What is positive psychology? Plus 10 tips to use it in your life
Clinically reviewed by Dr. Chris Mosunic, PhD, RD, MBA
Looking for a tool to help you feel better? Learn what positive psychology is, how this research-backed approach can help you build real wellbeing, and 10 tips to get started.
When life feels overwhelming—whether it’s stress at work, endless responsibilities, or just a lingering funk—it’s natural to focus on what’s not going right, and for good reason. Finding ways to navigate those challenges is important.
Still, it’s not the only way to feel better. Reflecting on what’s going well in your life can help, too.
That’s positive psychology at work. This practice focuses on understanding what helps you thrive and building on what’s already working for you. When you do this, you may find yourself paying less attention to the negativity in your life and feeling more grateful for the good.
Positive psychology can help you find more meaning in your life, deepen your connections, and build resilience, even when everything feels like too much. Here’s how.
What is positive psychology?
Positive psychology is the scientific study of what helps people thrive. While traditional psychology often focuses on what’s wrong—diagnosing and treating mental illness—positive psychology explores what’s working. It asks: what supports wellbeing? What helps people feel connected and resilient, even when life is hard?
The field was formally introduced in the late 1990s by psychologist Martin Seligman, who believed that understanding human strength, meaning, and potential deserved just as much attention as suffering and dysfunction. Since then, research in this area has focused on topics like gratitude, optimism, purpose, and emotional resilience.
Positive psychology draws on ancient ideas, especially Aristotle’s concept of eudaimonia — that a good life is one of purpose, virtue, and meaningful engagement, not just fleeting pleasure. But positive psychology isn’t about being happy all the time or denying hardship. It’s about building up the inner resources that help us navigate life with more steadiness and depth.
4 benefits of positive psychology
Positive psychology isn’t about dramatic life makeovers. It’s about small, research-backed practices that can quietly shift how you experience your day. Here are a few proven benefits:
Build resilience: Simple habits like reflecting on your strengths and finding meaning in small moments can make it easier to cope with stress and bounce back from setbacks.
Strengthen relationships: Empathy and kindness are central to mental health. Positive psychology emphasizes the idea that even brief, warm interactions can help you establish stronger support systems.
Improve outlook: Training your brain to notice both the good and the gritty can help you achieve balance and even improve your mood.
Boost physical health: Gratitude, purpose, and optimism have been linked to better sleep and longer lifespans.
What are the principles of positive psychology?
In positive psychology, there are five core elements that support your wellbeing, and help you create a balanced foundation for your mental health. This model is known as PERMA: positive emotions, engagement, relationships, meaning, and accomplishment.
Positive emotions
Creating room for joy, gratitude, hope, and peace can help you shift your mindset and soothe your nervous system.
Engagement
When you’re so into something that you lose track of time — that’s engagement. It could be writing, gardening, deep cleaning, or just solving a puzzle. This type of immersion can help you recharge.
Relationships
Meaningful connection is central to wellbeing. Relationships with family, friends, coworkers, and even warm moments with strangers can all help you build your emotional resilience.
Meaning
Recognizing that your life contributes to something larger than yourself can be a powerful anchor. Caring for others, activism, and community work can be grounding.
Accomplishment
Progress fuels self-trust, even if all you do is respond to a lingering text. What matters most is the sense of moving forward.
Are there any criticisms of positive psychology?
Positive psychology is not without its limitations. Here are some common critiques to keep in mind.
It can be confused with toxic positivity: Many people assume it’s about only thinking happy thoughts, but reducing it to that ignores pain. It also pressures people to stay upbeat even when they’re struggling.
It sometimes ignores context: Not everyone has equal access to help or resources. Telling someone to “find meaning” can feel out of touch if you don’t acknowledge things like poverty, trauma, and systemic barriers.
It tends to focus on the individual: Much of the research into positive psychology centers around personal habits and traits. It may downplay the role of community care and collective wellbeing.
It reflects a Western worldview: Models like PERMA focus on individual achievement and self-improvement. This may not always align with more relational or communal worldviews.
It’s not a substitute for professional care: While these practices can support mental health, they’re not a replacement for professional care. If you’re navigating depression or trauma, reach out to a medical professional for help.
How to practice positive psychology: 10 tips to get started
Finding small and intentional moments to incorporate positive psychology into your life can have a profound impact on how you feel and how you interact with others. Here are 10 simple ways to add positive psychology into your day.
1. Reflect on three good things each day
At the end of each day, write down three things that went well and why they happened. You can focus on small details—the perfect temperature of your tea, for example—or big moments, like a presentation that went well. Try to be as detailed as you can to help deepen the reflection.
Read more: The power of self-reflection: 20 questions to help you reflect
2. Do a strengths inventory
Ask yourself what you’re naturally good at. These can be talents, like athletics, or qualities, such as compassion, curiosity, or humor. By acknowledging your strengths, you can start to use them more intentionally.
3. Practice savoring
Savoring is about fully noticing and appreciating a positive moment while it’s happening. This could be as simple as lingering with your morning coffee or mentally bookmarking a kind interaction with a stranger.
To help you appreciate life's little moments more, take a moment to slow down your breath and describe the moment to yourself. You could also share it with someone else to deepen the experience.
4. Write a gratitude letter
Think of someone who made a difference in your life and write them a letter explaining why you’re grateful for them and how they’ve impacted you.
You don’t have to send it, but reading it to them can be incredibly powerful. And if you don’t have the energy to write a long note, sending a quick text still counts. (Here are 10 more ways to practice gratitude.)
💙 Unlock the power of Gratitude during this series with Tamara Levitt.
5. Set small and meaningful goals
Accomplishment doesn’t have to mean chasing huge milestones. You could also organize your sock drawer or make a mental note to drink more water. The key is to select goals that feel both manageable and meaningful to you.
To help you get started, ask yourself, “What’s one thing I can do today that future-me will appreciate?”
Read more: How to set and achieve life goals (plus 9 examples to get you started)
6. Make time for micro-connections
Do your best to connect with the people around you. Make eye contact with the barista, compliment someone’s earrings, or text a friend a note to say you’re thinking of them. Little moments like this can help build relational warmth.
7. Find a moment of meaning
Discover additional meaning in your life by reframing your actions to prioritize connection. For example, if you’re washing dishes, consider it an act of care for your space and the people you live with.
8. Create a “joy menu” for hard days
List 10 small things that make you feel a little better when you’re low. It could be standing in the shower for 30 seconds longer, listening to a nostalgic song, or petting your dog. Keep this list somewhere visible for when you’re struggling. (Feeling stuck? Here are nine ideas to help you feel better.)
9. Use your senses to ground and lift you
Tuning into the present moment with your senses can increase positive emotion and reduce rumination. So, light a candle that smells like a memory or wrap yourself in a soft blanket.
💙 Get back into your body during this Grounding meditation with Tamara Levitt.
10. Redefine what positive means for you
Sometimes positive doesn’t feel joyful. It feels like resilience or laughing through tears. Positive psychology doesn’t require you to deny the hard stuff. It invites you to hold both the grief and the gratitude. The burnout and the brief moment of peace.
So, ask yourself what feeling better looks like and take one small step towards that goal.
What is positive psychology FAQs
What are the core principles of positive psychology?
Positive psychology is built on five main pillars, known as the PERMA model. They are positive emotions, engagement, relationships, meaning, and accomplishment.
Each one contributes to a more balanced sense of wellbeing. By noticing where you feel supported and gently strengthening areas that feel lacking, you can build more resilience and calm over time.
Can positive psychology really improve mental health?
Positive psychology can improve your mental health, but it works best as a complement to—not a replacement for—professional support. Studies show that practices like gratitude journaling and connecting with others can ease stress and build emotional resilience.
Positive psychology is about expanding your toolkit so that you have more resources to draw from when things get tough.
What’s the difference between positive psychology and toxic positivity?
Toxic positivity typically tells you to “look on the bright side,” no matter what. It shuts down hard feelings and creates pressure to be happy even when you’re hurting.
On the other hand, positive psychology validates struggle and invites you to hold space for both difficulty and strength. It’s also about finding meaning, support, and purpose even amidst the struggle.
How do I start practicing positive psychology?
Start with one or two simple practices you can return to regularly.
You could write down three things that went well each day, do something kind for someone else, or pause to savor a quiet moment.
In general, what matters most is finding practices that feel authentic to you and weaving them into your life.
Who created positive psychology?
Dr. Martin Seligman formally introduced positive psychology in the late 1990s. He aimed to shift psychology’s focus from what’s wrong to what helps people thrive.
He helped bring meaning, connection, and gratitude into mainstream psychology through research and measurable frameworks like PERMA.
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