The 2024 European Congress on Positive Psychology has just concluded in Innsbruck, bringing together a community of 1200+ practitioners of the science of wellbeing from 55 countries.  I was invited to deliver a pre-conference workshop and then was free to savour as many sessions as I liked. And yes I more than liked it, I LOVED IT. My brain was fizzing with lightbulb moments. At times there were up to 12 parallel events with the latest in positive psychology thinking so as well as the abundance of choice there was also a paradox of what to choose.

The conference theme of You, Me and Us put the spotlight on relationships and I got to meet for the first time some of the people I’ve coached, collaborated with and cited over the years. In one session we were invited to turn to a neighbour to do a mirroring exercise. The woman in front of me looked rather taken aback but later revealed that she had been on my online course and that I was the reason she had got into positive psychology! It was a meaningful moment where I felt the warm glow of knowing that I’d played a role in someone’s journey. An example of the ‘authentic happiness’ that comes from using your strengths in the service of others. I also relished many micro-moments of connection with people I sat next to, ate next to and queued next to.

The Alpine setting of mountains and meadows with the best tap water I’ve ever tasted supported the positive experience. This is relevant as the environment and its relationship to wellbeing is something that the positive psychology world is turning towards. How can we hope to grow wellbeing with the crises that threaten the planet such as climate change and plastic pollution? We need to reorient the field towards a ‘regenerative positive psychology’, which acknowledges that our human needs are not only psychological but also environmental, says Prof Mike Steger from Colorado State University. To act as ‘positive caretakers’ looking after the ecological systems that support human wellbeing.

This is reflected in the 4^th wave of Positive Psychology, which will focus on Globality, according to Prof Judith Mangelsdorf from Berlin University. The 1^st wave was about Positivity and encouraging positive emotions and behaviours. The 2^nd wave explored Polarity and the relationship between positive and negative. The 3^rd wave has seen positive psychology deepen into Complexity expanding its focus into other fields and larger group settings. The 4^th wave is a natural progression from this, shining a spotlight on the global necessities to thrive as a planet.

I was touched by Prof Corey Keyes’ keynote on Languishing, the subject of his new book. Corey is a sociologist who played a significant role in early positive psychology when he developed a two-factor model of mental health, which included a dimension for flourishing. Languishing is when you feel empty, like a ghost in your own life, hungry for something that feeds the soul. This is a very common feeling, especially with rising levels of loneliness and languishing, sadly, acts as a gateway to many mental illnesses. The title of his session was ‘Positive Psychology is the means, so what is your end?’ And he was plain in stating that what gives life meaning is helping others and this plays a vital role for wellbeing. “When you give it you get it”. Discovering your strengths is not for an ego boost but rather to have the tools to support others. In the words of St Francis “for it is in giving, that you receive”.

Prof Helena Marujo, from the University of Lisbon, developed this theme by asking some pertinent questions. Describing the homeless she saw outside the conference venue for the 2023 Positive Psychology Congress in Vancouver, she asks ‘Do we care?” “How do we care?” And “Do we care enough?” What are we doing positive psychology for? For the greater good or the benefit of our careers? This echoes my own reflections on whether Positive Psychology is really for the privileged, for profit or for the people who need it but maybe don’t have the means necessary to access it? Helena has been leading Peace studies for 20+ years and advocates that positive psychology should be more than academic and move into activism. To be active agents of hope. This drive to action for the sake of global wellbeing is one of the main impressions I came away with.

Michael Ungar’s keynote was on nurturing and maintaining resilience. I was struck by the Canadian’s conceptualisation of resilience in practice. The term ‘bouncing back’ is often used in training, but Michael prefers to talk about ‘navigating’ our way through difficult situations and ‘negotiating’ access to resources to support us. Those resources include the most basic things. He gave an example of Afghan women, who were dropping out of their university studies in droves. It turns out that the reason was not to do with stress, finances or other pressures but rather the simple fact of a lack of ladies’ loos.

Andreas Krafft is a Swiss psychologist. His was the last keynote I attended on Hopes, Fears and the Future, in which he introduced two approaches to the future. The first is that of a future full of bad stuff that comes at us like a tsunami. The fear this causes is part of the reason why right-wing political parties are on the rise across Europe. The other approach is that we go hopefully into the future, taking steps towards our goals. It requires a certain level of trust, the kind of hope that parents hold for their children even when they have lost the belief in themselves. Andreas described a study that suggested that Switzerland has lower levels of hope than the comparatively poorer nations of Portugal and South Africa. At lunch I asked him why he thought that was? He replied that it was due to fear. A hundred years ago the Swiss led modest mountain lives but now as a wealthy nation the fear of losing their wealth is driving down their hopes for the future.

Andreas closed his keynote by offering a third way of thinking about the future – as a gift. This took me back to the beginning of the conference and my workshop on Positive Ageing where I talked about the ‘gift of ageing’. It is a privilege, not given to everyone, to age into the future.

I was lucky to attend such an inspiring event that nourished my mind, body and spirit. Thank you to everyone there who spoke, facilitated, organised and participated in the 2024 European Congress on Positive Psychology.

Miriam Akhtar is a wellbeing consultant, coach and trainer. Books include The Little Book of Happiness, Positive Psychology for Overcoming Depression and What Is Post-traumatic Growth.

Next course is the How of Happiness, a weekend retreat at Hawkwood in the Cotswolds. Fri 30 August to Sunday 1st September.

(c) ECPP and the author.