Better than happiness, positivity will boost your life, not just your smile
Dr Barbara Fredrickson is Kenan Distinguished Professor of Psychology and principal investigator of the Positive Emotions and Psychophysiology Laboratory at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is a leading scholar within social psychology, affective science, and positive psychology.
"Fredrickson, one of the pioneers of [positive psychology] knows
her stuff. She is a sure-footed and compassionate guide to [this
field's] many findings. Indeed, the best nuggets stem from [her]
own work into what she calls the 'broaden-and-build theory'."
*Washington Post*
Positive psychology was introduced as a concept about ten years ago
by Martin Seligman; the field studies topics like happiness,
satisfaction, and hope. Fredrickson (psychology, Univ. of North
Carolina), who has spent her career studying positive emotions, has
written a self-help book instructing readers how to put positivity
into their lives. She describes how this will unlock their
creativity, improve their ability to savor the world's pleasures,
and increase satisfaction with their lives and relationships.
Fredrickson pinpoints a three-to-one ratio of positive to negative
emotions as the key to maximum achievement. She lists ten forms of
positivity and helps readers calculate and track their positivity
ratios. A few strong sections feature useful advice in this rather
frothy but entertaining self-help work. Readers looking for a more
scholarly but readable book on positive psychology will enjoy
Daniel Nettle's Happiness: The Science Behind Your Smile. Suitable
for public libraries with large self-help collections.
*Library Journal*
"Positive psychology pioneer Fredrickson introduces readers to the
power of harnessing happiness to transform their lives, backed up
by impressive lab research ... Her arguments and additional online
resources (www.positivityratio.com) offer readers a chance to
experiment with positivity and very possibly lead richer
lives."
*Publishers Weekly*
"Fredrickson, one of the pioneers of [positive psychology] knows
her stuff. She is a sure-footed and compassionate guide to [this
field's] many findings. Indeed, the best nuggets stem from [her]
own work into what she calls the 'broaden-and-build theory'."
*Washington Post*
"Positive psychology pioneer Fredrickson introduces readers to the
power of harnessing happiness to transform their lives, backed up
by impressive lab research ... Her arguments and additional online
resources (www.positivityratio.com) offer readers a chance to
experiment with positivity and very possibly lead richer
lives."
*Publishers Weekly*
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