America’s top happiness website introduces new communications exercise

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March 24, 2009 – Philadelphia, PA-  happier.com announces a new tool to enrich relationships and deepen communication between friends, family and colleagues.  The popular happiness website has introduced an exercise for members to learn a proven communications practice known as “Active Constructive Responding.”   Active Constructive Responding helps individuals talk about positive events in ways that encourage closer, more supportive relationships.  Studies show that how we respond to good things happening is just as important as how we handle negative news.  Better communication leads to better relationships, an essential component of true happiness.

“Positive psychology has proven over and over the way you talk about positive events in a relationship, as well as how often you discuss those events, are clear indicators of how successful and long lasting that relationship will be,” said Andrew Rosenthal, Vice President of happier.com. “Active Constructive Responding is a proven tool backed by solid research originating at UCLA. Even more important, the technique really helps enrich the relationships in our lives by emphasizing the positive events we experience.”

happier.com’s Active Constructive Responding exercise includes an introduction that teaches members how to respond to the announcement of a positive event.  The member is given a journal in which to record and keep a history of his or her responses to those messages. happier.com members can then determine patterns  of passive and/or destructive responses and develop ways to create more active, responsive communication.  Anyone can register at www.happier.com for free, to start using Active Constructive Responding and the other science-based tools and assessments available on the site.

“The data are that when you respond actively and constructively … It increases loyalty, commitment, and love.  It’s something you can do every day,” says Martin E.P. Seligman, PhD, exclusive consultant to happier.com and the founder of positive psychology. Martin Seligman is the Fox Leadership Professor of Psychology and director of the Positive Psychology Center at the University of Pennsylvania.   Dr. Seligman provides more information about Active Constructive Responding in this video  

happier.com is a personal trainer for your happiness. With more than a dozen tools and tests to help you measure, track and improve your happiness, you can trust the happier.com experts to help you reach your goals. Exclusive videos and a popular blog mean there’s something new to learn every day. Download the free iPhone application or find what you’re looking for with the Positive Psychology Practitioner Directory. happier.com is on Facebook, LinkedIn, and twitter and has meetup groups in Washington, Philadelphia, and Portland, with more planned. Click here for a social media press release from our launch.

About happier.com:  happier.com goes beyond the books and uses research-based tools to inspire people to feel happier and more resilient. Through assessments and exercises to measure, track and improve happiness, thousands of users have experienced a meaningful improvement. Easy-to-use applications, both online and for the iPhone, provide users with the tools they need to be happier.  Focusing on what goes well, and why, helps you build your life around authentic sources of happiness.

For more information about happier.com visit www.happier.com