Positivity

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.

"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."

"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'."

"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."

"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'."