially american media) could make people unhappier, because it focuses them on individuality and materialism.

The science of happiness

(from bbc)


Rudin, M. (2006, April 30). The science of happiness. BBC News. Retrieved November 26, 2007, from
BBC Web site: http://www.bbc.co.uk

happiness vs pleasure
-happiness is a state; pleasure is a fleeting feeling

positive psychology
-if you cater to your strengths, then you'll be happier

"politics of happiness" video
reported by mark easton for bbc two's "the happiness formula"

-britain is really rich (richer than ever) but not happier than ever
-lord richard layard (prof of econ, LSE): human relationships are more important, but we've let those deteriorate in the name of increasing income
-england and wales have committees legally bound to try to make their citizens happier
-govt dept with a sole purpose of making the people happier
-layard:picture ads make people want things they don't need/want; makes people feel poorer (layard)
-taxes make us happier; increase well being; (layard) taxes help us not compare to each other cuz they reduce the gap between rich and poor; rich people make poorer people feel bad, so the hand of the govt can fix that;
-david halpern: britian prime minister's advisor

"happiness machine"

(2002). Happiness machines In A. Curtis (Producer), The century of the self. United Kingdom: British Broadcasting Company. Retrieved November 26, 2007, from http://www.bbc.co.uk

-Edward Bernays (nephew of Sigmund Freud) was the first to develop the idea that if you linked products to emotional desires (rather than necessity), you could convince people to buy things because they WANTED them, not because they needed them.

-"Irrelevent objects could become powerful emotional symbols of how you wanted to be seen by others." (this quote related to women smoking cigarettes. It was taboo for women to smoke cigarettes because they were a symbol of man--a penis, to be more specific. Bernays launched a campaign that promoted cigarettes instead as a 'freedom torch' that could give women power. The cigarettes became a symbol more than a product.)
-This can be related to the Hollywood statues in Serbia. The people there cannot find heros in their own political figures, so instead they look to Hollywood. The Serbians want to be seen as powerful, heroic, smart, etc., so when they watch those characters in movies, they feel just that. They also may want to show the world that they are on the same playiing field as the US, so they import some of their figures.

-advertisements promoted cars/shoes/fancy things as necessity before Bernays revolutionized the market. He suggested that companies play to people's desires. He said man's desire needed to be more than his needs.

-Introduced product placement

-1927: The US had officially become a consumer nation

-if you can keep stimulating hte irrational self (driving people to buy things they DESIRE, not that they need), then leadership can keep doing what it wants to do

-Bernays' power fell after stock market crash, because people only had money to buy what they needed (and not even that).

-Gallup and Roper said that people could be trusted to act rationally if you didnt manipulate their emotions
-so this says that media DOES have an affect on people's emotions, whether they notice or not

presentation time

or, better titled, "here goes nothin"

1. research question: how does globalization affect happiness? if a country is more "globalized"--economically, politically, culturally--do the people generally satisfied with life? On the individual level, are people happier as they become more globalized?

2. the research i've done so far has given me conflicted results. an essay by robert wright (a political scientist, i believe) says that, for the poorest countries in the world, globalization will in fact increase happiness. the logic behind this is as follows: as a country becomes more globalized economically (opens its markets), it becomes richer. in fact, the world is becoming richer as a whole. up to a point, money does buy happiness. this point is about $10,000 per person, and it's because much of that money goes toward increasing democracy and boosting social programs like healthcare for all. so for the poorest countries in the world , globalization does lead to happiness.

3. so what happens when you've got your democracy and healthcare and you've got a bit more money? well now, no matter how rich your country gets, you will not get significantly happier, says wright. individually, as you get richer, you start comparing yourself with your new "peers." for example, if you get an initial pay raise at your job, you'll feel superior to the people you work with. however, with time, you will start to compare yourself to people who make MORE money than you, and you'll feel inferior and unhappy again.

this can be connected to how global media works. for example, let's look at how american sitcoms get exported to, say, china. while china is a rich nation, individual citizens are not necessarily rich. if they see a show like gossip girl, where everyone has tons of money, they may start comparing themselves with the cast on gossip girl. they may get jealous and unhappy that they don't have the sorts of things blair and serena can afford. globalized media, then, can make the "have nots" unhappy.

this idea of comparing yourself with a new set of people is supported by eduardo porter in his ny times column, too.