Book
Seligman MEP. Learned Optimism: How to Change Your Mind and Your Life. New York: Knopf; 1990. 319 p.
Why we cite it
Introduces the concept of explanatory style — how people explain bad events to themselves across three dimensions (permanence, pervasiveness, personalization) — and demonstrates that optimism is a learnable skill rather than a fixed trait. Provides the ABCDE cognitive framework for disputing pessimistic thinking, directly applicable to reframing diet and behavior-change setbacks.
About the author
Martin E.P. Seligman, Ph.D., is Zellerbach Family Professor of Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania and former president of the American Psychological Association. He is the founder of positive psychology and pioneered the theory of learned helplessness, which became the foundation for understanding how cognitive habits shape resilience and depression.
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