Martin Seligman

Fox Leadership Professor of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania

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Book Recommendations:

Recommended by Martin Seligman

Sound and practical advice on leading effectively, based on science and business experience, from the leader in the field of emotional intelligence. (from Amazon)

This is the book that established “emotional intelligence” in the business lexicon—and made it a necessary skill for leaders. Managers and professionals across the globe have embraced Primal Leadership, affirming the importance of emotionally intelligent leadership. Its influence has also reached well beyond the business world: the book and its ideas are now used routinely in universities, business and medical schools, and professional training programs, and by a growing legion of professional coaches. This refreshed edition, with a new preface by the authors, vividly illustrates the power—and the necessity—of leadership that is self-aware, empathic, motivating, and collaborative in a world that is ever more economically volatile and technologically complex. It is even timelier now than when it was originally published. From bestselling authors Daniel Goleman, Richard Boyatzis, and Annie McKee, this groundbreaking book remains a must-read for anyone who leads or aspires to lead. Also available in ebook format wherever ebooks are sold.

Recommended by Martin Seligman

I have been waiting all my life for a readable, lucid explanation of Buddhism by a tough-minded, skeptical intellect. Here it is. This is a scientific and spiritual voyage unlike any I have taken before. (from Amazon)

New York Times Bestseller From one of America’s greatest minds, a journey through psychology, philosophy, and lots of meditation to show how Buddhism holds the key to moral clarity and enduring happiness. Robert Wright famously explained in The Moral Animal how evolution shaped the human brain. The mind is designed to often delude us, he argued, about ourselves and about the world. And it is designed to make happiness hard to sustain. But if we know our minds are rigged for anxiety, depression, anger, and greed, what do we do? Wright locates the answer in Buddhism, which figured out thousands of years ago what scientists are only discovering now. Buddhism holds that human suffering is a result of not seeing the world clearly—and proposes that seeing the world more clearly, through meditation, will make us better, happier people. In Why Buddhism is True, Wright leads readers on a journey through psychology, philosophy, and a great many silent retreats to show how and why meditation can serve as the foundation for a spiritual life in a secular age. At once excitingly ambitious and wittily accessible, this is the first book to combine evolutionary psychology with cutting-edge neuroscience to defend the radical claims at the heart of Buddhist philosophy. With bracing honesty and fierce wisdom, it will persuade you not just that Buddhism is true—which is to say, a way out of our delusion—but that it can ultimately save us from ourselves, as individuals and as a species.

Recommended by Martin Seligman

This is the best go-to book on how to use hope to relieve your depression. (from Amazon)

Learned Hopefulness: The Power of Positivity to Overcome Depression book cover

by Dan Tomasulo PhD, Scott Barry Kaufman PhD·You?

“The perfect recipe for fulfillment, joy, peace, and expansion of awareness.” —Deepak Chopra, MD, author of Metahuman Cultivate hope with strengths-based practices grounded in positive psychology. If you suffer from depression, sub-clinical depression, or low mood, you may have days where you feel like you’ve lost hope—hope that you’ll ever feel better, that the world will be a better place, or that you’ll someday find the happiness that always seems to elude you. You aren’t alone. Many people struggle with feelings of sadness and hopelessness—especially in our difficult, modern world. The good news is that you can change. Learned Hopefulness offers powerful exercises grounded in evidence-based positive psychology to help you identify your strengths; ditch the self-limiting beliefs that diminish your capacity for positivity; and increase feelings of motivation, resiliency, and wellness. You’ll also learn to untangle yourself from rumination over past negative events, while shifting your perspective to the present moment and anticipating your future through a more positive lens. With this unique, compassionate, and life-affirming guide, you’ll find the tools you need to break free from hopelessness and start living a life of happiness and vitality.