Do Positive Psychologists Know More Than Sunday-School Teachers?

A goal of positive psychology is to provide concrete evidence regarding how best to pursue “the good life.” As emphasized by Peterson (2006), is important that you understand the value of researching positive psychology topics as opposed to just making assumptions. There tends to be a focus on research that yields counterintuitive results, because the findings are more shocking and perhaps more interesting. Research that tells us something we already knew is of just as much importance, however, because our preconceived ideas are confirmed by science. In other words, it is important to do some investigative work even when the research is suspected to confirm conventional wisdom.