Benefits of Positive Psychology to Freshmen at Universities: An Integrated Literature Review

The chapter begins with a definition of positive psychology, followed by its key elements. It presents Seligman’s (Flourish: The new positive psychology and the search for well-being, Free Press, 2011) theory of positive psychology with a focus on analyzing happiness in three different elements such as positive emotions, engagement, and meaning (purpose in life). The chapter then analyzes literature on benefits of positive psychology. The findings from literature on benefits of positive psychology include improving emotional awareness, optimism, social skills, assertiveness, and problem-solving skills of first-year students. From the reviewed literature, the chapter recommends that psychologists should focus on the scientific study of the well-being, optimism, and flourishing of first-year students at universities.