Happiness (2a) Flashcards
what is happiness according to Veenhoven (2000)
the degree to which someone evaluates positively the overall quality of their life
two types of happiness
hedonic
eudaemonic
what is hedonic happiness
belief that pursuing pleasurable experiences, and avoiding painful ones will lead to happiness
sense of happy feelings
satisfication
positive emotions
what is eudaemonic happiness
pursuing happiness by finding meaning and purpose
sense of meaning to your life
what can happiness be divided into?
experiencing self
remembering self
experiencing self
lives in the moment
remembering self
narrative of one’s story
about what life should be
why are there cultural differences regarding happiness?
different ideas about what life should be about
what is happiness NOT?
constant state of euphoria
define gratitude
state marked by a sense of wonder, thankfulness and appreciation for life that can be expressed toward other people or impersonal or nonhuman entities
link between gratitude and happiness
showing gratitude increases happiness levels
what is happiness the most important predictor of? (COhen, 2004)
psychological and physical health
what did Diener & Bissau-Diener (2008) find?
all participants reported experiencing more positive emotions when around other people vs alone
disadvantages of happiness?
attentional bias
seeking help
disadvantages of happiness: attention bias
delayed responses to detecting threats in environment
disadvantages of happiness: seeking help
expressing sadness signals to others you need assistance
what is the issue in pursuing happiness?
paradox - the more you pursue happiness, the less you may be able to obtain
impossible to always be happy
expectation of happiness sets self up for disappointment in its absence
right ways to pursue happiness
engagement in happiness-inducing activities
accepting negative feelings = increased well-being
correlation between success and happiness
better job performance
lower rates of burnout
correlation between love and happiness
fulfilling relationship
finding love
correlation between health and happiness
lower incidence of stroke
live longer
what is the relationship between success/ love/ health and happiness
bidirectional
what signals do people give out when happy
smiles/ odours/ pheromones
stimulates reward centre of other people
more successful at attracting mates, maintaining relationships and working with others
what hormones does happiness produce
oxytocin
serotonin
endorphins
what do happiness hormones create?
a resilient and healthy body
broaden: Broaden and build model of happiness
positive emotions help you see the bigger picture
more and easier access to new thoughts/ language that helps broaden your perspective on the world
build: Broaden and build model of happiness
build lasting physical and psychological resources
happiness signals that everything is safe/ triggers exploration, learning and creativity
whose is the broad and build model of happiness
Fredrickson (1998)
correlation between money and happiness
after basic needs are met, more money does not buy more happiness
impact bias
tendency to exaggerate strength and duration of anticipated or future emotional reactions
memory bias
emotion-congruent retrieval
peak-end rule (Kahneman et al., 1993)
what makes people happy?
biology
life circumstances
daily life
behaviours that increase happiness
gratitude
positive relationships
generosity and helping
savouring
example of dampening savouring
i focus on the future
i remind myself that nothing good lasts forever
example of amplifying savouring
i talk to other people about how good i feel
i tell myself that i deserve good things
emotion differentiation
the skill of labelling emotional experience with a high degree of specificity
aspects of emotional differentiation intervention
cognitive reappraisal
distraction
differentiate their emotions when observing a spider
