Try This at Home: Fun Vs. Philanthropy

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From the course by University of Pennsylvania

Positive Psychology: Martin E. P. Seligman’s Visionary Science

1624 ratings

University of Pennsylvania

Positive Psychology: Martin E. P. Seligman’s Visionary Science

1624 ratings

Course 1 of 5 in the Specialization Foundations of Positive Psychology

Dr. Martin E.P. Seligman—renowned worldwide as the “father of Positive Psychology”—has led visionary leaps in the scientific research, empirical data and personal understandings of human flourishing. This course explores the past, present and future of positive psychology as a journey through the key scientific leaps led by Dr. Seligman and his colleagues at the University of Pennsylvania's Positive Psychology Center and Master of Applied Positive Psychology program. There are no prerequisites.

From the lesson

Future Directions in Positive Psychology

In this module, Dr. Martin Seligman discusses some of the most inspiring recent and future developments in the field of Positive Psychology, in particular those that transcend individual experience and have the potential to transform our world.

Try This at Home: Fun Vs. Philanthropy3:13

Drawn by the Vision of a Flourishing Future3:18

Meet the Instructors

Martin E.P. Seligman, Ph.D.
Zellerbach Family Professor of Psychology & Director, Positive Psychology Center
Positive Psychology Center

[MUSIC]

So we have three blessings, using your highest strengths

at work more, active constructive responding,

and finally meaning, having more meaning in life.

So here's something I do with my undergraduates.

When I was teaching positive psychology at

the undergraduate level seminar of about 20 of

my students, we had the following assignment.

I want you to compare doing something fun with doing something philanthropic,

doing something altruistic.

Now, as adults most of you know about this, but

our young people really don't know what the results are and they're dramatic.

So let me just give you one of the things that happen.

You come back a week later, you've done something fun.

And you've done something altruistic and then you want to compare them.

Well when you do something fun like hangout with your friends, masturbate,

go to movies, it turns out that has a square wave offset.

When it's over, it's over.

But when you do something philanthropic, something very different happens.

So one of my juniors, and it was midterm week,

was called on the telephone by her third grade nephew.

And he asked her, he was confused about fractions.

So he asked her on the phone to teach him about fractions.

So she spent two hours on the phone tutoring him in fractions and

she said after that the whole day went better.

I was mellow.

I could listen to other people, people liked me more.

And then one of my Wharton students said, I'm at Wharton and

the reason I'm a business student is I want to make a lot of money.

And the reason I want to make a lot of money is for very good reasons.

It brings control.

It brings prosperity and it brings happiness.

But I was astonished to find out that I was happier

helping another person than I was shopping.

It turns out we're wired to be outsourced.

We're wired to be generous.

That helping other people, being philanthropic increases well-being.

I'm often asked by depressed people is there some one thing I can do

at the end of this session that will make me happier.

And there is actually is one thing that works reliably and that's go out the door,

find someone who needs help and help them.

Turns out we're wired for philanthropy.

And that's an exercise that works.

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