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Barbara Fredrickson

Barbara Fredrickson Biography

Professor

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“You know that saying 'A little knowledge is a dangerous thing'? That's so true of positive psychology. Our latest research tells us that the pursuit of happiness is a delicate art. Certain approaches to seeking happiness are now known to backfire, whereas others are effective.”

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Author:Barbara Fredrickson
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“Positive thinking is just one small part of positive psychology. Plus, as an approach to well-being, positive thinking only helps you to the extent that it yields one or more positive emotions. The problem with positive thinking is that it sometimes just stays up "in the head" and fails to drip down to become a fully embodied experience.”

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Author:Barbara Fredrickson
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“I began studying human emotions more than twenty years ago. At that time, almost every scientist working in this area was studying one of the negative emotions, like fear, anger, anxiety, or depression. I wondered why no scientists cared to explain why we humans sometimes feel upbeat and pleasant. I liked the idea of charting new terrain. It's been a fun intellectual puzzle. There's so much to discover!”

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Author:Barbara Fredrickson
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“My all-time favorite topic in positive psychology is the study of positive emotions. I'm fascinated by how pleasant experiences, which can be so subtle and fleeting, can add up over time to change who we become. I'm especially excited these days about investigating how positive emotions change the very ways that our cells form and function to keep us healthy.”

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Author:Barbara Fredrickson
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“Positivity psychology is part and parcel of psychology. Being human includes both ups and downs, opportunities and challenges. Positive psychology devotes somewhat more attention to the ups and the opportunities, whereas traditional psychology - at least historically - has paid more attention to the downs.”

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Author:Barbara Fredrickson
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“Positivity opens us. The first core truth about positive emotions is that they open our hearts and our minds, making us more receptive and more creative.”

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Book:Positivity: Top-Notch Research Reveals the Upward Spiral That Will Change Your Life
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“When we inject people with positivity, their outlook expands. They see the big picture. When we inject them with neutrality or negativity, their peripheral vision shrinks. There is no big picture, no dots to connect.”

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Book:Positivity: Top-Notch Research Reveals the Upward Spiral That Will Change Your Life
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“Flourishing goes beyond happiness, or satisfaction with life. True, people who flourish are happy. But that's not the half of it. Beyond feeling good, they're also doing good-adding value to the world.”

PeopleWorldFeelingsValuesHumanityHalfSatisfactionFeel GoodDoing GoodFlourishingTrue LifeTrue PeopleAdding Value
Book:Positivity: Top-Notch Research Reveals the Upward Spiral That Will Change Your Life
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“The boundaries between you and not-you — what lies beyond your skin — relax and become more permeable. While infused with love you see fewer distinctions between you and others. Indeed, your ability to see others — really see them, wholeheartedly — springs open.”

LyingAbilityLove YouSpringSkinsBoundariesDistinctionRelaxFewerWholeheartedlyAbility To See
Book:Love 2.0: Finding Happiness and Health in Moments of Connection
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“Love is a momentary upwelling of three tightly interwoven events: First, a sharing of one or more positive emotions between you and another; second, a synchrony between your and the other person’s biochemistry and behaviors; and third, a reflected motive to invest in each other’s well-being that brings mutual care”

FirstsWellsPersonsCareThreeLove IsEmotionEventsBehaviorThirdsWell BeingMotiveMutualMomentaryBiochemistryPositive Emotions
Book:Love 2.0: Finding Happiness and Health in Moments of Connection
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