Overview

The APS together with the Positive Psychology Interest Group is pleased to host this webinar direct from the USA.

Professor Barbara Fredrickson has investigated the nature of positive emotions for more than three decades. In this webinar she will share her foundational Broaden-and-Build Theory of positive emotions as a backdrop for her latest thinking and evidence on the value of those positive emotions that individuals co-experience with others in day-to-day kind-hearted connections.

Mental health and resilience grow stronger through these shared moments of emotional uplift - they help individuals bounce back to wellbeing from illbeing. Moments of positivity resonance within close relationships predict trajectories of chronic illness and longevity.

Character virtues also grow stronger: When people connect over positivity they gain greater appreciations for oneness, altruism and humility, all of which have been shown to benefit whole communities.

Dr. Fredrickson will highlight the evidence that supports these conclusions and describe a simple “micro-intervention” that anyone can use to increase positive connections to reap the associated benefits.

This webinar will cover:

• foundational theories of positive emotions,

• an introduction to conceptualisation and measurement of positivity resonance,

• scientific evidence on the links between positivity resonance and well-being outcomes such as resilience and health, and

• practical applications of the scientific evidence presented.

Level of Learning

Foundational. This activity is targeted to those new to the topic.

Duration of access

Access to the recording and presenter slides is for 12 months from the date of confirmed registration.

APS CPD-Approved

This activity has been assessed against the APS Standards for CPD activities and approved for its education quality. Learn more about the APS CPD Approval process.

CPD Frequently Asked Questions

Refer to the APS CPD Frequently Asked Questions for general and technical information when undertaking APS Professional development activities.

Activity details 

• On-demand webinar recording 

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this webinar, participants should be able to:

• describe core tenets of the Broaden-and-Build Theory and Positivity Resonance Theory,

• identify multiple benefits of positive resonance, and

• describe the value of positivity resonance as a self-help tool for client behavioural change in diverse circumstances.

Presenter(s)

Professor Barbara Fredrickson, Professor Lea Waters AM

About the presenter(s)

Presenter: Professor Barbara Fredrickson
She is Kenan Distinguished Professor in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she directs the Positive Emotions and Psychophysiology Laboratory.
As an award-winning teacher and also among the most highly-cited scientists worldwide, her books, Positivity and Love 2.0 have been translated for over 30 foreign markets.
She was President of the International Positive Psychology Association and the Society for Affective Science, and in 2017, was honored with the Tang Prize for Achievements in Psychology, awarded to recognize exceptional career contributions to the wellbeing of humanity.
Dr. Fredrickson’s research is funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NCI, NIA, NCCIM, NIMH, NINR) and has been recognized with numerous honors, including the inaugural Templeton Prize in Positive Psychology from the American Psychological Association, the Career Trajectory Award from the Society of Experimental Social Psychology, and the inaugural Christopher Peterson Gold Medal from the International Positive Psychology Association.
Her work influences scholars and practitioners worldwide, within education, business, healthcare, the military, and beyond.
In 2014, she was identified as the 13th most influential psychologist alive today contributing to counseling psychology
Facilitator: Professor Lea Waters AM
Order of Australia recipient, Professor Lea Waters AM, PhD, is an Australian academic, psychologist, author and speaker who holds a PhD in Organisational Psychology and is a world expert in School Psychology and Parenting.
Professor Waters is the Founding Director of the Centre for Positive Psychology (now the Centre for Wellbeing Science), University of Melbourne, where she has held an academic position for over 20 years. Lea holds an affiliate position with the Center for Positive Organizations, University of Michigan and is on the Science Board of the Greater Good Science Center at the UC Berkeley.
Lea has published 110+ scientific publications, has been the recipient of major prestigious grants including a National Health Medical Research Council (NHMRC) grant, and has been awarded academic prizes by the American Academy of Management, the Australian and New Zealand Academy of Management and the Australian Psychological Society. She is on the Editorial Board of the Educational Developmental Psychologist and has been a guest Editor for the Journal of Positive Psychology, Well-Being: Theory, Research and Practice Journal, Journal of Happiness and Wellbeing, Journal of Organizational Behavior and the Australasian Journal of Organisational Psychology.
Lea was the Chair of the 6th World Congress of Positive Psychology (2019), Scientific Chair of the 4th World Congress of Positive Psychology (2015) and Co-Chair of the 4th Australian Wellbeing and Positive Psychology Conference (2013). She is the recent Past President of the International Positive Psychology Association (IPPA) (2017-2019) and is the Patron for Flourishing Education Japan and the Ambassador for the Positive Education Schools Association.
Lea has written for The Wall Street Journal, TIME.com, The Atlantic, and The Guardian and her work is featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Toronto Globe, Huffington Post, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, Vogue, ELLE Magazine and more. Her TEDx talk, Warning: Being positive is not for the faint hearted!, explores how we can use social media to have a positive impact on others’ wellbeing and has been viewed more than 150,000 times.
In 2015, the Financial Review listed her as one of Australia’s Top 100 Women of Influence.