Improve Your Mood

Instead of focusing on what goes on when people become anxious or depressed, a growing number of psychologists are saying it’s high time to look on the bright side. “Our interest is emotional well-being, in what goes right for people who are happy and well-adjusted,” says Christopher Peterson, PhD, a professor of psychology at the University of Michigan and a leader in the field of positive psychology, a new approach to the discipline. “What are the traits that allow people to lead fulfilled lives? What are the strengths and virtues that contribute to happiness?”

If that sounds more like the stuff of greeting cards than serious science, consider this: the distinguished Oxford University Press published Character Strengths and Virtues: A Handbook and Classification, an 800-page scholarly text that categorizes and analyzes the 24 key traits associated with mental health and happiness. Edited by Peterson and University of Pennsylvania psychologist Martin E.P. Seligman, PhD, considered the guru of positive psychology, the book celebrates characteristics like love, prudence, creativity, and leadership. It’s intended to be a counterpart to the traditional text of psychiatric medicine, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, with its gloomy chapters on troubling conditions like obsessive-compulsive disorder and schizophrenia. Read more here