Editor's Foreword	5
	Contents	12
	Contributors	14
	1 What People Really Want in Life and Why It Matters: Contributions from Research on Folk Theories of the Good Life	16
	Why Study Folk Theories of the Good Life?	17
	Our Research Paradigm	18
	What We Know: A Review of Research on Folk Theories of the Good Life	20
	Alternative Approaches to Folk Theories of the Good Life	25
	The Next Frontiers of Research on the Good Life	26
	Conclusions	27
	References	28
	Part I Some Cautionary Thoughts	30
	2 Think Before You Think	31
	Thinking	32
	Listening	32
	Intervening	32
	Issues of Primary Importance	33
	Three Global Issues	34
	Wicked Problems	35
	Beer and Systems	36
	Example 1: A Societal Feedback Loop – The Happy Planet Index	37
	Example 2: Creating (Almost) Real-Time Feedback Loops for Organisational Change: Well-Being@Work	39
	Example 3: A Prescriptive Heuristic That Is Actually Facilitative: Five Ways to Well-Being	42
	Conclusions	45
	References	45
	3 Socially Responsible Cheermongery: On the Sociocultural Contexts and Levels of Social Happiness Policies	47
	Cheermongers: Around the World from Birth to Death	47
	The Joys of Childbirth: Midwifery and Murder in Bihar	48
	Fun at School: Circle Time, Rape, and Deworming in Kenya	49
	Dancing: Out and About in Australia	50
	Love and Marriage: Stars, Contracts, and Love Pioneers in Kerala	51
	Health Seeking, Peace Making, and Hate-Mongery in Africa	52
	On the Ethnocentric Roots and Countercultural Ambitions of Positive Psychology	55
	Towards Social Happiness Policies	58
	Conclusions: Social Development as if Happiness Mattered	60
	References	61
	Part II Positive Psychology and Public Policy	64
	4 Monitoring Psychosocial Prosperity for Social Change	65
	Elements of Psychosocial Prosperity	67
	Social Prosperity	67
	Psychological Prosperity	69
	Benefits of Psychosocial Prosperity	72
	Global Psychosocial Prosperity	74
	The Policy Role of Positive Psychology	76
	Psychosocial Measures and Policy	76
	Economics and Well-Being	77
	Implementing the Vision	78
	Timing for National Psychosocial Accounts	78
	Implementation of National Psychosocial Accounts	78
	Conclusions	79
	References	80
	5 Gross National Happiness: A Gift from Bhutan to the World	84
	Gross National Happiness	85
	The Pillars of GNH	87
	Sustainable and Equitable Socioeconomic Development	87
	Environmental Conservation	88
	Promotion of Culture	88
	Good Governance	88
	Developing Indicators to Measure GNH	90
	Health	91
	Time Use	92
	Environmental Quality	92
	Psychological Well-Being	93
	An Example of Applying GNH in Social Policy	94
	Gross International Happiness?	95
	References	97
	6 Ecological Challenges, Materialistic Values, and Social Change	99
	Self-Enhancing, Materialistic Values	100
	A Strategy to Enhance Sustainability by Decreasing Materialistic Values	102
	Addressing the Causes of Self-enhancing, Materialistic Values	102
	Promoting an Alternative Set of Values	103
	Four Applications of the Strategy for Social Change	106
	Voluntary Simplicity	106
	Time Affluence	109
	Restrictions on Advertising	110
	Changing the Economic System	112
	Conclusion	115
	References	115
	7 Positive Psychology and Public Health	119
	The Concept of Mental Health	120
	Mental Health, Subjective Well-Being and Psychological Well-Being	120
	Health Promotion	126
	Crossing Point Between Prevention and Promotion	127
	Positive Psychology	128
	Measuring Mental Health	129
	Mental Health Promotion and Positive Psychology for Social Change	130
	References	131
	Part III Positive Psychology and Poverty	133
	8 Positive Psychology and Poverty	134
	Positive Psychology Outcomes, Not Just for the Rich	136
	The Emotional Quality of Life of the Poor	137
	A Positive Psychology Agenda for Poverty	140
	Microfinance as a Tool to Initiate Women's Empowerment	141
	A Microfinance Case Study	143
	Positive Psychology Interventions for Both Individuals and Groups	144
	Recommendations and Conclusions	146
	References	147
	9 Strengthening Underprivileged Communities: Strengths-Based Approaches as a Force for Positive Social Change in Community Development	150
	What Is the Evidence That Strengths Make a Difference?	151
	Strengths-Based Approaches to Effect Social Change: The Practice of American Social Work	153
	The Asset-Based Community Development Institute	154
	A Case Study in the United States: The Mercado Central Minneapolis, Minnesota -- ABCD Institute	155
	LASA Development	156
	A Case Study in Nepal: Discover Dream Design and Delivery in Phakel -- LASA Development	156
	The Strengths Project: Background, Establishment and Objectives	158
	Initial Experiences of the Shiriti Kalabagan Slum Community	158
	A Case Study in India: Strengthening the Shiriti Kalabagan Slum Community in Kolkata -- The Strengths Project	160
	In Conclusion: Challenges and Possibilities for Strengths as a Means of Social Change	161
	Appendix: Shiriti Kalabagan Strengths Mapping Interview Schedule	162
	References	163
	Part IV Positive Psychology and Organizations	166
	10 Creating Positive Social Change Through Building Positive Organizations: Four Levels of Intervention	167
	Developing Positive Organizations	168
	Intrapersonal Interventions	170
	Interpersonal Interventions	171
	Group Interventions	174
	Organizational System Interventions	177
	Organizational-Level Interventions for Social Change	179
	Factors That Influence Success	180
	Conclusion	180
	References	181
	11 Organizational Democracy as a Force for Social Change	183
	Organizational Democracy as a Force for Social Change	183
	What Is Organizational Democracy?	185
	The End of the Industrial Age	187
	Trend One: The Internet and Technology	188
	Trend Two: Generations X and Y Have Arrived	188
	Trend Three: Wall Street Backlash	189
	Trend Four: Political Transitions	189
	Trend Five: The Search for Meaning	189
	Trend Six: Corporate Social Responsibility	189
	Trend Seven: Lifestyle Democracy	189
	Trend Eight: Feminine Values	190
	The Birth of Blu	190
	The WorldBlu Organizational Democracy Framework	191
	The Ten WorldBlu Principles of Organizational Democracy	192
	Organizational Democracy at DaVita	192
	Democratic Companies Have Purpose and Vision	193
	Democratic Companies Are Transparent	194
	Democratic Companies Encourage Accountability	194
	Democratic Companies Provide Choice	194
	Democratic Companies Have Integrity	194
	Democratic Companies Decentralize Power	195
	Democratic Companies Engage in Dialogue and Listening	195
	Democratic Companies Treat People with Fairness and Dignity	195
	Democratic Companies Embrace Both the Individual and the Collective	196
	Democratic Companies Engage in Reflection and Evaluation	196
	References	197
	Part V Positive Psychology and a Focus on Others	198
	12 Better Living Through Perspective Taking	199
	Cross-Cultural Caveat	201
	Development and Mechanics of Perspective Taking	202
	Perspective Taking, Compassion, and Helpful Behavior	206
	Perspective Taking, Similarity, and Self-other Merging	208
	Perspective Taking and More Charitable Attributions	210
	Perspective Taking and Prejudice	212
	Perspective Taking and Aggressive Behavior	214
	Perspective Taking and Social Interactions	215
	Perspctive Taking and the Environment	215
	Perspective Taking as Thinking Again, Thinking Differently	216
	Ending Ideas	217
	References	218
	13 Investing in Others: Prosocial Spending for (Pro)Social Change	225
	The Relationship Between Money and Happiness	226
	Prosocial Spending at the Individual Level	227
	Prosocial Spending at the Dyadic Level	231
	Prosocial Spending at the Team Level	232
	Prosocial Spending at the Organizational Level	233
	Onward and Outward	234
	Why Does Prosocial Spending Increase Happiness? New Theoretical Questions and Applications	235
	Conclusion	237
	References	237
	Part VI Positive Psychology and Social Change Interventions	241
	14 How Does Coaching Positively Impact Organizational and Societal Change?	242
	Introduction	242
	How Is Coaching Making a Difference in Organizations and Society?	243
	Nancy Kline: Independent Thinking to Create Societal Change	243
	Mark Rittenberg: Theatre Practices to Develop Holistic, Authentic Leaders	247
	Lee Salmon: The Entrepreneurial Go-To Place for Executive Coaching	250
	Lew Stern: Positively Influencing Leadership for Global Sustainability	253
	Italia Boninelli: Global Mining and Its Impact on Communities and Society	255
	Shani Naidoo: Coaching and Social Networking	257
	Willem de Jager: Leadership and Innovation for Social Projects	259
	Roger Maitland and Brett Anderson: Coaching for Wellness and HIV/AIDS Awareness	262
	Brett Anderson	262
	Roger Maitland	263
	Marilyn Johnson: Coaching for Leadership and Community Awareness	266
	Nonkqubela Maliza: Driving the Transformation Agenda	269
	Conclusion	271
	References	271
	15 Positive Psychotherapy and Social Change	272
	Defining the Unknown: Mental Health in Clinical Psychology	272
	Building Positive Mental Health: The Bricks	273
	Opportunities and Constraints	273
	Balance and Harmony Across Life Domains	275
	Cultural Diversity	276
	Goals and Meanings	278
	Agency and Responsibility	280
	Being Versus Doing	281
	Eudaimonia and Hedonia	282
	Building Positive Mental Health: The Cement	283
	Well-Being Therapy and Its Applications	284
	Building Positive Mental Health: Carpenters and End Users	287
	References	288
	16 Recreate or Create? Leisure as an Arena for Recovery and Change	297
	Defining Leisure, Recovery, and Change	298
	The Effects of Leisure on Well-Being	299
	Particular Leisure Activities	300
	Leisure and Positive Change	302
	Is the Development of Skills Pleasant?	303
	Future Research	306
	Conclusions	307
	References	308
	17 Positive Computing	313
	Introduction	313
	How Computers Can Help Flourishing on a Global Scale	315
	Technological Capabilities Relevant to Positive Computing	317
	Collecting Data for Positive Applications	317
	Affective Computing and the Personal Happiness Assistant (PHA)	319
	Persuading People to Take Positive Action	321
	Computers and Purpose in Life	323
	Dealing with Challenging Situations	324
	Addressing Ethical Concerns and Data Privacy	325
	Concluding Remarks	328
	References	328
	Part VII Change the World	331
	18 Changing the World: The Science of Transformative Action	332
	References	347
	Editor's Afterword	349
	Index	356