Is happiness a good thing? The benefits of long-term positive affect

2004 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sonja Lyubomirsky
Keyword(s):  
Positive Affect ◽  
Good Thing

Positive Emotion in Generalized Anxiety Disorder

2019 ◽  
pp. 297-311
Author(s):  
Ilana Seager ◽  
Douglas S. Mennin ◽  
Amelia Aldao
Keyword(s):  
Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Positive Affect ◽  
Generalized Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Positive Emotion ◽  
Behavioral Therapy ◽  
Generalized Anxiety ◽  
Emotional Dysfunction ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Future Work

Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is a debilitating condition characterized by excessive, pervasive, uncontrollable, and paralyzing worries about a wide range of future situations. Individuals with this condition frequently find themselves stuck in worry and tension cycles in futile attempts at reducing uncertainty and increasing control. GAD has been associated with substantial impairments in functioning and reduced quality of life. GAD remains poorly understood, and the long-term efficacy and end-state functioning resulting from treatment are weaker compared to other anxiety disorders. Some treatments (e.g., emotion regulation therapy, acceptance-based behavioral therapy) have improved efficacy, partly by targeting emotional dysfunction. Basic psychopathology research has focused on identifying the role of negative affect in GAD, so little is known about how positive affect is experienced and regulated in this disorder. This is particularly important in light of the overlap of this condition with major depressive disorder, which is characterized by low or suppressed positive emotion. Developing such an understanding is essential to further improve the efficacy of emotion-based treatments. This chapter reviews current and future directions in the study of positive affect in GAD. The chapter reviews the nascent research on positive affect and GAD, then illustrates dimensions of future work.

scholarly journals END-OF-LIFE CARE PREFERENCES AND WELL-BEING IN LONG-TERM CARE RESIDENTS

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S669-S669
Author(s):  
Kelly Shryock ◽  
Jacinta Dickens ◽  
Anisha Thomas ◽  
Suzanne Meeks
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Positive Affect ◽  
End Of Life ◽  
End Of Life Care ◽  
Long Term Care ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Life Care ◽  
Term Care

Abstract Research on end-of-life care in nursing homes comes largely from the viewpoint of staff or family members. We examined patient perspectives on end-of-life care, preferences for care, and quality of life in long-term care settings. We hypothesized that fulfillment of the Self Determination Theory (SDT) needs of autonomy, competence, and relatedness would be related to better well-being and that the degree to which end-of-life care preferences are seen as possible in the setting would be related to SDT need fulfillment and well-being. Preliminary data, collected from older individuals at the end of life (over 55, presence of significant chronic disease, in long term care setting) (n= 72), demonstrated that autonomy, competence, and relatedness measures were moderately and significantly correlated with well-being as measured by life satisfaction, higher positive affect, lower negative affect, and overall quality of life measures The degree to which residents believed that their end-of-life care preferences could be honored in the setting was also significantly correlated with autonomy, competence, relatedness, positive affect, and psychological quality of life. These results are consistent with SDT and suggest that if long term care settings can promote autonomy, connection, and competence in making end of life decisions, possibly by discovering and fulfilling preferences for end of life care, individuals who end their lives on those settings have potential for greater satisfaction and happiness. These results suggest that SDT is a useful framework for ongoing research on how to improve the end of life experiences of older adults in long term care.

scholarly journals Too much of a good thing: Curvilinear effect of positive affect on proactive behaviors

2013 ◽  
Vol 35 (4) ◽  
pp. 530-546 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chak Fu Lam ◽  
Gretchen Spreitzer ◽  
Charlotte Fritz
Keyword(s):  
Positive Affect ◽  
Good Thing ◽  
Proactive Behaviors ◽  
Curvilinear Effect

Individual differences in positive affect moderate age-related declines in episodic long-term memory

2011 ◽  
Vol 23 (6) ◽  
pp. 768-779 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip A. Allen ◽  
Kevin Kaut ◽  
Elsa Baena ◽  
Mei-Ching Lien ◽  
Eric Ruthruff
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Positive Affect ◽  
Long Term Memory ◽  
Term Memory ◽  
Age Related

Psychological Treatments for Anhedonia

2019 ◽  
pp. 574-595
Author(s):  
Halina J. Dour ◽  
Richard T. LeBeau ◽  
Michelle G. Craske
Keyword(s):  
Positive Affect ◽  
Affective Disorders ◽  
Anxiety And Depression ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Long Term Outcomes ◽  
Psychological Treatments ◽  
Core Symptom ◽  
Poor Treatment ◽  
Poor Treatment Response

Anhedonia is defined as the reduced ability to anticipate or expect future rewards, recognize or appreciate present rewards, and learn methods of obtaining rewards. It is a core symptom of depression and a correlate of many anxiety disorders. Anhedonia is a unique and significant predictor of negative long-term outcomes and poor treatment response. Despite the apparent link between diminished positive affect and affective disorders, current psychotherapies for anxiety and depression primarily focus on minimizing negative affect (e.g., sadness, thoughts of death) with little focus on addressing deficits in positive affect (anhedonia). This chapter reviews current and emerging interventions that target anhedonia, including a discussion of possible mechanisms (i.e., factors that explain change) of these treatments. It concludes with directions for future research in this important area.

scholarly journals Emerging trends: Inflation

2017 ◽  
Vol 23 (5) ◽  
pp. 807-812 ◽  
Author(s):  
KENNETH CHURCH
Keyword(s):  
Good Thing ◽  
Good Growth ◽  
Foreseeable Future ◽  
Publication Rates ◽  
Emerging Trends ◽  
Time To Learn

AbstractOur field has enjoyed amazing growth over the years. Is this a good thing or a bad thing, or just a thing? Good: Growth sounds good. It is hard to imagine a politician arguing against jobs. There are more people working in the field than ever before, and they are publishing more and more, and creating more and more value. What could be wrong with that? Bad: Whatever you measure you get. We are all under too much pressure to publish too much too quickly. Students are graduating these days with more publications than what used to be expected for tenure. So many people are publishing so much that no one has time to think great thoughts, or take time to learn about things that may not be directly relevant to the next publication. Neutral: Inflation is a fact of life. There are long-term macro trends on publication rates that are beyond our control. These trends hold over tens and hundreds of years, and will continue over the foreseeable future.

The Relationship between External Events and Affect States in Older People

2000 ◽  
Vol 50 (2) ◽  
pp. 85-96 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laraine Winter ◽  
M. Powell Lawton ◽  
Robin J. Casten ◽  
Robert L. Sando
Keyword(s):  
Negative Affect ◽  
Older People ◽  
Positive Affect ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Negative Events ◽  
Research Attention ◽  
Conditions Of Stability ◽  
Affect States ◽  
The Relationship

Long-term and moderately short-term effects of bereavement and marriage on psychological well-being (PWB) among older people were investigated. The aspect of PWB that was examined was the prevalence of six affects, rated in terms of their frequency during the past year. Affect frequency of four groups was tested: Recently widowed, recently married, and widowed and married elders unselected for length of time in those marital statuses. As predicted, both length of time in the marital status and congruence between the positive event (marriage) and positive affect and between congruence of the negative event (bereavement and negative affect) were associated with group differences. Depressive affect was greatest among the recently bereaved but the recently-married, long-married, and longer-bereaved groups did not differ in depression. Positive affect was greatest among the recently married and other groups did not differ in this respect. Hostility, anxiety, shyness, and contentment were not predicted to differ among groups; in fact, contentment was least in the bereaved; shyness was least among the recently-married, and hostility was lowest among the long-widowed. Results are discussed in terms of the joint influences of time since a life event and the differential relevance of positive and negative affect states to positive and negative events. Continued research attention to the covariation of these factors in relation to the affective aspects of PWB is needed to understand the conditions of stability and change.

scholarly journals Hedonism and the choice of everyday activities

2016 ◽  
Vol 113 (35) ◽  
pp. 9769-9773 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maxime Taquet ◽  
Jordi Quoidbach ◽  
Yves-Alexandre de Montjoye ◽  
Martin Desseilles ◽  
James J. Gross
Keyword(s):  
Negative Affect ◽  
Positive Affect ◽  
Real Time ◽  
Human Behavior ◽  
Smartphone Application ◽  
Daily Activities ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Everyday Activities

Most theories of motivation have highlighted that human behavior is guided by the hedonic principle, according to which our choices of daily activities aim to minimize negative affect and maximize positive affect. However, it is not clear how to reconcile this idea with the fact that people routinely engage in unpleasant yet necessary activities. To address this issue, we monitored in real time the activities and moods of over 28,000 people across an average of 27 d using a multiplatform smartphone application. We found that people’s choices of activities followed a hedonic flexibility principle. Specifically, people were more likely to engage in mood-increasing activities (e.g., play sports) when they felt bad, and to engage in useful but mood-decreasing activities (e.g., housework) when they felt good. These findings clarify how hedonic considerations shape human behavior. They may explain how humans overcome the allure of short-term gains in happiness to maximize long-term welfare.

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