How To Find Health, Happiness: The Right Job

Researchers investigating our experiences of enjoyment, flow, sense of purpose and satisfaction have discovered that working at the right job is of paramount importance. If you can match your job to what are called your “signature” strengths, your body, mind and spirit will prosper.

When Claudia Harzer and Professor Willibald Ruch with the section on personality and assessment at the University of Zurich studied more than 1,000 working people, they found that life experiences were more cherished by those with signature strengths that were appropriate to their jobs. They estimate that the average person has between three and seven signature strengths.

“If it is clarified which character strengths are central for the job before a position is filled, a person can be recruited based on these strengths. Employers and employees only stand to benefit from this,” says Harzer.

The signature strengths include:

Curiosity	Integrity
Love of learning	Kindness
Judgment	Loving
Ingenuity	Citizenship
Emotional intelligence	Fairness
Perspective	Leadership
Valor	Self-control
Perseverance	Prudence
Humility	Appreciation
Humor	Gratitude
Forgiveness	Zest
Hope	Spirituality

To test yourself to see which of these are your signature strengths, go here.