Adult Attachment and Happiness: Individual Differences in the Experience and Consequences of Positive Emotions

Major stressors often challenge emotional well-being—increasing negative emotions and decreasing positive emotions. But how long do these emotional hits last? Prior theory and research contain conflicting views. Some research suggests that most individuals’ emotional well-being will return to, or even surpass, baseline levels relatively quickly. Others have challenged this view, arguing that this type of resilient response is uncommon. The present research provides a strong test of resilience theory by examining emotional trajectories over the first six months of the COVID-19 pandemic. In two pre-registered longitudinal studies conducted in diverse U.S. samples (total N =1,147), we examined overall emotional trajectories and predictors of individual differences in emotional trajectories across 13 waves of data from February through September 2020. The pandemic had immediate detrimental effects on emotional well-being. Negative emotions decreased across six months, with the greatest improvements occurring almost immediately. Yet, positive emotions remained depleted relative to baseline levels, illustrating the limits of resilience. Individuals also differed substantially around these normative emotional trajectories and these individual differences were predicted by socio-demographic characteristics and stress exposure. We discuss three theoretical implications of the present investigation: (1) The extent to which resilience is normative depends on the outcome and the context. (2) Individual differences in resilience are large and complex, suggesting that broad claims that resilience is “ubiquitous” or “rare” may not be useful. (3) Resilience is multiply-determined and embedded within societal contexts that influence who experiences stress as well as who has access to resources to respond to stress.

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LA PERSONALIDAD EFICAZ EN EL UNIVERSITARIO Y EL USO DEL BUEN HUMOR

International Journal of Developmental and Educational Psychology Revista INFAD de psicología ◽

10.17060/ijodaep.2014.n1.v1.394 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 1 (1) ◽

pp. 467

Author(s):

Juan Carlos Bustamante ◽

Carlos Salavera ◽

José Luis Antoñanzas ◽

Javier Chueca ◽

José Carrón ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Individual Differences ◽

Positive Emotions ◽

Self Esteem ◽

Bivariate Correlation ◽

Affective Variables ◽

Para Determinar ◽

Positive Correlations ◽

The University ◽

Bienestar Psicologico ◽

Academic Demands

Abstract:THE EFFICIENT PERSONALITY IN THE UNIVERSITY AND THE USE OF GOOD HUMORIndividual differences in the construct Efficient Personality in undergraduates could determine differences in the proper handling of sociopersonal and socioaffective competencies when faced with academic demands, which may be associated both with differences in psychological wellbeing.Wellbeing is associated with the sense of humor that involves three different affective variables (cheerfulness, seriousness and bad mood). We aimed to determine whether individual differences in Efficient Personality are associated with differences in the disposition for using good humor. For this purpose 39 undergraduates (all the participant were women) completed the Efficient Personality Questionnaire for the university context (CPE -U) and the STCI-30 scale for the assessment of good humor. Bivariate correlation analyses were performed to determine a possible association between Efficient Personality components and the variables that modulate the good humor. The results showed positive correlations between the variable Cheerfulness and the factors Self-esteem, Academic Self-realization and Solving Efficiency, and between the variable Seriousness and the factor Solving Efficiency. Also, negative correlations between the variable Bad Mood and the factors Self-esteem and Solving Efficiency were observed. Therefore, individual differences in Efficient Personality in undergraduates are related with differences for experiencing or showing more positive emotions toward a greater willingness to good humor.Keywords: Efficient Personality, good humor, individual differences, self-efficacy, cheerfulnessResumen:Diferencias individuales en el constructo de Personalidad Eficaz en universitarios podrían evidenciar diferencias en el manejo adecuado de competencias personales y socioafectivas a la hora de enfrentarse a demandas académicas, que pueden asociarse a la vez con diferencias en la experimentación de estados relacionados con bienestar psicológico. Este bienestar se asocia con el sentido del humor que implica tres variables afectivas (alegría, seriedad y mal humor). Nuestro objetivo fue determinar si diferencias individuales en Personalidad Eficaz se asociaba con diferencias a la disposición al buen humor. Para ello 39 mujeres estudiantes universitarias rellenaron el Cuestionario de Personalidad Eficaz para el Contexto Universitario (CPE-U) y la escala para la evaluación del sentido del humor STCI-30. Análisis de correlación bivariada fueron llevados a cabo para determinar una posible asociación entre los componentes de Personalidad Eficaz y las variables que modulan el buen humor. Los resultados mostraron correlaciones positivas entre la variable Alegría y los factores de la Personalidad Eficaz Autoestima, Autorrealización Académica y Autorrealización Resolutiva; y entre la variable Seriedad y Autorrealización Resolutiva. También se observaron correlaciones negativas entre la variable Mal Humor y los factores Autoestima y Autorrealización Resolutiva. Por tanto, diferencias individuales en estudiantes universitarios en factores que constituyen el constructo de Personalidad eficaz se relaciona con diferencias en los mismos a la hora de experimentar o mostrar estados afectivos más positivos acercándose y mostrando una mayor disposición al buen humor.Palabras clave: Personalidad Eficaz, buen humor, diferencias individuales, autoeficacia, alegría

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Touch me just enough: The intersection of adult attachment, intimate touch, and marital satisfaction

Journal of Social and Personal Relationships ◽

10.1177/0265407520910791 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 37 (6) ◽

pp. 1945-1967

Author(s):

Samantha A. Wagner ◽

Richard E. Mattson ◽

Joanne Davila ◽

Matthew D. Johnson ◽

Nicole M. Cameron

Keyword(s):

Individual Differences ◽

Attachment Style ◽

Adult Attachment ◽

Marital Quality ◽

Married Couples ◽

Attachment Anxiety ◽

Marital Functioning ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Physical Affection ◽

The Individual

Nonsexual physical affection plays an important role in marital functioning, but not all individuals are satisfied with the intimate touch they receive from their partner. Differences in adult attachment tendencies may be one way to understand the individual differences in touch satisfaction. Using a sample of 180 different-sex married couples, we explored how attachment associates with touch satisfaction in marriage in a cross-sectional investigation. Consistent with predictions, we found that husbands with greater attachment anxiety were less satisfied with touch, except when engagement in routine affection was relatively high, but especially when low. Lower routine affection diminished touch satisfaction regardless of attachment style, but greater avoidance appeared to buffer this effect for wives. However, wives with greater avoidance had husbands who reported lower touch satisfaction. We also explored the interplay of touch satisfaction and marital quality, finding that they associated positively, even when routine affection is statistically controlled. Lastly, our exploratory analyses suggest that touch satisfaction may serve as a mediating link between anxiety and marital quality. Overall, our findings support that attachment insecurities associate with engagement in and satisfaction with touch and that these processes are relevant to the overall marital quality.

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Quantifying the Predictive Role of Temperament Dimensions and Attachment Styles on the Five Factor Model of Personality

Behavioral Sciences ◽

10.3390/bs10100145 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (10) ◽

pp. 145

Author(s):

Efrat Barel ◽

Yonathan Mizrachi ◽

Maayan Nachmani

Keyword(s):

Individual Differences ◽

Personality Traits ◽

Attachment Style ◽

Adult Attachment ◽

Attachment Styles ◽

Attachment Security ◽

Factor Model ◽

Five Factor Model ◽

Self Report

Background: The present study investigated the role of temperament and attachment security in predicting individual differences in the five factor personality traits among adults. As previous studies suggested the potential moderating role of attachment in the association between temperament and personality traits, the present study sought to examine an interactionist model combining attachment and temperament in explaining individual differences in personality traits. Methods: A sample of 1871 participants (1151 women and 719 men) completed self-report measures of adult attachment style (the Relationships Questionnaire—RQ), temperament dimension (the Fisher Temperament Inventory—FTI), and personality domain (the Five Factor Model—FFM). Results: Partial correlational analyses revealed associations between attachment security and each of the five domains of the FFM, and few associations between some temperament dimensions and several domains of the FFM. Moderated regression analyses showed that attachment security moderated the associations between temperament dimensions and the Agreeableness domain of the FFM. Among secure individuals, those with higher scores on the Curious/Energetic, Cautious/Social Norm Compliant and Prosocial/Empathetic scales exhibited higher Agreeableness scores, whereas among insecure individuals, those with higher scores on the Analytic/Tough-minded scale exhibited lower scores on the Agreeableness scale. Conclusion: Overall, the current study provides evidence in support of the substantive role of social-environmental factors (Adult Attachment) as a moderating element bridging temperament-related personality elements and a number of their FFM manifestations.

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Individual Differences in Cognitive Reappraisal Predict Emotional Experience Prior to Achievement Situations

Journal of Individual Differences ◽

10.1027/1614-0001/a000231 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 38 (3) ◽

pp. 144-154 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Stefania Balzarotti ◽

Valentina Chiarella ◽

Maria Rita Ciceri

Keyword(s):

Individual Differences ◽

Negative Affect ◽

Indirect Effect ◽

Positive Emotions ◽

Longitudinal Design ◽

Emotional Experience ◽

Negative Emotions ◽

Cognitive Reappraisal ◽

Positive And Negative Affect ◽

Time Points

Abstract. In the present study, we examined whether individual differences in the use of cognitive reappraisal predict the experience of more positive and less negative emotions prior to an evaluative task, as well as whether reappraisal is associated with better performance. In a longitudinal design, 130 students were asked to report their spontaneous use of reappraisal as well as the emotions experienced at three time points prior to an academic exam. Results showed that the use of cognitive reappraisal measured when students began to study predicted less negative and more positive emotions in the following two weeks. Further, positive and negative affect were significant predictors of the grade achieved. Finally, cognitive reappraisal had a significant indirect effect on the grade students achieved. These findings suggest that cognitive reappraisal can be effective in regulating emotions while approaching evaluative stressors.

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