Globalizing Positive Psychology

Source: PublicDomainPictures/ 18043

I recently met Andrés Cabezas of the Latin American Center for Applied Positive Psychology (CELAPPA) for a fascinating inner-mammal chat. Andres questions the applicability of US/European well-being studies to his region, his students and his clients. The challenge for positive psychology in Latin America is to find its own predictive variables, he says.

We agreed on the limits of self-reporting as the foundation for our knowledge of well-being. We also agreed that animal models are valuable because of their universality. We both see a future in which people can better understand their ups and downs by understanding the function of our brain chemicals (dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin, endorphin, cortisol) in animals.

I look forward to new international research insights worldwide. As I told Andrés, I am not convinced that the American tools are working for Americans. They rest on assumptions that are not even working for the families of social science professors who craft the assumptions. My evidence for this sensitive topic is anecdotal, of course, but as a retired college professor and a parent, I have spent much time observing this taboo dynamic. We insist that our children be motivated by “passion” rather than necessity. If they end up unmotivated, we tend to medicalize the problem instead of challenging our assumptions. Unfortunately, necessity is what motivated our ancestors for millions of years. In the plain language I use with my friends: if children grow up sitting on the couch having pizza served to them, they are prepared for a life of sitting on the couch having pizza served to them. When that skill set proves unsatisfying, we should stop serving them pizza before we rush to medicalize the problem.

Source: Wokandapix

A simple model of human emotions based on the mammalian neurochemical operating system is introduced in this simple
poster,
slide show,
and the many resources of the
Inner Mammal Institute.

(en espanol)