December 5, 2013 will be remembered for at least two historic events: First, the worst storm surge in Northern Europe for more than half a century, with mile upon mile of town and countryside in the UK, the Netherlands, Germany, and Denmark inundated with sea water and many people losing their homes, their livelihoods, […]

When I first came across the VIA Inventory of Character Strengths back in my 2007 MAPP class, I was curious to know whether all 24 strengths are the same in terms of their relationship to well-being. We’d read the 2005 research paper by Seligman and colleagues that suggests that using your strengths in new ways […]

During the recent London 2012 Olympic Games an unparalleled mood of optimism and hope swept across the United Kingdom. Even people who don’t love sports could not help being drawn into the anticipation and excitement, sharing the heroism of the medal winners and the heart-break of those who missed out, whether by a millimetre or […]

* Hope and Hell are both located in Michigan… One of the aspects of studying positive psychology which really appeals to me is its sheer breadth – the fact that it applies in so many fields of human endeavour and experience.  Positive psychology appears in disciplines as diverse as art and design, education, politics, and […]

As the mother of a rapidly-growing boy (aged 8, going on 18), I was very interested to come across the Positive Masculinity Model, and wondered what I could learn from it that would be useful to me as a parent.   Below is my Positive Psychology News Daily article on the subject in full. I probably […]

Here’s a great article on the value of Positive Psychology to business, covering all the basics from the benefits of positive emotions (e.g enhancing creativity and problem-solving) to hiring people on their strengths not their CVs. Plus it mentions the work of two of my Positive Psychology News Daily colleagues, David J Pollay and Senia […]

In this post we look at new ways of applying 3 more of the VIA character strengths, Perseverance, Vitality and Hope. If you haven’t already done the VIA-IS online strengths test, why not take some time out now to complete it, and when you’ve got your list of top 5 (or signature) strengths, come back […]

How to Use Your Top 5 Character Strengths in New Ways – Part 3. If you’ve just completed the VIA-IS online survey and are wondering what to do with your Top 5 Strengths, read on… There’s increasing research to show that focusing on your strengths at work rather than on your weaknesses brings huge benefits, […]

How to Use Your Character Strengths in New Ways – Part 2. In your annual appraisal / personal development meeting, does your boss focus on how to use your strengths more effectively, or how to improve your weaknesses (or ‘development areas’ if you’re being PC)? According to Positive Psychologists Chris Peterson and Martin Seligman, using […]

How to Use Your Character Strengths in New Ways – Part 1 Have you completed the VIA-IS online character strengths survey yet? We find it an excellent starting point for coaching conversations since many people are completely unaware of their strengths, so it can be an instant confidence boost, as well as providing insight into […]

I’ve just returned from the Open University Psychological Society’s three day Psychology of Wellbeing Conference at Nottingham University. Amongst others, the speakers included Dr Richard Stevens (of BBc2s ‘Making Slough Happy’ fame), Oliver James (a man who enjoys courting controversy in e.g. Britain on the Couch , They F*** You Up , Affluenza ), and […]

Our last post looked at how to identify your character strengths using the VIA-IS on-line tool. There is another on-line inventory called the Gallup Strengths Finder tool. In order to access it, you need to buy Tom Rath’s book first; with the book you get a password which enables you to access the tool on-line. […]