'Authentic Happiness' by Martin Seligman
Martin Seligman is known for his work in the area of positive psychology, in fact, here’s his blurb from the book cover: Martin E. P Seligman is the Fox Leadership Professor of Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania, the Director of the Positive Psychology Network and former president of the American Psychological Association. Among his twenty books are Learned Optimism and the Optimistic Child: all of which can either add credence to this book or turn you off completely.
In my opinion, this book is a tour de force and successfully straddles the two genres of personal development and psychology. Some of the conclusions reached by the author I found controversial to say the least, but my overall impression of the book was one of lasting value, especially if it is read more than once; I am now on my third reading and still gaining insights that I missed on the first two times.
The book starts with a story of two nuns and their different thinking styles; one was optimistic and the other less so; in fact, could be seen as pessimistic. The longevity of these two women was compared, as was that of one hundred and seventy eight other nuns and a direct correlation was found between their outlook on life and the length of it. Other studies have come to the same conclusion. Pessimists watch out!
Seligman was one of the first psychologists to realise that the vast majority of the effort put in by his profession was aimed at helping unhappy people feel less unhappy, rather than enabling those who were already having great lives, to improve them even further or at least maintain their positive outlook. How refreshing is that?
The author makes a valid distinction between pleasure and what he calls ‘gratification’ which I think I would call ‘fulfilment’. He makes the point that pleasure is easier to come by and provides a certain level of enjoyment, but gratification is gained by doing something that benefits someone else or doing something, that in and of itself may not be enjoyable, but the end result we get gives a longer-lasting feeling of wellbeing and perhaps happiness.
Reflecting on how we have felt, either from the easy route to pleasure such as watching a television programme or having meal out, as opposed to the planning and work it takes to decorate a room, or perhaps studying for a degree or some other application of hard work, I suggest we can relate to Seligmen’s point. There has been research carried out to back up his hypothesis so it’s worth taking it seriously.
The last section of the book addresses meaning and purpose, and comes to a very interesting conclusion on the existence of God, one I have never seen anywhere before; buy the book to find out what he says.
If you want something to provoke you, inspire you, excite you and have you questioning some of your fondly-held – perhaps out-dated beliefs, get this book. It is one of the most profound books I have read in terms of having me question some of the material we present on The Winning Edge programme so please, buy it and enjoy.
Richard Jackson, co-founder of Mancroft