The Science Behind Personal Wellness

The science behind personal wellness is quite interesting. In the year 2000, Martin Seligman of the University of Pennsylvania and Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi of the University of Clarenot published in the American Psychologist Journal a special monograph entitled “ Happiness, excellence, and optimal human functioning. ”

It was devoted to a new field of psychology called positive psychology. It was pretty much the formal announcement or “birth certificate” of a new psychological movement (Seligman & Csikszentmihalyi, 2000) that we could fit into something called “personal well-being.”

According to these authors, positive psychology is a science of subjective experience. It studies the processes that underlie the positive qualities and emotions of people. What this branch of psychology seeks is to improve people’s quality of life (Seligman & Csikszentmihalyi, 2000).

What is Positive Psychology?

Positive psychology has a lot to say when it comes to the science of personal well-being. As a science, it thus studies the processes that contribute to optimal functioning, whether that be individual, in groups, or institutional (Gable & Haidt, 2005).

As a dedication and source of inspiration, it seeks to promote the optimal functioning of three pillars, namely:

• subjective experiences (happiness, hope)
• positive qualities (forgiveness, wisdom)
• social virtues (responsibility, altruism) (Linley & Joseph, 2004).

In addition, it also focuses on preventing the manifestations of psychopathologies through the development of positive qualities and qualities.

As we mentioned above, positive psychology works within the framework of the science of personal well-being. However, it does not try to go beyond the limits of scientific methodology. Also, don’t forget that many researchers consider the latter the best way to understand phenomena.

This framework defines a clear course of action. Precisely by trying to place itself in it, it tries to elaborate valid and reliable methodological strategies, including quasi-experimental and correlative experimental designs.

We deliberately say “try,” because it doesn’t always work. The reason for this is that it sometimes works with overly subjective measurements influenced by uncontrolled variables.

Keys to the Science of Personal Wellbeing

According to science, the keys to achieving personal well-being are as follows:

• be grateful
• don’t compare yourself excessively with others
• accepting circumstances that cannot be changed

Scientists at the University of Wisconsin analyzed brain activity during a 12-year study on meditation and compassion.

In this study, it was possible to see how the areas associated with happiness were activated with more intensity and frequency when the person did not compare themselves with others, appreciated each circumstance and accepted the situations they faced.

In this study, they studied the functioning of the brain using various techniques and instruments, such as nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR).

The results of this study were so influential that the United States National Academy of Sciences published them in 2004. It is also the fifth most consulted scientific reference in history.

Optimism for adversity: a pillar for the science of personal well-being

Pessimistic people also share a common trait. They tend to assume that bad events will last a long time and that they will have tragic consequences without being able to help it.

In addition, many people believe that they always have access to happiness, joy, comfort and great pleasure. In reality, they should work on these feelings by exercising personal powers and virtues. The latter are incredibly important, but people often look the other way. Usually, surrounded by great wealth, they are virtually forgotten.

Pessimists often ignore that there are many internal conditions under their control. They can act to achieve something. This has a lot to do with things like self-efficacy, coping mechanisms, and uncertainty tolerance.

When it comes to our health, we can decide to act in four different situations. Deciding to quit smoking, staying committed to exercise, eating a balanced diet, and a good level of optimism. Believe it or not, some studies state that optimism is just as important as the three other variables in this example.

We speak of a data-based optimism associated with your reality. Your abilities and resources are the shields. It is inspired by the confidence that freedom gives to the individual. It increases the ability to be creative, allowing your intelligence to flow together with the desire for self-expression.