The international landscape of positive psychology research: A systematic review

Since positive psychology originated in 1998 as an organized stream of inquiry in theUnited States, it has inspired new theory and research on human flourishing across the world. The current systematic review presents an overview of (a) the prevalence of scientific research in positive psychology across five continents and 63 countries, (b) the characteristics of the research, including methodology and topics, and (c) the influence of positive psychology in expanding established lines of research in new ways. Through an analysis of 863 peer-reviewed positive psychology articles, this review attempts to map the international landscape of positive psychology research. Further, it responds to relevant critiques of the field, confirming some and dispelling others. Finally, recommendations are shared for future directions to build a more culturally responsive field of positive psychology that is committed to the advancement of flourishing and wellbeing in the global context

Positive Psychology Research in the Middle East and North Africa

Since the original call by Seligman and Csikszentmihalyi (2000) for a new science of happiness, excellence, and optimal human functioning, there has been considerable momentum in the research in positive psychology (see Donaldson, Dollwet, & Rao, 2014). A systematic review of the literature explicitly linked to the positive psychology movement assessed the extent of authorship, empirical and theoretical publications, and engagement of local samples in the indigenous research emerging from the Middle Eastern and North African regions. An in-depth review of these articles (n = 53) was conducted to examine the trends in publication, author locations, sample locations, key topics, research approaches and findings from exemplary articles that attend to key issues. Highlights from cross-national comparisons, cross-cultural validations and replications, research on positive constructs, and research on issues particular to the Middle East and North Africa are reviewed. Finally, unique trends of the research emerging from the Middle Eastern and North African regions are discussed and future directions for growth are explored

Mosaic fungal individuals have the potential to evolve within a single generation

Although cells of mushroom-producing fungi typically contain paired haploid nuclei (n + n), most Armillaria gallica vegetative cells are uninucleate. As vegetative nuclei are produced by fusions of paired haploid nuclei, they are thought to be diploid (2n). Here we report finding haploid vegetative nuclei in A. gallica at multiple sites in southeastern Massachusetts, USA. Sequencing multiple clones of a single-copy gene isolated from single hyphal filaments revealed nuclear heterogeneity both among and within hyphae. Cytoplasmic bridges connected hyphae in field-collected and cultured samples, and we propose nuclear migration through bridges maintains this nuclear heterogeneity. Growth studies demonstrate among- and within-hypha phenotypic variation for growth in response to gallic acid, a plant-produced antifungal compound. The existence of both genetic and phenotypic variation within vegetative hyphae suggests that fungal individuals have the potential to evolve within a single generation in response to environmental variation over time and space