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.
Martin SeligmanRead
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.
Interpretation
What this quote means
A growing focus on individualism may lead to increased feelings of depression and isolation.
In this quote, Martin Seligman expresses concern about the rising levels of depression in America, suggesting that as individualism ('I') becomes more pronounced, the sense of community and collective identity ('we') diminishes, potentially contributing to mental health struggles. This observation highlights the importance of nurturing connections and community in combating feelings of isolation and sadness.
Themes
DepressionIndividualismCommunityMental HealthIsolation
In practice
Example use cases
In a mental health seminar to discuss the importance of community support.
More from Martin Seligman
All quotes →The dirty little secret of both clinical psychology and biological psychiatry is that they have completely given up on the notion of cure.
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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.
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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.
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The good life is using your signature strengths every day to produce authentic happiness and abundant gratification.
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Perhaps the single most robust fact across many surveys is that married people are happier than anyone else.
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