Book review: Pursuing the good life, by Christopher Peterson

by Christopher Peterson
Oxford University Press

Forget psychology's dark side - its armada of phobias, compulsions and other neuroses. In Pursuing the Good Life, University of Michigan psychologist Christopher Peterson presents 100 meditations on a wealth of positive psychology subjects.

Each reflection is entertainingly titled. Think "Tears and Testosterone", "What Do You Think About in the Shower?" and "I Hate E-mail". Yes, in his 10th chapter devoted to rants, Peterson skewers bugbears, apparently keen to show that he is no Pollyanna. Still, the optimism peddled by positive psychology is justified, he reckons.

"Was Bill Gates unrealistic when he dropped out of Harvard to write software? Was Barack Obama unrealistic when he announced his presidential candidacy?" Probably yes, he writes.

"Bless the critics," the baby boomer writes, "but I wish they would zero in on stupidity as a problem for all of us, or greed, or sloth, or envy, or gluttony, and not brand positive thinking a deadly sin. The world is challenging enough, and no good is served by dismissing one of its most wonderful resources."

With a hint of bitterness, Peterson adds that he would have thought decades of research showing that hope and optimism are beneficial would have settled the question of positive psychology's worth. "On average, optimistic individuals are healthier because they take care of themselves; optimistic students earn better grades because they go to class; optimistic insurance agents sell more policies because they make cold calls; and so on."

The thrust of Peterson's pro-positivity argument seems sensible. But, apparently clouded by optimism, he skates over the oft-made claim that the 2008 financial crisis stemmed from "irrational exuberance" - a heightened state of speculative fervour.

Another failing of Peterson's guide is that his stabs at humour are repeatedly murdered by his insertion of variations on the phrase "no pun intended". No humour generated.