Reading these books can deepen understanding of core concepts like gratitude, mindfulness & strengths-based living.
Applying lessons from positive psychology literature can transform personal growth & foster a fulfilling life.
Positive psychology offers an alternate or complementary psychological approach to the traditional model, replacing a focus on what is wrong in an individual’s life with an emphasis on enhancing individual strengths and promoting wellbeing (Seligman, 2011).
The science of human flourishing helps people thrive in education, the workplace, their relationships, and beyond (Smith et al., 2021; Pluess et al., 2017).
The approach provides evidence-based interventions, strategies, and tools for counselors, coaches, and individuals to recognize and promote human capital, increasing wellbeing and resilience while boosting engagement and growth (Snyder, 2021).
This article introduces many of our favorite positive psychology books, benefiting those more experienced and new to this fascinating and evolving approach.
Before you continue, we thought you might like to download our five positive psychology tools for free. These science-based exercises explore fundamental aspects of positive psychology, including strengths, values, and self-compassion, and will give you the tools to enhance the wellbeing of your clients, students, or employees.
The following positive psychology book selection will benefit those new to psychology or unfamiliar with positive psychology, mental health professionals, and individuals wishing to build a life of flourishing.
1. Positive Psychology (The Basics) – Rona Hart
Hart provides a highly readable and accessible text for anyone interested in understanding the critical elements of positive psychology and its potential application across our life domains.
The book is a valuable resource for students, mental health professionals, and those interested in research-led self-development.
Key chapters cover topics including happiness and wellbeing, positive emotions and emotional intelligence, optimism and hope, resilience, and setting and pursuing goals.
2. Positive Psychology: Theory, Research and Applications – Ilona Boniwell and Aneta Tunariu
Boniwell and Tunariu have written a book that successfully shares recent thinking on key aspects of positive psychology, including motivation, flow, happiness, and optimism.
Written with students in mind, it is equally valuable for coaches, counselors, and HR professionals wishing to apply such principles in the workplace, education, and sports.
Chapters cover all the vital theoretical concepts associated with positive psychology before exploring interventions and their real-world applications.
3. The Hope Circuit: A Psychologist’s Journey from Helplessness to Optimism – Martin Seligman
Seligman uses the narrative of his life to introduce the reader to positive psychology, its background, challenges, and opportunities to help us flourish.
The book is fascinating not only as a biography but also in helping us place this bold and sometimes rebellious new approach to psychological wellbeing within a theoretical and historical context.
Each chapter provides insight into the author’s life and how he became known as one of the fathers of positive psychology.
4. Positivity: Discover the Upward Spiral That Will Change Your Life – Barbara Fredrickson
Despite being written over a decade ago, Fredrickson’s powerful book offers readers the opportunity to identify and recognize the shadow that negativity casts on our lives and the potential for positivity to transform our outlook into one of joy.
As early creators and adopters of positive psychology, Fredrickson and Seligman (then president of the American Psychological Association) helped transform psychology’s focus from human suffering to flourishing.
This enjoyable and easily digestible book leaves the reader reflecting on how attending to positive aspects of life can create a blueprint for healthier, more contented living.
5. Transcend: The New Science of Self-Actualization – Scott Barry Kaufman
Using previously unpublished information from Maslow’s personal journals, Kaufman reimagines Maslow’s hierarchy of needs based on contemporary attachment theory, neuroscience, and positive psychology research.
The book provides exercises and self-evaluation tools to help readers move toward self-actualization and transcendence by mapping the full spectrum of needs.
Endorsed by positive psychology powerhouses Martin Seligman, Angela Duckworth, and many more, the book is a perfect contemporary introduction to the science of human flourishing for general readers.
Positive psychology is research driven, so it continues to evolve and adapt to the changing environment (Snyder, 2021).
The following two positive psychology books help us keep pace with a developing and science-led understanding and outlook of this fascinating discipline.
1. Positive Provocation: 25 Questions to Elevate Your Coaching Practice – Robert Biswas-Diener
Robert Biswas-Diener is a writer and widely published researcher in the field of positive psychology. In this timely book, he uses a series of 25 provocative questions to challenge our thinking concerning coaching and positive psychology.
The result is a book that will stimulate coaches and other experts in mental wellbeing to engage with the principles and benefits of positive psychology.
2. Second Wave Positive Psychology: Embracing the Dark Side of Life – Itai Ivtzan, Tim Lomas, Kate Hefferon, and Piers Worth
For a discipline to remain relevant and science minded, it must continue to be challenged. In this book, the authors argue that positive psychology is not solely a study of the positive aspects of life.
Instead, meaning, resilience, and personal development must embrace the dark side or negative aspects of life, including the growth and healing associated with loss, trauma, and suffering.
This is a vital read for those wishing to dig deep into positive psychology and understand its potential for ongoing transformation and innovation.
Children can be taught from an early age the importance of emotions, engagement, healthy relationships, meaning, and achievement, and thereby learn the value of using their strengths while working toward energizing goals (Seligman, 2011).
1. What Should Danny Do? – Adir Levy and Ganit Levy
This inventive “choose your own story” book follows Danny, a superhero-in-training, as he makes daily decisions about how to respond to challenging situations.
The book teaches kids that their choices result in inevitable outcomes, effectively teaching them that their decisions impact their days and lives.
Aimed at children aged 3–8, this National Teacher’s Choice Award winner, which addresses kindness, empathy, growth mindset, perseverance, and dealing with bullying, is a favorite among parents and teachers.
2. The Color Monster: A Story About Emotions – Anna Llenas
In this worldwide best-selling picture book, a color monster wakes up with all of his emotions mixed together, and a young girl assists him in using colors to sort them into jars.
The book, written by certified art therapist Anna Llenas, uses colorful, multimedia-style illustrations to help young children (ages 3–7) recognize, label, and comprehend their emotions.
It’s a must-have for parents, educators, counselors, and social-emotional learning programs, and it comes in both a regular picture book and a beautiful pop-up version.
3. The Silent Guides: How to Understand and Develop Children’s Emotions, Thinking and Behaviours – Steve Peters
Peters, the creator of the “Chimp Management” mind model, has successfully created an engaging and entertaining book for teenagers or adults with young children.
Its goal is to help identify unhelpful thinking and behaviors associated with self-criticism, fear of failure, worrying, procrastination, and self-esteem and replace them with more positive ones, which include developing a more hopeful and healthy outlook, being proactive, and recovering from mistakes.
Ultimately, the book offers a path for creating helpful habits in early life that support wellness and flourishing as adults.
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Best Books on Happiness
Research into happiness expands beyond positive emotions and is likely to be entwined with loss, the shared suffering of compassion, and overcoming challenging times — all of which may contribute to the “good life” (Waldinger & Schulz, 2023; Ivtzan et al., 2016).
We would be remiss not to include happiness as a section in our list of positive psychology books, so here is a dedicated list of positive psychology books on happiness.
1. The Good Life: Lessons from the World’s Longest Scientific Study of Happiness – Robert Waldinger and Marc Schulz
Happiness is not a given, yet it can be available to everyone.
In Waldinger and Schulz’s insightful book, the authors dig into the world’s longest and richest study of human lives to share what makes us happy. Science confirms that it’s less about financial status and more about the result of our relationships.
This captivating book is entertaining while offering actionable insights that we can use to support our ability to flourish.
The secret to a happy life - lessons from 8 decades of research
Check out Waldinger’s TED talk for a summary of the lessons taken from eight decades of happiness research.
2. The Happiness Advantage: How a Positive Brain Fuels Success in Work and Life – Shawn Achor
Achor’s international bestseller challenges our commonly held assumptions regarding what it means to be happy. Drawing on multi-generational research, he suggests we can rewire our brain for happiness through positivity and optimism, benefiting our work, relationships, and overall wellbeing.
The overall message is that we can transform our lives by making small changes that help us spot patterns of possibility and opportunities to strengthen our social support and develop as individuals.
3. From Strength to Strength: Finding Success, Happiness and Deep Purpose in the Second Half of Life – Arthur C. Brooks
Brooks uses social science, philosophy, theology, and Eastern wisdom in this New York Times bestseller to provide a useful road map for discovering meaning and happiness as we age.
His method focuses on the crucial difference between “crystallized intelligence” — wisdom that develops through the 60s and beyond — and “fluid intelligence” — raw problem-solving that peaks early.
The book, which was written for aspirational professionals and “success addicts” who feel that their formula is running out, provides techniques for strengthening relationships and discovering a “second curve” of meaning in life.
Since positive psychology was introduced over 20 years ago, it has seen many challenges and developed into an integrated and structurally sound approach for working toward the good life, as both individuals and groups (Boniwell & Tunariu, 2019; Seligman, 2019).
The following positive psychology books are three of our favorite classics that offer greater insight into the unique potential of psychology to support human flourishing.
1. Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience – Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
Csikszentmihalyi’s enduring masterpiece engages readers in the path to flow, exploring how it has the potential to boost productivity, performance, engagement, and enjoyment.
The book helps readers recognize how flow can offer more profound eudaimonic happiness through a deep connection with what they are doing and where they are while creating a series of optimal experiences.
It is a beautiful text that should grace the bookshelves of anyone with an interest in being their best selves and wishing to experience gratification and fulfillment from complete absorption in the moment.
3. Flourish: A Visionary New Understanding of Happiness and Wellbeing – Martin Seligman
Seligman’s next masterpiece could appear in any or all of the sections of this article.
Readers are taken through the theoretical insights and paradigm changes that moved psychology from what is sometimes referred to as a “disease model” to a focus on flourishing.
While engaging and accessible to readers new to positive psychology, it is equally insightful and powerful for more seasoned psychological practitioners.
Ultimately, this is an essential book for anyone interested in understanding where positive psychology came from and its potential to impact all our lives.
The new era of positive psychology - Martin Seligman
Seligman’s TED talk offers fascinating insights into the new era of positive psychology.
4 Positive Psychology Textbooks
While we have introduced many vital and engaging positive psychology books, therapists, counselors, or academics may wish to dig even deeper. The following four positive psychology books offer very different perspectives that overlap to form a comprehensive theoretical framework for positive psychology.
1. Flow and the Foundations of Positive Psychology: The Collected Works of Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi – Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
Csikszentmihalyi’s collected works explore how we attend to our task performance and how it influences our experience of them.
He also introduces diverse and connected subjects, including sociology and anthropology, to understand the importance and application of flow and the elements required to achieve it.
While a more challenging read, this valued textbook successfully combines all the elements of attention, flow, and positive psychology into a single cohesive approach.
2. Applied Positive Psychology: Integrated Positive Practice – Tim Lomas, Kate Hefferon, and Itai Ivtzan
Combining perspectives from the exploration of the body, brain, society, and culture, this book offers an interdisciplinary resource for applying positive psychology across many life domains.
Written with students and academics in mind, this book offers clear learning objectives, summaries, and practice essay questions throughout.
Ultimately, this book is an invaluable resource for applying theoretical elements of positive psychology.
3. The Oxford Handbook of Positive Psychology – C.R. Snyder, Shane Lopez, Lisa Edwards, and Susana Marques (Eds.)
One of the most definitive and extensive guides, this hefty tome provides a comprehensive guide that highlights the many perspectives available for considering positive psychology and its applications.
Part of the Oxford Library series of handbooks, the text has many distinguished contributors and can be read from start to finish or used as a reference book.
The book covers diverse topics including behavior, developmental stages, biological considerations, education, and the family to create a library of interconnected theoretical elements that fuse to form a complete picture of positive psychology.
4. Character Strengths Intervention: A Field Guide for Practitioners – Ryan Niemiec
Increasing our focus on our strengths rather than dwelling on our weaknesses is vital to wellbeing, engagement, focus, and performance — ultimately, a life of flourishing.
Niemiec has provided a highly practical resource based on the 24 Values in Action character strengths for psychologically driven development.
While we have explored several existing classics in the positive psychology literature, it is vital to keep current with future potential masterpieces. Here are two worthy of mention, both of which have been endorsed by leaders in the positive psychology field.
1. Hope for Cynics: The Surprising Science of Human Goodness – Jamil Zaki
By 2018, only one-third of Americans agreed that most people can be trusted, compared to half in 1972. In this book, Jamil Zaki tackles a problem directly relevant to positive psychology audiences: the rise of cynicism and the erosion of trust.
The book’s main framework, which draws from dozens of studies, is “hopeful skepticism” — thinking critically about people while appreciating and promoting their strengths rather than automatically turning to mistrust.
Science magazine called this book “a needed reminder that cynicism only begets cynicism.”
2. Life in Three Dimensions: How Curiosity, Exploration, and Experience Make a Fuller, Better Life – Shigehiro Oishi
Along with happiness and meaning, Oishi proposes psychological richness as a third aspect of a good life — a truly novel concept in the field of wellbeing science.
The idea, which has its roots in his critically acclaimed 2021 paper in Psychological Review, asserts that some people thrive by seeking out new, challenging, and perspective-shifting experiences rather than by maximizing pleasure or pursuing purpose.
The book demonstrates how curiosity, exploration, and even discomfort can lead to a deeper, more fulfilling life by fusing research findings with the narratives of notable figures like Oliver Sacks, Steve Jobs, and Alison Gopnik.
Since publishing this post, we have received many recommendations of books to include. Some have already been added above, but for ease of reference, we list the remainder here.
Scribblybark and the Dragon – Janne Hardy and Sue Langley
The Bullying Antidote: Superpower Your Kids for Life – Louise Hart (Amazon)
The Upside of Your Dark Side: Why Being Your Whole Self–Not Just Your “Good” Self–Drives Success and Fulfillment – Todd Kashdan and Robert Biswas-Diener
Pollyanna’s Revenge: How Memory and Emotion Foster Happiness – W. Richard Walker, Cory Scherer, and Jessica Hartnett
Well-Being and Cultures: Perspectives from Positive Psychology – Hans Henrik Knoop and Antonella Delle Fave (Eds.)
In Dutch:
Handboek Positieve Psychologie: Theorie, Onderzoek en Toepassingen. E.T. Bohlmeijer, Linda Bolier, Gerben Johan Westerhof, and Jan Auke Walburg
Positieve Psychologie in de Praktijk – F.P. Bannink
Psycho-Cybernetics – Maxwell Maltz
Mindfulness and Character Strengths: A Practical Guide to Flourishing – Ryan M. Niemiec
Positive Oncology: An Optimistic Guide to the Big C – Sue Mackey
Choice Theory – William Glasser
How to be a Positive Leader: Small Actions, Big Impact – Jane Dutton and Gretchen Spreitzer
Scientific Advances in Positive Psychology – Meg A. Warren and Stewart I. Donaldson (Amazon)
How Full Is Your Bucket? – Tom Rath and Donald O Clifton
Positive Directions: Shifting Polarities to Escape Stress and Increase Happiness – John Ryder
Psychological Capital – Fred Luthans, Carolyn M. Youssef-Morgan, and Bruce J. Avolio
Psychological Capital and Beyond – Fred Luthans, Carolyn M. Youssef-Morgan, and Bruce J. Avolio
The World Book of Happiness – Leo Bormans
Mindfulness, Acceptance, and Positive Psychology: The Seven Foundations of Well-Being – Todd Kashdan and Joseph Ciarrochi (Eds.)
Curious? Discover the Missing Ingredient to a Fulfilling Life – Todd Kashdan
The Strengths Book: Be Confident, Be Successful, and Enjoy Better Relationships by Realising the Best of You – Alex Linley, Janet Willars, and Robert Biswas-Diener
The Courage Quotient: How Science Can Make you Braver – Robert Biswas-Diener
Positive Psychology as Social Change – Robert Biswas-Diener
Positive Organizational Behavior – Debra L. Nelson and Cary L. Cooper
Photo Adventures in Cuba: Unlock Your Power of Positivity – Judy Burgess Krings
Rev Up Your Relationship Resilience: 7 Positive Psychology Tips to Make Love Last – Judy Burgess Krings
The Happiness Trap – Russ Harris
The Power of Nice – Linda Kaplan Thaler and Robin Koval
The Real Secret – Lucy McCarraher and Annabel Shaw
Your Strengths Blueprint: How to be Engaged, Energized, and Happy at Work – Michelle McQuaid (Amazon)
What Happy Companies Know – Dan Baker, Cathy Greenberg, and Collins Hemingway
The Resilience Factor – Karen Reviech
Instant Healing: Become a Therapist in 7 Days – Azeem Dana
The History of Happiness – Nicholas White
Let Go Heal Be Happy: An In-Depth Roadmap to Life-Long Emotional Mastery – Mark Linden O’Meara
The Power of Positive Thinking – Norman Vincent Peale
The Positive Psychology Workbook Series
The Strengths Switch – Lea Waters
Oldies but goodies:
Meaning in Positive and Existential Psychology – Alexander Batthyany and Pninit Russo-Netzer (Eds.)
Positive Psychology In a Nutshell: The Science of Happiness – Ilona Boniwell
Man’s Search for Meaning – Viktor Frankl
Average to A+ Realising Strengths in Yourself and Others – Alex Linley
Toward a Psychology of Being – Abraham Maslow
A Primer in Positive Psychology – Christopher Peterson
A Theory of Human Motivation – Abraham Maslow
Character Strengths and Virtues: A Handbook and Classification – Christopher Peterson and Martin Seligman
On Becoming a Person: A Therapist’s View of Psychotherapy – Carl Rogers
Authentic Happiness: Using the New Positive Psychology to Realize Your Potential for Lasting Fulfillment – Martin Seligman
Positive Psychology: The Science of Happiness and Human Strengths – Alan Carr
Positive Psychology: The Science of Happiness and Flourishing – William C. Compton and Edward Hoffman
A Life Worth Living: Contributions to Positive Psychology – Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi and Isabella Selega Csikszentmihalyi (Eds.)
Positivity: Groundbreaking Research Reveals How to Embrace the Hidden Strength of Positive Emotions, Overcome Negativity, and Thrive – Barbara Fredrickson
Flourishing: Positive Psychology and the Life Well-Lived – Corey L. M. Keyes and Jonathan Haidt (Eds.)
Positive Psychology for Dummies – Averil Leimon and Gladeana McMahon
Positive Psychology in Practice – Stephen Joseph (Ed.)
Positive Psychological Assessment: A Handbook of Models and Measures – Shane J. Lopez and C. R. Snyder (Eds.)
The Encyclopedia of Positive Psychology – Shane J. Lopez (Ed.)
Positive Psychology: A Critical Introduction – Giovanni B. Moneta
Pursuing the Good Life: 100 Reflections on Positive Psychology – Christopher Peterson
Positive Psychology: The Scientific and Practical Explorations of Human Strengths – C. R. Snyder and Shane J. Lopez
Positive Psychology 101 – Phillip C. Watkins
The Psychology of Happiness – Michael Argyle
Happier: Learn the Secrets to Daily Joy and Lasting Fulfillment – Tal Ben-Shahar
The Six Pillars of Self-Esteem – Nathaniel Branden
Happiness: Unlocking the Mysteries of Psychological Wealth – Ed Diener and Robert Biswas-Diener
Thanks! How Practicing Gratitude Can Make You Happier – Robert A. Emmons
Stumbling on Happiness – Daniel Gilbert
The Happiness Hypothesis: Finding Modern Truth in Ancient Wisdom – Jonathan Haidt
Hardwiring Happiness: The New Brain Science of Contentment, Calm, and Confidence – Rick Hanson
Happiness: Lessons from a New Science – Richard Layard
The How of Happiness: A New Approach to Getting the Life You Want – Sonja Lyubormirsky
The Myths of Happiness: What Should Make You Happy, but Doesn’t, What Shouldn’t Make You Happy, but Does – Sonja Lyubomirsky
Why Good Things Happen to Good People: The Exciting New Research That Proves the Link Between Doing Good and Living a Longer, Healthier, Happier Life – Stephen Post and Jill Neimark
Positive Psychology Coaching: Putting the Science of Happiness to Work for your Clients – Robert Biswar-Diener and Ben Dean
Beyond Happy: Women, Work, and Wellbeing – Beth Cabrera
Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance – Angela Duckworth
Mindset: The New Psychology of Success – Carol S. Dweck
The Best Place to Work: The Art and Science of Creating an Extraordinary Workplace – Ron Friedman
What Happy Working Mothers Know: How New Findings in Positive Psychology Can Lead to a Healthy and Happy Work/Life Balance – Cathy Greenberg and Barrett S. Avigdor
Great Days at Work: How Positive Psychology can Transform Your Working Life – Suzanne Hazelton
Positive Psychology at Work: How Positive Leadership and Appreciative Inquiry Create Inspiring Organizations – Sarah Lewis
The Power of Full Engagement – Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz
Finding Flow: The Psychology of Engagement With Everyday Life – Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
Wherever You Go, There You Are: Mindfulness Meditation in Everyday Life – Jon Kabat-Zinn
Gratitude – Oliver Sacks
Self-Determination Theory: Basic Psychological Needs in Motivation, Development, and Wellness – Richard M. Ryan and Edward L. Deci
But why stop at reading about positive psychology?
If you’re ready to explore the field more deeply, take a look at our article on top positive psychology courses for further study. Whether you’re considering a new career or just want to hear more from the experts, this article is bound to have an option that fits your needs and interests.
17 Top-Rated Positive Psychology Exercises for Practitioners
Expand your arsenal and impact with these 17 Positive Psychology Exercises [PDF], scientifically designed to promote human flourishing, meaning, and wellbeing.
Positive psychology offered a profound change in direction for psychology when it was first introduced. While its ideas are more mainstream now, it continues to challenge and provoke change across many life domains, including coaching, counseling, and beyond.
While sometimes mistakenly considered a science of happiness, it is much more. It leads us on a journey that embraces difficult times as inevitable, neither avoiding nor ignoring them. It also places greater emphasis on the positive aspects of life and makes use of all our strengths to live a fulfilling life that is consistent with our truer, deeper needs and values.
While no collection of positive psychology books could be sufficiently extensive to cover all aspects of this exciting and proactive model, the ones included offer a deep and broad account.
Choose from classic texts on positive psychology, books on happiness, ones aimed at children, and those helping us take the lessons learned to help us manage and flourish in a time of almost continuous technological, social, and political change.
The journey through these positive psychology books may not encompass the entirety of the field, but it will give you a substantial grasp of its core concepts. You will find valuable guidance for building resilience and enhancing wellbeing in our fast-evolving world for yourself and your clients.
Boniwell, I., & Tunariu, A. D. (2019). Positive psychology: Theory, research and applications. Open University Press.
Ivtzan, I., Lomas, T., Hefferon, K., & Worth, P. (2016). Second wave positive psychology: Embracing the Dark Side of Life. Routledge.
Pluess, M., Boniwell, I., Hefferon, K., & Tunariu, A. (2017). Preliminary evaluation of a school-based resilience-promoting intervention in a high-risk population: Application of an exploratory two-cohort treatment/control design. PLOS ONE, 12(5). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0177191
Seligman, M. E. (2011). Flourish: A new understanding of happiness and wellbeing and how to achieve them. Nicholas Brealey.
Seligman, M. E. (2019). The hope circuit: A psychologist’s journey from helplessness to optimism. Nicholas Brealey.
Smith, W. A., Boniwell, I., & Green, S. (2021). Positive psychology coaching in the workplace (1st ed.). Springer.
Snyder, C. R. (2021). The Oxford handbook of positive psychology. Oxford University Press.
Waldinger, R. J., & Schulz, M. S. (2023). The good life: Lessons from the world’s longest scientific study of Happiness. Simon & Schuster.
About the author
Seph Fontane Pennock is a seasoned entrepreneur and the business mind behind PositivePsychology.com. With his background in online marketing and a passion for helping therapists and coaches, he co-founded the new mental health application Quenza that helps practitioners better help their clients with digital support.
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What our readers think
nimaj
on May 6, 2020 at 04:53
An amazing list! Great for someone like me who just discovered Positive Psychology. Thank you!
Positive psychology offers an alternate or complementary psychological approach to the traditional model, replacing a focus on what is wrong in an individual’s life with an emphasis on enhancing individual strengths and promoting wellbeing (Seligman, 2011).
What our readers think
An amazing list! Great for someone like me who just discovered Positive Psychology. Thank you!
Thanks very much – a very detailed useful list.
I can recommend The Strengths Switch by Dr Lea Waters.