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Positivity: Groundbreaking Research Reveals How to Embrace the Hidden Strength of Positive Emotions, Overcome Negativity, and Thrive
World renowned researcher Dr. Barbara Fredrickson gives you the lab-tested tools necessary to create a healthier, more
vibrant, and flourishing life through a process she calls "the upward spiral." You’ll discover:
•What positivity is, and why it needs to be heartfelt to be effective
• The ten sometimes surprising forms of positivity
• Why positivity is more important than ha...more
vibrant, and flourishing life through a process she calls "the upward spiral." You’ll discover:
•What positivity is, and why it needs to be heartfelt to be effective
• The ten sometimes surprising forms of positivity
• Why positivity is more important than ha...more
Hardcover, 288 pages
Published
January 27th 2009
by Crown
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If you want to wrap your head around the best, most practical lessons of Positive Psychology in the most direct way possible, start here. Barbara Fredrickson, among the first researchers to study the effects of positive emotions on health, sheds light on a recent and fundamentally important scientific finding: In any given situation, a “positivity ratio” of three positive experiences to each negative one is required in order for individuals to thrive and flourish. Any less, and we start drifting...more
Barbara Fredrickson teaches at UNC-Chapel Hill, where I got my PhD in English; I've been aware of her work in positive psychology for years because a handful of my students took her classes--and they all LOVED them. I recently ran across an interview with Fredrickson and liked her discussion of how imprecise a term "happy" is and how inadequate various measures of it are, so I decided to read her book.
I probably should have read her scholarly articles instead (and I probably ...more
I probably should have read her scholarly articles instead (and I probably ...more
I only skimmed this book. I liked that it combines research with stories. I especially like how the author provides much data and common sense to encourage the reader to decide to focus on the positives in life. Here's a link to the author's web page where you can take a 20 question daily positivity quiz to get an idea of where you're at in achieving a 3 to 1 positivity ratio. http://www.positivityratio.com/single.ph...
A good companion read for this book is The Biology Of Belief:...more
A good companion read for this book is The Biology Of Belief:...more
I especially enjoyed this book's realism about positive thinking. There are things about which we should be pessimistic, and it is actually good for us (her derogatory remarks about Pollyanna notwithstanding--obviously she's only seen the movie, not read Porter's book, which I think actually is in line with these research findings! In the book, Pollyanna isn't paralyzed because she falls from a tree when disobeying her aunt. She's randomly hit by a car. The theology all the way through is deeper...more
I got ahold of this after I heard Dr. Fredrickson present some findings on a local radio station; I have a hipster distrust of happiness and was hoping for some charts and graphs and tales of horrible things done to monkeys in the name of cognitive science, all with the conclusion that we should take more long walks. Instead I got told to make a gratitude list; this book is much heavier on the self-help then on the science journalism and sells itself about the same as a diet plan. I hate to say ...more
While the message of this book is timely, i.e. that positivity can make a huge difference in the social world and that we should all work toward developing a more positive attitude,the scientific basis for these discoveries seems much more dubious. In fact, the book fits quite definitively into the self-help section and not the popular science section. Don't be fooled by the author's credentials or her constant (methinks she protests too much) appeals to the scientific validity of her discoverie...more
Although the book is more academic than mainstream, the book provides some great insight for the average person. Throughout my life, I have held positivity as a key to true happiness. We all have it within ourselves to “turn on” our own happiness. The author does a great job at explaining the scientific evidence behind the benefits of positivity. She also focuses on how we can obtain our own happiness levels. Overall, the book provides a great deal of scientific evidence and a few real world exa...more
I've been hearing wonderful things about this book from people who loved it, but frankly, I couldn't get past the first few pages without wanting to throw up. This book has a powerful and important message, but it's completely lost in the saccharine, unrealistic delivery.
Fredrickson starts the book by portraying the same scenario viewed in two different ways: In the first, you sleep through your alarm, wake up too late for your morning workout, check your email and find that one co...more
Fredrickson starts the book by portraying the same scenario viewed in two different ways: In the first, you sleep through your alarm, wake up too late for your morning workout, check your email and find that one co...more
Some interesting research and practical applications once you get through a bit of self congratulatory fluff. One of the more interesting studies involved "fake" positive messages and the effect on coronary blood flow. The study showed that these empty positive messages caused as much artery constriction as high levels of stress. Thus, you can not just slap up some motivational posters and improve your corporate (or personal) morale problem.
Good points:
Authoritative account of broaden-and-build theory
Lists 10 positive emotions which help broaden and build and may be part of the good life
Jaunty positive style
Useful toolkit
Reservations:
Toolkit is least developed and systematic part of book
Some of this is hard science, some author's hunches
For my full review see
<a href =http://www.timlebon.com/wise-books/2009/09/positivity-by-barbara-fredrickson.html"
Authoritative account of broaden-and-build theory
Lists 10 positive emotions which help broaden and build and may be part of the good life
Jaunty positive style
Useful toolkit
Reservations:
Toolkit is least developed and systematic part of book
Some of this is hard science, some author's hunches
For my full review see
<a href =http://www.timlebon.com/wise-books/2009/09/positivity-by-barbara-fredrickson.html"
Psychology has studied negitivity and its influencing factors; anxiety, greed, murder profiling, neurosis, psychosis, schizophrenia, and disorders. Barbara Fredrickson examines the effects of positive self talk, thinking, and exchange. Advantages increase day by day according to her studies, and she provides direct and easy to understand examples and ideas.
Looking for a means to end some negative thinking, I thought this was a good choice. Found some helpful hints but not certain I'll thrive as the cover suggests. Still, any book that makes me stop and think about my perception of daily living and suggests ways to make positive changes, has some merit. Now how's that for positive thinking!
Interesting concept, though a bit scientific for my taste. Her premise is that to truly be a positive person, you must have a 3/1 ratio of positive/negative thoughts. The advice on how to get there is a bit predictable but I think the face that anyone is making a career of studying positive thinking is a great thing.
Still more useful information on how to become happier and lead a life filled with positivity. There was a difference in this book from the others I've been reading -- it states that the impact of faking happiness has a negative effect. Other books I've read suggesting you "fake it till you make it."
Jennifer
marked it as to-read
I don't know if I really need to put myself through the mind-numbing, stomach-churning, anti-intellectual, victim-blaming of Positivity Culture in order to try and read this hot mess. Maybe it's wise to know what the enemy's thinking, or maybe I'm feeling extra masochistic today.
Important topic with strong implications for personal development. Some extremely annoying prose. Oversells the strength and validity of the author's own research. Watch her describe her research (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ds_9Df6dK...), or just skim the book.
I loved this book! I've never read self-help before and was skeptical at first, but a very good friend recommended it to me and I have to say, Frederickson had some great suggestions on how to change your outlook and remain calm during stressful times.
Essential--
The question boils down to this: Is your positivity to negativity ratio above 3:1? If not, that means you're not happy with your life. And that means you should buy this book and learn to jack up that ratio so you can have as fulfilling a life as you can possibly have.
In fact, this book is full of practical information and tools that have withstood the test of science and proved to be effective.
The author's attempt to establish credibility especially in ...more
The question boils down to this: Is your positivity to negativity ratio above 3:1? If not, that means you're not happy with your life. And that means you should buy this book and learn to jack up that ratio so you can have as fulfilling a life as you can possibly have.
In fact, this book is full of practical information and tools that have withstood the test of science and proved to be effective.
The author's attempt to establish credibility especially in ...more
This is a great book about the new scientific studies on having a positive perspective. There are several great take-away points that I really enjoyed! I definitely recommend it!
The science portions of this book are very interesting. The last 1/2 is fairly repetitive and veers deep into self-help land. Good for skimming. Her tips are definititely doable.
This book presents lots of research in the first half. It is interesting, but gets old. The second half is full of practical applications and is much more interesting.
An interesting read, except I quickly got tired of the author referring everything back to her and her research. She spends the whole first half of the book on it, and then couldn't help but do some of that in the second half as well. Quite frankly, we get it - she's a psychologist and the "expert" - that's why she's writing the book in the first place. After introducing herself and her research, I would have preferred her to just give me the facts and stop patting herself on the bac...more
Loved this book!!! It made me look at my attitude in a totally different light and changed the way I deal with every day situations. I highly recommend it.
Lots of good ideas on how to get there and stay there.
This book gets a three. The second half is much better than the first, because it actually gives ways to achieve positivity, but still. Inspiring, yes; groundbreaking, no. Now time to put some of these things into practice.
Thanks for this book, Lu! I found it to be mostly interesting - I liked the chapters that covered how to be more positive in your life, but there were too many chapters that covered the details of the studies that the author ran in her daily work. I think the book could have been 1/3 - 1/2 shorter by cutting most of that out. It definitely made me much more aware of my positivity/negativity in every aspect of my life. I would recommend the book to read...just skim the first few chapters on t...more
Good airplane book - quick read
another one and another one.
Provides a lot of good daily practices for becoming a more positive person and learning how to offset negativity. Some of the tools require time, but seem like they provide long term approach to staying positive. There is a lot of repetition though...
A worthy goal which I wish to acquire. The book is a bit tedious, saying the same thing over and over again. By page 56 I had had enough. I know it's a good thing to be positive and that good things happen if you seek good things to happen, but saying it over and over again, ad infinitum gets a bit boring!
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