Signature Strengths: Use Your Strengths to Build Your Happiness
Do you feel worn out?
Have trouble balancing your multiple roles?
No longer feel connected to your values or traveling in the direction of your goals?
Research shows that when we work in alignment with our Signature Character Strengths, we:
Are more efficient problem solvers
Work more effectively
Are better able to align meaning and purpose in life
Make greater progress on our goals
Gain increased self-acceptance
Experience higher levels of self-esteem and self-efficacy
Have more positive mental health
Enjoy a greater sense of happiness
Increase overall wellbeing
This means that we are better able to manage our multiple life roles, without becoming tangled in unnecessary details. This then helps to lower stress, depression and anxiety levels, and increase productivity and happiness levels. Additionally, the recognition and appreciation of the character strengths of others, leads to better relationships, and more commitment to one's partner.
What are Signature Character Strengths?
Signature character strengths are our positive areas of core capabilities.
You may already have an idea of your personal strengths from compliments you receive from friends or from repeated patterns on your performance reviews at work. However, Signature Character Strengths, from a Positive Psychology perspective, differ from your other personal strengths, such as your unique skills, talents and interest areas, because they reflect who you are at your core.
They are a collection of 24 positive parts of your personality that influence how we think, act, and feel at a deep level. They represent what we value in ourselves and others. Everyone possesses all 24 character strengths in different degrees, giving each person a unique character strengths profile.
Each character strength falls under one of six broad virtue categories:
Listen to Dr Ryan Niemiec, award-winning psychologist and leader in the science of character strengths, in his TEDx Talk “A Universal Language That Describes What’s Best in Us,” explain the importance of knowing our strengths and using them to live flourishing lives.
How do we know our strengths?
The VIA Character Personality Assessment is a widely-used, scientific instrument measuring our strengths and is the only free, scientific survey of character strengths in the world. This is a universal measurement tool, used across cultures and nations, and has also been adapted for people aged between 10 & 17 in a Youth version of the survey.
You can discover your signature character strengths via the free test available at the VIA Institute. You’ll receive a ranking of your strengths along with brief descriptions of each. Your essential strengths are those you use regularly and exercise quite naturally. They are considered innate, making it easier and often more fulfilling for us to develop and use them.
However, simply knowing your strengths, does not add to your wellbeing. Rather, intentionally using a strength-based approach to your daily activities has significant and lasting effects on your wellbeing. When you engage in a task from your strength perspective, you find the task invigorating rather than taxing . If you can approach tasks from this perspective, you will find the task more enjoyable, complete it more effectively, and it will add to your overall wellbeing. This is a terrific challenge to play to our strengths and reap the many benefits!
With some practise, you will identify ways to approach your everyday tasks that align with your core strengths. Making some tweaks and changes to day-to-day activities, will have great knock-on effects to your life as you feel more in control and better able to manage your to-do list.
How do I make the most of my strengths?
The next step to making the most of this knowledge, is to use your signature strengths in new ways. It has been shown that intentionally using your signature strengths in new and different ways, turbo charge its effects! For example, using top strengths in a new and different way every day for 1 week, was shown to have positive effects on happiness and wellbeing that lasted 6 months! Plus, the more you use your strengths, more more likely you will continue to use them, and continue to reap the wide benefits of doing so! So get creative and apply your strengths to new situations as often as you can! See below for some ideas to get you started:
So, do the survey, align yourself with your Signature Core Strengths, and tap into your energy to stay engaged, motivated and on-track!
References
Habenicht, S., & Schutte, N. S. (2023). The impact of recognizing a romantic partner’s character strengths on relationship satisfaction. Journal of Happiness Studies, 24(3), 1219-1231.
Park, N., Peterson, C., & Seligman, M. E. (2004). Strengths of character and well-being. Journal of social and Clinical Psychology, 23(5), 603-619.
Park, N., & Peterson, C. (2009). Character strengths: Research and practice. Journal of college and character, 10(4), 1-10.
Proyer, R. T., Gander, F., Wellenzohn, S., & Ruch, W. (2015). Strengths-based positive psychology interventions: A randomized placebo-controlled online trial on long-term effects for a signature strengths-vs. a lesser strengths-intervention. Frontiers in psychology, 6, 456.
Niemiec, R. M. (2012). VIA character strengths: Research and practice (The first 10 years). In Well-being and cultures: Perspectives from positive psychology (pp. 11-29). Dordrecht: Springer Netherlands.
Seligman, M. E., Steen, T. A., Park, N., & Peterson, C. (2005). Positive psychology progress: empirical validation of interventions. American psychologist, 60(5), 410.
