About Positive Psychology

Positive psychology (PP) is a relatively new addition to the science of psychology, and focuses on studying the nature of well-being and happiness, virtues and strengths, and other positive aspects of human existence. In this focus on health rather than illness, it contrasts with most psychological research aimed at studying pathological states or developing new treatments for these.

 

Positive psychology is quite different from the ‘self-help’ movement and so-called ‘pop psych’ writings, which are characterised by a lack of rigorous scientific investigation. PP is a branch of psychology – largely founded by Dr. Martin Seligman, a senior and highly respected figure in the American Psychological Association – which applies recognised techniques to the study of positive qualities as ‘mainstream’ psychology does to dysfunction. Links to a number of important resources on positive psychology can be found in the ‘Further Resources’ page on this site.

If you wish to participate in the research study , this can be accessed from the 'Participate in the online study' page.