Positive Psychology (the abridged manifesto...)

I have just submitted an online application to the University of Leicester and I hope little more will be required to be accepted for study there next year.

I have applied for a master’s course in Psychology research methods. I did this because I think after only a year in psychology, I still have a few things to learn about running experiments – and the opportunity to gain some practical experience will also be helpful I am sure.

In my application I said I realised at the end of my history degree that psychology was the more natural subject for me to take, as it had more potential to impact positively in a tangible way on the world than the study of history. I believe this sincerely. One lecture at Royal Holloway once said ‘Psychology is philosophy – except you actually get to test your theories in real life.’ It might be added that once those theories are tested, they should inform new ways of doing things.

To talk about my pet subject, Positive Psychology presents a real life case where psychology could be a real force for good. Through learning more about the causes of happiness, a greater appreciation of what makes humans happy would allow people to levels of fulfilment previously attainable only to the very few. The pursuit of happiness is one of the few things I can think of that unites the political polar opposites of equality and liberty. Since, when you are happy you feel free but also more at one with fellow human beings than when you are depressed.

The American constitution, makes explicit reference to the God given right of individuals to pursue happiness. Yet what the constitution does not consider is whether people are knowledgeable about what happiness really is. How many people say they are happy, but are they really deluding themselves? Do people want to know how to improve their happiness? Tricky…

Am I deluding myself when I say I am happy? I don’t think so because I like to be truthful to the feelings I experience and I also believe that will power can affect mood over time. Happiness is not something that you are born with or born without, but instead something that may be enhanced through the application of behaviours and beliefs that work. Perhaps after getting a PHD in the subject though I will be able to give you a more elaborate answer than the preceding few sentences.