In order for students to thrive and succeed in today's high-stress, changing and chaotic world, they will need skills well beyond good test scores. Brain, behavioral and positive psychology research has shown that the most important skills for school/college success and achievement, life satisfaction, good health and wellbeing are resilience and positive emotions: optimism, gratitude, empathy, kindness and happiness. Discover why positive emotions are important for school success, wellbeing and behavior, ways to build student resilience against rising anxiety, adversity, bullying and depression, and strategies for promoting positive minds, students and schools.
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Founder and "Father" of Positive Psychology; Zellerbach Family Professor of Psychology, Department of Psychology; Director, Positive Psychology Center; Director, Master of Applied Positive Psychology Program, School of Arts and Sciences, University of Pennsylvania; Author, Flourish: A Visionary New Understanding of Happiness and Well-Being (2012), Learned Optimism (2006), The Optimistic Child (2007) and Authentic Happiness (2004)
Experienced Psychotherapist; Teacher of Mindful Self-Compassion; Author, Bouncing Back: Rewiring Your Brain for Maximum Resilience and Well-Being (2013), Winner of the 2014 Books for a Better World Award
Psychologist; Educator; Bullying Prevention and Character Development Expert; Author, Thrivers: The Surprising Reasons Why Some Kids Struggle and Others Shine (2021), End Peer Cruelty, Build Empathy: The Proven 6Rs of Bullying Prevention That Create Inclusive, Safe, Caring Schools (2018), Unselfie: Why Empathetic Kids Succeed in Our All-About-Me World (2016), The Big Book of Parenting Solutions (2009), No More Misbehavin': 38 Difficult Behaviors and How to Stop Them (2005), and Building Moral Intelligence: The Seven Essential Virtues That Teach Kids to Do the Right Thing (2002)
Psychotherapist; Executive Director, The Center for Connection; Director of Parenting Education, Mindsight Institute; Child Development Specialist, Saint Marks School; Co-Author of the New York Times Bestsellers, The Whole-Brain Child (2012) and No-Drama Discipline (2014)
High School English Teacher; Columnist/Blogger, New York Times; Author, The Gift Of Failure: How the Best Parents Learn to Let Go So Their Children Can Succeed (2015), a New York Times Bestseller
President/CEO, Resiliency Inc.; Former Teacher; Former Mental Health Director and Consultant; Author, The Poverty Problem: How Education Can Promote Resilience and Counter Poverty’s Impact on Brain Development and Functioning (2021), The Education Revolution: How to Apply Brain Science to Improve Instruction and School Climate (2016), and A Brain-Based Approach to Closing the Achievement Gap (2008)
Positive Psychology Expert; Guest Lecturer, Wharton Executive Education Program, University of Pennsylvania; Author, Getting Grit: The Evidence-Based Approach to Cultivate Passion, Perseverance and Purpose (2017), Positively Caroline (2013) and Creating Your Best Life (2009)
Research Scientist, Nurture Networks, LLC; Senior Scientist, Oregon Research Institute; Co-Director, Promise Neighborhood Research Consortium; Author, The Nurture Effect: How the Science of Human Behavior Can Improve Our Lives and Our World (2015); Co-Author, Helping Adolescents at Risk (2005)
Professor, Psychology Department, College of Natural and Behavioral Sciences, California State University, Dominguez Hills; Director, “The Youth Gratitude Project,” as part of the Expanding the Science and Practice of Gratitude Project at the Greater Good Science Center, University of California, Berkeley, a research program that develops assessment tools and interventions to promote student success and wellness in primary and secondary schools; Author, Thanks! A Strength-Based Gratitude Curriculum for Tweens and Teens (2018); Co-Author, “Gratitude in School: Benefits to Students and Schools” (2022, Handbook of Positive Psychology in Schools), “A Playbook for Character" (2021, Character Lab/McGraw HIll), and Making Grateful Kids: The Science of Building Character (2014)
John Ireland Endowed Chair, University of St. Thomas; Author, Becoming a Critically Reflective Teacher (2017, 2nd Edition) and Teaching for Critical Thinking (2011); Co-Author, Engaging Imagination: Helping Students Become Creative and Reflective Thinkers (2014)
Founder and "Father" of Positive Psychology; Zellerbach Family Professor of Psychology, Department of Psychology; Director, Positive Psychology Center; Director, Master of Applied Positive Psychology Program, School of Arts and Sciences, University of Pennsylvania; Author, Flourish: A Visionary New Understanding of Happiness and Well-Being (2012), Learned Optimism (2006), The Optimistic Child (2007) and Authentic Happiness (2004)
Professor, Psychology Department, College of Natural and Behavioral Sciences, California State University, Dominguez Hills; Director, “The Youth Gratitude Project,” as part of the Expanding the Science and Practice of Gratitude Project at the Greater Good Science Center, University of California, Berkeley, a research program that develops assessment tools and interventions to promote student success and wellness in primary and secondary schools; Author, Thanks! A Strength-Based Gratitude Curriculum for Tweens and Teens (2018); Co-Author, “Gratitude in School: Benefits to Students and Schools” (2022, Handbook of Positive Psychology in Schools), “A Playbook for Character" (2021, Character Lab/McGraw HIll), and Making Grateful Kids: The Science of Building Character (2014)
High School English Teacher; Columnist/Blogger, New York Times; Author, The Gift Of Failure: How the Best Parents Learn to Let Go So Their Children Can Succeed (2015), a New York Times Bestseller
Professor of Psychology; Director, The Motivation Lab, New York University; Author, "Pragmatic Prospection: How and Why People Think About the Future" (2016, Review of General Psychology) and Rethinking Positive Thinking: Inside the New Science of Motivation (2014)
Research Associate, Brain Development Lab; Director, Emotions and Neuroplasticity Project; Instructor, Department of Psychology, University of Oregon; Co-Author, "The Cultivation of Pure Altruism via Gratitude: A Functional MRI Study of Change with Gratitude Practice" (2017, Frontiers in Human Neuroscience)
Positive Activities and Well-Being (Sonja Lyubomirsky's Lab), University of California, Riverside; Researcher studying gratitude and compassion; National Science Foundation Research Fellow; Co-Author, "Functions of Positive Emotions: Gratitude as a Motivator of Self-Improvement and Positive Change" (2016, Emotion Review)
Associate Professor of Education, University of Tampa; Blogger, Psychology Today; Author, Positive Psychology in the Elementary School Classroom (2013) and "Five More Gifts of Gratitude" (2013, Psychology Today)
Positive Psychology Expert; Guest Lecturer, Wharton Executive Education Program, University of Pennsylvania; Author, Getting Grit: The Evidence-Based Approach to Cultivate Passion, Perseverance and Purpose (2017), Positively Caroline (2013) and Creating Your Best Life (2009)
Experienced Psychotherapist; Teacher of Mindful Self-Compassion; Author, Bouncing Back: Rewiring Your Brain for Maximum Resilience and Well-Being (2013), Winner of the 2014 Books for a Better World Award
Founder and Director, Personal Robots Group, MIT Media Lab; Associate Professor of Media Arts and Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Founder and Chief Scientist, Jibo, Inc.; Author, Designing Sociable Robots (2003); Co-Author, "Can Children Catch Curiosity from a Social Robot?" (2015, Proceedings of the Tenth Annual ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction)
Psychotherapist; Educational Consultant; Lecturer in Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School; Board Member, The Institute for Meditation and Psychotherapy; Author, Raising Resilience, Growing Up Mindful: Essential Practices to Help Children, Teens, and Families Find Balance, Calm, and Resilience (2016) and Mindfulness for Teen Anxiety (2014); Co-Author, Breathing Makes It Better: A Book for Sad Days, Mad Days, Glad Days, and All the Feelings In-Between (2019) and The Mindfulness Matters Program for Children and Adolescents: Strategies, Activities, and Techniques for Therapists and Teachers (2019)
Associate Partner, International Center for Leadership in Education; Google Certified Teacher; Author, Disruptive Thinking in Our Classroom: Preparing Learners for Their Future (2021), Uncommon Learning: Creating Schools That Work for Kids (2015) and Digital Leadership (2014); Co-Author, Learning Transformed: 8 Keys to Designing Tomorrow's Schools Today (2017)
Associate Professor of Psychology; Director, Emotions and Psychophysiology Laboratory, Vassar College; Author, "Positive Emotions, Coping and Resilience" (2011, Handbook of Stress, Health and Coping); Co-Author with Barbara Fredrickson on "Psychophysiology of Resilience" (2008, Biobehavioral Resilience to Stress); Lead Editor, Handbook of Positive Emotions (2016)
Clinical Psychologist; School Psychologist; Fellow and Supervisor in Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy, a type of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy; Author, The Resilience Workbook for Kids: Fun CBT Activities to Help You Bounce Back From Stress and Grow From Challenges (2022) and The Grit Guide for Teens: A Workbook to Help You Build Perseverance, Self-Control, and a Growth Mindset (2017)
Assistant Professor, School of Education; Research Scientist, Learning Research and Development Center; Faculty, The Motivation Center, University of Pennsylvania; Contributing Author, "Mindfulness Training for Children and Adolescents: Updates on a Growing Science with Novel Applications" (2015, Teaching Mindfulness Skills to Kids and Teens); Co-Author with Susan Kaiser-Greenland on "Mindfulness Training to Promote Self-Regulation in Youth: Effects of the Inner Kids Program" (2016, Handbook of Mindfulness in Education) and with Angela Duckworth on “More Than Resisting Temptation: Beneficial Habits Mediate the Relationship Between Self-Control and Positive Life Outcomes” (2015, APA)
Psychologist; Educator; Bullying Prevention and Character Development Expert; Author, Thrivers: The Surprising Reasons Why Some Kids Struggle and Others Shine (2021), End Peer Cruelty, Build Empathy: The Proven 6Rs of Bullying Prevention That Create Inclusive, Safe, Caring Schools (2018), Unselfie: Why Empathetic Kids Succeed in Our All-About-Me World (2016), The Big Book of Parenting Solutions (2009), No More Misbehavin': 38 Difficult Behaviors and How to Stop Them (2005), and Building Moral Intelligence: The Seven Essential Virtues That Teach Kids to Do the Right Thing (2002)
Associate Professor of Clinical Psychology; Director of the Virginia Affective Neuroscience Laboratory, Department of Psychology, University of Virginia; Co-Author, "Familiarity Promotes the Blurring of Self and Other in the Neural Representation of Threat" (2013, Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience) and "Empathy is Associated with Dynamic Change in Prefrontal Brain Electrical Activity During Positive Emotion in Children" (2009, Child Development); Co-Editor, Handbook of Emotion Elicitation and Assessment
Creator, The C.A.R.E. Program; Director of Advanced Training, Jean Baker Miller Training Institute, Wellesley Centers for Women, Wellesley College; Former Instructor in Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School; Author, Wired to Connect: The Brain Science of Strong, Healthy Relationships (2016); Co-Author, Four Ways to Click: Rewire Your Brain for Stronger, More Rewarding Relationships (2015)
Professor of Human Development, Department of Human Development, Learning, and Quantitative Methodology, University of Maryland; Editor, Educational Psychologist; Author, "Peer relationships, motivation, and academic performance at school" (2017, Handbook of Competence and Motivation 2nd edition) and "Competence Within Context: Implications for the Development of Positive Student Identities and Motivation at School" (2015, Self-concept, Motivation and Identity: Underpinning Success With Research and Practice. International Advances in Self research); Co-Author, “Peer and Teacher Supports in Relation to Motivation and Effort: A Multi-level Study” (2017, Contemporary Educational Psychology), Handbook of Motivation at School (2016, 2nd edition) and Social Influences on Social-Emotional, Motivation, and Cognitive Outcomes in School Contexts (2016)
Master Teacher; CIO, Infinite Horizons; Co-Author, Transformative Teaching: Changing Today's Classrooms Culturally, Academically, and Emotionally (2015), Developing Growth Mindsets in the Inspiring Classroom (2011), Inspiring Elementary Learners (2008), Inspiring Middle and Secondary Learners (2007), and Differentiation for Real Classrooms (2009)
Emeritus Head of New City School; Scholar-in-Residence, University of Missouri-St. Louis; Author, The Formative Five: Fostering Grit, Empathy and Other Success Skills Every Student Needs (2016), Fostering Grit: How Do I Prepare My Students for the Real World (2013) and The Art of School Leadership (2006)
Faculty, Harvard Graduate School of Education; Professor, Department of Technology & Society, Stony Brook University; Author, Us Plus Them: Tapping the Positive Power of Difference (2012, Leadership for the Common Good); Co-Author, "Empathic Joy in Positive Intergroup Relations" (2016, Journal of Social Issues)
Psychotherapist; Executive Director, The Center for Connection; Director of Parenting Education, Mindsight Institute; Child Development Specialist, Saint Marks School; Co-Author of the New York Times Bestsellers, The Whole-Brain Child (2012) and No-Drama Discipline (2014)
Research Scientist, Nurture Networks, LLC; Senior Scientist, Oregon Research Institute; Co-Director, Promise Neighborhood Research Consortium; Author, The Nurture Effect: How the Science of Human Behavior Can Improve Our Lives and Our World (2015); Co-Author, Helping Adolescents at Risk (2005)
President/CEO, Resiliency Inc.; Former Teacher; Former Mental Health Director and Consultant; Author, The Poverty Problem: How Education Can Promote Resilience and Counter Poverty’s Impact on Brain Development and Functioning (2021), The Education Revolution: How to Apply Brain Science to Improve Instruction and School Climate (2016), and A Brain-Based Approach to Closing the Achievement Gap (2008)
Psychologist; Educator; Bullying Prevention and Character Development Expert; Author, Thrivers: The Surprising Reasons Why Some Kids Struggle and Others Shine (2021), End Peer Cruelty, Build Empathy: The Proven 6Rs of Bullying Prevention That Create Inclusive, Safe, Caring Schools (2018), Unselfie: Why Empathetic Kids Succeed in Our All-About-Me World (2016), The Big Book of Parenting Solutions (2009), No More Misbehavin': 38 Difficult Behaviors and How to Stop Them (2005), and Building Moral Intelligence: The Seven Essential Virtues That Teach Kids to Do the Right Thing (2002)
Professor, Department of Psychology, University of Florida; Consultant, stopbullying.gov website and the National Anti-bullying Campaign, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS); Co-Author, "Preventing Youth Violence and Bullying Through Social-emotional School-based Prevention Programs and Frameworks" (2015, Violence: A Global Health Priority); Co-Editor, Youth Suicide and Bullying (2014) and Bullying in North American Schools (2010)
Professor, Department of Population, Family and Reproductive Health; Director, Child and Adolescent Health Measurement Initiative, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University; Founding Member of the Campaign for Trauma Informed Policy and Practice; Member of the American Academy of Pediatrics National Advisory Board on Screening; Director, the National Data Resource Center for Child and Adolescent Health; Co-Author, "Physical Distancing With Social Connectedness" (2020, The Annals of Family Medicine) and "Family Resilience and Connection Promotes Flourishing Among US Children, Even Amidst Adversity" (2019, Health Affairs)
Award Winning Science Journalist and Researcher; 2012 Award Winner from the International Congress on Autoimmunity for her lifetime contribution to autoimmune disease; Author, Childhood Disrutped: How Your Biography Becomes Your Biology and How You Can Heal (2015), which examines the lifelong consequences -- both emotional and physical -- of adverse childhood experiences
Director, MIT’s Integrated Learning Initiative; Grover Hermann Professor of Health Sciences and Technology and Cognitive Neuroscience; Professor of Brain and Cognitive Sciences; Co-Director, Clinical Research Center; Associate Director, Athinoula A. Martinos Imaging Center, McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Co-Author, “Reward-Related Neural Circuitry in Depressed and Anxious Adolescents: A Human Connectome Project” (2021, Journal of the American Academy), “Mindfulness Supports Emotional Resilience in Children During the COVID-19 Pandemic” (2022, MedRxiv), “Sleep Quality, Duration, and Consistency Are Associated With Better Academic Performance in College Students” (2019, NPI Science of Learning), and “Greater Mindfulness Is Associated With Better Academic Achievement in Middle School” (2019, Mind, Brain, and Education)
Professor of Education, James Madison University; Co-Editor, Teacher Educator Journal; Co-Author, The Mathematics Playbook (2024), The Teacher Clarity Playbook, Grades K-12 (2024), The Early Childhood Education Playbook (2022), How Tutoring Works: Six Steps to Grow Motivation and Accelerate Student Learning (2021), How Learning Works (2021), Clarity for Learning (2018), From Snorkelers to Scuba Divers: Making the Elementary Science Classroom a Place of Engagement and Deep Learning (2017), Visible Learning for Science (2017), and Captivate, Activate, and Invigorate the Student Brain in Science and Math, Grades 6–12 (2013)
President, Brain Research and Instruction; Educational Neuroscientist; Former High School and Community College Teacher; Author, Multiple Pathways to the Student Brain: Energizing and Enhancing Instruction (2014), and Six Weeks to a Brain-Compatible Classroom (2008); Co-Author, College Reading: The Science and Strategies of Expert Readers (2013)
Professor, Department of Pediatrics; Director, Center for the Study of Learning, Georgetown University; Past President, International Dyslexia Association; Co-Author, "Neuroanatomical Evidence in Support of the Bilingual Advantage Theory" (2016, Cerebral Cortex), "An Investigation into the Origin of Anatomical Differences in Dyslexia" (2014, Journal of Neuroscience) and “The Role of Neuroscience in the Remediation of Students with Dyslexia” (2002, Nature Neuroscience)
Director, Motivation and Learning Lab; Associate Professor, University of Kentucky; Associate Editor, British Journal of Educational Psychology; Co-Author, "Assessing Mathematics Self-Efficacy" (2015, Journal of Early Adolescence) and "Exploring the Correlations Among Creativity, Grit and Mathematics Achievement in Socioeconomically Diverse Schools" (2012, Research on Children at Risk)
Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University; Visiting Researcher, University of California, Berkeley; Co-Author, "Thinking and Feeling: Individual Differences in Habitual Emotion Regulation and Stress-Related Mood are Associated with Prefrontal Executive Control" (2016, Clinical Psychological Science) and "Integrating a Relaxation Response-Based Curriculum into a Public High School in Massachusetts" (2012, Journal of Adolescence)
Director, MIT’s Integrated Learning Initiative; Grover Hermann Professor of Health Sciences and Technology and Cognitive Neuroscience; Professor of Brain and Cognitive Sciences; Co-Director, Clinical Research Center; Associate Director, Athinoula A. Martinos Imaging Center, McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Co-Author, “Reward-Related Neural Circuitry in Depressed and Anxious Adolescents: A Human Connectome Project” (2021, Journal of the American Academy), “Mindfulness Supports Emotional Resilience in Children During the COVID-19 Pandemic” (2022, MedRxiv), “Sleep Quality, Duration, and Consistency Are Associated With Better Academic Performance in College Students” (2019, NPI Science of Learning), and “Greater Mindfulness Is Associated With Better Academic Achievement in Middle School” (2019, Mind, Brain, and Education)
Social Psychologist; Assistant Professor, Psychology Department, University of California, Berkeley; Researcher who has launched with Google an online intervention program for schools on bias and empathy, and is also collaborating with the Juvenile Justice Center in Alameda County to ease youth offender’s transition back into school; Co-Author, “Brief Intervention to Encourage Empathic Discipline Cuts Suspension Rates in Half Among Adolescents” (2016, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences)
Assistant Professor of Psychology, Hiram College; Blogger, Psychology Today; Author, "The State of Positive Psychology in Higher Education: Introduction to the Special Issue" (2011, Journal of Positive Psychology); Editor, Positive Psychology in Higher Education (2014); Co-Editor, Activities for Teaching Positive Psychology (2013)
Founding Director, thinkSRSD; Adjunct Professor, Columbia University; Former Learning Specialist, United Nations International School; Co-Author, Releasing Writers: Evidence-Based Strategies for Developing Self-Regulated Writers (2020) and Using Formative Assessment to Differentiate Middle School Literacy Instruction (2012); Editor, Differentiated Instruction in Literacy, Math, and Science (2011)