Positivity: Groundbreaking Research Reveals How to Embrace the Hidden Strength of Positive Emotions, Overcome Negativity, and Thrive (Hardcover)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Positive psychology pioneer Fredrickson introduces readers to the power of harnessing happiness to transform their lives, backed up by impressive lab research. The author lays out the core truths and 10 forms of positivity—joy, gratitude, serenity, interest, hope, pride, amusement, inspiration, awe and love—in a book that promises to change the way people look at feeling good. Disdainful of Pollyannaism, Fredrickson remains realistic in her treatment and provides scientific evidence to illustrate her findings that maintaining a 3:1 positivity ratio of positive thoughts to negative emotions creates a tipping point between languishing and flourishing. The book includes compelling case studies, concrete tips, a Positivity Self Test and a tool kit for decreasing negativity and raising the positivity ratio. Although many of Fredrickson's methods and theories (notes on meditation and karma) will seem familiar to anyone versed in yoga or eastern religions, the scientific foundation of her arguments and additional online resources (www.positivityratio.com) offer readers a chance to experiment with positivity and very possibly lead richer lives. (Feb.)
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Review

"Written by one of the most influential contributors to this new perspective in science, Positivity provides a wonderful synthesis of what positive psychology has accomplished in the first decade of its existence. It is full of deep insights about human behavior as well as useful suggestions for how to apply them in everyday life."
—Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Ph.D., author of Flow

"Positivity is literally the feel-good book of the year, providing a scientifically sound prescription for joy, health, and creativity. Read one to two chapters daily as needed or until grumpiness subsides."
—Daniel Gilbert, professor of psychology, Harvard University, and author of Stumbling on Happiness


From the Hardcover edition. --This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Crown (January 27, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0307393739
• ISBN-13: 978-0307393739
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (32 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #12,393 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #40 in	Books > Health, Mind & Body > Mental Health > Emotions
  #59 in	Books > Health, Mind & Body > Psychology & Counseling > Applied Psychology

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

52 of 59 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Do Not Recommend for People With Serious Problems, March 21, 2009

By	Reader from Washington, DC/New York "Reader" (Washington, DC/New York) - See all my reviews

Dear Friends: I am somewhat disappointed with this book. The author is clearly a very brilliant scholar in her field, and writes clearly and in an interesting manner.

But she is more focused on how her scientific studies and those of her colleagues provided some of the first testable scientific evidence for the value of increasing one's positive emotions than she is in presenting how the results of those studies can be implemented by people with serious life problems seeking to increase their "positivity."

Some of her techniques involve going to her website, recording daily monitoring of one's emotions, and voluntering to add the reader's results to her database. That's a clever way to find new study volunteers, but not what I'd expect in a self-help book.

Her recommendations for troubled seekers are surprisingly few and bland, given the intense, in-depth amount of research she has clearly done in this field. The book also needed a stronger editor, as there is much repetition of material.

I was also surprised by her showcasing of certain Buddhist techniques that can be used to increase "positivity" with any acknowledgement that similar or identical techniques exist in other religions and spiritualities, such as Judaism, Christianity and Islam. She appeared unaware that the common elements of mysticism and meditation are not confined to Buddhism.

In addition, the examples given in the book of people benefiting from its principles are largely of happily married people with children where everything turned out well for them when they implemented the very few "positivity" techniques that the author suggests

I wondered -- what about the people who implemented these "positivity" techniques, but still had to deal with unfortunate outcomes? Why was no one in her examples single, divorced, widowed, elderly, physically and emotionally disabled, or a teenager?

It seemed that everyone who implemented her principles -- always successfully -- was a happily married academic between the ages of 25 to 60. Where was the rest of the population?

This emphasis on a very narrow segment of the U.S. population caused me to question the value of her book for the rest of us.

The book did spark my interest in "positivity," positive thinking, and the field of positive psychology, and I have gone ahead to purchase other books about it.

22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Positive Emotion Really Works, January 30, 2009

By	Bonnie Snyder - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Dr. Barbara Fredrickson writes an easy to read stunningly, compelling book. Positivity is rich with the science and research of how and yes why, experiencing positive emotions makes life easier- both in the good and bad times. Fredrickson brings her many gifts as an analytical scientist to the table as she writes about her years of in-depth research (and that of many others) with "the numbers" that document why positive emotions make our lives better. I have read many happiness books but this book is a true joy to read as Fredrickson weaves in her own heartfelt experiences and personal stories from her colleagues and research participants making the "science" come to life. But, that isn't all Fredrickson gives you practical, easy techniques based on the research of how raise your "positivity ratio" and find yourself when you get lost in the busy and uncertain world we live in today. For me once again reading this book narrowed the gap between the major premises of many faith traditions and science. If you are a skeptic she has the numbers that really document how positive emotion shifts your ability to see more options, be physically healthier and how to feel better. Or, if you just want to make a change in life and want to enjoy your life more you will love Positivity.

Bonnie Snyder,Ed.S
Life Balance Coach & Author

24 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It Works!, February 23, 2009

By	D. Weisberg "kayak angler" (San Jose, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book has definitely made my life better! It has helped me become a more positive, resilient person.

I read many books, and they helped diminish my negativity, but still it kept creeping back into my life. After reading this book, however, my anxiety began to melt away. I stopped waking up with my heart pounding, afraid to face the day. For the first time in a long time, I really felt good.

The author uses research to demonstrate that genuinely happy, positive, people make better decisions, have improved memory, and get along better with others. She showed me that the "self-analysis" and "problem solving" I thought I was doing when I was negative were actually inaccurate and self-defeating.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not a smiley-face kind of person. The author makes the point that positivity is spontaneous; if you make it routine it becomes fake and loses its benefits.

To be fair, the other books I read gave me insight which prepared me well for this book. But still I needed something positive to replace the negativity, and this book did the job! Plus, it's an easy read!