{"id":5237,"date":"2016-01-24T13:58:14","date_gmt":"2016-01-24T18:58:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gozen.com\/?p=5237"},"modified":"2018-11-15T13:11:12","modified_gmt":"2018-11-15T18:11:12","slug":"can-you-see-whats-right-with-this-picture-literally","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gozen.com\/can-you-see-whats-right-with-this-picture-literally\/","title":{"rendered":"Can You See What\u2019s RIGHT With This Picture (Literally)?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Whats<\/a><\/p>\n

Remember Highlights<\/em> children\u2019s magazine\u2014the one full of fun activities that would often be stacked at the doctor\u2019s office? I always grabbed it and flipped to the back cover, which featured a busy, illustrated scene of children playing alongside objects and scenarios that weren\u2019t quite logical. You might see an upside-down balloon in the sky or a unicorn riding a bicycle, for example. The suggested activity was to spot all these type of \u201cerrors\u201d and was titled, \u201cWhat\u2019s Wrong with This Picture?\u201d<\/p>\n

Detecting things that didn\u2019t make sense was pretty simple and, no doubt, fun for both kids and their parents. I also would say it was quite a natural activity. After all, we\u2019re hardwired to spot anomalies\u00a0in our surroundings. Think about cave people who were out hunting and gathering for their families. Those attuned to predators, danger, or anomalies in their environment were more likely to survive. Although we don\u2019t regularly have the need to run from predators in modern times, we\u2019re left with an evolutionary imprint known as the negativity bias.<\/p>\n

In short, negativity bias means that negative events and circumstances weigh more heavily\u2014psychologically speaking\u2014than do positive ones. I believe this bias influences how we interact with our children. Often with the best of intentions and great love, we focus on rooting out and fixing weaknesses (e.g., study more, watch less TV, eat better food, etc.) as a path to greater happiness and success for our kids.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s the thing: what if minimizing \u201cwhat\u2019s wrong\u201d is only half the equation when it comes to living a good life? What if focusing on \u201cwhat\u2019s right\u201d can be as powerful a path to well-being? What would happen if we shifted our focus to teach kids about their character strengths? Let\u2019s take a look at some of the research.<\/p>\n

The research on character strengths<\/strong><\/h3>\n

One way to look at what\u2019s right is to help kids focus on character strengths or that which is best within them. Mounting research shows that\u00a0identifying and applying one\u2019s character strengths increases life satisfaction and well-being. Check out a few specific findings:<\/p>\n