# Positive psychology & Prof. Seligman

**URL:** <https://onscienceandacademia.org/t/positive-psychology-prof-seligman/295>\
**Category:** Social sciences\
**Tags:** psychology, ethics\
**Created:** [September 5, 2019, 3:55am UTC](https://onscienceandacademia.org/t/positive-psychology-prof-seligman/295 "2019-09-05T03:55:38Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![rebecca](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/onscienceandacademia.org/rebecca/32/520_2.png) [@rebecca](https://onscienceandacademia.org/u/rebecca)\
**Post date:** [September 5, 2019, 3:55am UTC](https://onscienceandacademia.org/t/positive-psychology-prof-seligman/295/1 "2019-09-05T03:55:38Z")

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From torturing dogs to torture of humans to positive psychology. On Prof. Martin Seligman and the flimsy evidence for positive psychology.

> **[Positive Psychology Is Garbage (And Why You Should Follow Its Founder's Lead)](https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelschein/2018/07/05/positive-psychology-is-garbage-and-why-you-should-follow-its-founders-lead/)**
>
> When trying to get people to pay you for your ideas, present them in terms that have the whiff of science. It's not the science itself that actually matters, it’s the appearance of science that counts.

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**Author:** ![chjh](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/onscienceandacademia.org/chjh/32/128_2.png) [@chjh](https://onscienceandacademia.org/u/chjh)\
**Post date:** [September 9, 2019, 1:50pm UTC](https://onscienceandacademia.org/t/positive-psychology-prof-seligman/295/2 "2019-09-09T13:50:47Z")

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I’d be interested in @lilian.jans-beken take on this, given her field is positive psychology. Forbes doesn’t really provide any substantial evidence for disbelieving the work of Seligman (I’m no fan of Seligman for various reasons) nor does it provide a broader perspective on this field 🤷‍♀️

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**Author:** ![rebecca](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/onscienceandacademia.org/rebecca/32/520_2.png) [@rebecca](https://onscienceandacademia.org/u/rebecca)\
**Post date:** [November 22, 2019, 12:44am UTC](https://onscienceandacademia.org/t/positive-psychology-prof-seligman/295/3 "2019-11-22T00:44:38Z")

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Another one. They use the same photo, but it’s a completely different article. Written by a researcher on positive psychology.

> **[Is positive psychology all it’s cracked up to be?](https://www.vox.com/the-highlight/2019/11/13/20955328/positive-psychology-martin-seligman-happiness-religion-secularism)**
>
> Just over 20 years old, this field has captivated the world with its hopeful promises — and drawn critics for its moralizing, mysticism, and serious commercialization.