Positive Psychology Founder: How to Stop Your Negative Thoughts - Martin Seligman (Video)

In this 24 October 2026 published Modern Wisdom video, host Chris Williamson talks with Dr. Martin Seligman, a psychologist, professor at the University of Pennsylvania, pioneer of positive psychology, and author. Seligman co-authored the official introductory paper for the positive psychology field with Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi in 2000. He developed the PERMA model, which breaks well-being down into Positive Emotion, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, and Accomplishment. Before focusing on positive traits, he pioneered the psychological study of learned helplessness.
Expect to learn why some people experience exactly the same adversity and come out more resilient; which traits matter the most in life: efficacy, optimism, or imagination; what people 2,000 years from now possess psychologically that we don’t possess today; if you can be highly competent but still have very little agency, what actually makes life worth living and more.
https://youtu.be/vf4t6tS44dw
0:00 Has Martin Always Been a Scientific Rebel?
3:07 Why Martin Chose Mastery and Agency
9:24 The Epiphany That Changed Martin’s Career
17:50 Can You Train Your Brain to Be Optimistic?
27:50 Optimism vs Agency: What’s the Difference?
29:16 Is Agency the Biggest Predictor of Success?
32:04 How Our Understanding of Agency Has Evolved
38:55 How to Inject Agency into Your Life
42:22 Is AI the Key to Unlocking Human Creativity?
54:41 Does Our Environment Shape Our Understanding of Agency?
57:08 Were Humans Conscious 3000 Years Ago?
01:02:04 Why Agency is Double-Edged
01:04:39 Are Optimists More Successful?
01:13:48 What Actually Makes a Good Life?
01:15:04 Martin’s Most Underrated Work
01:18:48 Why Being Boring Is a Choice
01:19:34 Where to Find Martin
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