Give me happy
February 14, 2013 1:02 PM   Subscribe

I'm looking for some of the best books/articles/podcasts/videos about positive psychology. Self-help books are fine, as long as they are well-founded in research.

I saw this previous question, but it was 4 years ago, and I know there's been a lot more since. Also, not looking for "The Secret"-ish stuff unless it's supported by valid research.
posted by lunasol to Science & Nature (10 answers total) 24 users marked this as a favorite
 
I assume you know about Martin Seligman, as he figures prominently in your linked Wiki article. His stuff is good, and backed by research.

I can personally recommend "Happier" by Tal Ben-Shahar, "Feeling Good" by David Burns and "The Tao of Pooh" by Benjamin Hoff. (And yes, I'm being serious on that last one. The book saved me.)
posted by jbickers at 1:24 PM on February 14, 2013


Readings and Videos on Positive Psychology from the Positive Pyschology Center.

Happiness: Lessons from a New Science is now a bit dated, but (as a nonexpert) I thought it struck a nice balance between accessability and rigor.
posted by Mr.Know-it-some at 1:35 PM on February 14, 2013


The happiness project
posted by SyraCarol at 2:13 PM on February 14, 2013


I really like Stin Hansen, who does positive affirmations and meditations. You have to pay a small fee for access to her site if you want to be able to make use of the full range of recordings, but I found out about her through the itunes store, and I think there are a few podcasts that are free on there.
posted by thesnowyslaps at 2:33 PM on February 14, 2013


Check your memail please!
posted by tweedle at 4:04 PM on February 14, 2013


This book, a Primer in Positive Psychology, is very easy to read (IMO but I have a bachelor's in psychology) and is written by an expert. It has suggested reading/watching/listening at the end of each chapter and exercises.
posted by tweedle at 4:08 PM on February 14, 2013


You could check out Sonja Lyubomirsky's work.
posted by mlle valentine at 9:18 PM on February 14, 2013


Not sure if this is quite what you are looking for, but 59 Seconds fits the description. Richard Wiseman set out to write a legitimate research-based self-help book that explores what makes people happy and the small things people can do to achieve it.
posted by princeoftheair at 10:12 PM on February 14, 2013 [1 favorite]


I seem to promote her work a lot on metafilter, but you should check out the research of Brene Brown. She holds a research professorship at the University of Houston in Social Work and she studies what gets in the way of being happy.
posted by Okapi at 3:48 AM on February 15, 2013


Response by poster: Thanks so much everyone! Great resources here.
posted by lunasol at 6:23 PM on February 16, 2013


« Older Worst. Bike thief. Ever.   |   Well-made walking shoes with repairable soles? Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.