Combining Positive Psychology and Clinical Insights

As a psychotherapy researcher, for the past 25 years, Joshua Swift, Ph.D., Professor of Clinical Psychology and Department Chair at Idaho State University, has been investigating the methods that professionals can use to help people work through mental health concerns. 

“From this research and the research of many others throughout the years, we know that psychotherapy works - and it works very well for most individuals,” Swift says. “However, we also know that mental health concerns are on the rise and that most people with mental health concerns never seek out any sort of professional help. So although I am still very active in doing my research on psychotherapy, I wanted to broaden out a bit and help those people who may never seek out treatment.“

This led Swift to the field of positive psychology, which focuses on positive emotions and experiences (such as happiness and joy) and the activities that we can engage in to improve those experiences in our lives. Swift says that many books on self-care and happiness already exist, but most of those resources focus on a single strategy (such as increasing social support) and they do not incorporate all of the knowledge that we have gained through the field of clinical psychology about other scientific-proven methods for improving well-being. 

This is part of the inspiration for Swift authoring his new book, Becoming Happy: A Guide to Self-Care, Life Satisfaction, and Well-Being. In writing the book, Swift took a holistic approach, describing several different strategies in the areas of taking care of our physical, mental, behavioral, and social selves. “The idea isn’t that each of these strategies will work perfectly for everyone,” he says. “Rather, it is to teach people about the many different strategies that are out there and then let them figure out which ones are right for them.“

Swift says that bridging the fields of positive psychology and clinical psychology “give us the best approach for learning how to be happy.” For example, Swift says that from positive psychology we learn that thinking positively leads to happiness and clinical psychology teaches us techniques for working with our thoughts so we can ‘think positively’ more often. “In this book I cover strategies from both disciplines in order to provide a more detailed step-by-step guide for how people can live happy lives.”

Swift's book also delves into surprising insights, such as how the pursuit of material wealth and leisure often doesn't lead to happiness. “Although we have more prosperity in our world than any time in the past, on average, as a people we are becoming less and less happy,” Swift says. “That is because prosperity and the things we spend our time on as a result of it, don’t actually lead to happiness.” 

He highlights that scientific research shows how even seemingly relaxing activities like TV watching and scrolling through social media can actually drain our happiness, whereas people often find greater joy when they’re actively engaged in activities—even those considered to be work or effortful tasks. 

“The formula for happiness is not super complicated,” he says. “The tricky part is just recognizing that the things that bring happiness are not always what we initially expect.” 

Looking ahead, Swift has plans to extend the concepts in Becoming Happy through targeted resources for specific groups, such as teachers, graduate students, and teenagers, each of whom may benefit from tailored strategies. His psychotherapy research lab is also expanding to conduct studies that identify the most effective self-care methods for improving happiness.

Swift emphasizes that readers will gain the most from the book if they approach it one chapter at a time. “If they take it one chapter at a time and identify some goals that they would like to work on, then practice those goals and make changes in their lives, they will likely see changes in their lives that will have a longer-lasting impact on their happiness,” Swift says.

Becoming Happy is more than just a guide to happiness—it's a roadmap to improving overall well-being, with actionable, scientifically-backed steps for better physical, mental, behavioral, and social health. Swift’s goal is to empower readers to find what works best for them, and in doing so, build a happier, more fulfilling life.

 

Book Blurb

Life, freedom, and the pursuit of happiness – three unalienable rights people throughout the ages have desired. Despite its universal appeal, HAPPINESS, in particular, can often seem just beyond our grasp. In fact, even though we experience greater prosperity, wealth, and comforts today than at any other period of time in history, happiness in the world is on the decline. Perhaps it is because society teaches us a code for achievement and success, but rarely are we ever taught how to obtain true happiness. The code for happiness exists though – current scientific research clearly shows those behaviors and activities that bring happiness, and those that do not. In BECOMING HAPPY, Dr. Joshua Swift breaks down this science by describing the process of happiness and providing a step-by-step guide with evidence-based strategies for improving life satisfaction and well-being through taking care of our physical, mental, behavioral, and social selves. When applied, these strategies lead to building a happy life.

JOSHUA K. SWIFT, Ph.D., is a professor and psychology department chair at Idaho State University in Pocatello, Idaho. He received his B.S. from Brigham Young University and his Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Oklahoma State University. He has received a number of awards and recognitions for his oft-cited research, which has been widely published in academic journals and presented in countries around the globe. He is an American Psychological Association fellow and a licensed psychologist. He finds happiness in his family (he and his wife are parents to six children), faith, and in being physically active.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Section 1: What Is Happiness

Chapter 1: Finding the Happiness Code

Chapter 2: Defining the Goal

Chapter 3: Things That Do Not Bring Happiness

Chapter 4: A Self-care Approach to Achieving Happiness

Section 2: Taking Care of Our Physical Selves

Chapter 5: Happy People Exercise Regularly

Chapter 6: Happy People Eat Healthfully

Chapter 7: Happy People Get a Good Night’s Sleep

Section 3: Taking Care of Our Mental Selves

Chapter 8: Happy People Think Positively

Chapter 9: Happy People Feel and Express Gratitude

Chapter 10: Happy People Engage in Life-long Learning

Section 4: Taking Care of Our Behavioral Selves

Chapter 11: Happy People are Present

Chapter 12: Happy People are Active

Chapter 13: Happy People Use Coping Skills

Section 5: Taking Care of Our Social Selves

Chapter 14: Happy People Nurture Family Relationships

Chapter 15: Happy People Make and Keep Good Friends

Chapter 16: Happy People Talk to Strangers

Chapter 17: Happy People Help Others

Section 6: Finding Purpose and Meaning

Chapter 18: Happy People Find Meaning in Life

Chapter 19: Happy People Plan for a Happy Life

Appendix: Discussion Questions