I am falling in love with what you are teaching... I think this will be part of my life's purpose.

Indeed, the same as what psychologist Oliver Sacks mentioned in his famous book, The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat, regarding the purpose and use of psychology, it is questionable and debatable that psychology should only be used to identify people's weaknesses, deficits and problems. Besides curing diseases and diagnosing psychological diseases, psychology is just as capable of highlighting individual strengths and improving our lives for the better, just as Martin Seligman is doing. This is what we need!

Dr Seligman has not only identified the optimal criteria (Or at least many of them) for a "Happy life"* but is actively working on creating strategies and action plans to bring these elements in a persons life more actively in to play.  This Man has enormous clarity of thought and expresses his understanding extremely effectively.

* Do not particularly like my choice of word "Happy" - would expand this definition to include fulfilling, evolving, self-actualising.

It's awesome that I get to listen to this stuff for free.  I love it!  Thank you!

"If we don't measure the right thing we won't do the right thing" I agree, we should measure everything.

If someone believes that there is no universal, external source of meaning, that does not preclude more personal sources of meaning. I don't need an external structure to tell me that making other people's lives better makes me happy, I can rest in the endorphine rush from making other people smile, or just seeing their tense shoulders relax.

I was exposed to " Flourish " through the " Gamification " course I am doing with coursera.org. This is great stuff.

I like his tie.

Interesting that you can be completely happy while being immoral or cruel. PERMA is blind to ethics or morality. I don't take issue with that, I actually agree, I just find it interesting. It helps to confirm something I've long suspected: The smarter you are and the more you care about morality or the more you care about finding answers or viewing the world honestly, the more difficult a time you have finding happiness or PERMA fulfillment.

I see the point of realizing that everything is meaningless is that you can create whatever meaning you want.

@zerofence In context of the conversation, it's mere semantics.  Use the word "worldview" instead if you dislike the word "religion".

Surely you'd agree that if one's worldview is personally inappropriate and stifling, a change of worldview *can* provide hope and meaning.  Merely as a lifting of a stifling force that was perchance making someone feel trapped and hopeless.

Post Traumatic Growth.  Yes!!! 👍

@GrandBudZer

Thats why he is one of the world's most influential psychologists.

Post Traumatic GROWTH!    Yes!!!!!! 👍

Maybe he's not the most polished speaker, AND his work is life changing. Read his latest book, Flourish, and experience what he talks about here.

Most people are not flourishing--since we only get one trip on Earth, why not live it to the fullest. That's what his work is about.

You have a choice.  You can choose to drink, or you can wait for someone to prove to you that drinking will quench your thirst.

nice room btw

Where was this at?

@stalinist666 The Universe can neither be meaningless nor can it have meaning because meaning is a "human construct" that does only apply to us and not the universe. So we humans will always have a meaning in the universe :)

spiritual fitness?