Read by Kevin Stillwell

One of the most influential living psychologists looks at the history of his life and discipline, and paints a much brighter future for everyone. When Martin E. P. Seligman first encountered psychology in the 1960s, the field was devoted to eliminating misery: it was the science of how past trauma creates present symptoms. Today, thanks in large part to Seligman's Positive Psychology movement, it is ever more focused not on what cripples life, but on what makes life worth living -- with profound consequences for our mental health. In this wise and eloquent memoir, spanning the most transformative years in the history of modern psychology, Seligman recounts how he learned to study optimism -- including a life-changing conversation with his five-year-old daughter. He tells the human stories behind some of his major findings, like CAVE, an analytical tool that predicts election outcomes (with shocking accuracy) based on the language used in campaign speeches, the international spread of Positive Education, the launch of the US Army's huge resilience program, and the canonical studies that birthed the theory of learned helplessness -- which he now reveals was incorrect. And he writes at length for the first time about his own battles with depression at a young age. In The Hope Circuit, Seligman makes a compelling and deeply personal case for the importance of virtues like hope, gratitude, and wisdom for our mental health. You will walk away from this book not just educated but deeply enriched. Martin E. P. Seligman, Ph.D., is the Zellerbach Family Professor of Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania, the director of the Positive Psychology Center, and former president of the American Psychological Association. Among his twenty books are Learned Optimism and What You Can Change and What You Can't. "Here is a major thinker who sees deeply into human nature and tells a good story. In The Hope Circuit, Marty Seligman displays both these gifts. This book is his best writing and thinking yet."-Angela Duckworth, CEO of the Character Lab andbestselling author of Grit "Martin Seligman is renowned for his contribution to the field of positive psychology-and in this thought-provoking and surprisingly candid memoir, he explains how hard-won his wisdom has been."-Gretchen Rubin, author of The Happiness Projectand The Four Tendencies "Martin Seligman is an intellectual giant, and readers will look to his memoir The Hope Circuit for secrets to his phenomenal impact as a scholar. What they will find is a deeply human story of his own struggles, hopes and ideas, told in an inspiring way. The Hope Circuit is more than an autobiography; it is handbook for each of us to build a life dedicated to human flourishing."-Arthur C. Brooks, PhD, President of the AmericanEnterprise Institute "The Hope Circuit is a masterful blend of memoir and recent intellectual history-specifically, the history of trying to understand how we can live richer and more meaningful lives. This book could only have been written by someone who has played a vital role in that inquiry, cares passionately about it, and has the literary skill to carry that passion onto the page. The result is a vivid, bracing and sometimes poignant story of unfolding synergy between a psychologist's life and his work."-Robert Wright, author of Why Buddhism is True "For half a century Martin Seligman has enlightened and inspired students of the human mind with his arresting findings and his visionary insights. He has been unafraid to plumb the dark recesses of the psyche, but just as bold in illuminating our better angels. This book combines a history of psychology by a man who shaped it, an explanation of powerful ideas about mental life, and a delightfully candid and reflective memoir."-Steven Pinker, Johnstone Professor of Psychology,Harvard University, and the author of How the Mind Works and EnlightenmentNow "In this revealing memoir, the founder of the Positive Psychology

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