Positive Psychology Conference I recently attended a conference on Positive Psychology in education which was informative and inspiring, with a wealth of fabulous speakers including: Tal Ben-Shahar - www.talbenshahar.com Mark Williamson - Action for Happiness - www.actionforhappiness.org Emma Judge - UK Resilience - www.ppc.sas.upenn.edu Richard Burnett - Mindfulness in Schools Project- www.mindfulnessinschools.org Each spoke about the different programmes and interventions with which they are involved and which are greatly improving the well being of our young people.
The idea that most impressed me is both simple and transformative. Research shows over and over again that it is the questions we ask at the outset of a project or intervention that determine its success. When we ask negative questions such as "What is going wrong here?", whether it is to do with communication, behaviour or results; relationships, education or business, the answers we get will focus on the negative. However, if we ask "What is working well here?" not only will the responses be more positive but so will the morale of the workplace, spreading good practice and goodwill. There is extensive evidence to support this, ranging from turning around the profits of huge corporations, improving outcomes for disaffected young people to mending marriages. Simple yet powerful. Ruthie Alexander-Morgan | 
