--- title: The One Word That Sums Up Everything You Need to Do to Be Happier description: That word is “PERMA.” It’s an acronym for: Positive Emotion Engagement Good Relationships Meaning Accomplishment Martin Seligman is a professor at the University Pennsylvania and... canonical: https://time.com/3634782/one-word-be-happier/ author: Eric Barker article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-12-16T05:01:38.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T04:49:45.525Z article:section: Ideas og:title: The One Word That Sums Up Everything You Need to Do to Be Happier og:description: That word is “PERMA.” It’s an acronym for: Positive Emotion Engagement Good Relationships Meaning Accomplishment Martin Seligman is a professor at the University Pennsylvania and... og:url: https://time.com/3634782/one-word-be-happier/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9ff1a05c54c77d9d/69876ef1f887dc03e6e8908d/smile-sand.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: smile og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: The One Word That Sums Up Everything You Need to Do to Be Happier twitter:description: That word is “PERMA.” It’s an acronym for: Positive Emotion Engagement Good Relationships Meaning Accomplishment Martin Seligman is a professor at the University Pennsylvania and... twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9ff1a05c54c77d9d/69876ef1f887dc03e6e8908d/smile-sand.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # The One Word That Sums Up Everything You Need to Do to Be Happier by [Eric Barker](https://time.com/author/eric-barker/) ## Eric Barker Dec 16, 2014 5:01 AM UTC  To brighten your day To brighten your dayGetty Images by [Eric Barker](https://time.com/author/eric-barker/) ## Eric Barker Dec 16, 2014 5:01 AM UTC That word is “PERMA.” It’s an acronym for: * **P**ositive Emotion * **E**ngagement * Good **R**elationships * **M**eaning * **A**ccomplishment Martin Seligman is a professor at the University Pennsylvania and one of the foremost experts on the study of happiness. He gave the following talk in 2011 explaining “PERMA”, the research behind it, and how we can use it to improve our lives. I’ll break it down after the video. For the longest time the model of happiness we’ve had has followed how we look at health: If you’re sick, we try to make you not-sick. If you’re depressed, we try to make you not-depressed. But can’t we do more than merely eliminating suffering? Can’t we try to go from normal to happier? Can we flourish? Seligman explains that the things we need to do to be happier are all tied up in PERMA. So let’s break down what Seligman has to say. ## **P: Positive Emotion** We need 3 positive things for every negative thing in order to thrive. Via [Rainy Brain, Sunny Brain: How to Retrain Your Brain to Overcome Pessimism and Achieve a More Positive Outlook](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0465019455/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0465019455&linkCode=as2&tag=spacforrent-20): --- > “” --- And: --- > “” --- This also ties in to what Seligman explains is one of the most powerful happiness boosting exercises: [3 blessings](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2011/08/was-grandmom-right-about-counting-your-blessi/). This technique has been proven [again](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/what-are-quick-little-things-you-can-do-to-in) and [again](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/does-any-of-this-make-yourself-happier-stuff). Seligman explains it in his book [Flourish: A Visionary New Understanding of Happiness and Well-being](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1439190763/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=spacforrent-20): --- > “” --- ## **E: Engagement** This is what is often called [flow](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2012/11/secret-enjoying-work/). It’s when you’re so wrapped up in what you’re doing that the world fades away: --- > “” --- When do you usually feel flow? It’s when you’re challenged but not beyond your skill level. Passive activities don’t create flow. Neither do overwhelming challenges. There are a handful of things that need to be present for you to experience flow: Via [Top Business Psychology Models: 50 Transforming Ideas for Leaders, Consultants and Coaches](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0749464658/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0749464658&linkCode=as2&tag=spacforrent-20): * Clear goals that, while challenging, are still attainable. * Immediate feedback. * Knowing that the task is doable; a balance between personal skill level and the challenge presented. * Strong concentration and focused attention. * The activity is intrinsically rewarding. More on creating flow [here](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2012/11/secret-enjoying-work/). ## **R: Relationships** Seligman talks about a relatively recent discovery in what makes good relationships. Often it’s not how you fight, it’s how you celebrate: Via [Flourish: A Visionary New Understanding of Happiness and Well-being](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1439190763/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=spacforrent-20): --- > “” --- He also covers the type of speaking that improves relationships. It’s called “active-constructive.” Via [Flourish: A Visionary New Understanding of Happiness and Well-being](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1439190763/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=spacforrent-20):  Getty Images Getty Images ## **M: Meaning** Meaning comes from belonging to and serving something that is bigger than you are. Can we build meaning in our lives? Yes. Seligman explains one exercise is to write your own obituary. What do you want your legacy to be? Via Richard Wiseman’s excellent book [59 Seconds: Change Your Life in Under a Minute](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0307474860/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=spacforrent-20): --- > “” --- Via [Shiny Objects: Why We Spend Money We Don’t Have in Search of Happiness We Can’t Buy](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0062093606/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0062093606&linkCode=as2&tag=spacforrent-20): --- > “” --- 9 minutes in to his famous Stanford commencement speech Steve Jobs discusses the importance he placed on thinking about death during life: --- > “” --- ## **A: Achievement** What has research shown is most tied to success? Seligman says it’s “[grit](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2012/11/secret-success-not-giving-up/)“. Perseverance. Via Dan Pink’s excellent book [Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1594484805/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=spacforrent-20). --- > “” --- Researchers have found that grit [is **more predictive of success than IQ** in a variety of challenging environments from Ivy League schools to military academies to the National Spelling Bee](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2012/01/is-grit-the-most-important-quality-to-possess/). More about grit (and how to be “grittier”) [here](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2012/11/secret-success-not-giving-up/). Want to learn more about how to use these ideas to be happier? Check out [this post](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2012/08/here-are-the-things-that-are-proven-to-make-y/). **_This piece originally appeared on_** [**_Barking Up the Wrong Tree_**](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2012/12/word-sum-happier/)**_._** **Join over 140,000 readers. Get a free weekly update via email** [**here**](http://eepurl.com/o6uAD)**.** Related posts: [How To Stop Being Lazy And Get More Done – 5 Expert Tips](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2014/08/how-to-stop-being-lazy/) [6 Things The Most Productive People Do Every Day](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2014/06/most-productive-people/) [New Harvard Research Reveals A Fun Way To Be More Successful](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2014/09/be-more-successful/) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3634782/one-word-be-happier/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3634782/one-word-be-happier/"},"headline":"The One Word That Sums Up Everything You Need to Do to Be Happier","datePublished":"2014-12-16T05:01:38.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T04:49:45.525Z","description":"That word is “PERMA.” It’s an acronym for: Positive Emotion Engagement Good Relationships Meaning Accomplishment Martin Seligman is a professor at the University Pennsylvania and...","url":"https://time.com/3634782/one-word-be-happier/","keywords":["Psychology","Happiness"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9ff1a05c54c77d9d/69876ef1f887dc03e6e8908d/smile-sand.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/blt9ff1a05c54c77d9d/69876ef1f887dc03e6e8908d/smile-sand.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"smile","caption":"smile","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/3634782/one-word-be-happier/","name":"The One Word That Sums Up Everything You Need to Do to Be Happier"}}]}] ```