Positive Psychology

Three maps of the U.S., one blue, one purple, one red, indicating partisan politics.

Where political views and fundamental beliefs intersect

Research from The Penn Primals Project debunks the idea that conservatives think the world is more dangerous than liberals, findings with implications for future research and productive political debate.

Michele W. Berger ・

Psychologist Jer Clifton sits on the steps of his office

What beliefs shape our minds?

Jer Clifton of the Positive Psychology Center developed a framework to study primal world beliefs, our most fundamental sentiments about the world as a whole. Now, he’s ready for everyone to discover what their primal world beliefs are.

Marilyn Perkins ・

Two people standing in front of a wall of art. One of them is holding up a second piece of art in gloved hands. The other gestures toward the art, holding a computer or clipboard in the other hand.

Do art museums prioritize visitor well-being enough?

Research from the Humanities and Human Flourishing Project in Penn’s Positive Psychology Center reveals that the people working in these institutions want to see greater emphasis on human flourishing, but they feel ill-equipped to make it happen.

Michele W. Berger ・

Chris Baccash racing on a bike in a cycling race.

How a brain tumor helped a cyclist change his life

In 2019, Chris Baccash was diagnosed with a a slow-growing malignant brain tumor. In 2021, after completing a grueling 100-mile cycling race up the Rockies, he started graduate school at Penn for a master’s degree in positive psychology.

From Penn Medicine News ・

A view of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, a long building of orange brick and blue angled roofs. The Schuylkill River flows in the foreground.

Art museums plant seeds of human flourishing

Researchers from the Humanities and Human Flourishing Project in the Positive Psychology Center at Penn have found that art museums are associated with wide-ranging benefits to human health.

Luis Melecio-Zambrano ・



In the News


First for Women

What to do when you feel like giving up: Experts share secrets to restoring hope

Karen Reivich of the School of Arts & Sciences recommends identifying which core positive emotion is quintessentially “you” and finding small ways to feel that every day.

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Psychology Today

From burden to blessing: the benefit of reframing empathy

A 2020 study by researchers from Penn and Georgetown University found that changing how a situation was framed impacted empathic and prosocial responses to another person in distress.

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CNET

Here’s how to boost your daily happiness in only three minutes

A 2005 study by Martin Seligman of the School of Arts & Sciences found that writing down three good things that happened at the end of each day led to long-term increases in happiness and decreases in depression.

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CNET

Here’s how to boost your daily happiness in only three minutes

A 2005 study by Martin Seligman of the School of Arts & Sciences found that writing down three good things that happened at the end of each day led to long-term increases in happiness and decreases in depression.

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“Hidden Brain,” National Public Radio

How your beliefs shape reality

Jer Clifton of the School of Arts & Sciences discusses how beliefs shape reality and how to use that knowledge to live a happier and more harmonious life.

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Scientific American

Many differences between liberals and conservatives may boil down to one belief

Research by Jer Clifton and postdoc Nicholas Kerry of the School of Arts & Sciences suggests that the main difference between the political left and right is the belief that the world is inherently hierarchical.

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