Picture this! You are walking on this tightrope up high whilst holding a stick. Your balance depends on how you balance that stick- it’s two ends. The tightrope is life, and the two ends of the stick- your physical and mental health (great metaphor eh!). As we developed as mankind, we grew more and more concerned and curious about how does our brains really work. Which eventually brought us to realize the importance of mental health and practices related to it. Psychology always has some or other breakthroughs up her sleeves with the aim of us understanding our friendly neighborhood brain a bit more. This is where Positive Psychology steps in.
Say Hello to Positive Psychology
A relatively recent branch of psychology is positive psychology. It places a focus on a person’s uplifting influences. Characteristics, upbeat feelings, and constructive institutions might be some of these. This hypothesis is predicated on the idea that both emotional and mental aspects contribute to happiness. The goal of positive psychology is to enable individuals to recognize moments of happiness. This is emphasized in preference to just enjoying good experiences at the moment.
This method may be beneficial for those seeking therapy who want to feel more joy and freedom from their present situation. After therapy is over, many people discover it is simpler to concentrate on the pleasant feelings they are now experiencing.
To expand on this brief description, positive psychology is a scientific approach to studying human thoughts, feelings, and behavior that emphasizes strengths rather than weaknesses, builds on life’s positive aspects rather than repairs its negative ones, and elevates the lives of average people to “great” rather than just concentrating on bringing those who are struggling to “normal.”
The Brain Behind
A psychologist with a wide variety of expertise, Martin Seligman is a researcher.
Even if you were unaware of the positive psychology movement before this, you may have come across his name at some time. Seligman’s studies in the 1960s and 1970s formed the basis of the well-known psychological concept of “learned helplessness.”
This hypothesis, which is supported by decades of study, explains how both people and animals can grow to feel powerless and deprived of control over their circumstances.
Seligman made a connection between this behavior and depression, finding that many depressed persons also experience helplessness. His research on the issue inspired, generated, and supported several therapies for depression symptoms as well as preventative measures for depression.
Through resilience and learned optimism, he discovered what he was seeking. These discoveries laid the foundation for his widely used resilience programs for kids and the military, among other groups.
Seligman became irritated by psychology’s excessively limited emphasis on the negative; a disproportionate amount of attention was given to suffering, mental illness, abnormal psychology, trauma, and pain, while comparatively little focus was placed on wellness, uniqueness, strengths, and thriving.
“POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY GIVES THE IMPRESSION YOU CAN BE WELL AND HAPPY
JUST BY THINKING THE RIGHT THOUGHTS.”
The Science of Happiness
Finding happiness and fulfillment requires constant effort. Many of the principles that support people on this journey have now been recognized by psychologists.
Happiness includes curiosity, the capacity for risk and worry, and the willingness to explore new interests and parts of oneself. It entails striking a balance between short-term enjoyment and long-term goal setting. Friends and family who can both celebrate successes and offer support after setbacks help to facilitate it. The capacity to recognize and welcome all emotions, especially negative ones, is a necessary component of happiness.
Mihaly Czikszentmihalyi may have started the field of “The Science of Happiness,” which examines “what makes happy people happy.” in the late 1980s.
As a result, the measurement of happiness has drawn significant attention in the new science, and a variety of scales are currently in use depending on how “happiness” is defined.
“Probably the biggest insight … is that happiness is not just a place, but also a process.
Happiness is an ongoing process of fresh challenges, and… it takes the right attitudes and
activities to continue to be happy. — Ed Diener
The Main Focus
Positive psychology teaches us the importance of changing our viewpoint, which is often considered to be its biggest potential advantage.
This is the subject of many positive psychology treatments, exercises, and even entire programs since even a slight adjustment in viewpoint may result in amazing improvements in well-being and quality of life. Adding a little extra optimism and thankfulness to your life is a straightforward step that may drastically improve your attitude toward it.
Of course, no reputable positive psychologist would advise you to think, behave, and concentrate ONLY on the positive aspects of life—balance is crucial.
Humans are predisposed to focus more on unpleasant situations. As a result, it frequently happens that clients in therapy are unaware of the factors that affect their satisfaction from one circumstance to the next. Some mental health practitioners think that this discrepancy can be caused by perception.
During an encounter, a person might not be able to pinpoint certain feelings. But when individuals think back on the encounter, they might be able to identify these feelings. The goal of positive psychology is to divert someone’s attention, expectancy, and memory from the bad. To attain a balanced viewpoint, it emphasizes the good.
