16 must-read Positive Psychology books

A selection of high-quality titles to help you develop as a person.

Positive psychology is a psychological approach that, since the 1990s, has focused on providing scientifically grounded knowledge about happiness, psychological well-being, and the creative and transformative potential of human beings.

What is Positive Psychology?

In other words, it addresses issues that until recently were ignored by the mainstream of psychology, more concerned with the study of happiness, psychological well-being and the creative and transformative potential of human beings.The Positive Psychology approach, more concerned with the study of mental disorders and abnormal and harmful patterns of behavior.

Authors such as Martin E. P. Seligman o Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi have been promoting a study of happiness and the positive characteristics of the human psyche for years, and the knowledge generated by this branch of research has been poured into a large amount of informative content from which it is often difficult to choose. These books are inspired by the humanistic philosophy that characterized psychologists such as Carl Rogers or Abraham Maslow, although with a much greater scientific foundation.

The best-selling and most recommended books on Positive Psychology

The potential of positive psychology is evident: it is supported by research that can help us get closer to what we know as happiness.. However, it is often difficult to choose among all the psychology titles available. This is why we have created this selection of books.

Below you can see a selection of the most outstanding and revealing books on positive psychology.The most useful in understanding this aspect of the science of behavior and mental processes, and which also serve to apply some concrete measures to our daily lives.

The great majority of them, moreover, are books on positive psychology in Spanish, are books on positive psychology in Spanish, as well as being very accessible and easy to read..

Psychologically Speaking" (Adrian Triglia, Bertrand Regader and Jonathan Garcia-Allen)

To understand the logic behind positive thinking and the power of changing mindsets, there is nothing like knowing the fundamentals of psychology. In this short book, written by the founders of Psychology and Mind, you will find all the fundamental knowledge about positive thinking and the power of changing mindsets.you will find all the fundamental knowledge on which the fascinating science of the human mind is built.

• If you are interested, you can learn more about this work by clicking on this link.

 

2. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi's "Flow: A Psychology of Happiness".

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi is known for his research on the "flow state", that is, a state in which we feel that we are experiencing things in an optimal way, keeping all our concentration on them and noticing a sense of well-being and creative potential that is difficult to express in words; all this without consuming any kind of substances.

In this book, the author explains some keys about the nature of this state, and how to provoke it..

• If you are interested, you can get it here.

 

3. "Authentic happiness", by Martin E. P. Seligman

Seligman has been one of the referents of positive psychology, so he must have had a lot to say about happiness. In this book reviews several of the researches that have helped to give shape to what is understood as happiness. from positive psychology.

• You can get this book by clicking here.

 

4. "The science of well-being: foundations of a positive psychology", by Carmelo Vázquez and Gonzalo Hervás

This is the ideal book for those who are looking for a more academic approach to the subject of positive psychology.. It is somewhat less light reading than the other books on positive psychology presented here, but at the same time it is more complete.

• If you want to buy it, you can do so here.

 

5. "Intelligent Optimism: Psychology of Positive Emotions" (Various authors)

One of the most recommended books to learn to what extent emotional states are associated with different ways of looking at life (and how to make this play in our favor). The authors are Mª Dolores Avia Aranda y Carmelo Vázquez Valverde.

• You can get this book here.

 

6. "Overcoming adversity: the power of resilience", by Luis Rojas Marcos.

This is one of the books on positive psychology that deals with the subject of resilience, which is very much treated from this psychological approach. In its pages it explains explains what this capacity to overcome the hardest adversities consists of, without letting Pain and sadness without letting pain and sadness take control of our actions.

• If you are interested, you can buy it here.

 

7. "Flow in Business", by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

Another one of the most outstanding books on positive psychology by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi.. In this case, the author applies his conclusions about the state of flow to apply it to the business world, where this experience in which motivation and creativity are mixed can be an important productive engine when working.

• You can buy this book here.

 

8. "Is your bucket full? Strategies for Empowering Your Positive Emotions", by Tom Rath and Donald O. Clifton

A quick read to learn some of the basics about how those emotional states that we tend to enjoy how those emotional states that we tend to enjoy are produced and how to take advantage of this knowledge in different areas of life: both at work and in personal relationships.

• Do you want to buy it? You can get it here.

 

9. "Positive Psychology: the scientific and practical explorations of human strengths" (Various authors)

An excellent way to get in touch with positive psychology for the first time through complete and exhaustive explanations. This book, which for the moment is not translated into Spanish, is written by Charles Richard Snyder, Shane J. Lopez y Jennifer T. Pedrotti.

10. "The Science of Happiness", by Sonja Lyubomirsky

One of the books on positive psychology with a more practical approach.with measures that can be included in everyday habits. It is a wellness program based on scientific evidence.

• If you are interested, you can buy the book here.

 

11. "The uselessness of suffering", by María Jesús Álava Reyes

The Spanish psychologist María Jesús Álava Reyes details in this book some of the keys to understand the humanistic philosophy behind positive psychology. It includes practical contents that can be applied to everyday life.

• You can get the book at this link.

 

12. "The life that blooms", by Martin E. P. Seligman

In this book, the father of positive psychology updates his conception of well-being and provides new ways of understanding human emotions. One of the most popular books on positive psychology.

• If you want it, you can click here.

 

13. "The Happiness Trap", by Russ Harris

A book that seems to go against the grain of most books on positive psychology; perhaps that is why it is so unique. One of the main ideas that the author develops in this work is that, many times, what keeps us away from happiness is our own efforts to get closer to it. Through the principles of Acceptance and Commitment TherapyRuss Harris presents us with simple strategies and exercises with which we can learn to let ourselves go with the flow of life and accept it with all its imperfections.

• Are you curious? To read more about this book, click on this link.

 

14. "The Habits of a Happy Brain". by Loretta Graziano

What is behind all those psychological processes that constitute happiness? In this excellent book you can learn what is the logic that guides the appearance of those moments of euphoria and psychological well-being that invade us from time to time, what is the brain chemistry that produces them and why we experience this kind of experiences as we do.

• If you want to know more about this title, click on this link.

 

15. "Positive Psychology: The Science of Happiness", by Alan Carr

One of the books on positive psychology that emphasizes the need to offer a global vision of this branch of the science of behavior and mental processes. An introductory and divulgation work conceived for people interested not only in learning practical strategies and tricks, but also in understanding how the advances in this field are being made and what is the history of this discipline.

• If you want to know more about the book, access more information through this link.

 

16. "The Power of Positive Thinking", by Norman Vincent Peale

This book is especially indicated for all those people who want to change their lives for the better by making use of the mechanisms and tools of emotional management of Positive Psychology, a discipline with endless possibilities.

In it, the author teaches us various useful techniques with which we can find mental balance and serenity. find the mental balance and serenity that we need in our day to day life, learning at the same time to live a healthy life.In this book we will learn how to live in a healthy and energetic way in order to achieve our goals.

• In this page there is more information about the book.

We continue with a compilation of positive thoughts

• If you liked this article you may also be interested in this one: "125 short positive phrases to live every day with optimism".