COMR 329 - Week 1: Happiness and Stress

Why does happiness matter?

• It is the goal for humans

• Keeps us motivated and goal oriented

• Seeking happiness guides and directs vast majority of our decisions (inside and outside of work)

What are some good and bad factors we use as a guide to make choices that make us happy?

• Memory issues

• Overestimate the positive

• Missing details of future outcomes

• Presentism

• Pre-feelings

• Paradise-glossed

Memory Issues

It is usually faulty because we perceive things in different ways. We tend to recall the past in a way that is self-serving

Overestimate the positive

We tend to be over optimistic about our futures

Missing details of future outcomes

• There is uncertainty about the future as the farther away it is the more vague

• Many details will be left out but we are not aware of it yet

• Don’t predict how others feel

Presentism

• Underestimate how different the future will be from the present

• The practice of judging past actions and people by modern standards and values

Pre-feelings

• Feelings can help us make decisions

• Follow our intuition/anchoring how we feel

• Present context/factors can trick our feelings

• Avoid making decisions when experiencing strong feelings

Paradise glossed

• We rationalize our way into and out of the choices we made to find happiness

• Adapting to factors we are given

• Glosses over negative aspects and focus on positive ones to find contentment

What is stress?

A response to things that matter, and could be a threat to one’s values

eg: school, deadlines

Primary appraisal

Occurs as people evaluate the significance and the meaning of the stressor they’re confronting

Secondary appraisal

Centre on the issue of how people manage the stressors they face

Hinderance stressors

• Perceived as negative

• Barriers to success and triggers negative emotions

• eg: role conflict(workload), ambiguity, daily hassles

Challenge stressors

• Stressful demands perceived as opportunities to grow/achieve and triggers positive emotions

• eg: extra responsibilities, time pressure, going beyond one’s capabilities

Strains

• Physiological - health complexities (illness

• Psychological - burnout, depression, anxiety

• Behaviour - compulsive behaviours, substance use, overeating

Inverted U Function

Moderate levels of stress can be beneficial

General Adaptative Syndrome

• Recognition (alarm)

• Resistance (ignoring symptoms, stress remains)

• Exhaustion (physical health declines)

Typology of Coping Responses

• Fight → seek change

• Flight → escape situation

• Benign Reappraisal → change how you think abt it

• Behavioral vs Cognitive

• Problem vs Emotional Focused

• Target Primary Appraisal → change the stressor or its value to you

• Secondary Appraisal → Change your ability to cope

• Symptoms → deal directly w/ strains