April 23, 2012

Optimism expert to speak at commencement ceremony

Martin Seligman, an expert on optimism, will be the speaker at the College of Arts and Sciences’ commencement ceremony on May 6.

Martin Seligman, an expert on optimism, will be the speaker at the College of Arts and Sciences’ commencement ceremony on May 6.

Since 2000, Seligman’s mission has been to promote positive psychology, a field that includes the study of positive emotion, positive character traits, and positive institutions. Today, Seligman trains positive psychologists, individuals whose practice is focused on making the world a happier place.

Seligman has received several awards during his career, including two Distinguished Scientific Contribution Awards from the American Psychological Association and the Joseph Zubin Award from the Society for Research in Psychopathology for his lifetime contributions to the understanding of psychopathology. He currently serves as professor of psychology and director of the Positive Psychology Center at the University of Pennsylvania.

Seligman’s work—including 20 books and 200 articles—has been featured in the New York Times, Time, Newsweek, U.S. News and World Report, the Reader’s Digest, Redbook, Parents, Fortune, Family Circle, and USA Today.

Learn more about positive psychology in Martin Seligman’s TED talk from February 2004.