Learned Hopefulness: The Power of Positivity to Overcome Depression

Cultivate hope with strengths-based practices grounded in positive psychology.

If you suffer from depression, sub-clinical depression, or low mood, you may have days where you feel like you’ve lost hope―hope that you’ll ever feel better, that the world will be a better place, or that you’ll someday find the happiness that always seems to elude you. You aren’t alone. Many people struggle with feelings of sadness and hopelessness―especially in our difficult, modern world. The good news is that you can change.

Learned Hopefulness offers powerful exercises grounded in evidence-based positive psychology to help you identify your strengths; ditch the self-limiting beliefs that diminish your capacity for positivity; and increase feelings of motivation, resiliency, and wellness. You’ll also learn to untangle yourself from rumination over past negative events, while shifting your perspective to the present moment and anticipating your future through a more positive lens.

With this unique, compassionate, and life-affirming guide, you’ll find the tools you need to break free from hopelessness and start living a life of happiness and vitality.

Dan Tomasulo, PhD, is core faculty at the Spirituality Mind Body Institute (SMBI) at Teachers College, Columbia University; and honored by Sharecare as one of the top ten online influencers on the issue of depression. He holds a PhD in psychology, MFA in writing, and a master of applied positive psychology from the University of Pennsylvania. A highly sought-after international speaker on topics relating to applied positive psychology, he authors the daily column, Ask the Therapist, and the Learned Hopefulness blog for www.psychcentral.com. His award-winning memoir, American Snake Pit, was released in 2018.

Foreword writer Scott Barry Kaufman, PhD, is host of The Psychology Podcast, and author of Transcend.