Biopsychology of Positive Mental Health: Biological Substrates of Human Flourishing

The trend of neurobiology and physiology predicting and causing behavior is not a new fact. Many physical and mental illnesses and diseases have been attributed to biological mechanisms. However, with the advent of positive psychology, empirical research has now been shifted from mental ill health to positive mental health. Of critical importance in this view is mapping the biological substrates of dimensions of positive health and human flourishing. This article documents some of the recent developments in the field of biopsychology and positive mental health states. It examines the causes and consequences of positive behaviors from biological and neuroscience perspectives. A brief summary of conceptual understanding on the topics of biopsychology and positive psychology with recent research endeavors in the two domains are presented. Amidst diverse formulations of what constitutes positive mental health, the key components of positive mental health states are reported. Various categories of illustrative studies linking neuropsychological processes with positive states are described along with future directions for understanding the biology of positive health. The article hopes to stimulate additional work and lead to new insights concerning interplay between positive psychology and neuroscience and, in so doing, enrich both areas of inquiry.