Positive psychology is concerned with strengths as much as weaknesses. The positive psychology model purports that you should be as interested in building the best things in life as you are in repairing the worst. You should be as concerned with making life fulfilling by nurturing strengths as you are with healing pathology. One way to do this is to manifest happiness through optimism and gratitude.

Using the Internet, research articles and videos about experiments conducted by Masaru Emoto on positive psychology. When conducting your Internet search, use the following keywords or phrases:

• Masaru Emoto’s rice experiment
• Masaru Emoto: Messages from water
• Masaru Emoto: Water consciousness & intent

Then, based on your research, respond to the following:

• Explain what optimism is according to the positive psychology model.
• Discuss the importance of optimism in positive psychology.
• Describe the relationship between positive traits and optimism.
• Discuss an aspect of your life in which you would like to increase your optimism. Identify how you will do this.
• Provide an example of a person struggling with negative self-talk and discuss how it could be countered to reflect optimism.
• Based on your research on Masaru Emoto, comment on why spirituality and gratitude are important to optimism and happiness.

Support your statements with appropriate examples and at least two scholarly reference on positive psychology.

Write your initial response in 300–500 words. Apply APA standards to citation of sources.

By Saturday, May 24, 2014, post your response to the appropriate Discussion Area. Then review and comment on at least two peers’ responses.

Do the following when responding to your peers:

• Read all your peers’ postings.
• Comment on your peers’ ideas about what optimism is and how positive traits assist in the development of optimism.
• Comment on how positive traits can be identified and amplified.