Author Barbara Fredrickson Shares Her Book, Positivity
On North Carolina Bookwatch, Sunday, July 26, at 5 PM

In her book Positivity, world-renowned researcher Dr. Barbara Fredrickson offers lab-tested tools necessary to create a healthier, more vibrant, and flourishing life through a process she calls "the upward spiral." Her book explains:

• What positivity is, and why it needs to be heartfelt to be effective
• The ten sometimes surprising forms of positivity
• Why positivity is more important than happiness
• How positivity can enhance relationships, work, and health, and how it relieves depression, broadens minds, and builds lives
• The top-notch research that backs the 3-to-1 "positivity ratio" as a key tipping point
• That your own sources of positivity are unique and how to tap into them
• How to calculate your current positivity ratio, track it, and improve it

In an all-new episode of UNC-TV’s local literary series North Carolina Bookwatch with D.G. Martin, premiering Sunday, August 2, at 5 PM, Dr. Fredrickson shares the positive behind Positivity.

“The challenge was to use the one word [“positivity”] to encompass a wide range of research about positive emotions and how they change the way we think, the way our bodies respond, how we grow and change over time, and really the health and well-being repercussions of positive emotions,” says Fredrickson.

Part self-help, part science, Positivity sets out to teach readers how to see new possibilities, bounce back from setbacks, connect with others, and become the best version of oneself.

“When I originally began this book project, it was definitely just a book about the science of positive emotions because I thinks it’s fascinating,” says Fredrickson. “But as I made more discoveries…my work went from being descriptive to prescriptive…and I started experimenting with my own life.”

Dr. Fredrickson is the Kenan Distinguished Professor of Psychology and Principal Investigator of the Positive Emotions and Psychophysiology Lab at the University of North Carolina. She is a leading scholar within social psychology, affective science, and positive psychology. Her research centers on positive emotions and human flourishing and is supported by grants from the National Institute of Mental Health. Her research and her teaching have been recognized with numerous honors, including, the 2000 American Psychological Association's Templeton Prize in Positive Psychology. Her work is cited widely and she is regularly invited to give keynotes nationally and internationally. She lives in Chapel Hill with her husband and two sons.

Don’t miss DG Martin’s all-new interview with Barbara Fredrickson on North Carolina Bookwatch, Sunday, July 26, at 5 PM, only on UNC-TV!

During the 26-week season of North Carolina Bookwatch, guests will also include:  John Shelton Reed and Dale Volberg Reed (Holy Smoke), Justin Catanoso (My Cousin the Saint), Todd Johnson(The Sweet By and By), Michael Walden (North Carolina in the Connected Age), Michael Davis (Street Gang), Dan Ariely (Predictably Irrational), Howard Lee (The Courage to Lead), Marianne Gingher (Adventures in Pen Land), and Dan Barefoot (Hark the Sound of Tar Heel Voices).

For additional information about series guests and airdates, plus links to the Bookwatch blog and online book club, please visit: www.unctv.org/ncbookwatch.

Funding for North Carolina Bookwatch is provided by UNC-TV members and by Quail Ridge Books and Music, Raleigh’s independent, full service bookstore, bringing readers and writers together since 1984.

North Carolina Bookwatch is part of UNC-TV’s ongoing commitment to produce programs for and about North Carolina. UNC-TV is the statewide 11-station broadcast network of the University of North Carolina. For more information, please visit www.unctv.org/ncbookwatch.

For more information about North Carolina Bookwatch and UNC-TV’s other original productions, please visit our website at www.unctv.org.