How about you? Do you express your highest character strengths each day at your job?

The research has been clear: Find ways to use your signature strengths and you will reap the benefits. One such benefit is greater happiness. And when you bring forth your best strengths at work, you have more positive work experiences, work satisfaction increases, and your engagement gets a boost too.

But why? Why is the use of signature strengths linked with greater happiness?

Previous research has explained this connection by finding that when we tap into our most natural and energizing internal qualities we meet our basic psychological needs and we reach our goals.

New research from Jacques Forest and his colleagues in Canada adds to this explanation. They found that signature strength use led to increases in harmonious passion. This means that when people express their strengths they are expressing a sense of who they are in a balanced way that is freely chosen and personally important in their life. This then leads to greater happiness for that person.

Whether you are a teacher, a garbage collector, an accountant, a homemaker, or an office manager, finding ways to align your character strengths with your work each day has a positive impact.

What strengths exercises did Forest have his subjects do? Here are the steps:

1.) First, the subjects described in detail what it looked like when they were working at their best. They noted how their signature strengths were involved and how they felt before and after using their signature strengths as well as how they felt in the moment.

2.) The subjects were then invited to use two of their signature strengths in new ways at their current job for two weeks.

3.) Finally, the subjects reflected on the positive consequences of using their signature strengths in their current job.

Easy enough, right? Sometimes it’s the easiest things, when applied the right way, that make the biggest impact.

How about you? Apply these three steps above to your current work. This will help you tap into your natural passion and enthusiasm and unleash it into the world.

References:

Forest, J., Mageau, G. V. A., Crevier-Braud, L., Bergeron, L., Dubreuil, P., & Lavigne, G. V. L. (2012). Harmonious passion as an explanation of the relation between signature strengths’ use and well-being at work: Test of an intervention program. Human Relations, 65(9), 1233-1252.

Linley, P. A., Nielsen, K. M., Gillett, R., & Biswas-Diener, R. (2010). Using signature strengths in pursuit of goals: Effects on goal progress, need satisfaction, and well-being, and implications for coaching psychologists. International Coaching Psychology Review, 5(1), 6-15.

Resources:

Learn more about the VIA Institute on Character.

Take the VIA Survey of strengths (this free, validated survey is now only half as long!)

Learn more through an educational course on character strengths.

Said another way, people are touched by the suffering of others and then take action. This action involves the expression of their own character strengths (e.g., kindness, leadership, bravery) to bring benefit to others.

Research has documented how tragedy seems to elevate what is best in us. Following the September 11^th (2001) attack on the World Trade Center in New York City, seven character strengths were elevated in people in the United States who took the VIA Survey before 9/11 and two months after 9/11:

• Gratitude
• Hope
• Kindness
• Leadership
• Love
• Spirituality
• Teamwork

These strengths showed significant increases whereas these strengths did not increase in a European sample. In addition, these seven strengths still showed some elevation 10 months later. As you review these strengths you can see they are clearly heart-oriented, other-oriented, or both. By heart-oriented I mean strengths such as gratitude and love which involve warmth and care and often involve deep feelings and genuineness. By other-oriented, I mean strengths that are interpersonal and can be used very easily expressed to bring benefit to others; clearly strengths like teamwork and kindness can be expressed this way when people are in need.

Research has also found that the more traumatic events an individual reports, the higher their character strength scores are.

Therefore, tragedy has a way of waking us from our autopilot slumber. Even for most of us who are simply passively witnessing tragic events reported by the news networks, it knocks us off our daily routine. It gives us a flash of mindfulness for a moment or two. This (hopefully) leads us to reflect on our lives and what matters most. We express sorrow for those who are suffering, hope for their well-being, and gratitude that it wasn’t us or our family members who were killed or injured. But our perspective strength reminds us that perhaps next time, it will be us. Thus, the time to act is now. The time to express our strengths to help others is now. If not now, then when?

When we express our character strengths, we participate in what it means to be human. We engage life. Such engagement brings benefit to others, as well as ourselves.

References:

Niemiec, R. M. (2013). Mindfulness and character strengths: A practical guide to flourishing. Cambridge, MA: Hogrefe.

Park, N., Peterson, C., & Seligman, M. E. P. (2004). Strengths of character and well-being. Journal of Social & Clinical Psychology, 23, 603–619.

Peterson, C., Park, N., Pole, N., D’Andrea, W., & Seligman, M. E. P. (2008). Strengths of character and posttraumatic growth. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 21, 214-217.

Peterson, C., & Seligman, M. E. P. (2003). Character strengths before and after September 11. Psychological Science, 14, 381-384.

Peterson, C., & Seligman, M. E. P. (2004). Character strengths and virtues: A handbook and classification. New York: Oxford University Press and Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association.

Resources:

Learn more about the VIA Institute on Character.

Take the VIA Survey of strengths (this free, validated survey is now only half as long!)

[Spoiler alert: Please be forewarned that I reveal some key plot developments of the popular novel, Gone Girl]

As I read Gillian Flynn’s bestselling book, Gone Girl, I was not expecting to learn much about positive psychology but instead to learn more about what is often discussed in regard to this book – the mind of the psychopath.

Indeed, that is what I got: an incredible, realistic portrait of a devious, manipulative, and revengeful character. Readers learn a lot about the lack of remorse, dishonesty, impersonal sexuality, and striking charm that are characteristics of a psychopath. Flynn offers the world a textbook example with the character of Amy Dunne.

While my signature strength of curiosity was piqued throughout the book (I devoured the book in 2 days), I began to consider the strengths of this psychopath. What character strengths did Amy use to concoct her plan? How did Amy use these strengths to harm others?

As one considers character strengths that are found in all human beings (see this list here from scientists), it is easy to see those strengths that have gone awry in Amy Dunne.

When an individual uses one’s character strengths to do harm to others, we can view this as “strengths misuse” or the “dark side of character.”

If Amy were to take the VIA Survey which measures strengths of character, she would score high on many traits – creativity, perseverance, judgment, prudence, self-regulation, and curiosity. However, that’s only part of the story, because what the VIA Survey does not measure is how we use these strengths. Do we use our character strengths for the betterment of ourselves and others? In the case of Amy, she uses her strengths to enact revenge and cause her husband and others suffering. For example:

• Amy devises a highly original, ingenious, detailed plan involving extensive research, calculation, and configuration. This exemplifies her misuse of prudence and creativity.
• Rather than reacting impulsively to the witnessing of her husband’s infidelity, Amy patiently creates and manages all the possible details, scenarios, and outcomes of her plot over an entire year! Amy is thus misusing her extensive judgment/critical thinking abilities and misusing her strength of self-regulation.
• She observes every nuance of her husband’s behaviors and idiosyncrasies with interest, collecting information that can be later used against him in her scheme (misuse of curiosity and social intelligence).
• Amy keeps her focus on her main goal (the revenge and public humiliation of her husband) and overcomes all obstacles and challenges along the way as she pursues her goal (misuse of perseverance).

Remember, Amy uses each of these aspects of her character to the disservice or outright harm of others. Hence, they are no longer “strengths.” They are, instead, machinations of her psychopathy. To use the phrase, “misuse of strengths,” is certainly not a positive spin, rather it is the presentation of another angle in looking at how what is best in us can turn dark. Really dark.

Whether a psychopath can permanently change for the better is highly debatable. Any positive comments along these lines would be met by significant skepticism from a wide range of scholars. One way to start would be to twist those strengths that are being misused to align with a different purpose – a purpose that brings benefit to others and does not harm anyone in the process.

Resources:

Learn more about the VIA Institute on Character.

Take the VIA Survey of strengths (this free, validated survey is now only half as long!)

Photo credit: Brandon Warren via Compfight

What are your strengths?

What is best about you?

What qualities make up who you are?

Too many times in my work as a clinical psychologist these questions would be met by blank stares from the person in front of me. And, when the question was answered at all, the response was something vague like “I like baseball” or “I’m good at cooking.” This is consistent with survey research that has found that 2/3 of people do not have a meaningful awareness of their strengths.

A good way to jump into learning about and working with strengths is the practice of strengths-spotting. Strengths-spotting is a skill that improves with practice. This article is part 2 of 2 on strengths-spotting. The previous article focused on spotting strengths in others while this one will focus on spotting strengths in oneself.

There are many ways to practice spotting strengths in oneself. Consider the 5 exercises below:

Take the VIA Survey

This survey measures your character strengths and offers free results with a rank-order listing. Looking at those character strengths toward the top of your results page is a way to begin generating greater awareness of strengths in yourself.

Self-nominate your strengths

If you don’t feel like making time to fill out the VIA Survey, take a look at this comprehensive list of character strengths found around the world. Check off the strengths that you believe best describe who you are at your core. Then, go through the list again and check off those strengths that you bring forth most strongly in your present life. Are there any discrepancies?

For example, you might feel as if you are very creative but perhaps you don’t get to show that strength strongly at work or with your family. Or, you might believe that you bring humor and playfulness to your daily life with joke-telling and laughing a lot, but you don’t feel that strength is core to your identity.

What action might you take to resolve one of these discrepancies?

Monitor yourself for a day

Choose one ordinary day in your life. Go about your day as you typically do but with one change. Set an alarm or smart-phone alert to signal you every 30 minutes. When you hear the alarm, pause, and ask yourself: “What character strengths was I just using?”

Keep a log for one day or a half-day in which you write down the strengths and how you were using them, along with the time of day.

What stands out to you as you review your log? What patterns emerged?

An instance of greatness

Whether we play the “humility card” or not, we all have times in our life when we have done something really well. In other words, we have all performed “better than ordinary” at one time or many times in our life. Write down one experience. What happened in the situation? What role did you play? What did you do that was particularly successful or useful to someone? After you write out this experience, go back and read through the story; as you read it through, circle the words or phrases that relate to the use of one of the 24 character strengths.

Someone who “gets” you

Think about a time when someone shared something good about you in which their observations took you completely off-guard. This person really seemed to “get you” in a way that made you feel totally understood.

What did this person see in you? What did they “get” about you?  Also, ask yourself, what character strengths were they seeing? What impact did this have on you? This exercise allows you to spot strengths in yourself, but through the eyes of another.

When I lived in St. Louis, I went to breakfast once a month with a wise friend who was a 70-year-old nun named Sr. Marilyn. We had wonderful conversations about spirituality, living life fully, and expressing meaning and purpose in life. In each conversation, Sr. Marilyn found a way to comment on a positive quality I was expressing or that she had witnessed in me in the previous months. These comments always addressed one or more of my signature strengths in some form. I was often quite surprised when she made these observations about my character, even though I was quite familiar with my signature strengths.

To hear someone directly express such observations offers a different angle or perspective, as well as carries weight in terms of validation of the behavioral aspects of one’s character.

Gratitude: I would like to thank Donna Mayerson for inspiring the idea of creating the exercise above titled, “someone who gets you.” I would like to dedicate this blog post to my dear friend, Sr. Marilyn Wussler, who is mentioned above.

Interesting in learning more?

Sign up for one of the VIA Institute’s online courses on character strengths! Click here to choose and learn more.

photo credit: apparena

There are 2 general levels to strengths-spotting: 1.) Spotting strengths in action in others and 2.) Spotting strengths in action in oneself.

This blog entry will focus on spotting strengths in others and a follow-up entry will focus on oneself.

In workshops I ask people which is easier to do. Overwhelming, people say it’s easier to spot strengths in others. Therefore, your relationships are a good place to start.

Here are 5 steps to improve your strengths-spotting ability.

1.)    Build a language. First, you need to understand what you are looking for. Having a coherent strengths language will allow you to prime yourself on what to look for in others. The VIA Classification of 24 strengths provides a framework for building in a meaningful and systematic vocabulary.

2.)    Fine tune your observation and listening skills. What do strengths look like in action? The idea here is to look for a shifts in energy, on both a verbal and a nonverbal level.

• Look for nonverbal cues that a strength is present by looking for improved posture, better eye contact, the eyes “lighting up,” more smiling or laughing, increased use of hand gestures, and the expression of positive emotions such as joy, excitement, and hope. I ask participants in workshops around the world what they notice nonverbally and one of the responses someone always exclaims is they notice “the eyes light up.”
• On a verbal level, listen for a stronger, more assertive voice, improved vocabulary and clarity of speech, and use of strength words. Some people might be quicker and even tangential in their speech because they are excited about the topic while others speak more slowly and are more methodical in their delivery.

3.)    Label and explain character strength behaviors. First, give the strengths that you spot a label; second, provide the rationale for how you saw the strength being expressed, and third, if appropriate, express appreciation for the person’s strength. For example:

• “John, I was impressed by how well you kept your cool during that heated debate at our meeting yesterday. That took a lot of self-control on your part!”
• “Mom, you seem to always offer me warmth and kind words at just the right time. This is exactly what helps me feel cared for and supported. I want you to know how much I value your love.”

4.)    Build a habit by maintaining your strengths-spotting. Repeat the above phases through practice and more practice. Like any developing skill, observing for character strengths needs to become an ongoing practice for it to build.  You might wish to deepen your skill of recognizing character strengths in action by keeping a log (mental or written) of behavioral expressions of character strengths.

Getting Practical:

At your next work meeting or family gathering, enter the environment wearing “strengths goggles.” This means walk in with a mindset to look for strengths as they occur. Spot your co-worker asking lots of questions (curiosity) or collaborating on a project (teamwork). Notice when your mother puts her arm around you when she speaks (love) or when your brother keeps the family entertained with a funny story (humor).

After you spot the strength(s), if the timing is right, tell the person how you value their strength use. Express your appreciation. Name the strength that you saw them use and share the rationale for your observation.

Interesting in learning more?

There’s still time to sign up for the VIA Institute’s flagship course on character strengths! You learn about research, practices, using strengths to deal with problems, strengths overuse, the golden mean, and much more. Click here.

New research from the science of positive psychology has found a number of practical exercises you can do to boost your happiness and decrease your depression.

Choose one of the following 7 exercises and practice it for 1 week:

• Three funny things: Write down the three funniest things that you experienced or participated in each day; also write about why the funny thing happened (e.g., was it something you created, something you observed, something spontaneous?). In addition to happiness, this will also boost your character strength of humor.

• Gift of time: Offer the “gift” of your time to three different people this week. This might be in the form of time spent, helping someone around their house, or sharing a meal with someone who is lonely. These “gifts” should be in addition to your planned activities. This will also boost your character strength of love.

• Counting kindness: Keep a log of all the kind acts that you do in a particular day. Jot them down by the end of each day. Your kindness strength will benefit.

• One door closes, another door opens: Consider a moment in your life when a negative event led to positive consequences that you were not expecting. Write about this each day. This will also boost your character strength of hope.

• Gratitude letter/visit: Write a letter of gratitude to someone who has had a positive impact on you. If feasible, you might consider delivering the letter to the person. Your gratitude strength and other strengths will benefit. [It is important to first weigh the pros and cons of delivering such a letter.]
• Three good things: Jot down three things that went well for you each day and give an explanation as to why these good things occurred. This will also boost your character strength of gratitude.

• Use your signature strengths in a new way: This is the most popular of all positive psychology exercises. Take the VIA Survey that asks you about your character strengths. Choose one of your highest strengths (your signature strengths) and use it in a new way each day. For tips on how to use any of the 24 character strengths in a new way, go here.

Consider this…

• If you don’t like the idea of writing these exercises out, consider having a planned discussion each day for a week about the exercise with someone in your life.
• Make sure you practice the exercise for a full week. Take notice of the impact it has.

References

Study noted above:

Gander, F., Proyer, R. T., Ruch, W., & Wyss, T. (2012). Strength-based positive interventions: Further evidence for their potential in enhancing well-being. Journal of Happiness Studies.

Related studies and sources with similar exercises:

Mitchell, J., Stanimirovic, R., Klein, B., & Vella-Brodrick, D. (2009). A randomised controlled trial of a self-guided internet intervention promoting well-being. Computers in Human Behavior, 25, 749–760.

Mongrain, M., & Anselmo-Matthews, T. (2012).Do positive psychology exercises work? A replication of Seligman et al. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 68(4).

Niemiec, R. M., & Wedding, D. (2013). Positive psychology at the movies 2: Using films to build virtues and character strengths. Cambridge, MA: Hogrefe.

Otake, K., Shimai, S., Tanaka-Matsumi, J., Otsui, K., & Fredrickson, B. (2006). Happy people become happier through kindness: A counting kindness intervention. Journal of Happiness Studies, 7(3), 361–375.

Peterson, C. (2006). A primer in positive psychology. New York: Oxford University Press.

Peterson, C. & Seligman, M. E. P. (2004). Character strengths and virtues: A handbook and classification. New York: Oxford University Press.

Rashid, T., & Anjum, A. (2008). Positive psychotherapy for young adults and children. In J. R. Z. Abela & B. L. Hankin (Eds.), Handbook of depression in children and adolescents: Causes, treatment, and prevention (pp. 250–287). New York: Guilford.

Seligman, M. E. P., Steen, T. A., Park, N., & Peterson, C. (2005). Positive psychology progress: Empirical validation of interventions. American Psychologist, 60, 410–421.

“Mommy, mommy, guess what?”

“What, sweetheart?”

“I used bravery and perseverance today!”

“You did?”

“Yeah, our teacher gave us a really hard project today in science class. At first I was scared and didn’t want to do it but then I decided to use my strengths.”

“What did you do?”

“I used my bravery to start working on the project and then I just keep going and going until it was done. And my teacher gave me a gold star for working so hard!”

This is a typical conversation that emerges from the first grade students at Shanghai American School in Shanghai, China, where educator/consultant Sarah Pearlz is training the teachers on bringing a strengths language into the classroom. Here are examples of what they do:

• Teachers read stories and ask the children: What strengths did the main character show?  Did you notice any characters being curious? Using fairness?
• Teachers infuse strengths into the lesson plans. Bravery is taught, prudence is explained, kindness is discussed.
• Students identify their own top strengths, referred to as “my signature strengths.”
• Students discover and practice ways of using their signature strengths at school, with their homework, and in play with other students.
• Students are directly encouraged to turn to their character strengths when they are trying to manage a problem or a conflict with another student.

Watch the 9-minute video here.

The results at Shanghai American School?

Nothing short of extraordinary. Here’s what the teachers observed:

• Spontaneous strengths use. The children learn the language and quickly begin to apply it at home and school.
• Increases in confidence from the beginning of the school year.
• Increases in problem-solving and openness to new things.
• Greater happiness from the beginning of the school year. (This is aligned with scientific findings that character strengths use is connected to well-being in youth and children.)
• Feeling more authentic (yes, the kids do use that word). They report feeling a sense of ownership of who they are. They see themselves in a new light – from a different angle.
• Transformed parent-teacher meetings. Teachers (and students, when present) share with parents the character strengths of the child and how the child uses them during the school day. Teachers also query the parents’ about their character strengths.
• A new perspective for parents. Here’s an example: A very critical father, upon learning about his son’s signature strength of creativity and his son’s use of creativity in solving complex problems, wrote a letter to his son with the following statement: “Your mother and I were so amazed and surprised at who’ve you’ve become this year.”
• Strengths spreading throughout the school: Other teachers hear the excitement from the students and teachers and want in on the practice. Teachers appreciate that this approach is not about doing “one more thing” rather it’s about enhancing the work they are already doing.

Video resources on character strengths in education

Shanghai American School: Shanghai, China:  video (1^st graders)

Bella Vista Elementary School: Salt Lake City, Utah: video (4^th graders)

Newark Boys Chorus School: Newark, NJ: video (whole school)

St. Peter’s College: Adelaide, Australia video (high school students)

Book resources

Strengths Gym (2011) by Carmel Proctor and Jenny Fox Eades. This practical book focuses on various exercises for working with each of the 24 character strengths. It comes with a CD of worksheets and exercises.

Smart Strengths (2011) by John Yeager, Sherri Fisher, and David Shearon. This guide-book is for parents, teachers, and coaches interested in building character strengths and resilience in youth.

Celebrating Strengths (2008) by Jenny Fox Eades. This book is for teachers and school professionals interested in bringing character strengths into the school culture.

Scholarly articles

Gillham, J., Adams-Deutsch, Z., Werner, J., Reivich, K., Coulter-Heindl, V., Linkins, M., Winder, B., Peterson, C., Park, N., Abenavoli, R., Contero, A., & Seligman, M. E. P. (2011). Character strengths predict subjective well-being during adolescence. Journal of Positive Psychology, 6(1), 31-44.

Park, N., & Peterson, C. (2006). Moral competence and character strengths among adolescents: The development and validation of the Values in Action Inventory of Strengths for Youth. Journal of Adolescence, 29(6), 891-909.

Park, N., & Peterson, C. (2006). Character strengths and happiness among young children: Content analysis of parental descriptions. Journal of Happiness Studies, 7, 323-341.

Peterson, C., & Seligman, M. E. P. (2004). Character strengths and virtues: A handbook and classification. New York: Oxford University Press and Washington, D. C.: American Psychological Association.

Proctor, C., Tsukayama, E., Wood, A., M., Maltby, J., Fox Eades, J., & Linley, P. A. (2011). Strengths gym: The impact of a character strengths-based intervention on the life satisfaction and well-being of adolescents. Journal of Positive Psychology, 6(5), 377-388.

Seligman, M. E. P., Ernst, R. M., Gillham, J., Reivich, K., & Linkins, M. (2009). Positive education: Positive psychology and classroom interventions. Oxford Review of Education, 35(3), 293-311.

Shoshani, A., & Ilanit Aviv, I. (2012). The pillars of strength for first-grade adjustment – Parental and children’s character strengths and the transition to elementary school. Journal of Positive Psychology, 7(4), 315-326.

Shoshani, A., & Slone, M. (2012). Middle school transition from the strengths perspective: Young adolescents’ character strengths, subjective well-being, and school adjustment. Journal of Happiness Studies.

Weber, M., & Ruch, W. (2012). The role of a good character in 12-year-old school children: Do character strengths matter in the classroom? Child Indicators Research, 5(2), 317-334.

It was 6:58 PM on Tuesday October, 26, 2010 when I realized I just wanted to be myself. At that moment, I realized that I just couldn’t be anyone else.

LeighAndria Young, student and poet
School for the Creative and Performing Arts
Cincinnati, Ohio

These are the refreshing words of high school student, LeighAndria Young, that describe her shift toward a deeper self-acceptance of who she is. She embraces all her inner qualities – her strengths and foibles – realizing that it is her uniqueness and her capacity to “just be” that is most crucial in life.

Watch a 3-minute video of LeighAndria performing her poem, “6:58,” at this link here.

How does one shift toward greater self-acceptance, toward personal growth, or discover a clearer sense of identity? It starts with knowing thyself.

But, who are you at your core? What might you express in order to improve yourself? To help the lives of others? To make a contribution to society?

An answer to each of these questions is deceptively simple: Your character strengths.

All humans have strengths of character. The expression of our strengths is part of our uniqueness. They can help us overcome problems and reach our goals. They can help us relate better to the most important people in our lives and create new friendships and relationships. In the end, when we are consistently expressing our character strengths for the greater good, we are making a solid and meaningful contribution to society.

LeighAndria does this by expressing honesty as displayed in her transparency of self-expression. We are given a glimpse to who she is as a human being; her honesty paves a pathway for us to see this. She also expresses significant bravery by not only having the courage to be who she is but to also share her revelations with large groups. There are many other character strengths she exudes in her poetry presentation; go to this link and see how many strengths you can spot.

In addition, LeighAndria displays perspective (also called wisdom). This is clear when she exclaims: “I have a voice that needs to be heard!,” echoing the eureka moment of the king played by Colin Firth in The King’s Speech (although LeighAndria’s epiphany came about two months before the film’s release). This exemplifies that she is seeing a wider perspective in her view of herself, others, and the world.

Through her inspiring example, we are called to pay closer attention to our own character strengths and how we might come to appreciate ourselves in a new way. This requires deliberate attention to ourselves but with a softness or gentleness where we can be open, curious, and accepting of what we discover. In this way, LeighAndria is an emissary of mindfulness for all of us.

Resources:

• Defining moments exercise: This positive psychology exercise is designed to help individuals discover those moments in time that have helped shape who they are. For details, go here.
• Louder than a Bomb (2010): This Oprah Winfrey Network production is a moving documentary that depicts the creativity and honesty of a wide range of students competing in Chicago at the largest poetry slam of performances in the U.S.
• VIA character strengths: This free, online self-assessment of character strengths has been taken by over 2 million people around the world and can be accessed here.

The intensity is riveting. All of the viewer’s attention focuses on what might be the next plot development – will the hostages make it through the airport checkpoints? What obstacles will they face next? How can they possibly overcome them?

But then I reflected more deeply: What really matters most in terms of this story as it unfolds before me? What I found surprised me.

My hopes went beyond the escape of the hostages…and beyond seeing a masterful plan well-executed to success. What mattered most to me was what will happen to these hostages and the main protagonist after the escape? I found myself longing to see Mendez return home so he could make another attempt to re-connect with his wife whom he had separated from. I wanted him to see his young son again and have more positive experiences with him. I wanted the hostages to celebrate their escape with one another and reintegrate back into everyday life.

Said another way: I wanted to see the exhibition of positive relationship factors, not just the grand achievement of a safe escape.

It turns out, research on movies has found support for my experience of Argo. Hollywood producer, Lindsay Doran, has studied and made successful films for decades and has recently examined what audiences are looking for most. She found that it’s the positive resolution of relationships – not the character winning – that is most satisfying. She cites beloved films like Dirty Dancing, The King’s Speech, and The Karate Kid, all which have great accomplishments in the end – however, it’s the celebration and the sharing of that achievement that audiences care about most. This occurs in each of these films.

In Argo, there is celebration, relief, gratitude, compassion, hope, serenity, and utter joy that occur after the achievement. Positive relationships occupy the last several minutes of the film leaving the viewer with what he or she wants. The viewer is left to vicariously feel these positive emotions and perhaps one more feeling: elevation.

The real-life hostages that escaped.

Cinematic elevation occurs when the viewer observes a portrayal of goodness or a character strength, the viewer experiences physiological sensations of inspiration such as tingling in the arms and neck and warming in the chest, and is then motivated to do good. When applied to Argo, there are many opportunities for the viewer to feel cinematic elevation – the exemplary bravery, kindness, and self-regulation required of Mendez’s heroism; the genuine love, courage, and teamwork expressed by the hostages; the humility and underlying love of Mendez when he shows up on his wife’s doorstep. The viewer sees these strengths-in-action and is perhaps then motivated to do good for others, to imitate the positive qualities, and to be a better person. Indeed, several studies have shown elevation boosts altruism.

The next time you go to the movies, consider this: As you watch the film unfold, what are you really hoping for in order to be satisfied with the film? Do positive relationships trump achievement?

References:

Algoe, S. B., & Haidt, J. (2009). Witnessing excellence in action: The ‘other-praising’ emotions of elevation, gratitude, and admiration. Journal of Positive Psychology, 4, 105-127.

Aquino, K., McFerran, B., & Laven, M. (2011). Moral identity and the experience of moral elevation in response to acts of uncommon goodness. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 100(4), 703-718

Niemiec, R. M. (2012). Cinematic elevation and cinematic admiration: Can watching movies positively impact you? Amplifier, a publication of Division 46 (Media).

Niemiec, R. M., & Wedding, D. (2013). Positive psychology at the movies: Using films to build virtues and character strengths. Cambridge, MA: Hogrefe.

Peterson, C., & Seligman, M. E. P. (2004). Character strengths and virtues: A handbook and classification. New York: Oxford University Press, and Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Schnall, S., Roper, J., & Fessler, D. M. T. (2010). Elevation leads to altruism, above and beyond general positive affect. Psychological Science, 21, 315-320.

Schnall, S., & Roper, J.  (2011). Elevation puts moral values into action. Social Psychological and Personality Science.

Learn more about strengths:

To measure your character strengths and discover your signature strengths, go to www.viame.org

To apply character strengths in your practice and life, go to www.viapros.org

The results are in!…just in time for Election Day. I’ll start with the conclusions and then offer more details.

Conclusions:

1. Regardless of political affiliation or preference in this election, the top 4 character strengths of the “ideal President” are:
   1. Leadership
   2. Honesty
   3. Judgment
   4. Fairness
2. Most people do NOT see either candidate as closely resembling what they are looking for in terms of presidential character.
   1. The evidence: With one exception, the endorsement rate of these 4 “ideal” character strengths for the candidates is under 50% (the exception is the strength of leadership for Romney).
   2. Interpretation: With the exception of Romney and the trait of leadership, these results suggest that neither candidate has been actively and deliberately managing the perception of their character strengths.
3. Romney has done a better job than Obama in portraying himself as a leader.
4. Obama has done a better job than Romney in portraying himself as being fair.
5. Given the role of character in voting behavior (other polls have noted character is the most important factor in casting one’s vote), it behooves candidates to focus more on consistently demonstrating their own character strengths.
6. Undecided voters seem to see Obama more positively than Romney on the top four character strengths of the “ideal President.”

Now, for more details….

Method:

A convenience sample of 1,703 people from across the nation (52% female; 48% male) responded to an online survey asking them to identify from 24 character strengths a.) those that they would ideally like to see in the next president, and b.) those that they see as most prominent in each of the presidential candidates.

Results:

1.  Ideal Character Strengths:

A strong finding was that the total sample and all demographic subsamples had the same vision of the top 4 most important character strengths they would ideally like to see in the next president.  These characteristics, in order of importance, are: leadership, honesty, judgment, and fairness.

*Total Responses: 1703

Leadership: 80%

Honesty: 75%

Judgment: 53%

Fairness: 40%

*see below for definitions

2.  Candidates Results on Top 4 Ideal Character Strengths:

a.      Across all respondents and within all subsamples Mitt Romney is seen by more people as possessing leadership than is President Obama.  For the entire sample 63% endorse leadership as one of Romney’s core character traits while 33% identify leadership as core to Obama’s character.

b.      Across all respondents President Obama is seen as possessing the fourth most important “ideal” character strength – fairness – to a greater extent than Romney.  39% of respondents identified fairness as one of Obama’s top character strengths while 17% identified fairness as core for Romney.

c.       Across all respondents Romney is seen by slightly more people as possessing honesty and judgment compared with Obama, but these differences are within the margin of error and not likely to be significant.

3.  Undecided Respondents: 

Of the total sample 7% identified themselves as “undecided”.  Of those respondents Romney comes out ahead of Obama on leadership (52% vs. 29%) BUT Obama comes out ahead on the others:

Honesty: Obama 24% Romney 14%

Judgment: Obama 23% Romney 15%

Fairness: Obama 38% Romney 6%

4.  Candidates Top Character Strengths

Obama’s top-rated strengths: Fairness 39%; social intelligence 38%; hope 35%; honesty 33%; leadership 33%.  “A fair, honest and hopeful leader who understands what makes people tick.”

Romney top-rated strengths: Leadership 63%; spirituality 42%; honesty 40%; judgment 36%; perseverance 34% “An honest and spiritual leader who exercises good judgment and is perseverant.”

*Definitions:

Judgment:  Thinking things through and examining them from all sides are important aspects of who this candidate is. He does not jump to conclusions, and he relies only on solid evidence to make his decisions. He is able to change his mind.

Leadership: This candidate excels at the tasks of leadership: encouraging a group to get things done and preserving harmony within the group by making everyone feel included. He does a good job organizing activities and seeing that they happen.

Honesty: This candidate is an honest person, not only by speaking the truth but by living his life in a genuine and authentic way. He is down to earth and without pretense; He is a “real” person

Fairness:  Treating all people fairly is one of this candidate’s abiding principles. He does not let his personal feelings bias his decisions about other people. He gives everyone a chance.

Reference:

Peterson, C., & Seligman, M. E. P. (2004). Character strengths and virtues: A handbook and classification. New York: Oxford University Press and Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Learn more about strengths:

To measure your character strengths and discover your signature strengths, go to www.viame.org

To apply character strengths in your practice and life, go to www.viapros.org