YOU CAN CHANGE THE WORLD by Meg Reilly
T
he comedian Bill Maher has quipped, “I don’t know it for a fact…I just know it’s true.” If you’ve always had a gut feeling that people who seem to be a little kinder than most—a little more grateful or caring toward others—also seem to be happier people, you’re right. But unlike Maher’s joke, there actually are facts that back this up, and the good news is you don’t just
have to be born that way. You can make small changes in the way you act outwardly that will benefit you inwardly. They might even change the world. Martin Seligman, considered the founding father of positive psychology, began his work in the 1960s and 1970s by developing a theory of “learned helplessness,” which he soon connected to depression. His work had profound
social implications. Think of someone you know who gave up on themselves because they were conditioned to think there was no chance of changing their circumstances, whether economic, educational, social or personal. They just stopped trying. Maybe you’ve even felt this way. Happily, Seligman went on to theorize that if learned helplessness can lead to depression, maybe we can learn to be resilient and that can lead to optimism. Dr. Seligman is now the leader of the Positive Psychology Center (PPC) at the University of Pennsylvania, which has the goal of creating a science and profession that heals psychological damage (the crux of his early research) and builds strengths to enable us to achieve the best things in life (the focus of his last several decades of work). The PPC focuses on three areas. The first one is positive experiences, and this is where your ability to create change in your life comes in. The second one is positive individual traits–that person mentioned earlier who always seems to look on the sunny side of life. The third one is bold and expansive: creating positive institutions, workplaces and communities.
So how does this work?
Seph Fontane Pennock has some ideas. He is a founder of PostitivePsychology.com, a website where he curates an immense library of commentary, advice, tests and coursework on topics related to positive emotions, gratitude, mindfulness, compassion and much more. Here are some suggestions Pennock offers on his website to strengthen gratitude: Count your blessings. Yup, the most old-fashioned one of them all. Take a moment or two and list three things that you are grateful for. That’s it! Do it often – daily or at least four to five times a week. Send a handwritten thank you note. It takes a little time and you don’t type it out or text it – you use your own hand, real
24
Fairfield County/Housatonic Valley Edition
eNaturalAwakenings.com
