Positive psychology is an exciting field of inquiry that has captured the interest of thousands of researchers, practitioners, and students from around the world. This burgeoning area of psychology focuses on the study and practice of the positive emotions, strengths, and virtues that make individuals and institutions thrive. Since its inception in 1998, the field has seen an investment of tens of millions of dollars in research, the founding of several scientific journals, the development of master's and PhD programs in key universities, and reports in major news outlets (including cover stories in Time, Newsweek, and U.S. News & World Report). In addition, the International Positive Psychology Association (IPPA) has grown to thousands of members from more than 70 countries!

IPPA has a three-part mission:

1. To advance the scientific study and ethical application of positive psychology.
2. To facilitate collaboration among researchers, teachers, students, and practitioners of positive psychology around the world and across academic disciplines.
3. To share the findings of positive psychology with the broadest possible international audience.

In all of these endeavours, we want to create rigorous standards for positive psychology so that the field always represents the very best levels of current knowledge.