Seeing Is Believing: Making Wellbeing More Tangible.

Dianne A Vella-Brodrick,Anneliese Gill,Kent Patrick

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2022.809108

Dianne A Vella-Brodrick, Anneliese Gill + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.809108

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Abstract

Positive Psychology has been instrumental in promoting wellbeing science in the modern era. However, there are still ways in which positive psychology interventions and positive education programmes can be improved to achieve more robust and sustained effects. One suggested method is to make wellbeing more salient and tangible through the use of objective tools that assess the relationship between psychological and physiological wellbeing, and enable wellbeing status and change to be seen. With the addition of an interdisciplinary team, as well as technology-enabled and pedagogically sound learning tools and approaches, the potential for positive outcomes and impact increases exponentially. Monitoring wellbeing progress in this way can provide evidence, motivation and belief in positive psychology and wellbeing interventions. This can lead to engaged learning, sustained benefits and systemic impact. Positive psychology needs to strategically extend on the emerging work in this field to help everyone, including policy makers, notice and value wellbeing.

Highlights

Positive psychology has made many important contributions to wellbeing science, including spotlighting research focused on understanding ‘what makes life worth living’ and examining how to ‘thrive, not just survive’ (Seligman and Csikszentmihalyi, 2000)
At the very least, founding scholars and champions of positive psychology have raised academic and public awareness about the biased attention on psychopathology and mental illness within psychology (Seligman and Csikszentmihalyi, 2000; Westerhof and Keyes, 2010) and the simultaneous need to focus on the presence of wellbeing for people to experience good mental health (Keyes, 2002)
We will first briefly explore the unique contributions of positive psychology; we will identify key issues and areas where more progress is needed and we will conclude with some examples of work already commenced in these recommended areas

Summary

INTRODUCTION

Positive psychology has made many important contributions to wellbeing science, including spotlighting research focused on understanding ‘what makes life worth living’ and examining how to ‘thrive, not just survive’ (Seligman and Csikszentmihalyi, 2000). Advances in technology and neurophysiological devices make it possible to measure internal bodily states with the intent of gaining awareness and taking control over processes previously outside the individual’s level of awareness Known as biofeedback this objective, real-time information can make wellbeing more tangible and appealing, increasing motivation and engagement. Adopting a more extensive systems approach, Mead et al (2021) have proposed a transdisciplinary model of wellbeing science that encompasses individual, community and environmental domains and physical and socio-contextual factors that may positively or negatively impact peoples’ experiences and cultivation of wellbeing They highlight the importance of self-connection which can be enhanced by developing greater awareness or understanding of the self (Klussman et al, 2020; Mead et al, 2021). This can enable cultural diversity to be more readily identified and understood

CONCLUSION

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