Flourish: A Visionary New Understanding of Happiness and Well-being

Seligman, Martin E. P.

3.83

6,518 ratings by Goodreads

9781442339057: Flourish: A Visionary New Understanding of Happiness and Well-being

ISBN 10: 1442339055 ISBN 13: 9781442339057

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio, 2011

From the bestselling author of Learned Optimism and Authentic Happiness comes “a relentlessly optimistic guidebook on finding and securing individual happiness” (Kirkus Reviews).

With this unprecedented promise, internationally esteemed psychologist Martin Seligman begins Flourish, his first book in ten years—and the first to present his dynamic new concept of what well-being really is. Traditionally, the goal of psychology has been to relieve human suffering, but the goal of the Positive Psychology movement, which Dr. Seligman has led for fifteen years, is different—it’s about actually raising the bar for the human condition.

Flourish builds on Dr. Seligman’s game-changing work on optimism, motivation, and character to show how to get the most out of life, unveiling an electrifying new theory of what makes a good life—for individuals, for communities, and for nations. In a fascinating evolution of thought and practice, Flourish refines what Positive Psychology is all about.

While certainly a part of well-being, happiness alone doesn’t give life meaning. Seligman now asks, What is it that enables you to cultivate your talents, to build deep, lasting relationships with others, to feel pleasure, and to contribute meaningfully to the world? In a word, what is it that allows you to flourish? “Well-being” takes the stage front and center, and Happiness (or Positive Emotion) becomes one of the five pillars of Positive Psychology, along with Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, and Accomplishment—or PERMA, the permanent building blocks for a life of profound fulfillment.

Thought-provoking in its implications for education, economics, therapy, medicine, and public policy—the very fabric of society—Flourish tells inspiring stories of Positive Psychology in action, including how the entire U.S. Army is now trained in emotional resilience; how innovative schools can educate for fulfillment in life and not just for workplace success; and how corporations can improve performance at the same time as they raise employee well-being.

With interactive exercises to help readers explore their own attitudes and aims, Flourish is a watershed in the understanding of happiness as well as a tool for getting the most out of life. On the cutting edge of a science that has changed millions of lives, Dr. Seligman now creates the ultimate extension and capstone of his bestselling classics, Authentic Happiness and Learned Optimism.

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About the Author:

Martin E. P. Seligman is the Robert A. Fox Professor of Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania. His visionary work in Positive Psychology has been supported by the National Institute of Mental Health, the National Science Foundation, the Guggenheim Foundation, the Mellon Foundation, and the MacArthur Foundation.

Review:

"No psychologist in history has done more than Martin Seligman to discover the keys to flourishing and then give them away to the world. "Flourish" is full of specific techniques you can use to change yourself, your relationships, and your organization. More importantly, Seligman teaches you how to look at life and see possibilities, rather than constraints. If you lead people, work with people, or know any people, you should read this book."

--Jonathan Haidt, author of "The Happiness Hypothesis"

"Brilliant, beautiful, useful, and true. How many books can you say that about? Well, you can say it for sure about "Flourish". Written by a master of research as well as a thoroughly joyful man, "Flourish" will allow you to flourish if you simply read the book and follow its sane, sage, ground-breaking advice. Skeptics, beware! This book will prove you wrong. You actually can plan your way to a joyful and fulfilling life. Read and rejoice!"

--Edward Hallowell, M.D., author of "Shine: Using Brain Science to Bring the Best from Your People"

"This book is a guide to a state of truly flourishing, reaching our max, getting to the sweetness of life, which comes with our being engaged and committed to people and our own self-care. FLOURISH will help you get the most out of life. A great book to be sure -- a must for every bookshelf."

--John Ratey, MD, author of SPARK: "The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain"

"A compelling view of a positive human future, for individuals, corporations, and nations, brilliantly told."

--Tony Hsieh, author of "Delivering Happiness"

"You might think you know about well-being and positive psychology, but there's so much more you can learn in FLOURISH. With flashes of brilliance, rigorous research, and stories so absorbing that they're impossible to put down, Seligman's new book contains wisdom garnered over a long and storied career - a calling that leads him to work with billionaire philanthropists, British lords, Army generals, Australian school kids, and thousands of bright and creative scientists, students, educators, and mental health professionals. If you liked "Authentic Happiness", you will like "Flourish "ten times more. This book is bound to be not only a source of knowledge, but a fount of inspiration."

-- Sonja Lyubomirsky, author of "The How of Happiness: A Scientific Approach to Getting the Life You Want"

"The spread of positive psychology is a key development in world culture. This book tells the remarkable story, including its adoption by the U.S. Army."

--Richard Layard, author of "Happiness: Lessons from a New Science"

"Important" --"Publishers Weekly"

"I was immediately charmed... Seligman's intentions are admirable and exciting. He is consumed by his mission, which is to take psychology on from its traditional role in alleviating misery, and broaden it into positive psychology -- the entirely different art of teaching us how to be wiser, stronger, more generous to others, more self-disciplined, and more capable of dealing with difficulty and rejection... The book is full of nuggets about why positive approaches work."

"The Sunday Times"

"""Repaves the path to true happiness. A relentlessly optimistic guidebook on finding and securing individual happiness." -"Kirkus"

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