"Positive" research is on the rise (Donaldson et al. 2011). It is originally associated with the field of psychology, where the recognition of the overt focus on negative issues and the propensity to ignore the positive characteristics of people (Gable and Haidt 2005) resulted in the establishment of the positive psychology movement (Seligman and Csikszentmihalyi 2000). With an ultimate goal of creating happier societies (Gable and Haidt 2005), positive psychology focuses on how to help individuals and communities prosper (Seligman and Csikszentmihalyi 2000). Well-being, an area of relevance within positive psychology, is increasingly tackled in a variety of disciplines, among them service research (Ostrom et al. 2010). After a history of disapproval and criticism, where services have gained a less than enviable reputation by being accused of damaging and mistreating consumer's well-being in a multitude of ways (Fisk 2009), Transformative Service Research (TSR) was established. TSR advances service research that aims to enhance the well-being of individuals and communities. According to Anderson et al. (2012), by engaging with services on a continuous and daily basis, consumers co-create service offerings and interact with service employees; this experience has an impact on both parties' well-being.
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