Comment: Homing in on a Balanced Psychology

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 61-63
Author(s):  
Jeff T. Larsen
Keyword(s):  
Positive Psychology ◽  
Positive Affect ◽  
Positive Emotion ◽  
Positive Emotions ◽  
Negative Emotion ◽  
Negative Emotions ◽  
Well Being ◽  
To Come ◽  
Positive And Negative Emotions

Hernandez et al.’s (2018) review provides clear evidence that positive affect can contribute to well-being and fits nicely within the positive psychology framework. The emergence of positive psychology has been valuable for understanding well-being, but I suggest that a balanced psychology can prove even more valuable in the years to come. A balanced psychology requires giving as much attention to negative emotion as to positive emotion. It also requires considering whether there are circumstances in which positive emotions can be detrimental and negative emotions can be beneficial. Along those lines, evidence reviewed here indicates that healthy coping with severe stressors involves experiencing a combination of positive and negative emotions.

scholarly journals Positive and Negative Emotions and Nonattachment in Vietnamese Buddhists

2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 32
Author(s):  
Hang T. M. Nguyen ◽  
Hoang V. Nguyen
Keyword(s):  
Trait Anxiety ◽  
Positive Emotion ◽  
Positive Emotions ◽  
Negative Emotion ◽  
Religious Commitment ◽  
Negative Emotions ◽  
Well Being ◽  
State Trait Anxiety Inventory ◽  
Buddhist Practice ◽  
Lay People

Several research has shown that nonattachment, a Buddhist practice, could reduce negative emotions and improve positive emotions (Sahdra & Shaver, 2013; Sahdra, Shaver, & Brown, 2010; Wang, Wong, & Yeh, 2016; Wendling, 2012). We aimed to explore such influences in a sample of Vietnamese Buddhists (N = 472). Our methods included the State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI; Spielberger et al., 1983), the Nonattachment Scale (NAS; Sahdra et al., 2010), and a demographic and religious questionnaire. Results showed that positive emotion scores (M = 2.89, SD = .502) of participants were significantly higher than that of their negative emotion scores (M = 2.10, SD = .587, p < .001). People with strong religious commitment such as monks, lay-people who practiced at pagoda, and lay-people who practiced with sangha had higher positive emotion scores and less negative emotion scores than those whose religious commitment were weak. Nonattachment was positively correlated with positive emotions (r = .47, p < .01) and negatively correlated with negative emotions (r = -.37, p < .01). Nonattachment could also explain 21.7% positive emotions variance (p < .001) and 12.4% negative emotions variance (p < .001). Nonattachment and religious commitment could, therefore, influence greatly positive emotions in Buddhists. This result suggested a discussion about applying nonattachment to prevent emotional problems and improve psychological well-being.

scholarly journals The Complex Role of Discrete Emotions in Successful Aging

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 626-626
Author(s):  
Jeremy Hamm ◽  
Carsten Wrosch
Keyword(s):  
Successful Aging ◽  
Positive Emotions ◽  
Stress Reactivity ◽  
Negative Emotions ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Empathic Accuracy ◽  
Discrete Emotions ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Positive And Negative Emotions

Abstract Research shows that emotions play an important role in successful aging. However, previous studies have largely focused on the implications of dimensional indicators of emotion, such as positive and negative affect. This approach may fail to capture important distinctions between discrete emotions such as sadness, loneliness, calmness, and empathy that could become more or less adaptive with age. The present studies adopt a discrete emotion perspective to examine age-related changes in the consequences of different positive and negative emotions for successful aging. Drawing from an evolutionary-functionalist perspective, Haase, Wu, Verstaen, and Levenson investigate whether sadness becomes more salient and adaptive in old age using a multi-method approach. Lee, Lay, Mahmood, Graf, and Hoppmann address the seemingly contradictory consequences of loneliness by examining how state- and trait-loneliness interact to predict older adults’ prosocial behaviors. Hamm, Wrosch, Barlow, and Kunzmann use two studies to examine the diverging salience and 10-year health consequences of discrete positive emotions posited to motivate rest and recovery (calmness) or pursuit of novelty and stimulation (excitement). Barlow and Mauss study the co-occurrence of discrete emotions and their age-dependent associations with well-being using an adult lifespan sample. Finally, Wieck, Katzorreck, Gerstorf, Schilling, Lücke, and Kunzmann examine lifespan changes in the adaptive function of empathy by assessing the extent to which empathic accuracy protects against stress-reactivity as people age. This symposium thus integrates new research on the role of discrete positive and negative emotions and will contribute to a deeper understanding of the complex relationships between emotions and successful aging.

scholarly journals Effect of Cognitive Variables and Emotional Variables on Urban Residents’ Recycled Water Reuse Behavior

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 2208 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yi Gao ◽  
Zhiguo Li ◽  
Kashif Khan
Keyword(s):  
Water Reuse ◽  
Positive Emotion ◽  
Positive Emotions ◽  
Negative Emotion ◽  
Negative Emotions ◽  
Cognitive Factors ◽  
Urban Residents ◽  
Cognitive Variables ◽  
Recycled Water ◽  
Emotional Factors

Urban residents’ perception of recycled water reuse is the foundation for the realization of recycled water reuse behavior. However, even though the perception factor is equipped, it does not mean that urban residents will use recycled water continuously for sure. Therefore, in this research, the authors try to put cognitive factors and emotional factors into a unified behavioral process. Based on this theory framework, the paper will interpret the initiation, formation and continuing process of recycled water reuse behavior of urban residents. On the basis of previous studies, this study established a theoretical model to study the influence of cognitive factors and emotional factors on recycled water reuse behavior of the residents. Based on the data of 325 samples, the direct and indirect relationship between the variables in the model is verified through path analysis and mediation analysis. The empirical results show that: firstly, the urban residents’ perception of recycled water reuse can activate their emotion for recycled water, and the emotion includes both positive emotion and negative emotion; secondly, although the recognition of recycled water can stimulate both positive and negative emotional factors, there are great differences between positive and negative emotions on the initiation, formation and sustainability of recycled water behavior. Negative emotion has a certain effect on the initiation of recycled water reuse behavior, but it has no significant effect on the formation and sustainability of recycled water reuse behavior. By contrast, positive emotion has no significant effect on the initiation of recycled water reuse behavior, but it has a significant effect on the formation and sustainability of recycled water reuse behavior. That is to say, at different stages, the recycled water reuse behaviors are affected differently by positive emotions and negative emotions. Thirdly, compared with negative emotional variables, positive emotions have a greater impact on individual recycled water reuse behavior. Positive emotional variables can significantly mediate the impact of cognitive variables on recycled water reuse behavior habits. In other words, positive emotions play a vital role in the sustainability of recycled water reuse.

The Influence of Daily Events on Emotion Regulation and Well-Being in Daily Life

2021 ◽  
pp. 014616722098088
Author(s):  
David B. Newman ◽  
John B. Nezlek
Keyword(s):  
Emotion Regulation ◽  
Positive Emotions ◽  
Daily Life ◽  
Negative Emotions ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Emotion Regulation Strategies ◽  
Total N ◽  
Daily Events ◽  
Regulation Strategies ◽  
Positive And Negative Emotions

We examined within-person relationships among daily events, emotion regulation strategies, and well-being in daily life. Each day for 2 to 3 weeks, participants in two studies (total N = 445) reported the extent to which they reappraised and suppressed their positive and negative emotions, the types of events they experienced, and their well-being. Using multilevel modeling, we found that the extent to which people reappraised positive and negative emotions and suppressed negative emotions was positively related to the number/importance of daily positive events, whereas the suppression of positive emotions was negatively related. Furthermore, the positive relationships between well-being and reappraisal of positive and negative emotions and the suppression of negative emotions were stronger as the number of negative events increased. These results demonstrate that most emotion regulation strategies are employed when the day is going well but are most beneficial for people’s well-being when the day is not going well.

Over de rol van positieve en negatieve emoties bij het welbevinden van managers: Een studie met de Job-related Affective Well-being Scale (JAWS)

2006 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Wilmar Schaufeli ◽  
Willem van Rhenen
Keyword(s):  
Employee Engagement ◽  
Positive Emotions ◽  
Negative Emotions ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Significant Loss ◽  
Two Dimensions ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Dutch Version ◽  
Positive And Negative Emotions

About the role of positive and negative emotions in managers' well-being: A study using the Job-related Affective Well-being Scale (JAWS) About the role of positive and negative emotions in managers' well-being: A study using the Job-related Affective Well-being Scale (JAWS) W. Schaufeli & W. van Rhenen, Gedrag & Organisatie, Volume 19, November 2006, nr. 4, pp. 323-344 Generally speaking, emotions are classified using two dimensions: arousal and pleasure. The Job-related Affective Well-being Scale (JAWS), a self-report questionnaire that is used to assess emotions at work, also uses these two dimensions. The current study among 815 managers has two aims. The first aim is to introduce and validate the Dutch version of the JAWS. It appears that the original 30-item version of the JAWS can be reduced to 12 items, without significant loss of information. Furthermore, the predictive validity of the JAWS is illustrated by the fact that positive emotions are negatively related to duration and frequency of future absenteeism of managers. Secondly, a model that assumes that positive and negative emotions play a different role in manager's well-being is successfully tested. Negative emotions play a key role in a stress process that may lead to burnout and health complaints, whereas positive emotions play a key role in a motivational process that may lead to employee engagement and positive attitudes towards the organization.

Effects of Modulated Emotion and Facial Masking Encounter on Personal Distance

2020 ◽  
pp. 003151252097351
Author(s):  
Natsuo Sakuma ◽  
Kazunari Ikeda
Keyword(s):  
Interaction Effect ◽  
Positive Emotion ◽  
Negative Emotion ◽  
Negative Emotions ◽  
Personal Space ◽  
Interpersonal Behavior ◽  
Emotional States ◽  
Interpersonal Distance ◽  
Insight Into ◽  
Positive And Negative Emotions

In this study, we examined the effects of participants’ emotional states on personal space when an approaching person’s face was either masked or unmasked. We used the participants’ uncomfortable stop-distance as our method of measuring personal space. Inducing a positive emotion narrowed perceived personal space, whereas inducing a negative emotion widened personal space. For both positive and negative emotions, the perceived interpersonal distance was shorter when the approaching face was unmasked than masked. There was no interaction effect on personal space between induced affect and masking or unmasking the approaching face. This study might provide insight into interpersonal behavior during a pandemic juncture.

Personality Differences in Emotions

2009 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 100-106 ◽  
Author(s):  
Weiting Ng ◽  
Ed Diener
Keyword(s):  
Emotion Regulation ◽  
Positive Emotion ◽  
Positive Emotions ◽  
Negative Emotion ◽  
Negative Emotions ◽  
Emotional Reactions ◽  
Personality Differences ◽  
Laboratory Situation

In Study 1, individuals high in neuroticism (high N) felt more negative and experienced less decrease of their negative emotions than individuals low in Neuroticism (low N) when extremely unpleasant hypothetical scenarios improved. Study 2 also found that high N individuals felt more negative than low N in a slightly unpleasant laboratory situation, and that individuals high in Extraversion (high E) felt more positive than individuals low in Extraversion (low E) in a slightly pleasant laboratory situation. The present studies also confirmed that high N individuals were less likely to repair negative emotions than low N, and high E individuals were more likely to savor positive emotions than low E. These attempts at negative and positive emotion regulation predicted negative and positive emotional reactions, respectively, and accounted for the trait differences in emotions. Hence, there is evidence that differences in negative emotion regulation mediated the relation between Neuroticism and negative emotions, and differences in positive emotion regulation mediated the relation between Extraversion and positive emotions.

scholarly journals Sleep quality is associated with the experience and adaptive regulation of positive emotion: an experience sampling study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christine Elizabeth Parsons ◽  
Beatrice Ellen Schofield ◽  
Sofia Batziou ◽  
Camilla Ward ◽  
Katherine Seaton Young
Keyword(s):  
Young Adults ◽  
Emotion Regulation ◽  
Sleep Quality ◽  
Positive Emotion ◽  
Negative Emotion ◽  
Negative Emotions ◽  
Smartphone Application ◽  
Emotional Dysregulation ◽  
Poor Sleep ◽  
Positive And Negative Emotions

Poor sleep patterns have been strongly linked to disrupted emotional experiences. Emotion regulation, defined as the capacity to manage one’s own emotional responses, is comprised of strategies to increase, maintain, or decrease the intensity, duration, and trajectory of positive and negative emotions. Poor sleep has been identified as a risk factor for emotional dysregulation, but most of the focus has been on negative emotion regulation. We therefore asked whether natural variations in sleep are associated with the experience and regulation of both positive and negative emotion. Young adults, aged between 18-24 years, (n = 101) completed seven-days of ecological momentary assessments using a smartphone application. Duration and quality of the previous night’s sleep was reported each morning. Levels of positive and negative emotions, and the strategies used to regulate emotions, were measured at pseudo-random timepoints four times a day. Multilevel modelling indicated that higher self-reported sleep quality was significantly associated with increased intensity and duration of positive emotion, and decreased intensity of negative emotion. Sleep quality, and not sleep duration, was also associated with reported use of adaptive positive emotion regulation strategies. For negative emotion regulation strategy use, we found no associations with sleep quality or duration. Naturally occurring fluctuations in daily sleep quality may be important for the experience and regulation of positive emotion in young adults. These findings emphasise the need to examine both positive and negative emotion, and emotion regulation to understand the links between sleep and mood.

scholarly journals A Critical Overview of Research Studies on the Role of Positive Psychology Interventions in Enhancing Subjective Well-Being among High School Students

2016 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jayashree Sanghani ◽  
Saroj Arya
Keyword(s):  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
High School Students ◽  
Positive Psychology ◽  
Positive Emotions ◽  
Negative Emotions ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Positive Psychology Interventions ◽  
Critical Overview

In the present educational system, students face a lot of pressure, stress and expectation from self and others which leads to experiencing negative emotions. These factors hinder children’s all round development and scholastic achievement leading to low subjective well-being and poor life satisfaction. Hence, there is a need to foster positive emotions. A critical overview has been done on the role of Positive Psychology Interventions in enhancing positive emotions of the students in experiencing well-being, and satisfaction. School psychology has been focusing on addressing the problem and providing solutions. Experiencing positive emotions is more important for accomplishment and well-being than the absence of negative emotions. The essence of Positive Psychology Interventions is to remove what is wrong and bring in what is strong, by fostering positive factors important for flourishing and accomplishment. Research has shown that Positive Psychology Interventions are significantly related to student well-being which can augment life satisfaction.

scholarly journals Self-Positivity or Self-Negativity as a Function of the Medial Prefrontal Cortex

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 264
Author(s):  
Alla Yankouskaya ◽  
Jie Sui
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Medial Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Positive Emotions ◽  
Negative Emotion ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Negative Emotions ◽  
Univariate Analysis ◽  
Region Of Interest ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Neural Mechanisms

Self and emotions are key motivational factors of a person strivings for health and well-being. Understanding neural mechanisms supporting the relationship between these factors bear far-reaching implications for mental health disorders. Recent work indicates a substantial overlap between self-relevant and emotion information processing and has proposed the medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC) as one shared neural signature. However, the precise cognitive and neural mechanisms represented by the MPFC in investigations of self- and emotion-related processing are largely unknown. Here we examined whether the neural underpinnings of self-related processing in the MPFC link to positive or negative emotions. We collected fMRI data to test the distinct and shared neural circuits of self- and emotion-related processing while participants performed personal (self, friend, or stranger) and emotion (happy, sad, or neutral) associative matching tasks. By exploiting tight control over the factors that determine the effects of self-relevance and emotions (positive: Happy vs. neutral; negative: Sad vs. neutral), our univariate analysis revealed that the ventral part of the MPFC (vmPFC), which has established involvement in self-prioritisation effects, was not recruited in the negative emotion prioritisation effect. In contrast, there were no differences in brain activity between the effects of positive emotion- and self-prioritisation. These results were replicated by both region of interest (ROI)-based analysis in the vmPFC and the seed- to voxel functional connectivity analysis between the MPFC and the rest of the brain. The results suggest that the prioritisation effects for self and positive emotions are tightly linked together, and the MPFC plays a large role in discriminating between positive and negative emotions in relation to self-relevance.

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