We inherited from our ancestors a bad weather brain. The most recent geological epoch was the ice ages. Those of your ancestors who thought, oh, it's a beautiful day in New Haven today, a bit of beautiful tomorrow got crushed by the ice. They survived because they were right. And we got their brain. So now in a world which is much more prosperous by almost every measure we have than the world used to be, the pessimistic brain does not serve you very well. An optimistic brain allows you to take advantage of prosperity.
When Marty Seligman started his long scientific career, psychologists concentrated on studying "misery and suffering" and what made people sad. But Marty wanted to discover what made happy people, well, happy. His research laid the foundations of "positive psychology" and the happiness science you hear week after week in this podcast.
Dr Laurie Santos talks to Professor Seligman about his decades of research; the power of optimism; and how he became less of a "grouch" to improve his own personal happiness.
Marty's latest book, TOMORROWMIND: Thriving At Work – Now and in an Uncertain Future, is OUT NOW.
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