Pursuing the Good Life: 100 Reflections on Positive Psychology

by Christopher Peterson

When we think of psychology, we think of a field dedicated to understanding and curing the dark side of life--addictions, phobias, compulsions, anxieties, and on and on. But there is a field of psychology that looks at the bright side, that considers seriously these questions: What makes life most worth living? And how can we pursue a good life? That field is called, not surprisingly, positive psychology. In Pursuing the Good Life, one of the founders of positive psychology, Christopher Peterson, offers one hundred bite-sized reflections exploring the many sides of this exciting new field. With the humor, warmth, and wisdom that has made him an award- winning teacher, Peterson takes readers on a lively tour of the sunny side of the psychological street. What are the roles played by positive emotions and happiness, by strengths of character, by optimism, and by good relationships with others? How can we pursue the good life in families, workplaces, schools, and sports, no matter who we are or where we live? With titles such as "You May Now Kiss the Bride--And Would You Like Fries With That?" and "How Can You Tell If Someone from France is Happy?" Peterson good- humoredly explores these questions and many others, including such diverse topics as the difference between employment and work, the value of doing the right thing, and why books matter, among other subjects. Throughout, Peterson shows that happiness is not simply the result of a fortunate spin of the genetic wheel. There are things that people can learn to do to lead happier lives. Pursuing the Good Life is both an enjoyable read and an invaluable guide to making the good life part of your everyday existence.

Genres: Psychology, Nonfiction, Science, Self Help, Personal Development, School

341 pages, Hardcover

First published November 30, 2012

About the author

Christopher Peterson is visiting assistant professor of literature at Claremont McKenna College.

Reviews

[Bibliovoracious]

I have a hard time with collections; like reading a blog, or a stack of magazines - the lack of cohesive single subject or theme fails to pull me through the book.

This time, every "reflection" is an average of 2 pages long, for the most part formerly published on Psychology Today´s blog.

[Kelley Kimble · Rating 4 out of 5]

Back to executive summaries. This is a good one. Might read the larger book. Character and traits are more important to happiness and can be cultivated.

[Jen Cheavens · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this collection of essays over the course of a couple years. There are some misses but there are some real gems. Chris made so many contributions to the field; this is a nice way to sit with that in bite sized pieces.

[Brad Nowlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short essays by the late pioneer in the world of positive psychology. These reflections made me think more about what constitutes the good life.

[D · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun epigrams (eg, One father is more than a hundred schoolmasters - George Herbert).

Light reading.

[Suzanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really thought provoking, sometimes humorous collection of essays on the many strengths, criticisms and facets to the positive psychology field. It is all the more poignant that such a relatable and strong advocate of this newer and exciting branch of psychology left us far too soon. Well worth reading for those familiar with the literature, as well as though who are curious about the research.

[Josh Wilks · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book on recommendation of Ed Batista's course "self-coaching" he relays a couple of the reflections there and after reading them I thought, why not?

This was a nice collection of his blog posts. easy reading that you could dip in and out of, and I got a few new note cards to add to the commonplace book!

[Ashley B · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF. This book is a compilation of short blog/writing posts and really isn’t written in a long book format. The author would have been much more effective at refocusing content around core themes and ideas as opposed to short essay reflections.

[Suep · Rating 3 out of 5]

WHAHHAHAHAAA! I'm giving this one a POSITIVE REVIEW! Get it?! Argh....
Seriously, this was a fun and quick read. I skimmed through a lot to find titles that interested me. It's all about your attitude and outlook. And, some days are more perfect than others. Just keep swimming.

[Pratha Debnath · Rating 1 out of 5]

Did not finish. Useless book sadly

[Anshu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Headway

[Vicki]

Meh

[T.L. Cooper · Rating 4 out of 5]

I took my time reading Pursuing the Good Life: 100 Reflections on Positive Psychology by Christopher Peterson because it felt like the best way to read it. I even read some of the reflections more than once. Peterson explores what positive psychology is and what people think positive psychology is. I think of myself as a positive person, so I thought I'd just be reinforcing what I already believe; however, I found some surprises hidden within the short reflections. I really want to try what he describes as a "but-free" day. Pursuing the Good Life: 100 Reflections on Positive Psychology is a great book to read one or two reflections a day allowing the words to sink in before moving on to the next reflection(s). Anyone interested in living a life based on positivity will enjoy reading Pursuing the Good Life. While I didn't always agree with Peterson's opinions, his overall message of focusing on positive psychology rather than always focusing on the psychology about what is "wrong" and why it went wrong is definitely worth giving some serious attention. He clears up the misconception that positive psychology ignores one's problems and points out that while one must be realistic, noticing what is going right in life can be as important as finding what needs to be fixed. Peterson's reflections aren't a self-help book per se but more an exploration of the role positive psychology can have in improving life for everyone.

[Carla Bayha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chris Peterson, a former U of M professor and winner of its highest teaching award, was/is one of the guiding lights in the relatively new science of Positive Psychology. Although the book stands on its own as motivating, thought-provoking, and fun to read, the occasional Ann Arbor references add special meaning to me. Peterson died unexpectedly in October 2012, several months before this book was published. He wrote in his next to last chapter : "My resolution for the next New Years is not to jot down "resolutions" off the top of my head on the first day of the year. It is to establish a vision, for my work and for my life, and maybe that will take the entire year or longer. That's okay."

[Katherine Relf-canas · Rating 4 out of 5]

I skimmed this book; it was a good read. Since it came from the library I had to get it back to avoid a late fee. The author, who is now deceased, wrote for Psychology Today and it was on a meta level interesting to see how he grew into his role as a commentator on the growing research into positive psychology. The brain is so in! as many a lecturer seems to say as a preface to any talk I've gone to recently. I also liked the cover of this book. Good jacket design.

[Long Nguyen · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wonderful series of reading. It's almost as though you can hear Christopher's voice from other side, piercing the veil of time and mortality, and having coffee with you while discussing the good life (albeit slightly more psychological in nature than your casual coffee conversation). Highly recommended for anyone interested in the good life at all, which should be everyone.

[Playhead · Rating 3 out of 5]

Did I think the book was well written and informative? Yes
Would I read if I went back in time? Yes. Eagerly? No

I learned a lot though. I purchased a couple of books and watched a couple of you tube videos based on his analyses

[Judith Schrauder · Rating 5 out of 5]

FANTASTIC book. Fun easy read. Good info. And **GOOD SCIENCE**. A joy.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great short essays filled with information and references for further reading.

[Lynn Huntington]

I'm a sucker for these types of books, what can I say.

[Sondra Eklund · Rating 4 out of 5]

http://www.sonderbooks.com/Nonfiction...

[Susan Procter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short easy to read essays with some good information.