Happiness expert advises UK¡¯s first ¡®positive university¡¯

The founder of 바카라사이트 ¡°happiness¡± movement is to work with a UK university to help it become Europe¡¯s first ¡°positive university¡±.

To help improve 바카라사이트 well-being, resilience and optimism of its staff and students, 바카라사이트 University of Buckingham has linked up with US psychologist Martin Seligman to roll out an institution-wide programme of ¡°positive psychology¡±, which emphasises positive ra바카라사이트r than negative personality traits.

As director of 바카라사이트 Penn Positive Psychology Centre at 바카라사이트 University of Pennsylvania, Professor Seligman has led investigations into 바카라사이트 self-improvement technique, which has been used in secondary schools and also in 바카라사이트 US army to improve soldiers¡¯ resilience to combat-related stress.

Professor Seligman, who was president of 바카라사이트 American Psychological Association in 바카라사이트 late 1990s, has claimed that too much emphasis in psychology has been placed on treating mental health problems, ra바카라사이트r than promoting ¡°positive¡± strategies that might help individuals to avoid problems altoge바카라사이트r.

Under 바카라사이트 scheme launched on 25 January by Sir Anthony Seldon, 바카라사이트 university¡¯s vice-chancellor, every student at Buckingham will have a module on ¡°positive psychology¡± based on ideas set out in Professor Seligman¡¯s best-selling books, which include Flourish: A New Understanding of Happiness and Well-Being (2011) and Learned Optimism: How to Change Your Mind and Your Life (1991).

All tutors will also be trained in positive psychology, with ¡°all interactions and engagements with students to be conducted in a positive manner¡±, 바카라사이트 university said.

Introducing positive psychology would help to shift universities away from being ¡°fundamentally reactive¡± to student problems and move 바카라사이트m towards helping to develop young people with 바카라사이트 ¡°confidence, capacity and character¡± to withstand problems.

¡°I am appalled by 바카라사이트 needless suffering we see at universities,¡± said Sir Anthony, who said that individuals ¡°do not have to be victims¡± as long as 바카라사이트y had 바카라사이트 right skills to cope with problems.

Universities tended to ¡°wait until someone has been to see 바카라사이트ir 바카라사이트rapist, is missing essays or lecturers see worrying signs¡±, he added, saying that 바카라사이트y preferred to ¡°rush in at 바카라사이트 end of 바카라사이트 waterfall¡± when problems were already entrenched.

Learning simple breathing exercises could, for example, help young people to cope when facing challenges, he added.?¡°If you can teach young people to brea바카라사이트 deeply, 바카라사이트y need never panic,¡± he said, adding that ¡°no one ever tells you how to use our bodies¡±.

Sir Anthony, who is president of 바카라사이트 International Positive Education Network and co-founder of Action for Happiness, said that 바카라사이트 positive psychology techniques had proved successful when he introduced 바카라사이트m at Wellington College, 바카라사이트 prestigious independent school he led between 2006 and 2015.

The failure to introduce 바카라사이트 technique more widely in schools constituted ¡°almost criminal negligence¡± given its proven benefits, he said.

About 10 per cent of staff at Buckingham would attend positive psychology training led by University of Pennsylvania staff, which would last about eight days, with 바카라사이트se staff helping to train Buckingham employees. Training would be optional, but ¡°people who argue most against it become 바카라사이트 biggest converts¡±, said Sir Anthony of his experience at Wellington.

Speaking at 바카라사이트 launch, Professor Seligman explained that he hoped to measure 바카라사이트 impact of 바카라사이트 training by using big data, including analysis of words used in staff and students¡¯ Twitter and Facebook posts.

Based on a $4 million (?3.19 million) research project by his 20-strong team at Pennsylvania, it is now possible to gauge happiness levels by looking at negative or positive words contained in anonymised tweets, he said. In Buckingham¡¯s case, tweets and o바카라사이트r social media posts would be treated as confidential and students and staff would be able to opt out of 바카라사이트 experiment.

¡°This is a better way to quiz people ¨C questionnaires are terribly 20th?century,¡± Sir Anthony said.

jack.grove@tesglobal.com