scholarly journals Residential Meditation Retreats: Their Role in Contemplative Practice and Significance for Psychological Research

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brandon King ◽  
Quinn Conklin ◽  
Anthony Paul Zanesco ◽  
Clifford Saron
Keyword(s):  
Well Being ◽  
Psychological Research ◽  
Empirical Literature ◽  
Meditation Practice ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Form And Function ◽  
Meditation Experience ◽  
And Function ◽  
Health And Well Being ◽  
Over Time

Contemporary investigations of mindfulness and meditation have predominately emphasized the short-term effects of brief inductions or standardized, multi-week interventions in people with little to no prior meditation experience. Considerably less is known about the effects of continued or intensive meditation practice as proficiency and expertise are acquired over time. In this article, we describe the form and function of residential retreats, an understudied class of meditation intervention that holds promise for bridging this gap in the empirical literature. We outline a number of design features that distinguish retreats from other meditation-based interventions, and highlight their utility for informing functional and developmental perspectives on meditation, cognition, health, and well-being.

scholarly journals The broaden–and–build theory of positive emotions

2004 ◽  
Vol 359 (1449) ◽  
pp. 1367-1377 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbara L. Fredrickson
Keyword(s):  
Close Relationships ◽  
Positive Emotions ◽  
Social Bonds ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Psychological Resources ◽  
Form And Function ◽  
Broaden And Build Theory ◽  
And Function ◽  
Health And Well Being ◽  
Action Tendencies

The broaden–and–build theory describes the form and function of a subset of positive emotions, including joy, interest, contentment and love. A key proposition is that these positive emotions broaden an individual's momentary thought–action repertoire: joy sparks the urge to play, interest sparks the urge to explore, contentment sparks the urge to savour and integrate, and love sparks a recurring cycle of each of these urges within safe, close relationships. The broadened mindsets arising from these positive emotions are contrasted to the narrowed mindsets sparked by many negative emotions (i.e. specific action tendencies, such as attack or flee). A second key proposition concerns the consequences of these broadened mindsets: by broadening an individual's momentary thought–action repertoire—whether through play, exploration or similar activities—positive emotions promote discovery of novel and creative actions, ideas and social bonds, which in turn build that individual's personal resources; ranging from physical and intellectual resources, to social and psychological resources. Importantly, these resources function as reserves that can be drawn on later to improve the odds of successful coping and survival. This chapter reviews the latest empirical evidence supporting the broaden–and–build theory and draws out implications the theory holds for optimizing health and well–being.

scholarly journals The Complexity and Phylogenetic Continuity of Laughter and Smiles in Hominids

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marina Davila-Ross ◽  
Guillaume Dezecache
Keyword(s):  
Positive Affect ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Continuity Hypothesis ◽  
Deep Roots ◽  
Form And Function ◽  
And Function ◽  
Health And Well Being ◽  
Human Laughter ◽  
Selection Of

Laughter and smiles are often, but not always, associated with positive affect. These expressions of humans help to promote social relationships as well as the development of cognitive and socio-emotional skills and they may have a positive impact on health and well-being, hereby covering a selection of fitness-relevant benefits. Both laughter and smiles of positive affect also occur early in human development and across cultures, suggesting deep roots in human biology. The present work provides an evolutionary reconstruction of the evolution of human laughter and smiles of positive affect in form and function, based on the principle of maximum parsimony. According to the Complexity and Continuity Hypothesis, human laughter and smiles of positive affect must have evolved within the context of play from ancestral species. Furthermore, ancestral ape laughter and their open-mouth faces must already have been complex in form and function and changed over time via categorically different phylogenetic pathways to become characteristic, effective, and pervasive behaviors of everyday social interactions in humans.

Pateicības izpausmes folklorā psiholoģiskā kontekstā

2021 ◽  
pp. 42-53
Author(s):  
Ieva Ančevska
Keyword(s):  
Family Relationships ◽  
Positive Emotions ◽  
Emotional Health ◽  
Human Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Psychological Research ◽  
Neuroscience Research ◽  
Health And Well Being

The article examines the depiction of gratitude and related events in Latvian folklore through comparative evaluation. Gratitude is considered in a psychological context, comparing the attitude expressed in folklore with the findings of modern scientific research. Gratitude is a concept that is usually associated with a relationship or a benefit, it is most often aimed outwards, dedicated to someone else, but at the same time, it creates a pleasant feeling within the person. In modern psychology, gratitude is receiving more and more attention from researchers because its manifestations stimulate the formation of positive emotions and contribute to the improvement of the person’s overall well-being. Research and clinical studies in psychotherapy confirm that gratitude plays an important role in improving mental health and reducing depressive, destructive feelings. In turn, neuroscience research shows the potential of a grateful and positive attitude in strengthening psycho-emotional health and well-being in general. In Latvian folklore, gratitude is depicted as an important part of ritual events, which helps to ensure a positive, balanced connection with the forces of nature, gods, and society. In folklore, the importance of gratitude is emphasised more when building family relationships or accepting various situations and occurrences in life. In both psychological research and the practice of systemic therapy, as well as in folklore, gratitude appears as one of the most important values of interpersonal connection, which promotes the formation of harmonious relationships. Similar to the opinions of psychology, the folk world views emphasise the motivational role of gratitude in improving the quality of human life and health in general.

Introduction: how language works in politics

2018 ◽  
pp. 3-32
Author(s):  
Matthew Williams
Keyword(s):  
Computer Assisted ◽  
British Politics ◽  
Form And Function ◽  
It Impacts ◽  
Legislative Language ◽  
And Function ◽  
Assisted Analysis ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Over Time

This book examines how language works in democratic politics and how it impacts the effectiveness of policy. Using evidence from the first computer-assisted analysis of all 41.5 million words of legislation enacted from 1900 to 2015, it tracks the major changes in form and function that Parliament's use of language has undergone over time and the reasons for such changes. More importantly, it explores the policy and social implications of changes in legislative language as well as the issue of legislative indeterminacy. This introductory chapter discusses the questions, arguments and aims of the book and reviews the literature on the operation of language in British politics, along with the impact of legislative language on policy effectiveness. It also explains what specifically the book contributes to the existing literature, describes the research design, and provides an overview of the chapters that follow.

scholarly journals Belonging as Compensator

2020 ◽  
Vol 52 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 116-126 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tamara Marksteiner ◽  
Marc Philipp Janson ◽  
Hanna Beißert
Keyword(s):  
Negative Impact ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Regression Analyses ◽  
Multilevel Regression ◽  
Abuse Of Power ◽  
Being Bullied ◽  
Different Cultures ◽  
Health And Well Being ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
Over Time

Abstract. Bullying is a serious issue among adolescents worldwide. It has been conceptualized as a type of physical or indirect peer victimization that occurs repeatedly over time and is characterized by a systematic abuse of power. Being bullied at school severely affects victims’ health and well-being. What protects students from these consequences? We investigate feelings of belonging –i. e., the feeling that one is accepted, included, respected, and valued in the respective social environment – as a possible compensator for bullying consequences across different cultures. We hypothesize that being bullied is less severe for students who have strong feelings of belonging. We use data from 319,057 15-year-old students across 47 countries. Multilevel regression analyses replicated that bullying and well-being are negatively associated. Further, the results indicated, as expected, that feelings of belonging compensate for the negative impact that bullying has on well-being. Practical implications as well as limitations are discussed.

scholarly journals The Art of Happiness: An Explorative Study of a Contemplative Program for Subjective Well-Being

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clara Rastelli ◽  
Lucia Calabrese ◽  
Constance Miller ◽  
Antonino Raffone ◽  
Nicola De Pisapia
Keyword(s):  
Training Program ◽  
Emotional Regulation ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Psychological Research ◽  
Self Awareness ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Mental Training ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Psychological Well Being ◽  
Longitudinal Effects

In recent decades, psychological research on the effects of mindfulness-based interventions has greatly developed and demonstrated a range of beneficial outcomes in a variety of populations and contexts. Yet, the question of how to foster subjective well-being and happiness remains open. Here, we assessed the effectiveness of an integrated mental training program The Art of Happiness on psychological well-being in a general population. The mental training program was designed to help practitioners develop new ways to nurture their own happiness. This was achieved by seven modules aimed at cultivating positive cognition strategies and behaviors using both formal (i.e., lectures, meditations) and informal practices (i.e., open discussions). The program was conducted over a period of 9 months, also comprising two retreats, one in the middle and one at the end of the course. By using a set of established psychometric tools, we assessed the effects of such a mental training program on several psychological well-being dimensions, taking into account both the longitudinal effects of the course and the short-term effects arising from the intensive retreat experiences. The results showed that several psychological well-being measures gradually increased within participants from the beginning to the end of the course. This was especially true for life satisfaction, self-awareness, and emotional regulation, highlighting both short-term and longitudinal effects of the program. In conclusion, these findings suggest the potential of the mental training program, such as The Art of Happiness, for psychological well-being.

scholarly journals Study Protocol of the Ten Years Up Project: Mapping the Development of Self-Regulation Strategies in Young Adults Over Time

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marleen Gillebaart ◽  
Jantina Brummelman ◽  
Denise de Ridder
Keyword(s):  
Young Adults ◽  
Young Adulthood ◽  
Study Protocol ◽  
Self Regulation ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Personal Factors ◽  
Regulation Strategies ◽  
Prospective Longitudinal ◽  
Health And Well Being ◽  
Over Time

Self-regulation is an important predictor of many outcomes relating to health and well-being. Research thus far has not systematically addressed the development of self-regulation strategies during young adulthood, but instead has focused on the predictive value of childhood self-regulation competence for outcomes later in life. The present study protocol describes the Ten Years Up (10YUP) project, a longitudinal cohort of young adults who will be followed for Ten years. By adopting a dynamic approach, we aim to examine how the nature and frequency of self-regulation strategies develop over time, document to what extent the use of strategies is affected by contextual and personal factors, and determine how these strategies affect health and well-being over the course of ten years. The 10YUP project employs a prospective longitudinal design to map the development of self-regulation strategies over time. A sample of 3,000 participants will be recruited by random selection from the general population of 16-year olds to retain a final sample of 1,000 participants after Ten years (accounting for an estimated drop-out rate of 10% each year). A mobile app will be used to collect data every 3 months. Self-regulation strategies will be assessed by means of the Goal Setting and Striving Inventory that asks participants to list their personal goals and then choose their most important goal to answer items about goal perception and strategy use. The resulting composite self-regulation index will be related to a wide range of contextual and personal factors that may act as either antecedents or consequences of self-regulation, depending on their specific time of assessment (either prior to or following self-regulation assessment) by means of cross-lagged panel analyses and other analyses allowing for establishing causal relationships over time. The 10YUP project is likely to generate novel insights into the development of self-regulation in young adulthood, how this development is affected by personal and contextual factors, and how these in turn may be influenced by how young people self-regulate—which is important for public policies aimed at guiding young people's choices and how they affect their health and well-being.

scholarly journals When the meditating mind wanders

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arnaud Delorme ◽  
Tracy Brandmeyer
Keyword(s):  
Negative Affect ◽  
Daily Life ◽  
Emotional Arousal ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Meditation Practice ◽  
Over Time

The capacity for thought and the ability to assemble and manipulate concepts are cognitive features unique to humans. Spontaneous thoughts often occur when we are engaged in attention demanding tasks, with an increased frequency predicting negative affect. Meditation does not require thinking, however thinking occurs naturally during meditation. We develop the hypothesis that chronic thinking associated with strong emotional arousal during meditation practice might be detrimental to meditation practice and well being. One goal of meditation is to identify the arousal of emotions and thoughts, and remain equanimous with them. Over time, meditation may help dampen the attention grabbing power of these thoughts both during practice and in daily life, which may consequently help deepen meditation practice. However, when meditators fail to remain equanimous, the effects of these thoughts may be deleterious. We discuss how this hypothesis may help guide future research on meditation.

scholarly journals Developing Resilience During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Yoga and Mindfulness for the Well-Being of Student Musicians in Spain

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Javier Bartos ◽  
María J. Funes ◽  
Marc Ouellet ◽  
M. Pilar Posadas ◽  
Chris Krägeloh
Keyword(s):  
Online Survey ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Education Student ◽  
Alexander Technique ◽  
Perceived Benefits ◽  
Quasi Experimental ◽  
Meditation Experience ◽  
Health And Well Being ◽  
Yoga Meditation

Here, we report on a quasi-experimental study to explore the applicability and perceived benefits of the CRAFT program, which is based on mindfulness, yoga, positive psychology, and emotional intelligence, to improve higher education student musicians’ health and well-being during the lockdown. A subset of student musicians at a Higher Conservatory of Music in Spain followed the CRAFT program during the academic year 2019/2020, 1 h per week as part of their curriculum. Students enrolled in CRAFT-based elective subjects formed the CRAFT program group (n = 40), while other students represented the control group (n = 53). The onset of the national lockdown elicited by the COVID-19 pandemic occurred halfway through the program, which was subsequently delivered in an online format. We administered an online survey to explore the effect that the exposure to the CRAFT program had in terms of how participants dealt with various health and well-being concerns arising from the COVID-19 lockdown. There was a significantly higher proportion of proactive participants in the CRAFT program group, 92%, than in the control group, 58%, in terms of implementing practices to improve their health and well-being during the lockdown. Additionally, significantly more participants acknowledged perceived benefits from their practices in the CRAFT program group, 78%, than in the control group, 52%. Among proactive participants, yoga/meditation was the most implemented in the CRAFT program group, followed by exercise, and other yoga/meditation practices, whereas in the control group, exercise and Alexander technique-based practices were the most applied. In the CRAFT program group, the highest rate of perceived benefits was from yoga/meditation CRAFT-based practices, 51%, followed by exercise, 32%, and other yoga/meditation practices, 27%, whereas in the control group, benefits were reported by 29% of exercising participants and 16% for those having practiced the Alexander technique. A similar pattern was observed when excluding participants with previous yoga/meditation experience. This study revealed how participants can independently apply learned skills from the CRAFT program in response to a naturally occurring life event of unprecedented global impact, suggesting that previous exposure to mindfulness and yoga is likely to have a beneficial effect on how young adults react towards exceptionally stressful conditions.

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