Quality of Life Therapy
Chapter One
Quality of Life Therapy (QOLT):
An Introduction
WHY QUALITY OF LIFE THERAPY
(QOLT)? THE BENEFITS OF HAPPINESS
AND LIFE SATISFACTION
Why do we put happiness and satisfaction ahead of
money as life goals (Diener & Oishi, in press)? Certainly,
feeling good, that is, being happy and satisfied
with life, is its own reward. Other more tangible rewards
accrue to the generally or consistently happy.
For example, the generally happy in Western societies
appear to have more rewarding and longer-lasting marriages,
more friends, higher incomes, superior work
performance, more community involvement, better
mental and physical health, and even greater longevity
relative to their less-happy peers (see review by
Lyubomirsky, King, & Diener, in press).
Greater happiness and contentment lead to greater
success in life, better health, and more rewarding relationships;
clients need not be unhappy to benefit and
grow from a positive psychology program like Quality
of Life Therapy (QOLT) since any growth in happiness
can affect these outcomes and make individuals more
satisfied with life. This is the rationale for QOLT with
nonclinical or pure positive psychology clients suc ... read full excerpt from Quality of Life Therapy: Applying a Life Satisfaction Approach to Positive Psychology and Cognitive Therapy ebook
