The engagement gap is the difference between what people do and what they are capable of doing. In his book The Power of Positive Thinking in Business, Scott Ventrella describes the engagement gap when he writes, “In most cases where people know what to do (that is, they have the knowledge) and how to do it (they have the skills), they still don’t follow through (perform) nearly as well as they could. Self-limiting beliefs and negative thoughts that shape attitude are the culprits.”
That gap doesn’t just exist in the office. Missed opportunities and mediocre performance also plague education. But as many of Harvard’s undergraduates can tell you, a new academic field is trying to change all of that. The field is called Positive Psychology, and its findings show that employees, students—everyone, really—can close the engagement gap by focusing on the meaningful, positive aspects of their lives. At first dismissed as self-help pop science, Positive Psychology classes are now the most popular courses on the Harvard campus, showing just how thirsty students are for proven ways to become engaged in all aspects of life.
According to Harvard’s newspaper, The Crimson, professor Tal Ben-Shahar says Positive Psychology teaches that “studying what works is more productive than dwelling on what doesn’t.” His main goal is to teach students how to be happier and healthier. “Happiness is and ought to be the ultimate end,” he says.
