Positive psychology can be thought of as a branch of psychology，which puts emphasis on the strengths and positive aspects of an individual's character to help him achieve contentment and satisfaction. It focuses on making the ordinary lives of people much more fulfilling. The key point of positive psychology is that an individual should try to be content with his past experiences，happy with the present and hopeful about the future. This attitude can help an individual to place an emphasis on his strengths and grow in the best possible way. Positive psychology attaches great importance to three main factors. They are positive emotions，positive personalities and positive institutions.

Positive psychologists believe that positive emotions help broaden one's vision and create a sense of well-being in an individual. Positive emotions can help in achieving better results，both in personal and professional life. Positive emotions include being happy with yourself，which gives you a better way of looking at life. Positive emotions also prepare you to face any challenge in life with optimism.

Studies show that individuals with positive personalities have greater chances of standing out in various fields. Research shows that those with virtues like confidence，creativity. perseverance，sensibility，etc. have more chances of succeeding than those who hold a pessimistic （悲观的）view on life. Positive individual personalities prepare an individual to face the difficulties in life with confidence.

Institutions like schools. families and other social organizations can ensure that the strengths of an individual are developed. For example，praising a child for his good qualities and helping him deal with challenges can go a long way in preparing him for his future life. Instead of condemning or pressurizing employees，appreciating them for their efforts and rewarding them for their achievements are more effective ways of developing confidence in them and getting them to achieve more productivity.

Positive psychology shouldn't be confused with positive thinking. Positive thinking is a mind-sct which a person believes that all right things will happen to him and he'll be rewarded for his actions，while positive psychology doesn't rule out the probability of negative things happening to an individual. Rather，it focuses more on his positive aspects and works on how to utilize these to make a positive impact on his life. Positive psychologists believe that being happy isn't putting on a fake smile and reassuring yourself that all is fine. It is more about confronting（处理）negative aspects and appreciating positive aspects in order to use them to develop your personality. So it's necessary and important for us all to learn how to get the benefits of this new branch of psychology.

Money is the root of all evil (邪恶) and new study claims there may be some truth behind the saying. Scientists at the University of California Berkeley, US, announced on February 27 that rich people are more likely to do immoral things, such as lie or cheat, than poorer people. The scientists did a series of eight experiments. They published their findings online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNA《美国国家科学院院刊》).

They carried out the first two experiments from the sidewalk near Berkeley. They noted that drivers of newer and more expensive cars were more likely to cut off other cars and pedestrians at crosswalks. Nearly 45 percent of people driving expensive ears ignored a pedestrian compared with only 30 percent of people driving mow modest cars.

In another experiment, a group of college students was asked if they would do immoral things in various everyday situations. Examples included taking printer paper from work and not telling a salesperson when he or she gave back more change. Students from higher — class families were more likely to act dishonestly.

According to the scientists, rich people often think money can get them out of trouble. This makes them less afraid to take risks, It also means they care less about other people’s feelings.

Finally, it just makes them greedier. “Higher wealth status seems to make you want even more, and that increased want leads you to bend the rules or break the rules to serve your self- interest,” said Paul Piff, lead scientist of the study.

Piff pointed out that the findings don’t mean that all rich people are untrustworthy or all poor people honest. He said the experiments were to show how people living in different social situations express their instincts（本能）and values in different ways.