2025 Positive Education Community Forum with Leading Global Experts, Professor Barbara Fredrickson and Professor James O. Pawelski

Hear from leading Positive Psychology experts Professor Barbara Fredrickson Ph.D. and Professor 
James O. Pawelski Ph.D.

Light refreshments will be served at 5.30pm for 6.00pm commencement.

Professor Barbara Fredrickson Ph.D.

Cultivating the Greater Good: Conducive Conditions for Co-Experienced Positive Emotions 

Abstract: Professor Fredrickson will share research on concepts she describes as 'positivity resonance.' While studies tend to illuminate why the emotional quality of everyday social interaction matters, they often say little about how we can each cultivate these wellbeing- and goodwill-promoting moments more effectively in educational settings as well as everyday life. The most recent research in this field provides a vital foundation for translating scientific discoveries in positive psychology, into effective practical interventions to increase positive connections, reduce loneliness, and cultivate the greater good.

About: Professor Barbara Fredrickson Ph.D.
Barbara Fredrickson is Kenan Distinguished Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she directs the Positive Emotions and Psychophysiology Laboratory (www.PositiveEmotions.org). She has published more than 160 scholarly papers, becoming one of the most highly cited scientists worldwide. A recipient of numerous awards for her research and university teaching, Dr. Fredrickson also reaches general audiences worldwide through her books, Positivity (www.PositivityRatio.com) and Love 2.0 (www.PositivityResonance.com) and her free, online course on the Coursera platform. In 2017, she was honored with the Tang Prize to recognize exceptional career contributions to the well-being of humanity.

Professor James O. Pawelski Ph.D. 

Sailing Through Life

Abstract: For nearly 30 years, positive psychology researchers have been studying what can help us sail through life. This keynote will examine some of their most important findings, with a special focus on the new field of the positive humanities, which studies how arts and culture can support our individual and collective well-being - even when we are moving through choppy waters.

About: Professor James O. Pawelski Ph.D. 
James O. Pawelski, Ph.D., is Professor of Practice and Director of Education in the Positive Psychology Center at the University of Pennsylvania. He is the founding director of the Master of Applied Positive Psychology Program and of the Humanities and Human Flourishing Project, which has been designated a National Endowment for the Arts Research Lab. He has published dozens of academic articles and five books, including The Oxford Handbook of the Positive Humanities, and is the editor of the Humanities and Human Flourishing book series with Oxford University Press. Additionally, he served as the founding executive director of the International Positive Psychology Association and is a past president of the William James Society. He is the founding executive director of IPPA (International Positive Psychology Association), and is an ex-officio Board member of IPEN (International Positive Education Network).