Time for positivity?

The bandwagon has arrived and I'm jumping on. Or so it may seem. It appears if anyone and everyone who has read an idiots guide to positive psychology is turning themselves into key note speakers, quoting the same studies about cortisol and oxytocin and about the amygdala and neuro plasticity. And you know what......good luck to them. If they can earn a dollar and possibly get some inquiring minds to investigate positivity in their own lives, well then kudos to them.

But make no mistake, what they are espousing is nothing new. Theories of happiness and well being, and what delivers these often subjective measures of life satisfaction have changed little since ancient times and the days of philosophers such as Socrates, Plato and Aristotle.

Socrates believed that the quest for happiness was only delivered by knowing oneself, or in other words by self awareness of self and virtue. This was expanded on by Plato who suggested that that awareness needed to be beyond the sensory self and in fact required a deeper investigation. And Aristotle looked at values, self discipline, and the balance of virtues in a quest towards the good life.

As theories expanded through the enlightenment, the 50s, and then with the humanistic psychology movement, one of its guardians Maslow, entitled a chapter of his 1954 book (Motivation and Personality) : Toward a Positive Psychology.

So what of this modern thinking? This new positive psychology movement that talks about the left prefrontal cortex of Buddhist monks lighting up when they reach a state in meditation? What of the biochemistry of emotions?

Well it's new science. Assisted by technology, that supports the theories around happiness and well being. Yes, oxytocin is associated with social bonding, yes increased dopamine is associated with the experience of happiness and yes the brain can change during our life as we explore different skills and we can create new neural pathways and these pathways can be plentiful when we meditate or practice skills such as playing or learning music.

But here's the rub. None of these positive effects occur without individuals actually doing the work that is involved with self exploration towards self assessment and awareness. It takes work on behalf of the individual to investigate their positive self, to create plans for growth, foster relationships, to regulate behaviours, to find purpose in life and to strive to master ones environment.

Chanting "serenity now" will not deliver eternal happiness, set oxytocin flowing through your viens, light up your left pre frontal cortex or create new neural pathways.

A lot of hard work and self examination just might. So take the next presentation you see with a grain of salt, with curiosity, with critical thinking and with a notepad to write down the suggested actions you might take personally to develop positivity in your world.

If there are no suggested game plans, strategies or processes, well then seek answers from someone who has lived the journey. Not just from someone who has read a book.