The PERMA Model: Your Scientific Theory of Happiness

 Mariana Pascha

Everyone seems to be in the pursuit of happiness nowadays, but what if we had a model—like the PERMA
model—to help guide us?

There are many ways to reach happiness, including training your mind for happiness, spending money on
others, and following the guidelines presented here for well-being and happiness.

What are the actual elements that promote happiness within each of us and how can we foster communities
that prioritize humans who thrive together?

Seligman’s theoretical model of happiness (PERMA) helps us understand these elements and what we can do
to maximize each element to reach a life full of happiness.

This article contains:

 Seligman’s PERMA Model

 P – Positive Emotion
 E – Engagement
 R – Relationships
 M – Meaning
 A – Accomplishments
 How to Apply the PERMA Model in Your Life
 References

Seligman’s PERMA Model

Martin Seligman, one of the founders of positive psychology, developed a five core element of psychological
well-being and happiness. Seligman believes that these five elements can help people work towards a life of
fulfillment, happiness, and meaning.
Institutions can also use this model to develop programs that help people discover and use new cognitive and
emotional tools.

We explore each of these elements below.

P – Positive Emotion

This element is, perhaps, the most obvious connection to happiness. Focusing on positive emotions is more
than smiling: it is the ability to remain optimistic and view one’s past, present, and future from a constructive
perspective.

A positive view can help in relationships and work, and inspire others to be more creative and take more
chances. In everyone’s life, there are highs and lows; focusing on “the lows” does increase your chances of
developing depression, although the equation for depression is very complicated.

Regardless, there are many health benefits to optimism and positivity.

How do we distinguish between pleasure and enjoyment for this? Pleasure is connected to satisfying bodily
needs for survival, such as thirst, hunger, and sleep. Whereas enjoyment comes from intellectual stimulation
and creativity.

When a child completes a complex lego car that requires their concentration, for example, they might beam
with joy and satisfaction from their work.

This type of positive emotion is crucial. It can help people enjoys the daily tasks in their lives and persevere
with challenges they will face by remaining optimistic about eventual outcomes.

E – Engagement

Activities that meet our need for engagement flood the body with positive neurotransmitters and hormones
that elevate one’s sense of well-being. This engagement helps us remain present, as well as synthesize the
activities where we find calm, focus, and joy.

People find enjoyment in different things, whether it’s playing an instrument, playing a sport, dancing, working
on an interesting project at work or even just a hobby.

When time truly “flies by” during an activity, it is likely because the people involved were experiencing this
sense of engagement.

We all need something in our lives that absorbs us into the current moment, creating a ‘flow’ of blissful
immersion into the task or activity. This type of ‘flow’ of engagement stretches our intelligence, skills,
and emotional capabilities.

R – Relationships
Relationships and social connections are crucial to meaningful lives.

Too often, the pursuit of happiness has this Western bias of “individuality” where each person steers their
personal happiness ship to shore. This is not realistic. We are social animals who are hard-wired to bond and
depend on other humans. Hence, the basic need for healthy relationships.

We thrive on connections that promote love, intimacy, and a strong emotional and physical interaction with
other humans. Positive relationships with one’s parents, siblings, peers, coworkers, and friends is a key
ingredient to overall joy. Strong relationships also provide support in difficult times that require resilience.

In an interview with Dr. Mitch Printein’s about his course on the psychology of popularity, Printein explained
the research on pain centers in the human brain.

Basically, our pain centers become activated when we are at risk of isolation. From an evolutionary
perspective, isolation is the worse thing we could do for survival.

These activation centers are like fire alarms in the body, discouraging people to continue feeling this pain, and
ideally, reconnect socially with someone or a group. We need, neurologically, to know that we belong to a
group; it helps us feel safe and valued, and has for millions of years.

M – Meaning

Having an answer as to “why are we on this earth?” is a key ingredient that can drive us towards fulfillment.

Religion and spirituality provide many people with meaning, as can working for a good company, raising
children, volunteering for a greater cause, and expressing ourselves creatively.

Unfortunately, the media worships glamour and the pursuit of material wealth, impacting many people to feel
like money is the gateway to happiness. While we do need money to pay for basic needs, once those basic
needs are met and financial stress is not an issue, money is not what provides people with happiness.

Understanding the impact of your work and why you chose to “show up at the office” may help you enjoy the
tasks and become more satisfied with what you do. Whether you work in an office or not, think of what you
spend most of your time doing. What does that activity provide you with?

Check out Itai Ivtzan’s Awareness-Meaning Therapy if you want more resources on this weighty aspect of
happiness. His video in that link on “Awareness is Freedom” has provided inspiration to reflect and change for
thousands of people.

A – Accomplishments

Having goals and ambition in life can help us to achieve things that can give us a sense of accomplishment. You
should make realistic goals that can be met and just putting in the effort to achieving those goals can already
give you a sense of satisfaction when you finally achieve those goals a sense of pride and fulfillment will be
reached.

Having accomplishments in life is important to push ourselves to thrive and flourish.

How to Apply the PERMA Model in Your Life

Being aware of the PERMA model might help you consider the meaning and fulfillment to your life. The next
step is to integrate this model with your daily life.

As a start, we recommend you refer to the 5 elements of the model often. Find the things that make you
happy and can make you fully engaged. You could even put goals on challenging yourself in the activities you
enjoy. Focus on your relationships with your family and friends, and find ways to connect with others, even if it
does not come naturally to you at first. Find the meaning to your life and what gives you a sense of purpose.
It’s different for everyone.

How might you apply any element of the PERMA model into your life? Have you found success in any parts of
it? We would love to hear your ideas in our comments section below the infographic.
You can also download the printable version of the infographic here.

Still hungry for more information and how the PERMA model can enact the necessary change towards more
meaning-rich lives? Then we recommend you watch this video below that provides greater context and
information.

Watch Seligman Discuss His PERMA Model

https://youtu.be/iK6K_N2qe9Y

Happiness & Well-Being Coaching with PERMA

 Sarah Battey

In coaching settings, it can be extremely helpful to work from a theoretical framework or model. These can be
used to guide clients through their thought-process and explore the various aspects of the model.

These models can also change how coaches relate to the client’s experience, which leads to deeper insights
and a more focused approach.

Making the transition from theory to practice is not easy, so this article offers three hands-on suggestions for
using a key model from positive psychology in life coaching.

Most positive psychology enthusiasts will know the key ingredients to happinessand subjective well-being.
Martin Seligman’s PERMA model from his book Flourish (2011) has five factors that are especially important to
move anyone towards well-being.

Seligman’s five factors are Positive Emotions, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, and Accomplishment. This
is an evolution of Seligmann’s (2002) theory of Authentic Happiness.

So how can this particular model be used in a coaching context? Three ideas come to mind.

(1) Clarify the Coaching Topic

The first step of a coaching process, particularly in systemic coaching, is to define the coaching topic.

Often when clients come to a life coaching session, they have a general idea of what they want to work on or
improve, but the specifics are unclear.

The coach needs to have an exploratory conversation with the client. This is where a model such as PERMA
can be useful. After a short introduction to the model, the client can talk about or visualize which areas of the
model they are satisfied with, and which areas they feel they need to work on.

(2) Develop Coaching Questions

Coaching questions to guide the conversation can be derived from the PERMA model.

For instance, it could be helpful for the client to consider their position on a ten-point scale for each of the five
factors. Coaching success can be measured by asking the client to rate each factor again after discussing each
topic.

The coach could also ask questions relating to each of the five areas, for example:

Positive Emotion

“To what extent do you currently experience positive emotions?”

“What activities give you pleasure in life/make you feel good?”

Engagement

“During which activities do you lose track of time?”

“What percentage of your time do you spend in the present moment?”

Meaning

“To what extent are you doing things today that are valuable and worthwhile to you?”

“What are the activities or people who make you feel rooted in something larger than yourself?”

Accomplishment

“What activity would you pursue even if you didn’t win/earn/succeed in it?”

“What do you enjoy doing just for the sake of it?”

Relationships

“How would you describe your relationships with other people?”

“Which are your most important relationships and why?”

Of course, depending on the phase of the coaching process, questions would be more exploratory at first, and
then more solution-oriented later on.

(3) Use Supplementary PP Exercises

At all points of the process, additional exercises from positive psychology relating to PERMA can support and
deepen the learning.

For example, gratitude exercises can act as a self-reinforcing tool for positive emotions. Taking the VIA
survey allows clients to better understand their signature strengths and help them develop flow and meaning
in their lives.
The kindness exercise (where an unexpected act of kindness makes the “giver” and the receiver feel good) can
help increase positive relationship experiences.

To summarize, working within the framework of a tried and tested, research-based models such as PERMA can
enhance the quality of a coaching session in various ways.

What PP models do you use in your daily work as a PP practitioner?

We’d love to hear from you in the comments section below.