7: Individual Interventions to Enhance Happiness

This penultimate chapter revisits positive thinking. It looks at the self-help industry with its consultancies, books and other products which expanded from the 1950s. Self-hypnosis, assertiveness, positive affirmations, visualization and meditation were just a few of the recommended techniques. Connected to this ‘positivity’ are the confidence and wellness cultures whose advice and products are now instantly available from hand-held Internet devices. Positive Psychology itself is linked to this demand for positivity. We describe access options for PP interventions. The chapter then provides four main aspects of life that can contribute to happiness. These are increasing self-awareness, living in the moment, finding meaning and purpose in life and cultivating positive relationships.