Martin Seligman is basically the Godfather of the Positive Psychology movement. He’s written a number of seminal books on the science of well-being.
Short story: A good life isn’t just about maintaining a positive emotional state represented by that big yellow smiley face. A good life is about moving toward your highest potential — flourishing — and that DOESN’T always feel like sunshine and rainbows.
(Of course, the ancient Greeks made a similar distinction with their two different types of "happiness”: hedonia and eudaimonia. We’ll save that for another discussion.)
So, Seligman tells us there are five key facets to the science of flourishing. He captures them in a handy-dandy acronym:
Here’s a quick look:
PERMA. Positive Emotion. Engagement. Relationships. Meaning. Achievement.
Where are you strong? Celebrate! And what can use a little work? +1!
Here’s to flourishing!