Gratification

Positive psychology researcher Martin Seligman defines gratification as a class of positive emotions about the present that absorb and block self-consciousness. He believes that unlike pleasures, they are not emotions per se. They block felt emotion, except in retrospect. Among these, he includes flow-producing activities such as dancing, rock-climbing, and good conversation. He believes they cannot be obtained or permanently increased without developing personal strengths and virtues. He likens it to the Aristotelian idea of eudaimonia.