Question

According to Seligman, what do most people want out of life?

What is positive psychology?

What does Seligman mean by “authentic happiness”?

What is Seligman’s formula for authentic happiness?

What are the benefits of positive moods?

What specific factors influence level of happiness?

Answer 1

Since you have posted multiple questions, I am going to answer first three, I hope it helps. Thanks

1. Martin Seligman, who is a pioneer of Positive Psychology. Accoridng to him, people want happiness in their lives. Through the use of exhaustive questionnaires, Seligman found that the most satisfied people were those who had discovered and exploited their unique combination of strengths such as humanity, temperance and persistence.

2. Positive Psychology is defined as the scientific study of human flourishing, and an applied approach to optimal functioning. It can also be described as the study of strengths and virtues that enable individuals, communities and organisations to thrive.

3. Authentic Happiness is the happiness that could be analyzed into three different elements that we choose for our own sakes: positive emotion, engagement, and meaning.

• The first is positive emotion; an entire life led successfully around this element, I call the “pleasant life.”
• The second element is engagement. I believe that the concentrated attention that flow requires uses up all the cognitive and emotional resources that make up thought and feeling.
• The third element of happiness, which is meaning. The Meaningful Life consists in belonging to and serving something that you believe is bigger than the self, and humanity creates all the positive institutions to allow this: religion, political party, being Green, the Boy Scouts, or the family.