PERMA

For decades psychologists were stuck in a rut of focusing primarily on the negative in both their research and their practice – much of that centered on treating and preventing depression and anxiety. But around 1998, Professor Martin Seligman changed all of that. He shook the field as he promoted positivity and flourishing. When he became the President of the American Psychological Association, he chose “positive psychology” as his theme (great TED talk HERE ).

Rather than merely treating mental illness and stepping in when things went wrong, Seligman was bound on fostering well-being and discovering how to help things go right. In short, he was tired of reading and hearing about all of the negativity and wanted, rather, to scientifically discover what made up the “good life”. 

Over the years, positive psychology labs have sprung up across the nation to study happiness and well-being and their discoveries are jaw dropping – happiness, and I’m talking genuine, authentic happiness, is the natural result of appreciating the joys in life and actively constructing our well-being – even when we our bombarded with negativity.

 His well-being theory can be summarized with the acronym PERMA:

1.      Positive Emotion – these positive emotions can stem from the small and simple things in life such as devouring a bowl of your favorite ice cream (my favorite), enjoying a comedy on television, camping in the outdoors, spending time with family and friends, or exercising. Doing fun and enjoyable things is important in life and it makes us feel better inside.

2.      Engagement – Seligman often refers to this as “Flow”. This occurs when we lose track of time as we do something we love. This could be getting a back rub, playing the piano, reading a good book,  or using our talents to create something.

3.      Relationships – positive relationships are at the core of well-being. Seligman has said “Other people are the best antidote to the downs in life and the single most reliable up”. The purpose of this blog is to promote positive relationships!

4.      Meaning – belonging to or participating in a higher cause, or serving something you believe is larger than yourself. For some this is tied to spirituality or religion. For others it is a political cause, a charity, or raising a family.

5.      Accomplishment/Achievement –  striving to better ourselves in some way by working hard at a skill, achieving a goal or winning a competition or game. Setting our sights on something and dedicating time and attention to accomplishing something is good for the soul.

Becoming aware of PERMA helps us better understand that instead of focusing on happiness alone, we can have a rich meaningful life by balancing what we do and pursue in life. Of course this blog will focus primarily on the “R”, RELATIONSHIPS.