5 factors that make life worth living

Many people believe feeling happy is the only measure of happiness.  While that is an important measure Martin Seligman believes there are 5 core elements of psychological well-being.  Basically, these 5 things are what make life good.  Happiness then is not the absence of misery but these 5 factors being present in your life! 

PERMA

Martin Seligman

Martin Seligman spend years studying suffering and unhappiness as a psychologist when he realized there is a whole other side to this problem.  He began studying happiness and human flourishing.  He is now considered one of the top positive psychology experts.  PERMA is the word he uses to describe the 5 factors of human flourishing.  These factors are:

P = Positive Emotion

E = Engagement

R = Relationships

M = Meaning

A = Achievement

Let’s look at these individually. 

Positive Emotion – This is happiness as we think of it.  Smiles, laughter, optimism, joy, etc.  Martin says this is 15% of the puzzle.  We do need to challenge ourselves to be more optimistic less pessimistic.  We need to challenge ourselves to think about gratitude and not what we don’t have. 

Engagement – This is when time flies by and you don’t notice.  For athletes they call it “the zone”.  Sometimes they call is flow.  We need things that can occupy our focus and attention for longer periods of time.  A project or task that we fully engage in. 

Relationships – We need supportive relationships.  As it turns out from research, relationship building is a skill.  It can be taught.  We need people that we consistently spend time with and that know us deeply.  You cannot flourish on your own. 

Meaning – We need purpose for what we do or that we exist.  They say in Blue Zones that this purpose can add 7 good years to the end of your life!  7!  It cannot be about our own fulfillment.  We need to feel that the world is better off because we are here.  We make life better for others. 

Achievement – A sense of accomplishment.  Having a desire to attempt, try, or achieve.  When you strive for something and achieve it a sense of pride and mastery leads to fulfillment.  Achievement is something that can boost self-worth. 

This is a great reminder.  If you want to get into this stuff BIG TIME!  This was a great talk by Martin Seligman!

https://youtu.be/HH0sssQzQGg 1 hour 20 min.

Here’s me wishing you Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness!

About the Author:

Jeremy “the tall trainer” Biernat is a Certified Personal Trainer, Certified Strength Coach, has his Bachelors in Exercise Science, and enjoys writing, speaking, and inspiring people online and in person. See his new book!  More importantly he is a husband, father, and follower of God. His practice is in upstate NY (Canandaigua) where he works with people in one on one and group sessions to make awesome changes in their lives. He doesn’t do everything perfect, cries in movies, and would love to hear from you. You can contact Jeremy by commenting to this post, emailing [email protected], or calling 1(800)380-7047. 

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