Positive psychology Lecture 3: A better life: Positive psychological interventions

Question 1

What is COGNITION (common-sense approach)?

Answer 1

COGNITION (common-sense approach): language, problem solving, decision making, attention, memory…

Question 2

What is EMOTION (Common-sense approach) ?

Answer 2

EMOTION (common-sense approach):“things that happen in the body” (heart rate, sweating, gestures…), difficult to control and apparently immune to reasoning (= “irrational”), related to pleasure and pain, they make us act…

Question 3

The boundaries between “cognition” and “affection” are….?

Answer 3

…much less sharp than it appears to common-sense.

Question 4

Human emotions & Human cognition are linked to each other and what are another word for this?

Answer 4

• Human emotions have always cognitive elements
• Human cognition is often directly linked to emotional elements.

A: Emotional intelligence

Question 5

What is said about intense, frequent, persistent anger, sadeness, irritation, stress, anxiety, (negative emotions)?

Answer 5

often (but not necessarily) generate, or indicate the presence of, mental illness/disorder

Question 6

What is a essential component of positive emotions, such as joy, gratitude, hope, inspiration, love and so on?

Answer 6

• Some form of pleasure.

Question 7

What kind of emotions have been the main subject to study in psychology?

Answer 7

Negative emotions.

Question 8

What are the components in Broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions (by Barbara Fredrickson)?

(The benefits of positive emotions (for long-term growth and development)

Answer 8

• Broaden our thought-action repertoires
  (more and more varied positive thoughts, more creative, see solutions, flexible…).
• Build psychological repertoire
  (reinforce social, physical, intellectual resources).
• Undo negative emotions
  (e. g. joy weakens stress).
• Enhance resilience
  (help us cope better).
• Can trigger an upward development spiral.

(Positive emotions are not seen by B. Fredrickson as ends in themselves but as means for living a better life (i.e. different from mere pleasant sensations). )

Question 9

Describe Flow theory (MihalyCsikszentmihalyi) ?

Answer 9

• A good life is one that is characterized by complete absorption in what one does (flow) (Nakumara & Csikszentmihalyi, 2009)

CONDITIONS OF FLOW (Nakumara & Csikszentmihalyi, 2009):

• Engaging in challenges at a level appropriate to one’s capacities (neither overmatching nor underutilizing them).
• Clear near goals and immediate feedback about progress

Question 10

FLOW is a subjective state with the following characteristics:

Answer 10

• Intense and focused concentrationon what one is doing in the present moment.
• Merging of action and awareness
• Loss of reflective self-consciousness(i.e., loss of awareness of oneself as a social actor)
• A sense that one can control one’s actions; that is, a sense that one can in principle deal with the situation because one knows how to respond to whatever happens next.
• Distortion of temporal experience (typically, a sense that time has passed faster than normal)
• Experience of the activity as intrinsically rewarding, such that often the end goal is just an excuse for the process.

Question 11

Some empirically validated interventions (I. Boniwell’s“shopping list”):

Answer 11

Physical Training:
•Physical exercise - (perhaps the most effective wellbeing booster)

Mental training:
•Savoring (a form of mindfulness).
•Several meditation forms (BM, BS, LKM, CM…)

Kindness:
•Random acts of kindness
•Active-constructive responding (mudita)

Valuing - and being grateful for - what is positive in life and people:
•Three good things
•Positive reminiscence
•A gratitude visit

Eudaimonic wellbeing
•Identifying and using signature strengths
•Using your strengths in a new way
•Best possible self

Question 12

What separates Hedonic and Eudaimonic view of well being?

Answer 12

• Hedonic Wellbeing: SWB – Subjective Wellbeing (Satisfaction with Life + Positive Affect) – “Purely” hedonic (but can be eudaimonicat the same time – e.g. Epicureans, Deci & Ryan, some Stoics, some Buddhists).
• Eudaimonic Wellbeing: Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, Autonomy, Personal Growth, Authenticity… - (plausibly in part hedonic too because linked to flow, to peace of mind, etc. – but as a derived effect, not a main purpose).
• I.e. NO SHARP BOUNDARY BETWEEN THE TWO APPROACHES – A DIFFERENCE IN MAIN FOCUS, NOT IN THE INGREDIENTS OF WELLBEING

Question 13

The 5 things to do to increase well-being?

Answer 13

1. Train your body!
2. Train your mind!
3. Be kind to others!
4. Value, and thank for, what is positive in life and people!
5. Use virtues and strengths (be ethical)!