Hello and welcome to Positive Psychology: The Science of Well-being. I set out to write this text after teaching Positive Psychology for over four years. My goal was to develop an informative and engaging text that would be easy to use for both students and instructors. The online format of this text, along with interactive learning tools that can be graded and tracked, ensure that the book can be fully integrated into the class experience.

I have been teaching psychology at the community college and university level since 2002. My teaching philosophy is centered on student learning facilitated by encouraging a personal connection to the material, evaluating concepts scientifically, exploring concepts from a developmental perspective, and fostering personal growth and self-awareness. My approach to writing this textbook mirrors my teaching philosophy.  Using a story-telling style, I present each concept from its theoretical roots to the most current scientific findings. 

Positive psychology is rich with topics that allow for a deep personal connection to the material. As a way to foster this connection, I have included exercises referred to as “Thought-Points” which will allow students to personally engage with the topics presented. Additionally, “Knowledge Checkpoints” and chapter quizzes will help students test their knowledge of this material. There is also a “Research Spotlight” at the end of each chapter that allow for a closer look at specific research studies and issues related to psychological research. My hope is that after engaging with this text, students will have solid theoretical and scientific knowledge of positive psychology and will have learned a great deal about themselves and their own well-being in the process.