Recent research in the area of positive psychology underlines the interconnected and highly correlated links between a positive emotional style and an individual’s psychological well-being. Cross sectional studies have shown that “happy” people tend to be more socially engaged and function better in their lives (Huppert, 2009). A meta-analysis of longitudinal studies has shown that happiness engenders the behaviours and beliefs that precede success in work and life (Lyubomirsky et al., 2005). Experimental studies using mood induction techniques have found that positive emotion significantly broadens attention (Rowe et al., 2007), enhances cognitive processing capabilities resulting in more creative and flexible problem solving (Isan & Daubman, 1984, Isan et al., 1987), increases taught action repertoires (Fredrickson & Branigan, 2005), improves learning (Bryan et al., 1996), boosts task performance and self-efficacy (Bryan & Bryan, 1991) The principles and exercises of positive psychology have been taught to teachers in the Geelong Grammar school and to drill Sergeants in the US army resulting in positive outcomes to the well-being of both organisations (Seligman, 2012). Barsade (2002) would suggest this is aided by emotional contagion, the transfer of moods between groups through a process known as the ripple effect. Drawing on these research findings the study outlined here aims to examine the potential benefits of promoting the principles of positive psychology with pre-service secondary school teachers in Ireland. Previous research suggests that training teachers to teach positive psychology techniques to students significantly reduces and even prevents symptoms of depression, hopelessness and anxiety while increasing optimism, engagement in learning, academic achievement and social skills (Brunwasser et al., 2009, Seligman et al., 2009). Teaching undergraduate pre-service teachers positive psychology may develop their openness to change as research suggests that positive psychological constructs such as optimism, hope, efficacy and resilience are malleable and open to positive change.

1. Hello my name is Brian Devitt. I'm a technology teacher and PhD student in the Dept. of
Education and professional studies in the University of limerick. My presentation today
is about Positive Psychology and why I believe we should be promoting it in initial
teacher education.
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2. There will be three elements to my talk today.
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3. I will begin by discussing why I believe we should promote positive psychology in pre
service teacher education.
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4. In 2008 Ronald Inglehart from the University of Michigan published a paper analysing
national trends in the SWB of people in 52 country's over the last 50 years with data
from 350,000 people.
Results from his research suggest that
• The average American, Japanese or Australian citizen is no more satisfied with their
lives today.
• The average Brit and German is less satisfied.
• The average Russian is much unhappier.
• the average Dane, Italian and Mexican is somewhat happier with their lives
In a 2004 paper titled “Beyond Money” Ed Diener and Martin Seligman noted that Even
tough GDP in the United States of America has tripled over the past 50 years their has
been no increase in peoples life satisfaction.
The poor correlation between SWB and economic prosperity is very counter intuitive
finding in positive psychology known as the progress paradox.
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5. The World Heath Organisation says that depression is the Leading cause of disability
worldwide with an estimated 350 million people suffering, they believe the
bourdon of depression is on the rise globally
Research by Jane Costello from Duke University, North Carolina suggests it may just be
increased sensitivity and awareness of depression, rather than actual increases in the
rates of depression, never the less Costello suggests all are dismayed by the high levels
of depression in society
A World Health organisation Assembly called in May 2012 called for a
comprehensive co-ordinated response at country level with particular emphasis
on School based programmes that enhance the cognitive problem solving and
social skills of children and adolescents.
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6. The good news is that psychologist Sonja Lyubomorski from the university of Carolina
suggests that the intentional activities we engage in can make meaningful contributions
to our happiness
Results from numerous longitudinal twin studies using fraternal and identical twins
suggest that genetics account for around 50% of variations in long term happiness.
Cross Sectional analysis have consistently shown week correlations between personal
circumstances and SWB. Circumstances include factors such as age, gender, marital
status, income, health and religious affiliations.
Most importantly Lyumomorski suggests that the daily intentional activity's we engage
in account for around 40% of variations in long term happiness.
She suggest intentional activity's include
1. Cognitions such as reprogramming the subconscious to scan for the positive in life
2. Motivations such as striving for personal goals
3. Behaviours such as exercising can all have positive effects on our well being
Positive psychology is about getting the most from the 40% of our happiness that is
malleable.
Harvard Psychologist Sean Achor suggests Happiness is a work ethic not a state of being.
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7. The lens we view the world through can often be warped having a negative impact on
our well being.
In 1999 Daniel Simons conducted a unique experiment in Harvard university.
Participants were asked to watch a short video of two teams passing a basketball.
Participants were asked to count the number of passes made by the team in white team
and most can. but most don’t notice the giant gorilla that walks across the screen
beating his chest. They are two focused on counting passes, This is due to inattentional
blindness, our focus is elsewhere.
If we fail to see a giant gorilla ☺ what else might we miss in life???????
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8. Research by Todd Peterson from George Washington university published in 1998
suggests Lawyers in America are 3.6 times more likely to suffer from depression than the
rest of the employed population. Surprising seeing as they have high levels of education,
pay and status
Peterson believes law school teaches students to look for flaws in arguments, trains
students to be critical rather than accepting, crucial skills for lawyers but allowing this to
leak into personal life and can have significant negative consequences. Peterson believes
it is a fast route to depression.
Research by Janice Egeland from the university of Miami published in 1983 suggests the
Old Amish population in Philadelphia have 1/10 the depression of the rest of the US
population.
Results from both studies are surprising seeing as the lawyers and Amish community
breath the same air, drink the same water and eat the same food
In the same way lawyers have reprogramed their brains to focus on the negative,
positive psychology has shown that interventions can reprogram the brain to focus on
the positive in life.
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9. In his 2012 book “The Power of Habit”, Charles Duhigg explains negative habits can
become so strong that even common sense wont prevail.
Duhigg suggests though that the research also shows that habits are malleable and
people can develop a new positive habit in around 21 days using correct techniques.
One of the principles of Positive psychology is about reprogramming the unconscious
mind to scan for the good stuff in life and making this one of your ritualized
subconscious habits.
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10. Research published in 2002 by Sigal Barsade from Yale university demonstrated
that moods, attitudes and emotions are literally contagious.
Barscades study demonstrated that a confederate could be used to infect the
moods of a group of research participants resulting in positive or negative effects
to group behaviour and task performance.
Positive emotional contagion was associated with improved co-operation,
decreased conflict and increased task performance.
Barscade summarised his research suggesting “People are literally walking mood
inductors”
This phenomenon has become known as the ripple effect
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11. In their book about social networks Professor Nicholas Christakis from Harvard
University and Professor James Fowler from the University of California use recent
research to highlight the complicated web of connections through which our moods,
attitudes and behaviours can infect others.
They suggest we don’t just infect those in direct contact with us such as friends, family
and work colleagues. Each individual appears to influence people within three degrees
of them. The authors estimate that most people have 1000 people within three degrees
of them
What then is the impact of the teachers mood on their students?
What is the impact of the principles mood on the staff of a school?
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12. So life satisfaction has not meaningfully risen in developed country's in the last 50 years
and The WHO believes the epidemic of depression is on the rise.
Positive psychology suggests that we can make meaningful changes to our happiness by
engaging in intentional activity's associated with high subjective well being. We can
adapt the lens we view the world through by reprogramming the subconscious to scan
for the good stuff in life. This may then have a positive ripple effect on the moods of
those around us.
This is all great, but the cynics will ask Why should teachers care about happiness? They
are their to teach not to worry about happiness or well being? (They could be debated
on this point!!!!!)
The big reason is that a positive mood is associated with enhanced cognitive
functioning.
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13. Research published in 2006 by Heather Wadlinger and Derek Isaacowitz from
Brandais University, Massachusetts suggests a positive mood results in broadened
visual attention.
Wadlinger and Isaacowitz used an Eye Tracking Machine that can track eye
movements 60 times per second. Participants were told to naturally observe
images.
Their results suggest that positive a mood condition resulted in significantly more
eye movement
with a negative mood associated with narrowed attention
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14. In 2009 Taylor Schmitz and colleagues from the University of Toronto analysed the signal
responses of the brain when carrying out tasks requiring cognitive processing in various
mood conditions
There research showed that along with improved task performance, those in the
positive mood condition had greater signal response in two key areas of the brain.
Her research suggests that a happy brain is a more active brain.
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15. Research published in 2007 by Rowe and Hirsh from the university of Toronto suggests
that a positive mood is associated with increased taught action repertoires
Our taught action repertoire is our ability to come up with novel thoughts and
ideas
Their study demonstrated that a positive mood significantly enhances participants
performance at the Remote Associates Test shown above.
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16. Research in the University of Baltimore by Alice Isan in 1987 using Dunkers 1945 candle
experiment analysed the impact of mood on creative problem solving. Isens results
demonstrated that positive mood promotes creative problem solving.
Results
13% Negative mood condition solved the problem
75% Positive Mood condition solved the problem
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17. Research conducted in the early 90s by Tanis Bryan and colleagues from Arizona state
university suggests positive mood can have positive implications for children with and
without learning disabilities.
Bryans findings suggest
Positive mood is associated with enhanced task performance for pupils with and
without learning disability's
Positive mood was associated with enhanced feelings of self efficacy for pupils with
learning disabilities.
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18. The second element of my talk will look at efforts to teach some of principle and
techniques of positive psychology in schools and in the US army.
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19. The Penn resiliency program created by the positive psychology centre in Penn
University teaches children and adolescents to deal with day to day stressors that are
common to all children. The programme teaches the skills of optimistic and flexible
thinking, assertiveness, creative brainstorming, decision making, relaxation techniques
and a number of other problem solving and coping strategies.
In 2009 Stephen Brunwasser and colleagues from the University of Michigan carried out
a meta review of 17 placebo controlled evaluations of the program consisting of almost
2500 children and adolescents aged between 8 and 15.
The reviews main finding was that the programme reduces and prevents symptoms of
depression and hopelessness even at 12 month follow ups with ESs ranging from .11-
.21.
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20. The gee long grammar school in Australia has been embedding positive psychology into
all aspects of school life since 2005 in what has become known as positive education.
Positive psychology is embedded into all aspects of school life from academic courses,
the sports field to pastoral counselling
Courses in the school teach the elements of positive psychology including resilience,
gratitude, signature strengths, meaning, flow, positive relationships, and positive
emotion.
The positive psychology project manager in the school (Paige Williams) released a
document in 2011 explaining that in 2010 the entire school took the individual
flourishing questionnaire from the Cambridge institute of well being developed by
Felicia Huppert. The results demonstrate the success of the on-going project when
compared with the results of adolescents from European country's.
Former President of the American Psychological Association Martin Seligman suggests
that the change in the school is palpable and transcends statistics.
He suggests there are three reasons we should teach the principles and techniques of
positive psychology in schools.
1. An antidote to depression
2. Vehicle for increased life satisfaction
3. To enhance learning and creativity
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21. The US army has always placed great emphasis on physical fitness. The science of
positive psychology has now encouraged them to place emphasis on psychological
fitness to aid combating post traumatic stress, depression, suicide, divorce and
addiction.
The army believes that the key to psychological fitness is resilience. For this reason Drill
sergeants in the US army now receive what is known as master resilience training to
disseminate to new cadets.
Each member of the US army must undergo the psychological global assessment. A
questionnaire to measure the well being of soldiers in four domains, emotional fitness,
social fitness, family fitness and spiritual fitness. Results are used to direct soldiers into
the relevant programs based on their psychological fitness needs.
The army believes that the data that exists in relation to emotional contagion means
that the selection of emotionally stable leaders is crucial.
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22. As already explained I am in the early stages of planning my research
I would like to share my current plans with you
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23. This project which is in its early stages will examine the impact of promoting the skills
and techniques of positive psychology with pre service teachers prior to their teaching
practice placement.
The study will examine the impact of this on the student teachers;
• Psychological Well-being
• Stress levels
• Pedagogical strategies/beliefs
• Personal educational theory
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24. Thank you very much for listening to me
I would appreciate any comments
And will take any questions you may have
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