Hmmmm....I've read Seligman's and other's research at length about positive psychology. In an ideal world, their theories may have some element of validity but this article and its precepts are troubling and even a little frightening. Happiness is still so subjective. For instance, as the daughter of an Nmom, nothing would make me happier than to have had a healthy, loving relationship with my mother. But that happiness is based on the fact that I never had that relationship in my life. Having a healthy, loving relationship may not rate as high on the priority list for others who have not had the same experiences as I.
Also, it is concerning if all decisions---political, legal, etc. have happiness as their sole criteria. First of all, on whose opinions would those decisions be based? And what would happen if every decision was made with only happiness in mind. For example, eating ice cream and chocolate all day would make a 6 year old happy. But does that mean we should allow that to occur? There are so many other factors that contribute to happiness and it is so subjective, a fact that is dependent on one's individual experiences, upbringing, genetics, etc.
Ultimately, I doubt that our current societal structures would allow for personal happiness research to drive their decision making....But I do think it is useful for individuals to pay more attention to what makes them happy and what doesn't....and to learn how to obtain happiness by dealing with the guilt, shame and other factors that prevent them from achieving it. That would be a significant contribution that social psychologists could make to society.
