How Is Positive Psychology Good For You?

"Think positive!" "Don't be so negative!" "Look at the world through a glass half full!" You've probably heard these phrases before, but you may have paid them no particular attention. These phrases are the principles of positivity and positive psychology in general. 

It has been shown that thinking positive can benefit both your mental and physical health. Positive thinking can offer better resistance to illness, better skills to cope with stress, better heart health, and a longer life span—to name just a few positive effects.

But what is positive psychology? What can it do for you? In this article, we strive to answer these important questions. 

What is positive psychology?

The science of positive psychology and the study of applied positive psychology were founded by Martin Seligman, also known as the father of positive psychology and the head of the Positive Psychology Center.

Positive psychology is the study of human thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that focuses on strengths instead of weaknesses. Positive psychology focuses on beneficial experiences, traits, and institutions. Questions asked in the study of positive psychology include:

• An optimist always looks on the bright side, regardless of what is happening. Why is that? What can we learn from them?
• What defines happiness? How can someone be happy? Why are some people never happy? 
• Confidence is key in many areas of life, but why is that? How can someone be more confident when they feel like they have nothing to show?
• What does well-being mean?

Theories of positive psychology

Those who have studied and believe in positive psychology have developed many theories. Here are just a few:

• People are happy most of the time.
• Happiness will give life to more happiness.
• People are tenacious when it comes to their happiness.
• Positivity is a buffer against disappointment.
• How you handle a crisis shows your character.
• Work, religion, and other people can all be a vital part of your happiness.
• Beyond a certain amount, money can't buy happiness.
• Eudaimonia, which is a feeling of satisfaction you get after happiness, can be more beneficial than hedonism, which is focusing only on self-pleasure.
• Empathy and being compassionate hold as much importance as thinking critically.
• You can teach someone how to be positive.

You may well have experience in the truth of some of these statements. You may be wondering, however, what the endgame of positive psychology is. What makes positive psychology, well, positive?

The goal of positive psychology

Positive psychology comes with not one, but many goals. Here are just some of the goals that a therapist who practices positive psychology may help you experience:

• A positive life change
• Positive emotions
• Uncovering unique strengths and talents
• Setting and striving toward positive goals.
• A feeling of hope
• Maintaining positive relationships
• Gratitude

PERMA model

This is a model used in positive psychology that summarizes its basic principles. As you have probably guessed, PERMA is an acronym that tells the five steps to achieve great well-being. These include:

P: Positive Emotions. Thinking positively is important in the world of positive psychology. You must enjoy yourself right this moment and exhibit as much positivity energy as possible.

E: Engagement. Engagement is when you are interested in something so much that you lose track of time. A good movie can do this to you, but the goal is to find a hobby or activity you can become truly engaged in.

R: Relationships. You cannot have positivity if you don't have some good relationships. By having relationships that are deep and fulfilling, your well-being keeps moving in the right direction.

M: Meaning. Everyone must find meaning in their own life, and each person can discover their own, specific meaning. Some devote their lives to a higher power, while others may find meaning in themselves.

A: Accomplishment. Accomplishments are what happen when we succeed. We need drive to accomplish something. However, positive psychology allows us to get a sense of accomplishment no matter how small our successes may seem.

The PERMA model is a good roadmap for achieving happiness. That said, here are some more ways you can experience happiness.

• Be more positive. Do something that makes you happy, not just for the benefit of others.
• Visit hobbies and jobs that interest you and only you. Find a job for your passions and not the passions of anyone else.
• Always make sure the quality of your relationships is always improving.
• Find meaning in your own life. Be it your hobbies, volunteering, or anything that makes you feel like you're a bigger part of the picture.

Flourishing and flow

Two other concepts of positive psychology are one's flourishing and flow. Let's look at the definitions of these terms in relation to positive psychology.

Flourishing

Flourishing is the state a person is in when they look at every aspect of PERMA and learn how to build their well-being. As we use our talents or develop relationships, we flourish. Flourishing is happening when we're enjoying ourselves.

For some, it may not come easy, but in the end, anyone can flourish.

Flow

Think of your life as moving along like a river. This is the concept of flow. Flow is when:

• You're intensely focused on the present.
• You're present in any given moment and can merge your awareness with your actions.
• You're not paying attention to your problems but rather focused on something else.
• You're in control.
• Time seems to pass much faster.
• When you experience an activity, it feels quite rewarding.

Odds are, you have experienced flow. When we are absorbed in an activity, we are in a state of flow. It usually helps if the activity is challenging. If you are highly skilled, but the challenge you are facing is low, you may feel a sense of boredom. However, if it's too challenging, you may feel overwhelmed. A low sense of skill and challenge can make you apathetic to the world around you.

Flow is entered when we are both skilled and challenged.

Practicing positivity

There are a multitude of ways to practice positivity—and positivity can be practiced every day. Here are just a few ways you can practice positivity:

Write down your positivity

Many schools of thought suggest writing down what you are feeling at any given time. In positive psychology, this type of activity may be quite valuable. One activity is an experience sampling method in which you keep a structured diary detailing how you feel. This technique can help you see just how much of your life is positive.

You may choose to keep a gratitude journal. This is when you write down everything you're grateful for on a semi-regular basis—some even choose to complete this ritual on a daily basis. This type of journal may just help you realize how grateful you are for certain aspects of your life.

Gratitude visits

In this strategy, you identify someone you are grateful for. You then write a letter to that person explaining your gratitude to them. You can either send this letter or read it to the person during a visit. This technique can help boost your positivity and allows you to see just how many great relationships you have in your life.

Strength building

Improving your weaknesses is a good thing, but positive psychology believes that focusing on what makes you strong may be more beneficial in the long run. Strength building is a big theme in positive psychology. By displaying your strengths, you can show both yourself and the world just how strong you really are.

Well-being therapy

This is similar to a treatment found in a traditional therapy known as cognitive behavioral therapy, but it involves pure positivity and the elimination of the negative. By practicing self-observation, you can see where you need to introduce more positivity. This allows you to be the master of your domain and not be controlled by anyone around you.

Explore positive psychology benefits online

We all want to be more positive in life. Even the most cynical of us want to see a positive change. One way you can accomplish this is to be more positive yourself, but often, it isn't easy to focus on this alone. One way you can improve your life is by talking to a therapist, be it a therapist who specializes in positive psychology or a more traditional counselor. 

If you decide you want to work with a counselor, you can do so either online or in-person. It may be inconvenient to try to work with an in-person therapist, as you may struggle to find time to visit a physical location for therapy.  Online therapy can remove this barrier, allowing you to meet with a counselor at a time convenient to you without leaving home.

BetterHelp is an online therapy platform offering a connection to the licensed therapist best suited to help and support you. You will be able to communicate via text, telephone, or video chat. A BetterHelp therapist stands ready to help you practice positive psychology techniques to improve your life and overall well-being.