One of my worries about America is the epidemic of depression we've been in. One of the possibilities about that is that the 'I' gets bigger and bigger, and the 'we' gets smaller and smaller.
Martin SeligmanRead
I'm trying to broaden the scope of positive psychology well beyond the smiley face. Happiness is just one-fifth of what human beings choose to do.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote emphasizes that happiness is only a small part of a broader approach to positive psychology.
Martin Seligman highlights that while happiness is a significant aspect of human experience, it only represents a fraction of the potential elements that contribute to a fulfilling life. By advocating for a broader perspective on positive psychology, he encourages the exploration of various dimensions of well-being beyond merely pursuing happiness.
Themes
HappinessPositive PsychologyWell-BeingFulfillmentLife Choices
In practice
Example use cases
During a workshop on mental health, I referenced this quote to illustrate that happiness is part of a larger picture of well-being.
More from Martin Seligman
All quotes βThe dirty little secret of both clinical psychology and biological psychiatry is that they have completely given up on the notion of cure.
Martin SeligmanRead
The belief that we can rely on shortcuts to happiness, joy, rapture, comfort, and ecstasy, rather than be entitled to these feelings by the exercise of personal strengths and virtues, leads to legions of people who, in the middle of great wealth, are starving spiritually.
Martin SeligmanRead
I believe psychology has done very well in working out how to understand and treat disease. But I think that is literally half-baked. If all you do is work to fix problems, to alleviate suffering, then by definition you are working to get people to zero, to neutral.
Martin SeligmanRead
The good life is using your signature strengths every day to produce authentic happiness and abundant gratification.
Martin SeligmanRead
Perhaps the single most robust fact across many surveys is that married people are happier than anyone else.
Martin SeligmanRead
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