Positive Psychology 1 Positive Psychology Progress: Empirical Validation of Interventions

Positive psychology has flourished in the last five years. We review its recent developments, including books, meetings, courses, and conferences. We discuss the newly-created classification of character strengths and virtues, a positive complement to the DSM’s, and we present some cross cultural findings that suggest surprising ubiquity of strengths and virtues. Finally, we focus on psychological interventions that increase individual happiness. In a six-group, random assignment, placebo-controlled Internet study, we tested five purported happiness interventions and one plausible control exercise. We found that three of the interventions lastingly increased happiness and decreased depressive symptoms. Positive interventions can supplement traditional interventions that relieve suffering and this may someday be the practical legacy of positive psychology