24 virtues that make your life beautiful – positive psychology

Positive psychology is a science that focuses on the good life. Not only solving ailments, but also improving normal life. Positive psychologists want people to flourish, to be the best version of themselves. One way they aim to do this is to identify the character traits that make life beautiful. Martin Seligman and Christopher Peterson developed a list of 24 virtues, which they use for research and with which you can discover your best qualities!

Virtues: strengths of character

Martin Seligman and Christopher Peterson are the leaders of positive psychology. They want attention for a science that investigates how people flourish. They themselves think that this is mainly due to character traits. There are strengths of character that largely determine whether we can shape our lives beautifully. Those are the 24 virtues. They base their approach on the ancient theory of Aristotle.

Objectives of Seligman and Peterson

By identifying these virtues, Seligman and Peterson wanted to enable more specific research into the things that made life beautiful. They wanted to inspire scientists to research the relationship between happiness and specific virtues, how virtues can be trained and what positive and negative consequences a certain character strength (or lack thereof) can have.

Exhaustive and universal

Seligman and Peterson think they have compiled a universal list of virtues. This means that every culture values these virtues. Moreover, they think it is an exhaustive list: every other conceivable virtue can be traced back to these basic virtues. That’s a big and very ambitious claim!

Gradations

Almost all virtues occur in degrees in people. The table below is written in a way that is easy to read. When we talk about creative people, it means: people with a character that possesses a high level of creativity. You may also have a low level of a certain virtue, but it will not be completely lacking.

Improvement

Most virtues can be improved. You can easily continue to use virtues that you are already good at. As a result, you practice those virtues and only become better at them. But also virtues that you possess less can be practiced. You have to put more effort into this, because those virtues feel less natural. This malleability varies per virtue.

The 24 virtues

The virtues are divided into categories, indicated in gray. These are mainly terms to organize the virtues, they bundle virtues that belong together to some extent. Most important, however, are the virtues themselves: they are actually used to examine strengths of character.

Wisdom
Creativity	Creative people are original, they think of new ways to do something. At the same time, those things are also applicable. Nonsense may be unique, but it is only creative if it is also useful.
Curiosity	Curious people are constantly looking for new experiences, insights and activities. They do everything they can to increase their knowledge.
Judgement	People with good judgment can think critically, analyze and draw logical conclusions. They weigh various points and do not make their judgment too quickly.
Love for learning	People with a love for learning want to expand their knowledge. This virtue is different from curiosity because it involves deeper knowledge. You can’t just throw yourself into it with enthusiasm, you have to be willing to think about the foundations of your knowledge.
Perspective	People with perspective see the bigger picture. They can put problems into perspective and give events a place within a life. They are often asked for advice.
Courage
Bravery	Bravery means facing your fears. This can be physical (violence), psychological (speaking in front of an audience), or moral (standing up for someone). A brave person braves danger when he has to.
Perseverance	Go-getters spare no effort to complete a task and continue to do so for a longer period of time. Frustrations, distractions and disappointments are overcome.
Integrity/Honesty	People of integrity are true to their feelings and principles towards themselves and others. They are sincere and take responsibility for their actions.
Vitality	Vital people are enthusiastic and full of energy. They live cheerfully and tackle tasks wholeheartedly.
Humanity
Love	Loving people value close relationships. In the most intimate relationships they can provide warmth and closeness.
Friendliness	Kindness means being kind to others, showing compassion and empathy. Kind people are very concerned about the well-being of others and have an altruistic attitude.
Social Intelligence	People with high social intelligence know how people work. They know what needs others and themselves have and can then respond to them.
Justice
Teamwork	Teamwork as a virtue means that you care about the goals of a group and are willing to work towards them. Someone with this virtue is loyal, values group spirit and is responsible to the community.
Justice	A just person cares about moral principles. She can empathize with others and does not try to favor herself or her friends. She wants to treat everyone fairly.
Leadership	Leaders can organize groups and keep them working. They can set goals and motivate others.
Moderation
Forgiveness	Forgiveness is the power to understand and accept the mistakes and shortcomings of others and to give the other person a second chance. People with this virtue can leave unpleasant events behind them.
Humility	Humble people do not need excessive interest or attention. They know their worth, but recognize the additions of others and their own shortcomings.
Caution	Prudent people do not take unnecessary risks and are good at making plans. They think of the consequences before they do anything.
Self-regulation	Self-regulation is the ability to control emotions to direct them into harmonious or productive paths. You can think of controlling anger, fear or insecurity.
Transcendence
Appreciation of the beautiful	People with this virtue are sensitive to beautiful and excellent things. They are easily moved by the virtue of others and are in awe of skill.
Gratitude	Grateful people feel blessed with life and the people around them. They feel grateful to other people for their efforts and like to express this gratitude.
Heap	Hopeful people believe they can achieve their goals. They have a positive view of the future and explain setbacks based on changing circumstances.
Playfulness/Humour	Playful people see the less serious side of life. They can amuse people with behavior that is not necessary for achieving a goal.
Spirituality	Spirituality is the feeling of having a higher purpose. Spiritual people are in contact with the sacred (can also be secular) and experience life as meaningful.

Self-examination: What are your qualities?

For scientific research purposes, there are surveys on virtues. This measures how often a virtue occurs. You can also use it to gain better self-insight. What are your best virtues? The VIA Institute has a free and good test.