Martin Seligman
Father of positive psychology
Psychologist who founded positive psychology and the PERMA model of wellbeing.
“Optimism is a learnable skill.”
Listen to story & lessons
The story
Martin Seligman started as an experimental psychologist in the 1960s, and he made his name with a dark discovery. His research on learned helplessness showed that animals and people who experience uncontrollable setbacks can learn to stop trying altogether, even when escape later becomes possible. The finding became a cornerstone of how science understands depression.
It was important work, but it kept him focused on what goes wrong with people. A famous turning point came in his own garden, when his young daughter, annoyed at his grumpiness while weeding, asked him whether he could stop being such a grouch. He later said the question reframed his career: raising people well is not only about fixing what is wrong with them, but about building what is right.
When he became president of the American Psychological Association in 1998, he pushed the whole field in a new direction. Psychology, he argued, had spent a century studying misery while saying almost nothing about what makes life worth living. That challenge launched positive psychology, the scientific study of strengths, optimism and flourishing.
The field he helped start is now taught and researched worldwide, and his own work grew into the PERMA model of wellbeing: positive emotion, engagement, relationships, meaning and accomplishment. His lesson from the journey: understanding suffering is not enough, and the other half of the science is learning how people thrive.
Accomplishments
- Helped establish positive psychology as a major field of research.
- Served as president of the American Psychological Association in 1998.
- Developed the PERMA model of wellbeing: positive emotion, engagement, relationships, meaning and accomplishment.
- Known for his research on learned helplessness and optimism.
Top 10 lessons
- 01
Wellbeing has five parts: PERMA.
PERMA stands for positive emotion, engagement, relationships, meaning and accomplishment. Feed each one.
- 02
Optimism can be learned.
You can practice seeing setbacks as temporary and changeable, which builds resilience.
- 03
Write down three good things each day.
Each night, write three things that went well and why. It trains your mind to notice good things.
- 04
Use your signature strengths often.
Find what you naturally do best, such as kindness or curiosity, and use it in new ways.
- 05
Meaning comes from serving something bigger.
Connect your life to family, community, faith or a cause that matters to you.
- 06
Relationships are the antidote to life's downs.
Caring people help us get through hard times and make good times better.
- 07
Accomplishment fuels confidence.
Working toward goals and mastering skills builds confidence and pride.
- 08
Challenge your catastrophic thoughts.
When you expect the worst, look for evidence and more realistic explanations.
- 09
Gratitude visits change lives.
Write a thank-you letter and read it to the person. It can bring lasting happiness to both of you.
- 10
Flourishing is more than the absence of misery.
Mental health is not only about removing pain. It also means growing and thriving.