ABSTRACT
Sciences have value as far as they contribute to improve the lives of individuals and society. In the case of medicine, or natural sciences, for example, these benefits are clear. But in the case of social sciences, sometimes there are some doubts of their utility for contributing to improve societies.
Communication research is one discipline inside of social sciences with one characteristic, its interdisciplinarity, which is stressed in the case of positive communication. This particularity is a strong characteristic that could be helpful for doing research with a better understanding of research goals with scientific, political, and social impact. The way to measure scientific and political impact is easier, but social impact is still discussed in the academic area.
In this sense, social impact would occur when the implementation of the research results obtains evidence of social improvements in relation of the stated goals of society. Considering this contribution this chapter aims to reflect on the need of addressing positive communication research to the stated goals of society for achieving social impact. In addition, this reflection takes the example of the sustainable development goals elaborated by the UN for illustrating how positive communication research can contribute to them.
