If you’ve ever wondered why some people seem to thrive even under pressure — while others struggle despite having everything they need — the PERMA model offers a compelling explanation.
Developed by psychologist Martin Seligman, PERMA is a framework for understanding what enables human beings to flourish. It’s one of the most widely studied models in positive psychology and forms the basis of wellbeing programmes in schools, workplaces, and military organisations worldwide.
What Is the PERMA Model?
PERMA is an acronym for five elements that Seligman identified as the core building blocks of a flourishing life:
- P — Positive Emotions
- E — Engagement
- R — Relationships
- M — Meaning
- A — Achievement
Seligman introduced the model in his 2011 book Flourish, refining his earlier theory (which focused mainly on happiness and positive emotions). The key insight of PERMA is that wellbeing is multidimensional — no single element is enough on its own.
The Five Elements Explained
P: Positive Emotions
Positive emotions include joy, gratitude, love, amusement, awe, hope, and serenity. Research by Barbara Fredrickson found that positive emotions “broaden and build” — they expand our thinking, help us build resources (like skills and relationships), and create an upward spiral of wellbeing.
Importantly, Seligman doesn’t argue that you need to feel positive emotions constantly. He argues that a sufficient ratio of positive to negative emotions is what matters — roughly three positive emotions for every significant negative one, according to Fredrickson’s early research (though the exact ratio has been debated since).
Building this element: Gratitude practices, savouring positive experiences, and activities that generate genuine enjoyment rather than passive consumption.
E: Engagement
Engagement refers to being fully absorbed in an activity — what psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi calls “flow.” When you’re in flow, time seems to stop. Your skills are perfectly matched to the challenge. You’re not bored and you’re not anxious — you’re completely present.
Flow states have been linked to higher life satisfaction, increased creativity, and better performance. People experience flow in very different activities: a surgeon operating, a musician performing, a programmer solving a difficult problem, a gardener pruning.
Building this element: Identify activities where you lose track of time. Do more of them. Seek roles and tasks that stretch your abilities without overwhelming you.
R: Relationships
Seligman identifies authentic, positive relationships as essential to flourishing — not optional extras. Human beings are fundamentally social creatures, and our brains are wired for connection. Loneliness activates the same neural pathways as physical pain.
The Harvard Study of Adult Development — the longest-running study of human happiness ever conducted — found that the quality of close relationships was the single strongest predictor of health and happiness in later life, more powerful than wealth, fame, or even physical health.
Building this element: Invest in a small number of deep relationships. Be present in them. Practise active listening. Read our guide on social wellbeing for practical strategies.
M: Meaning
Meaning refers to belonging to and serving something you believe is bigger than yourself. This might be a religion, a political cause, a family, a community, or a professional calling. Meaning provides a sense of direction even during suffering.
Viktor Frankl’s work with concentration camp survivors found that people who maintained a sense of meaning — however they found it — were more likely to survive. This is an extreme example, but the principle holds in everyday life too: meaning makes hardship bearable and gives ordinary moments significance.
Building this element: Clarify what you care about most. Volunteer. Align at least some of your work with your values. Reflect regularly on why what you do matters.
A: Achievement
Achievement refers to the pursuit of goals and mastery for its own sake — not just because they produce positive emotions or serve a larger purpose, but because human beings have an intrinsic drive to accomplish things and grow.
This element validates the satisfaction people feel from completing difficult work, learning new skills, and reaching milestones — even when those achievements don’t directly produce happiness. The process of becoming better at something is itself a component of flourishing.
Building this element: Set goals that stretch your abilities. Track progress. Celebrate completion. Build mastery in at least one domain of your life.
How to Apply PERMA to Your Life
The PERMA Profiler questionnaire (developed at the University of Pennsylvania) gives you a scored assessment of how you’re doing across each element. You can find it free online — it takes about five minutes.
Once you have your scores, you’ll likely find one or two elements where you’re scoring significantly lower than the others. That’s your starting point.
If Engagement is low: you may be in work or daily life that’s either too repetitive or too overwhelming. Seek flow.
If Relationships is low: prioritise connection, even if it feels uncomfortable. Social atrophy is a slow process that feels invisible until it isn’t.
If Meaning is low: this often signals a values misalignment. What matters to you, and does your current life reflect that?
Limitations of PERMA
No framework is complete. Critics have noted that PERMA focuses heavily on positive psychology and may underweight the role of difficult emotions, financial security, and physical health in wellbeing. Seligman himself has acknowledged this, and later versions of the framework have incorporated elements like physical health and financial security.
Use PERMA as a lens, not a prescription. Combined with tools like the WHO-5 index and WEMWBS, it gives you a rich picture of where you’re flourishing and where you’re not.