Studies have shown that several factors can protect and enhance our mental strength and facilitate resilience and flourishing while promoting faster recovery from illness and reduce our vulnerabilities to mental and physical health problems.

Some of these factors are related to our abilities to form relationships (social competence), to solve problems (mental agility), to develop a sense of identity (autonomy), and to plan and hope for the future (purpose and meaning). Moreover, personal qualities such as optimism, self-esteem and self-efficacy have positively influenced our mental strength and resilience.

The positive dimension of mental health is emphasised in the World Health Organization's (WHO's) definition of health, which states that “health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity,” echoing what Dr Seligman emphasised in 1998 about the role of positive psychology.

As reported in the Industrial Psychiatry Journal (Ind Psychiatry J. 2011 Jul-Dec; 20(2): 75–76. doi: 10.4103 /0972-6748.102469), the components of positive mental health (mental strength) include subjective well-being, perceived self-efficacy, autonomy, competence, and the ability to realise one's intellectual and emotional potential.

Positive mental health (mental strength) has also been defined as a state of well-being whereby individuals recognise and effectively use their abilities to cope with the day-to-day stresses of life (both at home and work) and make positive contributions to their communities.

Positive mental health, therefore, is about enhancing people’s mental strength and emotional resilience to facilitate their success, and to help them achieve their potential.

The strength-based approaches of positive psychology are highly aligned with the global scientific perspective of positive mental health, which is often measured based on people’s ability to succeed in modern life's highly competitive and challenging environment.