The Dark Side of the Bright Side: Found Poems
from
Bright-Sided: How the Relentless Promotion of Positive Thinking Has Undermined America
by Barbara Ehrenreich (2009)
This is the 6th of nine poems in the series, one from each chapter of the book.
Read #1 Here: The Dark Side of the Bright Side: Found Poems
Read #2 Here: The Dark Side of the Bright Side: Found Poems #2
Read #3 Here: The Dark Side of the Bright Side: Found Poems #3
Read #4 Here: The Dark Side of the Bright Side: Found Poems #4
Read #5 Here: The Dark Side of the Bright Side: Found Poems #5
Positive Psychology: The Science of Happiness
Until Martin Seligman's ascendancy within the psychology profession,
positive thinking had gained no purchase in the academy.
Intellectuals mocked Norman Vincent Peale
and dismissed the ideas of his successors as
pop-cultural ephemera and cheap hucksterism.
But when Martin Seligman secured a bully pulpit
and set about attracting a rich,
nurturing stream of foundation money,
respectable Ph.D level psychologists
began to generate a huge volume of academic papers,
some of them published in the new Journal of Happiness Studies ,
linking optimism and happiness
to every possible desirable outcome–
including health and career success.
The new positive psychology,
or "Science of Happiness,"
was an instant hit with the media,
winning cover stories in news magazines
and a steady drumbeat of good news in the newspapers.
For any non-academic motivational
speaker, coach, or self-help entrepreneur
who happened to be paying attention,
it was a godsend.
No longer did they need
to invoke a deity
or occult notions like the Law of Attraction
to explain the connection
between positive thoughts and positive outcomes…
now they could fall back on that touchstone phrase
of rational, secular discourse: "studies show…"
In his book, Authentic Happiness ,
Martin Seligman introduces his
Happiness Equation,
with the coy promise that
"It is the only equation I ask you to consider,"
as if positive psychology rests in whole thickets of equations–
from which his readers will mercifully be spared.
The equation is: H = S+ C + V.
H is your enduring level of Happiness,
S is your set range,
C is the circumstances of your life,
and V represents factors under your voluntary control,
such as whether you engage in "Optimism Training"
to suppress negative or pessimistic thoughts.
With this equation,
Seligman suggests that a person's happiness
is determined in some way
by his or her disposition,
immediate circumstances,
and by the efforts that the person makes
to improve his or her outlook.
To express it as an equation is to invite ridicule.
I ask a question
that would occur to any first-year physics student:
"What are the units of measurement? "
Seligman wanted an equation,
because equations add a veneer of Science,
and he wanted it quickly,
so he fell back on simple addition.
No doubt the equation makes his book
look weightier and full of mathematical rigor,
but this one also makes him look like
The Wizard of Oz.
There is some anxiety
about the scientific foundations of positive psychology.
Ilona Bonniwell,
from the University of East London,
said,
"A lot of results in positive psychology
are presented as stronger than they are.
They're correlational, not causative."
By 2007, Martin Seligman stated,
"I've decided my theory of Positive Psychology
is completely wrong.
Why?
Because it's about Happiness,
which is 'scientifically unwieldy.'"
Seligman's statement
created consternation.
The science of positive psychology
has not caught up with the promise of positive psychology.
lisa eddy (she/her) is a writer, researcher, youth advocate,
environmental educator, and musician. Email: lisagay.eddy1@gmail.com
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