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By Amanda Levy
In a world where so many of us bulldoze our way through life more focused on the doing than the being, Barbara Fredrickson speaks eloquently to the need for greater self awareness, and she does this in such an innocent (open, honest) and appealing way that one can’t do anything but want to be more sensitive – to oneself, and to others.

This is certainly a both/and book. It provides the evidence required of scientific study, and it also clearly outlines a practical and meaningful way forward for those of us interested in the best of life for ourselves and others.

While walking to join a few friends yesterday evening at dusk, I passed through a lush green park in the center of Philadelphia. I was lost in my own head, contemplating the many interesting topics presented at the First World Congress on Positive Psychology of the International Positive Psychology Association (IPPA) this past weekend. As I stepped softly through the grass in the approaching darkness of the evening sky, a light suddenly caught my eye. Waist-level beside me, hovering in the summer air, was a firefly.

To get along better with someone, do you have to be able to dance cheek-to-cheek? Maybe not, since being able to take risks and “wing it” it is a better predictor of marriage success than carefully choreographed steps. In honor of June, the wedding month in America, let’s explore some aspects of human emotion that make for a joyful relationship. […]

Since the theme of this month is stress and resilience I spent some time pondering ways to lighten my daily burden. I took a long hard look at my life and noticed that I place much undo stress and pressure upon myself. I coined a phrase that captures my daily life: I’m an overthinking anticipating maximizer.

The bright yellow book by Todd Kashdan peeks out at you and asks simply and provocatively, “Curious?” On the book’s spine, author Kashdan boldly volunteers that the reader might discover “the missing ingredient to a fulfilling life” inside. In fact, the book is testament to its subject matter – it excites and fuels curiosity which in turn creates new energy, inspires exploration and discovery, and facilitates the search and identification of meaning and purpose.

Do right-brained people find it easier to express love than left-brained folks? I don’t have a simple answer, but I have been reflecting on it for the last month during a trip to India with my mother for the dedication and blessing of the new building for the Evershine English school for disadvantaged children. … My gut tells me that folks who are more right brained have an easier time expressing love because they exhibit more “childlike” behavior, lead with their hearts over their heads, and are more adept in the universal non-verbal language of love. […]

There is something incredibly powerful about the natural world and its ability to provide us with a sense of psychological well-being. Because today marks the 40th annual celebration of Earth Day in the United States, it is a good opportunity to tie together a few positive psychology themes with Mother Nature. …

I believe positive psychology can inform our connection to nature in two significant ways. First, it provides great interventions to increase our connection to nature and thereby increase our happiness. Second, … we must learn to be good stewards of the environment and take care of the natural world around us so future generations may reap the same benefits.[…]

I look forward to the day when the word “positive” is no longer needed to describe psychology or psychotherapy because the association will automatically be there. How is the field of psychotherapy integrating with the positive psychology movement to re-gain its original focus on helping people to achieve their potential? As a therapist, I am interested in helping my clients using the latest research.

Day 2 of the Psychologically Healthy Workplace Conference focused on how to create a healthy workplace by applying the findings from Positive Psychology. Highlights included presentations by Chris Peterson and Nansook Park, as well as from several of the organizations that won the awards. Award winners demonstrate that creating positive workplace is not only possible, but also lines up with company values and contributes to the bottom line. […]

How do we get business leaders to think of their kittens and mittens equivalent? One answer lies in appreciating what is already going well (Cooperrider, 2001). Another in goal setting and visioning. Helping clients focus on a view of an ideal future, whether that be describing their Best Possible Self as Laura King (2001) calls it, or of “savoring” Bryant and Veroff (2007) an ideal future for themselves and their organization. […]