--- title: Job Performance: Here's the Secret to Loving Your Job description: People whose jobs allowed them to use their signature strengths — those qualities they were uniquely best at, the talents that set them apart from... canonical: https://time.com/3860603/love-job-signature-strengths/ author: Eric Barker article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-05-21T04:01:50.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-03-31T08:26:27.296Z article:section: Ideas og:title: Here’s the Secret to Loving Your Job, According to Research og:description: Exercise your signature strengths og:url: https://time.com/3860603/love-job-signature-strengths/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt475184d87f532342/6987efee0b72e39b6a6e212e/476812869-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=502&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 502 og:image:height: 282 og:image:alt: gloved-hands-heart-shape og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Here’s the Secret to Loving Your Job, According to Research twitter:description: Exercise your signature strengths twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt475184d87f532342/6987efee0b72e39b6a6e212e/476812869-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=502&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Here’s the Secret to Loving Your Job, According to Research > Sponsored content. 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It explains how TIME's journalism is made, from the first pitch through the editorial decisions behind a finished story or cover. #### How can I read about how TIME chooses its covers? Inside TIME is the newsletter where TIME's Editor-in-Chief explains cover selection and the editorial reasoning behind major stories. It is free at time.com/newsletters. #### Who is the editor of TIME? Sam Jacobs is TIME's Editor-in-Chief. He writes Inside TIME, a twice-weekly newsletter about the newsroom's reporting and editorial decisions. #### Is Inside TIME free? Yes. Inside TIME is a free newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and available at time.com/subscribe-agent. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-inside-2026q3/newsletters?i=799521c6-ac1e-40a9-86f8-4e9e7be3e789&cr=time-nl-inside-2026q3-v1) by [Eric Barker](https://time.com/author/eric-barker/) ## Eric Barker May 21, 2015 4:01 AM UTC  Gloved hands making heart shape Gloved hands making heart shape Getty Images by [Eric Barker](https://time.com/author/eric-barker/) ## Eric Barker May 21, 2015 4:01 AM UTC People whose jobs allowed them to use their _signature strengths_ — those qualities they were uniquely best at, the talents that set them apart from others — were consistently happier: --- > “” --- This method has been verified [multiple times](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/does-any-of-this-make-yourself-happier-stuff). It also increases [the amount of flow you experience](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/how-can-you-increase-the-amount-of-flow-you-e) at work. Leveraging signature strengths is also one of the secrets of [the most creative people](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/what-lessons-can-we-learn-from-the-most-creat). So how can you put this to use? Via UPenn happiness expert Martin Seligman’s book, [Authentic Happiness](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0743222989/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=spacforrent-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0743222989): * **Identify your signature strengths.** * **Choose work that lets you use them every day.** * **Recraft your present work to use your signature strengths more.** * **If you are the employer, choose employees whose signature strengths mesh with the work they will do. If you are a manager, make room to allow employees to recraft the work within the bounds of your goals.** You can also [use it in your personal life](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/does-be-yourself-really-make-you-happier). Doing this can increase happiness for _months_: Via [The Happiness Advantage: The Seven Principles of Positive Psychology That Fuel Success and Performance at Work](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0307591549/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=spacforrent-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0307591549): --- > “” --- **Join over 180,000 readers. Get a free weekly update via email** [**here**](http://eepurl.com/o6uAD)**.** **_This piece originally appeared on_** [**_Barking Up the Wrong Tree_**](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2012/08/whats-the-secret-to-loving-your-job/)**_._** Related posts: [New Harvard Research Reveals A Fun Way To Be More Successful](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2014/09/be-more-successful/) [The 8 Things The Happiest People Do Every Day](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2014/06/happiest-people/) [How To Stop Being Lazy And Get More Done – 5 Expert Tips](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2014/08/how-to-stop-being-lazy/) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3860603/love-job-signature-strengths/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3860603/love-job-signature-strengths/"},"headline":"Here’s the Secret to Loving Your Job, According to Research","datePublished":"2015-05-21T04:01:50.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-31T08:26:27.296Z","description":"People whose jobs allowed them to use their signature strengths — those qualities they were uniquely best at, the talents that set them apart from...","url":"https://time.com/3860603/love-job-signature-strengths/","keywords":["Psychology"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt475184d87f532342/6987efee0b72e39b6a6e212e/476812869-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Eric Barker","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/eric-barker/"}],"articleSection":"Ideas","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt475184d87f532342/6987efee0b72e39b6a6e212e/476812869-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"gloved-hands-heart-shape","caption":"gloved-hands-heart-shape","creditText":"Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/ideas/","name":"Ideas"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/psychology/","name":"Psychology"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3860603/love-job-signature-strengths/","name":"Here’s the Secret to Loving Your Job, According to Research"}}]}] ```