In this episode of Researching Happy, host Matt welcomes back Professor Aaron Jarden, who recently moved to Perth and took on the role of Associate Dean (Postgraduate) in the School of Education at Edith Cowan University (ECU).
Aaron discusses his leadership approach, which emphasizes enabling others, and reflects on career highlights beyond metrics (e.g., student successes).
The core discussion focuses on the upcoming 12th European Conference on Positive Psychology (ECPP), where Aaron serves as co-chair of the academic committee. He is highly enthusiastic about its innovative philosophy: greater interdisciplinarity, genuine debate and extended audience conversations (not just Q&A), meaningful networking, audience participation via QR codes, video abstracts for broader access, and a playful, non-hierarchical vibe. The conference theme centers on positive health (body meeting mind) and boldly tackling major global challenges like war, poverty, climate change, and non-communicable diseases.
Aaron sees it as a watershed moment for the field — an opportunity to address stagnation, lack of clear direction/leadership, and the need for a fresh, collaborative community vision (moving beyond Martin Seligman’s original framing). He highlights the transparent, democratic committee process and the influx of fresh talent/future leaders. Broader reflections include:
Positive psychology/wellbeing science embedding successfully in established disciplines (e.g., education).
The value of better questions, sustainable wellbeing, and translation to policy/practice.
Challenges like conceptual clarity, integration with psychology, and avoiding insularity.
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