Exploring Happiness: Benefits, Theories, and Measurement

Health Benefits of Happiness

Live longer, healthier overall, fewer psychological issues, quicker recovery from illness, less drug abuse and crime.

Social Benefits of Happiness

Stay married longer, help others more often.

Cognitive and Work-Related Benefits of Happiness

More creative, better workers, make more money, goals are easier to achieve.

Impact of Negative Emotions

Negative emotions and stress increase disease.

Impact of Positive Emotions

Positive emotions decrease disease.

Nun Study

Nuns who wrote positively in their autobiographies lived longer.

Doctors & Candy Study

Doctors given candy made faster and more accurate diagnoses.

Lake Wobegon Effect

People overestimate their abilities and happiness — this illusion may support well-being.

Paradox of Affluence

More wealth does not equal more well-being.

Mental Health Continuum - Flourishing

High well-being, low mental illness.

Mental Health Continuum - Struggling

High well-being, high mental illness.

Mental Health Continuum - Floundering

Low well-being, high mental illness.

Mental Health Continuum - Languishing

Low well-being, low mental illness.

Complete Mental Health

Emotional well-being (life satisfaction, happiness), psychological well-being (purpose, self-acceptance), social well-being (positive attitudes toward others).

Genetics vs. Environment in Happiness

Happiness: 50% genetics, 10% circumstances, 40% intentional activity.

Intentional Activities for Happiness

Helping others, active relationships, pursuing goals.

Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

Believe you'll win → better chance you do.

Learned Optimism

Can create meaning and purpose.

Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

Change thoughts → change emotions and behaviors.

Time Perspectives

Past-Negative: Regret, pessimism about past; Past-Positive: Nostalgic, sentimental; Present-Hedonistic: Lives for pleasure; Present-Fatalistic: Believes in fate, lacks control; Future-Oriented: Plans, goals, aspiration-focused.

Character and Happiness

How we treat others is key to happiness.

Components of Emotion

Cognitive (evaluation), physiological (bodily arousal), behavioral (facial expression, tone, posture).

Olympics Medal Study

1st > 3rd > 2nd in happiness.

Prospect Theory

Losses feel worse than equivalent gains.

Facial Feedback Hypothesis

Smiling can trick the brain into feeling happier.

Negative Emotions

Value and Balance

Constructive Guilt

Feel bad → change behavior

Sadness

Can increase empathy/helpfulness

Negativity Bias

3-4 negative words for every positive

Good Experiences

3 good experiences to outweigh 1 bad

Emotional Experience

Frequency > Intensity

Small Positive Emotions

Many small positive emotions > rare intense ones

History of Psychology

Timeline of major psychological theories

Wundt

1879: Wundt in Germany — conscious experience

Psychoanalysis

Freud: unconscious, childhood trauma, no research

Behaviorism

Skinner, Pavlov: reward/punishment, rigorous research

Humanism

Rogers, Maslow: idealistic, self-actualization, no research

Cognitive Psychology

Decision-making, memory, CBT

Biological Psychology

Brain chemistry, genetics, evolutionary theory

Positive Psychology

1998, Seligman: average person, evidence-based

Humanism vs Positive Psych

Focus: Extraordinary individuals vs Average person; Approach: Idealistic vs Scientific; Research: No vs Yes

Unconscious Mind

Outside awareness; Habits = 50% of behavior; Repressed memories; Helps more than it harms

Car Ad Study

Sleazy ad influenced men unconsciously

Sock Study

Most chose the last pair, unaware why

Decision-Making and Emotion

People don't always know why they feel happy

Poster Study

Non-thinkers were happier with choices

Pros/Cons Lists

Good for non-emotional decisions

Defense Mechanisms

Freud: Types include Psychotic, Immature, Neurotic, Mature

Sublimation

Redirect energy into healthy action; linked to joy, support, friendships, and happier marriages

Happiness

Process, not a destination; hard to define; not about values, but can be studied scientifically

Hedonism

Pleasure-seeking (self-defeating)

Eudaimonia

Living virtuously (Greeks)

Seligman's PERMA Model

Positive Emotion, Engagement (flow), Relationships, Meaning, Accomplishment

Two Types of Happiness

Hedonic: Pleasure-based; Eudaimonic: Meaning-based

Self-Determination Theory

Competence, Relatedness, Autonomy

Affect & Emotional Intelligence

Positive and Negative Affect: Separate dimensions; Can feel both at once

Dynamic Model of Affect

Emotional balance shifts based on context

Emotional Intelligence (EI)

Perceive, understand, and manage emotions; Debate: trait or intelligence? Can be developed

Cognition and Interpretation

Cognitive Interpretation → Feelings; Construal Theory: How we interpret experiences affects happiness

Measuring Happiness

Empirical evidence used in positive psychology; Surveys (trust results but understand limits)

Challenges in Measuring Happiness

Objective (food, housing) vs. Subjective (life satisfaction)

Research Examples

Peak-End Rule: End + peak moments shape memory of experiences; Weather: Sunny days improve happiness

Long-Term Studies

High school yearbook: Bigger smile = higher happiness later; Many intentional activities are habits; Half of what we do is automatic