Flourish: A Visionary Understanding of Happiness and Well-Being

A clear, interesting text by one of the founders of positive psychology. Good explanation of well-being as different from happiness. Particular connections to empathy include discussions of how people feel better after doing things for others: expressing gratitude, showing kindness, and more. Specific tips that help us consider others' feelings and perspectives are ACR: Active, Constructive Responding; the Losada ratio, of positive to negative statements; and PTG (post-traumatic growth) instead of just PTSD.

Flourish has real-world examples of positive psychology interventions, told in an engaging way. It explores how we can measure and change our well-being by focusing on our strengths and on 5 elements of well-being, PERMA: positive emotion, engagement, relationships (positive ones) meaning, and accomplishment.