Breathe
By Arlen Solodkin
Positive psychology is a branch of psychology that emerged in the late 1990s thanks to the work of psychologist Martin Seligman, its founder and then director of the American Psychological Association. After many years of research in the area of learned helplessness, Seligman highlighted the importance of understanding emotional health and holistic well-being as more than the absence of illness.
In the beginning, psychology focused especially on psychopathology, on pain and its causes. That is, in the study of people who were going through moments of suffering, as well as the possible treatments that could bring them relief. However, by focusing on what is wrong with the human being, psychology forgot to study a large percentage of the population. It left aside the study of those people who feel full, happy and fulfilled, as well as all those qualities and strengths that make a person feel good and contribute to a fulfilling life.
Since its inception, this approach has attracted widespread academic and practical interest, resulting in numerous studies showing that happier people tend to perform better in their jobs, studies, more satisfying interpersonal relationships and better health care. For example, the World Happiness Report indicates that countries that implement public policies focused on well-being, such as investment in mental health and positive education, tend to experience higher levels of happiness and social productivity.
This should not surprise us because of its logic, however, over hundreds of years, we have disqualified the importance of the so-called soft tools, or known today as psychosocial and psycho-emotional skills. During the 10 years of working with educational institutions and organizations in various parts of the world, some of the problems we have detected in the Instituto de Bienestar Integral are the absence or errors of leadership, lack of institutional trust, low motivation of employees, lack of recognition and belonging. Aspects commonly referred to as soft aspects, which, when not receiving due attention, have an impact on the bottom line of organizations, thus impacting hard data, KPIs, turnover rates, customer service, innovation capacity in changing environments and levels of creativity in organizations.
Within the work we have done, for example, at the National University of Costa Rica, we implemented a program in the Student Welfare Department four years ago, following the pandemic, which led to the collaboration of the team for the creation and implementation of specific initiatives that continue to impact both the team of collaborators and their students. In a positive leadership program we developed for a financial institution in Mexico, employees reported high levels of gratitude and mattering, the feeling of being an important part of the organization, simply because they received training that viewed employees as human beings and as a whole. Working with leaders from all over the world through the Happiness Studies Certification created by Dr. Tal Ben-Shahar, participants report that the tools and skills acquired have been a turning point in their personal and professional lives. To date, we have trained more than 2,000 people and the community is more powerful than ever. When you shift the focus from deficit to potential, miracles happen within individuals and their organizations.
Since Seligman illuminated a new horizon, many studies have been carried out in the best universities in the world in various areas of knowledge related to topics such as happiness, meaning of life, positive emotions, resilience, character strengths, growth mindset, hope, virtues, values, positive relationships, among many others.
Currently, the knowledge of Positive Psychology has been applied both in the field of personal development and in the institutional field. Its applications have provided practical tools to organizations, increasing levels of productivity, involvement, job satisfaction, meaning at work, improving interpersonal relationships, increasing levels of creativity and commitment. Thanks to this approach, absenteeism, stress levels, apathy and burn-out have been reduced. Organizations such as Google and Zappos have adopted positive psychology principles to foster healthy work cultures. These companies have reported increases in job satisfaction, creativity and engagement, as well as a notable reduction in absenteeism and stress.
For educational institutions, integrating content on well-being, happiness and resilience means better academic performance. In a study by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation supported by the U.S. Department of Education, they created a 5-point scale to measure the social competencies of children from preschool to age 20 and found that, for every one-point increase in social skills, children were twice as likely to earn a college degree, 54% more likely to finish high school and 46% more likely to hold a full-time job.
It is important to emphasize that positive psychology does not seek to replace traditional psychology, but rather to complement it, offering practical tools for personal development and organizational improvement. Through the study of strengths such as resilience, optimism and gratitude, it opens the door to a more promising and satisfying future. The application of these principles in our daily lives can guide us toward a fuller and more responsible existence, both individually and collectively.
Just as oxygen is the element that keeps us alive, in an era where depression and anxiety have become increasingly common, optimism, faith and hope have become the antidote that offers us the possibility of moving forward. In a context where competitiveness, technology and speed keep us alienated, positive psychology helps us to remember what really matters and to take back the virtues and strengths to build a life worth living.
*Funderwriter and director of the Instituto de Bienestar Integral and the Hope Circuit meeting.
**ABOUT HORPE CIRCUIT
Hope Circuit is the international meeting that brings together the most recognized leaders in the fields of integral wellbeing, happiness and human progress; which will take place on November 23rd and 24th at the Westin Santa Fe Hotel in Mexico City as the first of other actions that seek to create a more positive future for our country. In the next publications we will share practical tools and the findings of world leaders who will be at Hope Circuit, such as Dr. Martin Seligman, considered one of the most influential psychologists of our times; Dr. Tal Ben-Shahar, professor of the most popular course at Harvar University or Andrew Schwartz, director of the World Wellbeing Project, in order to challenge the status quo and enrich our community so that together we can find solutions that will help us build a future of greater optimism, empathy and hope.
The opinions expressed are the responsibility of the authors and are absolutely independent of the position and editorial line of the company. Opinion 51.
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