Reaching beyond where you are is really important. Martin Seligman importantreach Change image and share on social
If you were an optimistic teen, then you'll be an optimist at 80. People's reactions to bad events are highly stable over a half century or more. Martin Seligman badcenturyevent Change image and share on social
I believe psychology has done very well in working out how to understand and treat disease. But I think that is literally half-baked. If all you do is work to fix problems, to alleviate suffering, then by definition you are working to get people to zero, to neutral. Martin Seligman alleviatebakedefinition share on social
P is positive emotion, E is engagement, R is relationships, M is meaning and A is accomplishment. Those are the five elements of what free people chose to do. Pretty much everything else is in service of one of or more of these goals. That's the human dashboard. Martin Seligman accomplishmentchoosedashboard share on social
The best therapists can do with sadness, anger, and anxiety is to help patients live in the more comfortable part of their set range. Martin Seligman angeranxietycomfortable Change image and share on social
I'm trying to broaden the scope of positive psychology well beyond the smiley face. Happiness is just one-fifth of what human beings choose to do. Martin Seligman beingbroadenchoose Change image and share on social
Creativity is bound up in our ability to find new ways around old problems. Martin Seligman abilitybindcreativity Change image and share on social
Sexual performance problems, such as impotence and frigidity, are 70 to 90 percent changeable. But a homosexual who wants to be a heterosexual - that's close to unchangeable. And a transsexual - say a man who believes he's really a woman in a man's body - is completely unchangeable; you'd have to change the body to conform to the psyche. Martin Seligman believebodychange share on social
Positive thinking is the notion that if you think good thoughts, things will work out well. Optimism is the feeling of thinking things will be well and be hopeful. Martin Seligman feltgoodhopeful Change image and share on social
The dirty little secret of both clinical psychology and biological psychiatry is that they have completely given up on the notion of cure. Martin Seligman biologicalclinicalcompletely Change image and share on social