A new book from the RCSI Centre for Positive Psychology and Health provides over 100 evidence-based activities for people to improve their health and wellbeing and decrease their risk of illness.

Published by international publisher, Routlege, Positive Health is the first of its kind to integrate the latest research from the fields of positive psychology and lifestyle medicine.

It is written by Dr Jolanta Burke, Dr Trudy Meehan, Dr Padraic Dunne, Professor Ciaran O’Boyle and Professor Christian van Nieuwerburgh and follows the highly popular free online courses run by the Centre that have been accessed by over 39,000 of people of all ages to date.

Dr Jolanta Burke, Senior Lecturer, RCSI Centre for Positive Psychology and Health, said: "Positive Health builds on the success of RCSI’s courses in The Science of Health and Happiness, which have been extremely popular with people seeking to improve their health through lifestyle choices. The book is now an additional resource for people that will offer access to these tools to even more people and provide them with research-informed, practical advice to help them make lasting changes and become the best possible version of themselves."

Professor Ciaran O’Boyle, Director of RCSI’s Centre for Positive Psychology and Health, added: "The team at RCSI’s Centre for Positive Psychology and Health is committed to building greater public awareness of the role of positive psychology and lifestyle medicine in enhancing health and wellbeing. This important book will be a key text for students in positive psychology and healthcare, as well as an evidence-based reference book for coaches and health professionals who wish to recommend research informed tools to their clients and patients."

Dr Beth Frates, President-Elect American College of Lifestyle Medicine, Faculty Advisor, Harvard Medical School and Director of Lifestyle Medicine and Wellness, Department of Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, commented on the book, saying: "The team at the RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences in Dublin has created a pioneering programme in positive health and their new book is full of science and strategies to help people enjoy enhanced wellbeing."

The Centre offers free online courses that provide evidence-based resources to help improve understanding of the critical role that our behaviour plays in good health. It provides people with tools that can be used to improve nutrition and sleep, increase physical activity, develop positive relationships, develop a positive mind-set and pursue meaning in life.

Striking a careful balance between theory and practice, Positive Health first reviews what is known about positive psychology and health, presenting a novel approach to holistic wellbeing.

It goes on to provide more than 100 tools designed to increase physical, mental and social health and wellbeing, and also to decrease the risk of illness and disease. The tools described can be used by people of all ages, whether well or experiencing illness. It includes tools that you can use to improve your nutrition and sleep, to increase your physical activity, to develop positive relationships, to develop a positive mindset and to pursue a meaning in life.

The book is useful to people who wish to improve their health and wellbeing, using tools that have been shown through research to be effective. It is also a key text for students in positive psychology and healthcare, as well serving as an evidence-based reference book for coaches and health professionals who wish to recommend research-informed tools to their clients and patients.

Positive Health can be purchased from the publishers here or in selected bookstores.