Summary: Positive psychology is the study of happiness, flourishing, and what makes life worth living. Seligman points to five factors as leading to well-being — positive emotion, engagement, relationships, meaning and purpose, and accomplishment.
Originators and key contributors:
- Martin Seligman (1942-the present), American psychologist, founder of positive psychology
- Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (1934-the present), Hungarian-American psychologist, co-founder of positive psychology, researched the concept of “Flow”
- Christopher Peterson (1950- 2012), American psychologist, The “VIA” and other topics in positive psychology
Keywords: flow, character strengths, well-being, happiness, positive emotion, engagement, relationships, meaning and purpose, and accomplishment