PSYC 1113 Chapter 14

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• Title: Happiness - Yunsuh Nike Wee

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• Important Dates:

  • SB Quiz: Due 11/15 @ 11:59 PM (SB 12, 11, 10, 14, 16)

  • Research Credits (SONA): Last day to earn research credit is 12/6 @ 5 PM

  • CTE: Unit 8 Due 11/15 @ 11:59 PM

  • Review date: 11/19

  • Exam 3: Scheduled for 11/21

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• Key Topics of Study:

  • Subjective Well-Being (SWB): Definition, measurement, and study

  • Characteristics of happy individuals: attractiveness, wealth, youth, religiousity, personality, and lifestyle

  • Psychological processes relevant to happiness: adaptation, flow, happiness judgments, and prediction biases

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• Course Overview:

  • Aim: To provide insights into overestimated and underestimated aspects of life

  • Clarification: This is NOT a "how-to-be-happy" course

  • Central Question: "Who is Mr. Happiness?"

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• Subjective Well-Being (SWB):

  • Basic Premise: Understanding individual well-being requires direct measurement of cognitive and affective experiences in life

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• What is Happiness?:

  • According to ordinary people (Freedman, 1978):

    • Defined as a 'good' state of being, fulfilling desires,

    • Associated with feeling good about oneself and the world

    • Considered a major life goal

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• Happiness as Fun, Excitement, and Pleasure:

  • Focus on pleasures arising from active experiences (e.g., sports, parties, sex)

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• Happiness as Peace of Mind and Contentment:

  • Emphasis on the absence of negative feelings (e.g., worry)

  • Greater focus on satisfaction over thrill and contentment over mere fun

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• Active vs Passive Aspects of Happiness:

  • Both elements are necessary for true happiness

  • Pleasure alone is insufficient; satisfaction without joy can feel empty

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• Structure of Subjective Well-Being (SWB):

  • Components include:

    • Life Satisfaction (LS)

    • Positive Affect (PA)

    • Negative Affect (NA)

  • Independence of frequency of each component

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• Independence of Positive and Negative Affect (PANA):

  • Querying the idea of "Hot Cold independence"

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• Roles of Positive and Negative Affect:

  • Watson et al. (1999):

    • Positive Affect: Prepares individuals for energetic, active states in favorable conditions

    • Negative Affect: Maintains a constant level, aiding in threat awareness

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• Importance of Understanding PA & NA:

  • They are influenced by distinct sets of factors and serve different functions (exploration vs. safety)

  • Simply measuring absence of Negative Affect (e.g., depression) is inadequate

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• Emotions as Signals:

  • Negative Emotions: Indicate danger and potential harm

  • Positive Emotions: Signal opportunities and resources critical for survival

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• Frequency of Positive Affect (PA):

  • Importance of the frequency over intensity of positive experiences

  • Intense PA is rare and can have negative aftermath

  • Quote: "Happiness is the frequency, not the intensity, of positive affect" (Diener et al., 1991)

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• Key Message: Happiness comprises numerous small joys rather than a singular, monumental experience

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• Summary of Measuring SWB:

  • SWB includes both cognitive (LS) and emotional aspects (PA & NA)

  • Subjectivity of SWB and its emphasis on the presence of Positive Affect

  • Focus on frequency, not intensity

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• Quote: "Life swings like a pendulum backward and forward between pain and boredom." ─ Arthur Schopenhauer

• Myth: Most people are unhappy

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• Misconceptions about Happiness in America:

  • Lifetime clinical depression estimate: 8-18% vs. higher estimates (e.g., working adults 49%, psychology majors 50%)

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• Positive Life Satisfaction in America:

  • Percent of Americans reporting positive life satisfaction (above neutral):

    • Working adults: 56%

    • Psychology majors: 61%

    • Clinical graduate students: 48%

  • Actual finding: 82-84% report positive satisfaction

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• Universally Happy: Graph of SWB data:

  • Based on self-reported surveys (916 total) across nations measured on a 0-10 scale

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• Reasons for General Happiness:

  • SWB Homeostasis (setpoint)

  • Longitudinal study shows minimal change (+3%) in happiness over 21 years across 2000 individuals

  • Positive baseline for humans to focus on negative events vital for survival

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• Evolutionary Perspective:

  • Suggests positive emotions may have been evolutionarily selected for survival and mating advantages

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• Who is Happy?:

  • Relevant life conditions: Money, youth, health, marriage, attractiveness, religiosity

  • Complexity of happiness is acknowledged

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• Money and Happiness:

  • La Rochefoucauld's View: Evaluate the happiness of those possessing what we desire

  • Conclusion from research (Diener et al., 1999): Life conditions mildly correlate with happiness

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• Insights on Money's Influence:

  • Summary of research trends on money's effects on happiness

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• Income and Happiness:

  • Income predicts less daily sadness but not necessarily more daily happiness (Kushlev et al., 2015)

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• Reasons for Limited Effect of Income on Happiness:

  • Concepts: Adaptation and hedonistic treadmill

  • Expectations and standards of happiness change over time

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• How Spending Money Impacts Happiness:

  • Material purchase vs Experiential purchase

    • Material: Tangible objects

    • Experiential: Enjoy experiences (e.g., travel, activities)

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• Social Context of Happiness:

  • Emphasis on how experiences with social interactions enhance happiness

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• Final Thoughts on Money's Role in Happiness:

  • Money is impactful for those in dire need, less so when basic needs are met

  • The connection between money and SWB often overstated

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• Value of Marriage to Happiness:

  • An outline exploring marriage's role in well-being

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• Statistics on Marriage and Happiness:

  • Impact of marital status on happiness and depression rates across demographics

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• Benefits of Marriage:

  • Consistently linked to better physical health, longer lifespan

  • Enhanced social support, coping mechanisms through challenges

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• Potential Measurement Issues:

  • Need for longitudinal data to assess the pure effect of marriage on happiness

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• Selection Effect:

  • Findings show that individuals with high life satisfaction are more likely to marry and maintain relationships

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• Childbirth's Effect on SWB:

  • Study exploring SWB related to childbirth dynamics over time

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• Effects of Marriage on SWB over Time:

  • Observations following individuals before and after marriage for reactions in SWB

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• Conflict in Past Studies about Marriage's Influence:

  • Shortcomings in merely comparing groups (i.e., married vs. single)

  • Highlight missed changes in personal experiences affecting SWB

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• Impact of Age on Happiness:

  • General trends observed across age groups and life satisfaction percentages

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• Age and SWB Trends:

  • Life satisfaction remains consistent across age groups, no significant evidence of age-decline in happiness

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• Religion’s Role in Happiness: Overview

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• Data on Religious Attendance and Happiness:

  • Correlation between frequency of religious attendance and levels of happiness

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• The Role of Religiosity in SWB:

  • Research indicates life conditions impact happiness levels in various degrees

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• Reasons for Happiness through Religion:

  • Psychological and social benefits such as meaning, purpose, and social support

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• Factors in Happiness Associated with Physical Attractiveness:

  • Insights into the relation between physical looks and subjective wellbeing

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• Gender Differences in SWB:

  • Observations pre-dominantly indicate more depression in women, but equal levels of happiness

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• Exploration of Social Relationships and Satisfaction:

  • Relationships are crucial for enhancing SWB across various demographics and personal circumstances

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• Findings from Personality Studies:

  • Studies reveal that gender and other factors contribute to SWB effects

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• Potential Predictors of Happiness:

  • Examination of social relationships, happiness factors, and overall well-being

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• Varied Emotional Responses:

  • Understanding gendered differences in emotional expression and socialization effects on happiness levels

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• Mind Wandering's Effect on Happiness:

  • Research highlights the relationship between focused engagement and happiness

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• Circumstances for Happiness:

  • Happiness relies on being present and engaged in enjoyable activities with others

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• Prediction of Happiness:

  • Evaluating accuracy in predictions related to major life decisions

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• Major Life Decisions & Happiness Forecasts:

  • Errors in predicting future happiness levels highlighted

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• Common Misjudgments in Happiness Predictions:

  • Challenges involve the underestimation of adaptive capacities to events

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• Reflection on Life's Extremes:

  • Questions posed about expected impacts of positive and negative outcomes on happiness

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• The Role of Romantic Relationships in Happiness:

  • Examining expectations versus reality in romantic relationship dynamics

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• Academic Tenure Study Insights:

  • Exploration of how predictions of happiness differ from actual experienced emotions

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• Relative Happiness of Lottery Winners:

  • Insights into the psychology of happiness against life circumstances

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• Emotional Intensity vs. Time:

  • Overview of predictably compared with experienced emotional intensity across time frames

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• Errors in Happiness Forecasting:

  • Discussion around neglecting factors while overestimating salient features of experiences

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• The Concept of Immune Neglect:

  • Individuals often underestimate resilience and coping mechanisms following negative events

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• Focalism in Predictions:

  • The tendency to focus narrowly on specific events leading to inaccurate assessments of overall happiness

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• Evidence from College Study:

  • Researching the correlation of de-focalized discussions and post-event happiness predictions

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• Practical Happiness Assessment Techniques:

  • Insights into how changing focus can lead to clearer happiness forecasting

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• Summary on Objective Factors:

  • Overall minor impact of demographic differences on SWB and happiness prediction

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• Set-point Theory of Happiness:

  • Discussion focusing on adaptability of happiness within inherent ranges

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• Knowledge of the Hedonic Treadmill:

  • Explanation of emotional adaptation to experiences over time

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• Research on Weekly Mood Fluctuations:

  • Correlations drawn from extroverts to introverts across moods throughout the week

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• Understanding the Hedonic Treadmill:

  • The cycle of emotional engagement followed by feelings of dissatisfaction

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• Insights into Emotional Adaptation:

  • Discussion of exceptions regarding adaptation and traumatic experiences

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• Graphic Representation of Adaptation over Life Events:

  • Longitudinal data illustrating how individuals adjust to pivotal life moments

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• Key Takeaways:

  • Importance of recognizing the inflation of emotional experiences over time

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• Understanding Factors Crucial to Happiness:

  • Society and individual difference factors impacting overall well-being and satisfaction

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• Significance of Individual Characteristics:

  • Observations highlighting temperament and personality traits within happiness dimensions

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• Disposition Model of SWB:

  • Understanding that individuals have genetic predispositions affecting happiness levels

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• Findings from Twin Studies:

  • Analysis of varying traits showing high heritability toward happiness

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• Role of Personality in Predicting SWB:

  • Correspondences among various personality traits and their predictive strength on happiness scores

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• Comparative Analysis on Happiness Predictions Based on Gender:

  • Summary of excessive social connections resulting in personal happiness stats

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• Extraversion as a Key Predictor:

  • Review of multiple studies confirming extraversion positively correlates with happiness

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• Behavioral Patterns of Extraverts:

  • Focused on the social and intrinsic motivations contributing to happy states

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• Social Prediction of Extraversion Across Species:

  • Evidence that not only humans but other primates reflect similar happiness traits

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• Dual View on Extraversion:

  • Exploring instrumental versus temperamental influences on happiness levels among individuals

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• Conclusion on Extraversion and Happiness:

  • Discusses the role of social environment relating to varying extent of happiness across personality

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• Establishing Flow in Activities:

  • The significance of engaging in activities for intrinsic joy and fulfillment

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• Characteristics of Flow States:

  • Requirements for activities to lead to flow, balancing skills with challenges

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• Live Example of Flow State:

  • Key differentiating factors that illustrate intrinsic fulfillment in activities

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• Outcomes of Happiness Engagement:

  • Happiness arising from the process rather than the destination

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• Understanding Happiness Beyond Targets:

  • Emphasizing day-to-day living, not merely achieving long-term goals

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• Requirements of Happiness for Individuals:

  • Analysis of differentiating factors contributing to major happiness levels across individuals

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• Personality Role in Happiness Levels:

  • Quantitative study explaining correlations among personality and happiness demographics

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• Enhanced Social Relationships and Happiness:

  • Research affirmation of social connections as pivotal to higher life satisfaction

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• Recognition of Social Experiences:

  • Essential examination of social, individual factors across happiness metrics

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• Closing Thoughts:

  • Emphasizing the continual quest for happiness laid with social bonds and contributions