Monitor on Psychology - October 2011 - (Page 57)

Lessons on how to boost well-being need to happen in collaboration with schools, government organizations and corporations, said Dr. Martin E.P. Seligman, who is working with Facebook and Google experts to find ways to boost global well-being. students who took a year of literature courses infused with positive psychology compared with peers who had literature alone and found a significant difference in their school performance. “The kids who had the positive psychology literature courses were rated by their teacher as having higher social skills. Their zest for learning is higher and their grades are better,” he said. Seligman’s work to build psychological resilience among soldiers in the U.S. Army offers further evidence that a large organization can foster well-being, he said. Using a strategy similar to his teacher-training program, the University of Pennsylvania under Seligman’s direction is training the Army’s 4,500 drill sergeants how to instruct soldiers in managing the stressors of combat and military life, build resilience and avoid worst-scenario thinking. Early data on the program show that soldiers who get the training from their sergeants experience less catastrophic thinking and exhibit better coping skills, said Seligman. The use of pro-social video games is another possible way OCTOBER 2011 • MONITOR ON PSYCHOLOGY to boost well-being across a large swath of the population, he said. He has recently talked with gaming experts interested in collaborating with him to develop such games. He is also working with experts from Facebook and Google to look at ways that their data could aid his global well-being efforts. Social media technology could allow him and other researchers to give a real-time assessment of the world’s wellbeing almost instantly. “We can do this is by combing search terms, blogs, Facebook and Twitter” for words and phrases that relate to well-being, said Seligman. Such a search when the Chilean miners were rescued last year showed that the well-being lexicon went up in Chile, but not in Argentina, said Seligman. “We are validating the possibility that we can do much better than public polling,” he said. n For more on Seligman’s work with the U.S. Army, see www. apa.org/monitor/2009/12/army-program.aspx. 57 Lloyd Wolf http://www.apa.org/monitor/2009/12/army-program.aspx http://www.apa.org/monitor/2009/12/army-program.aspx

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Monitor on Psychology - October 2011

Monitor on Psychology - October 2011
President’s Column
Subtle and stunning slights
Contents
From the CEO
Live science on the showroom floor
Zimbardo re-examines his landmark study
Ready, set, mentor
Attention students and ECPs: Self-care is an ‘ethical imperative’
Suicide risk is high among war veterans in college, study finds
Psychotherapy is effective and here’s why
From toilet to tap: getting people to drink recycled water
What’s ahead for psychology practice?
A push for more accountability is changing the accreditation process
Peer, parental support prove key to fighting childhood obesity
Popular media’s message to girls
Bullying may contribute to lower test scores
A consequence of cuckoldry: More (and better) sex?
Manatees’ exquisite sense of touch may lead them into dangerous waters
Building a better tomato
How will China’s only children care for their aging parents?
‘Spice’ and ‘K2’: New drugs of abuse now on the market
Many suspects don’t understand their right to remain silent
In Brief
Boosting minority achievement
Where’s the progress?
And social justice for all
Helping new Americans find their way
Segregation’s ongoing legacy
A new way to combat prejudice
Retraining the biased brain
Suppressing the ‘white bears’
How to eat better — mindlessly
Protect your aging brain
Must babies always breed marital discontent?
Outing addiction
Flourish 2051
The danger of stimulants
Keys to making integrated care work
Is technology ruining our kids?
Facebook: Friend or foe?
The promise of Web 3.0
NIMH invests in IT enhanced interventions
Science Directions
Science Directions
PsycAdvocates work to safeguard key programs
The psychology of spending cuts
APA’s strategic plan goes live
Visionary leaders
Bravo!
Vote on bylaws amendments

Monitor on Psychology - October 2011