Positivity

By: Barbara Fredrickson

Narrated by: Kimberly Farr

Length: 9 hrs and 6 mins

Publisher's Summary

World renowned researcher Dr. Barbara Fredrickson gives you the lab-tested tools necessary to create a healthier, more vibrant, and flourishing life through a process she calls "the upward spiral." You'll discover:

What positivity is, and why it needs to be heartfelt to be effective

The 10 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 three-to-one "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

With Positivity, you'll learn to see new possibilities, bounce back from setbacks, connect with others, and become the best version of yourself.

©2009 Barbara Fredrickson (P)2009 Random House Audio

I'm so glad I listened to this book!

I loved listening to this book on my way back and forth to work each day. It always gave me something to think about thoughout my day; some new things to consider or try. I found myself really trying to listen to other people and trying to understand where they were coming from as I was listening to this book. She has so many good, practical, and easy ideas to help you be the most positive and happy person you can be. I'm so glad I listened to this book!

6 people found this helpful

Excellent!

Easily readable and packed with good information, 'Positivity' is important for those who want a step-by-step approach to a flourishing life.

10 people found this helpful

This book’s main claim was proven false years ago!

This book was recommended to me as interesting and useful. I listened once and found the author's claims compelling. I usually listen to non-fiction once at high speed and again more slowly if it’s intriguing. I was going to listen again, but decided to search for a summary first.

That’s how I learned the main claim of this book --the “critical positivity ratio”-- was discredited in 2013. The claim is there is a 3:1 ratio of positive to negative emotions separating "flourishing" people from "languishing" people. It turns out that’s bull hockey. The journal, “American Psychologist”, formally retracted the mathematical modeling elements of the author’s related 2005 paper as invalid.

Apparently the print version of this book were revised appropriately, but not the audiobook for some reason.

I’m returning this book as I find I have lost faith in the author’s other claims. She and her publisher should have demonstrated some integrity and either pulled the audiobook or revised it.

9 people found this helpful

Listen in 1.5 Tine

I would recommend this book most definitely. I can't say I am magically more positive, but I know the steps to take and the importance of taking them when I am ready to change. The content was great, the anecdotes were applicable, but had I listened on regular time, I don't think I would have had the same opinion. Speed it up!

4 people found this helpful

I get it.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

We make and create our own drama. I now can choose to react in a different perspective. I will always come back to the book when I find that my negativity is consuming more of my life than Positivity. I love that I can be part of the big picture with her on going research at her website.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Me. It spoke to me and how I viewed what my life was showing me about my perspective

What about Kimberly Farr’s performance did you like?

She struck a chord of truth.

4 people found this helpful

Worth it

I found the writing style and narrator a bit difficult to stomach at times. I was able to look beyond what I found objectionable and extract some good information, however. This is how I have approached many (if not all) of the self-help books I have read over the years and it has proven to work for me. If you begin this book and think to yourself "Ug! I can't take several hours of this!", try to listen for the nuggets of wisdom/good info. They are in there!

7 people found this helpful

Positivity

A must to listen or read. This book can change your life for the better. When life gets tough, this book can be a powerful tool to help you deal with life's struggles.

7 people found this helpful

Good content, poorly delivered

A bit ironic that I'm saying negative things on a book about positivity, but oh well..
The content of the book is overall ok and gets better towards the end. I think it could be a lot shorter as the author sometimes goes into examples that take too long and are not always as applicable to the point she's trying to make as I would like. Other books based on scientific studies (such as Dan Ariely's) also present studies but in a much clearer and funnier way, which helps us readers enjoy and remember more.
Also the narrator seems like she's reading a fairy tale.
I stuck through the whole thing and learned a few things, but overall it wasn't a ver good experience, in my opinion.

6 people found this helpful

Great Read! Terrible Narration

Would you try another book from Barbara Fredrickson and/or Kimberly Farr?

I've read the book and wanted to listen to it to review some of the concepts.

Great Insights! and backed up by science.

But the Boring Classroom-Style Narration makes it useless as an audiobook.

What didn???t you like about Kimberly Farr???s performance?

A good professor or speaker puts emotion and warmth into the reading. The narrator adopts a disinterested

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

Should be re-recorded

4 people found this helpful

A new favorite!

I loved the information covered in this book and the author's outlook. Very uplifting and doable, and...POSITIVE!!

1 person found this helpful