Professor Martin Seligman, founder of the discipline of positive psychology, world-leading psychologist and expert adviser on well-being gave a public lecture at the

 Melbourne Town Hall (February 7, 2014) on the principles of positive psychology and how they can be learned and applied in any field of human endeavour.Positive Psychology is the study of Positive Emotion, Engagement, Positive Relationships, Meaning and Accomplishment. Martin Seligman reviewed the latest developments in building and measuring these factors in relation to education, neuroscience, health, big data and comprehensive soldier fitness.

Martin Seligman is a leading authority in the fields of positive psychology, resilience, learned helplessness, depression, optimism and pessimism, and a recognised authority on interventions that prevent depression and build strengths and well-being. He said: “when people lie in bed at night, buy and large, they are not thinking on how to go from minus-eight to minus-two in life. They are thinking about how to go from plus two to plus 6.”

Seligman’s goal is to develop more ways to help those who are zero on the spectrum of mental health, to rise above that point and move towards +10. That is, to support them to flourish.

Dr. Seligman encapsulates his theory and approach of wellbeing in the simple yet inclusive acronym P.E.R.M.A.

• Positive Emotion

• Engagement

• Relationships

• Meaning

• Accomplishment

Positive Emotion is a concept that refers to the importance of seeking out and prioritizing the good, beautiful and positive aspects of our lives on a regular basis. An example of this is the 3 good things exercise – Pause each night to write down 3 things that went well that day and why they went well.

Engagement is a concept that refers to the identification and use of an individual’s “signature strengths” or natural talents in order to interact with the environment in a way that is best suited to that individual. It is those individual differences and strengths, Seligman suggests, that allow for such phenomena as post-traumatic growth and resilience. Strengths can be reliably tested in children and adults. “When people use their strengths the more they go into flow…report positive emotion and feel engaged”

Seligman also emphasises the importance of Relationships in overall wellbeing. They include relationships with your partner, boss, colleagues, family, children and community. “Social networks affect people’s physical and mental health and wellbeing”. Action: consider adopting an active constructive conversation. This will allow others to relive positive events and reflect on their higher strengths. It involves enthusiastic support, eye contact and being authentic.

Meaning refers to our innate human need to contribute and belong to something bigger than ourselves. This can take the form of belonging to an organisation or taking part in religion, but can also refer to altruism and selfless acts for others. “People who live their life with purpose enjoy greater health, life satisfaction and overall wellbeing”

Finally, Accomplishment is often pursed for is own sake, regardless of whether it will bring you more positive emotions, engagement, relationships or meaning. Having perseverance or “grit” is one of the new research developments. The work by Angela Duckworth, one of Dr. Seligman’s colleagues shows that it is this “grit” that accounts for twice the significance of intelligence.

Dr. Seligman emphasized that each component of his PERMA concept is not only measurable, but easily teachable. Using today’s technology, social media (i.e. twitter) and psycholinguistics; Dr. Seligman and his team have been able to make astonishing predictions of health and wellness outcomes based on both positive and negative indicators of PERMA concepts.

Dr. Seligman emphasised Positive Psychology exercises as self-sustaining and even “addictive.”

The described the following BENEFITS through the systematic use of positive psychology include:

1. More PERMA
2. Less depression
3. Less anxiety
4. Better relationships
5. Higher achievement
6. More success in life
7. Better physical health