Positive psychology, formulated by Martin Seligman in the late 1990s, centred on exploring ways in which people can achieve well-being and quality of life through the development of positive aspects of their character.

With the aim of identifying and understanding the best human qualities, Martin Seligman, in collaboration with Christopher Peterson, coordinated a three-year research effort in which 55 prominent scientists studied various sources and extensively analysed literature, philosophies and traditions across time and multiple cultures worldwide to pinpoint virtues and strengths of character, regarded as significant for human well-being. They also gathered responses from questionnaires and interviews to assess how people perceive and utilize these strengths in their daily lives.

This effort resulted in the VIA Classification of Character Strengths and Virtues (Peterson & Seligman, 2004), identifying 24 strengths under six virtues. Assessments like the VIA Survey for adults and VIA Youth Survey for young people were developed to measure these strengths. The VIA Survey is taken every 15 seconds globally, with over eight million participants worldwide (Niemiec, 2018).