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Henry Edwards

 

Member profile details

First name
Henry
Last name
Edwards
 

Personal information

Bio
Henry’s mission is to accentuate human goodness and moral progress to promote greater well-being. For the past 30 years he has taught a variety of subjects—history, English, social sciences, math, science—at all levels. He writes about progress and well-being on his blog (henryedwardsauthor.com) and in his newsletter The Weekly Better Bulletin. In his teaching and writing he promotes a realistic—and optimistic—view of the world based on broad trends supported by data. Henry’s book The Daily Better: 365 Reasons for Optimism will be published in November 2019 by Author’s Place Press. He is an Assistant Instructor at the UPenn Master of Applied Positive Psychology (MAPP) program in Marty Seligman's Intro to Positive Psychology class and two other courses. His volunteer work has included co-leading a support trip to a school and orphanage in Kenya and leading a 200-mile hike to raise $25,000 to benefit his school’s mountain campus. During his active backpacking days he edited guides for two long-distance trails. He is an avid hiker, birder, and meditator. Henry lives in Annandale, Virginia, with his wife (Marissa Regni) and daughter (Sofie). Marissa is a principal violinist in the National Symphony Orchestra, and Sofie is an aspiring filmmaker and competitive swimmer.
Photo
 

Professional Information

Employer
Self
Job title
Author Educator Optimist Speaker
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Primary Focus
Positive education, optimism, mindsets, keynotes, workshops
Primary Focus Details
Henry’s mission is to accentuate human goodness and moral progress to promote greater well-being. Using his 30+ years of education experience at all levels, Henry gives keynotes and leads workshop to develop optimism, hope and positive mindsets to leverage good news for increased well-being. He is an active blogger (henryedwardsauthor.com) and writes a weekly newsletter. In his teaching and writing he promotes a realistic—and optimistic—view of the world based on broad trends supported by data. Henry’s book The Daily Better: 365 Reasons for Optimism will be published in November 2019 by Author’s Place Press.
Professional Area
  • Business
  • Education
  • Fitness
Active Professional Interests
  • Business
  • Family/Parents
  • Health / Physical well-being / fitness
  • Humanities
  • Media
  • Mindfulness
  • Primary Education
  • Secondary Education
  • Yoga
Professional Skills
  • Facilitating groups
  • Speaking
  • Writing
Fluent in Languages
  • English
 

Education

Degrees Before MAPP
Bachelor of Arts, International Affairs, George Washington University
 

Social Media

Twitter
@HEgettingbetter
Instagram
henryledwards
 

Speaking Experience

Interested in Speaking Referrals
Yes
Speaking Topics
POSITIVE SUM THINKING AND LIVING: SEE THE WORLD IN ALL ITS BEAUTY
It's so much easier to see what's wrong, and this is true in the workplace no less than the wider world. It's no surprise that the negative stands out and demands our attention. This is due in part to the negativity bias, our hardwired evolutionarily tendency to privilege threats and problems. But we live in a much safer world characterized by mutually beneficial exchanges, not war and violence. In the 21st century, leveraging strengths gives you the competitive advantage crucial for success in our hyperconnected world.

Building on Carol Dweck's work on growth mindset, Henry will introduce the Global Growth Mindset: When we see the world as a place of bounty and possibility, we will see and capitalize on more opportunities. Participants will come away seeing possibilities where they once saw threats and roadblocks.


COPE: LEVERAGING STRENGTHS THROUGH POSITIVITY
What emotion drives most organizations? Fear! Unfortunately, a fear first focus will likely lead to burnout and drive good people away. A culture of positive emotions (COPE) leads to an energized workplace, burn in, employee retention, and innovation. Henry's COPE keynote will help your institution build a COPEing culture that leverages organization strengths and builds productive collaboration and workplace satisfaction. Tracking concepts from Henry’s work, participants leave with follow-up materials and exercises to burn in a COPE culture.
Experience speaking to large audiences
Yes
 

Publications

Blog logo
Book 1 Cover
Book 1 Title
The Daily Better: 365 Reasons for Optimism
Capstone title and abstract
From Negative Biases to Positive News: Resetting and Reframing News Consumption for a Better Life and a Better World

Abstract
Research psychologists have found that people are subject to negative biases. These powerful biases may influence how journalists and editors produce the news and how citizens consume it. While not all news is negative, much of it is. Negatively biased news is both inaccurate and detrimental for well-being. This paper reviews literature about negative biases and the detrimental effects of negative news on well-being. Positive psychology interventions, taught in a workshop, may be able to mitigate or neutralize negative news effects. This paper presents a half-day workshop meant to combat negative biases in the news by training attendees in relevant positive psychology strategies. While the workshop is informed by research, testing will determine the extent to which it mitigates and combats the negative effects of bad news.

https://repository.upenn.edu/mapp_capstone/123/
 

Contact data

Province/State
VA
Country
USA
MAPP Geography
  • USA - DC Area
  • USA - Mid-Atlantic
  • USA - Midwest
  • USA - Philadelphia Area
 

MAPP Information

MAPP Graduation Year
2017
Board Role
Programs co-Chair
Board sort key
7
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