Positive Psychology and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Flashcards reviewing key concepts from the lecture on positive psychology, focusing on techniques for cultivating positive thoughts and emotions, the broaden-and-build theory, and its applications in therapy.

What is the main idea behind the 'Taking in the Good' concept?

Focus on how you want to feel, be aware of visceral sensations, and deliberately intensify positive experiences.

How do positive emotions like love affect the body, according to the lecture?

They stimulate the release of oxytocin, enhancing mood and the ability to bond with others.

What is the relationship of emotions to information processing in the brain?

Emotions greatly affect information processing throughout the entire brain through amygdala responses and ascending fibers.

What neurological process underlies the idea of using positive experiences to balance negative ones?

Memory Reconsolidation

How does memory reconsolidation work to modify memories?

When a memory is retrieved, the brain rewrites it, linking it to present concerns and understanding, potentially associating it with pleasant or unpleasant feelings.

According to a priming study discussed (Smith, Larsen, Chartrand et al., 2006), how does accessing positive constructs affect attention to negative information?

Accessing positive constructs attenuates attention to negative information.

According to the lecture, what happens when we are trying to suppress negative thoughts?

It’s very difficult to suppress a maladaptive thought/emotion; it’s much easier to replace the thought/emotion with a more desirable one

According to the lecture, what does behavior therapy do to enhance happiness?

It shifts other people’s behavior in a positive direction

What are some principles of Behavior Therapy?

Use approximations, devise incompatible behaviors, and use least reinforcing syndrome

What is the core concept of Barbara Fredrickson’s Broaden-and-Build Theory?

Positive emotions build upward spirals of positivity, countering downward spirals of negativity.

According to the Broaden-and-Build Theory, how does behavioral flexibility improve well-being?

Behavioral flexibility over time builds personal resources, such as mindfulness, resilience, social closeness, and even physical health, which in turn further promotes well-being

How do induced positive emotions affect visual attention, according to the lecture?

They broaden the scope of people's visual attention.

Referring to the Remote Associates Test (RAT), how is performance affected by positive mood?

Positive affect improved scores on task, suggesting an increase in the scope of semantic access

Referring to the Flanker Test, how is performance affected by positive mood?

Positive affect impaired performance on task, indicating increased processing of flanking distractors, suggesting an increase in the scope of visuospatial attention

According to the lecture, how do positive affective states alter the parahippocampal place area (PPA)?

Positive affective states increased the PPA response to novel places while negative states decreased it.

How does positive affect affect creativity?

Positive affect facilitates creativity, probably by increasing attentional scope to include weakly activated solution possibilities

What role does dopamine release play in the broadening effects of positive emotions?

The broadening effects of positive emotions on cognition and behavior may be partly mediated by dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens, striatum, and other cortical and limbic regions

What is rumination, and how does it affect us?

Rumination involves dwelling on a narrow theme and is associated with depression. It leads to a distorted, pessimistic perspective on one's life.

What is a more effective immediate response to being upset than rumination?

To broaden your perspective by making some very general positive affirmations

In the context of resilience, how does the ability to self-generate positive emotions affect coping?

The ability to self-generate positive emotions in the face of adversity is a key ingredient of resilient coping

How do positive emotions mediate the effects of stress on resilient people?

Positive emotions account for resilient people's greater ability to rebound from both adversity and cardiovascular reactivity.

According to a survey study described in the lecture, what is the impact of positive emotions on resilience and life satisfaction?

Positive emotions predicted increases in both resilience and life satisfaction, and change in resilience mediated the relation between positive emotions and increased life satisfaction