Happily Ever after: The Use of Stories to Promote Positive Interventions

Abstract

People turn to myriad ways to achieve happiness, such as physical pleasures, relationships, or the achievement of goals. Success in these endeavors varies, however, and may not be sustainable. Recent advances in scientific research may be able to help, with a number of studies suggesting that people have the power to increase happiness through intentional activities. Narrative is one of the most pervasive and promising elements of positive interventions, and stories play a significant role both in psychological research and in application. A proposal is made that stories should be used more frequently as a vehicle to demonstrate and encourage the use of positive interventions, and a suggestion is made on how to collect and disseminate them.