Positive Psychology

In Wegner's research, the ironic effects of mental control refer to findings that attempts at self-control, such as trying not to think about a white bear,

often increases rather than decreases the occurrence of the unwanted thoughts or desire that we are trying to suppress.

In diverse samples and domains of life, Fredrickson and Losado examined the ratio of positive and negative emotional experiences in relation to individual and group functioning. They found evidence that a critical positivity ratio of

2.9 (or above) positive to negative emotions predicted was the dividing line between flourishing and languishing

Studies of identical and fraternal twins suggest that about ________of people's typical level of positive/negative affect and happiness is determined by genetics.

50%

Corey Keyes' "complete model of mental health" describes

a continuum running from mental illness to flourishing.

A used by psychologists, temperament refers to

a genetically-determined physiological disposition to respond to the environment in stable and typical manner.

Martin Seligman combines the major elements of hedonic and eudaimonic perspectives in describing a three-part analysis of happiness. According to Seligman the three components of a happy life are

a pleasant life, an engaged life, and a meaningful life.

What is the essential nature of mindfulness meditation? As described by Kabat-Zinn, mindfulness meditation is

a practical way to see life's problems through a clear mind.

Religion and spirituality have been shown to have

a small but consistently positive relationship to well-being.

Positive psychologists argue that national statistics describing how we are doing as a society provide a misleading view of happiness and health because they

do not measure happiness and positive mental health or functioning directly.

According to Allport, people who use their religion to provide security, comfort, social status, and support have what kind of religious orientation?

extrinsic

Studies of happiness across the life span, the mid-life crisis, and the empty nest syndrome suggest that

no age or stage of life seems to be happier or unhappier than any other.

Which of the following are examples of the changes resulting from posttraumatic growth (PTG)?

feelings of personal strength, increased spirituality, less materialism, increased closeness to others.

According to the matching hypothesis, goals that are most likely to increase well-being when pursued and achieved are those that

fit and express a person's needs, values, and self-concept.

According to research by Diener and his colleagues, happiness is built more on the 1.___________of positive emotions than on their 2.______________ .

frequency 2. intensity

Carstenson's socioeomotional selectivity theory predicts that older adults and the elderly shift their life priorities from the

future to the present.

The bottom line of your text's discussion of genetics, personality, and relationships as explanations for the weak money-happiness connection was that

genetic make-up, personality, and relationships are more important and not much affected by the money people make.

Seligman's three-part description of happiness describes a pleasant life, an engaged life, and a meaningful life. In his analysis a meaningful life derives from

going beyond self-interest through involvements in something larger than the self, such as serving others

Human resilience refers to

good outcomes despite serious threat or challenge.

Human resilience refers to

good outcomes despite serious threats and challenge.

In contrast to mindfulness, mindlessness refers to a state of consciousness

governed by rule and routine, with little awareness of what is happening "right now."

Within positive psychology a trait is considered "positive" because it contributes to or is associated with

happiness, emotional health, physical health, or virtue.

Consistent with Carstenson's socioemotional selectivity theory, research shows that older married couples and the elderly

have more satisfying marriages and invest more in a smaller circle of established relationships rather than in meeting new people.

An essential theme within positive psychology, discussed at the beginning of Chapter 12 (section titled Positive Psychology Revisited), is that

health and happiness are more than the absence of illness and unhappiness.

According to your textbook authors, a basic difference between hedonic and eudaimonic approaches to understanding happiness and well-being is that

hedonic approaches are "research driven" and eudaimonic approaches are "theory driven."

A study of 200 college students (Wolfe & Johnson) examined the extent to which high school grades, SAT scores, and 32 different personality variables could predict students

high school grades was the top predictor and self-control was the second best predictor of college grades.

Within psychology's recent history, ____________ psychology has been one of the stronger voices for a more positive approach to the study of human behavior.

humanistic

In their study of happiness and success in college, Sheldon and Houser-Marko evaluated freshmen students' reasons for attending college according to the extent to which their reasons reflected external, introjected, identified, or intrinsic motivations. What reason/motive type was most related to higher grades, personal goal fulfillment, better social and emotional adjustment, and personal development?

identified and intrinsic - consistent with self-concordance theory

Cognitive therapy developed by Aaron Beck to treat depression may have much in common with disidentification within meditative practice, because both cognitive therapy and disidentification involve stopping the tendency to

identify with one's thoughts rather than reality.

For positive psychologists, one problem with the disease model is that it

implies that the mental health is the simply the absence of mental illness.

In his classic book The Anatomy of an Illness, Norman Cousins describes what might be called his ______ cure for ankylosing spondylists, a painful disease of joints and connecting tissue.

laughing

Studies of the relationship between dispositional optimism and physical/emotional health find that compared to pessimism, optimism is associated with

less depression, less distress in the face of serious illness, faster illness recovery, and a longer life.

Subjective well-being (SWB) is defined and measured by

life satisfaction, positive affect, and negative affect.

Baumeister and Exline argue that one of the most important functions of virtue and morality is to

maintain harmonious relationships with others by controlling selfish needs.

According to the research by Van Boven and Gilovich, many of the negative effects of materialism can be reduced if people would

make more experiential purchases that involve new experiences and learning opportunities.

"If a person had all the other qualities you desire, would you still marry this person if you were not in love?" American college students were asked this question in the 1960s and again in the 1990s. When researchers compared answers for the two time periods they found

many students (especially women) said C. many students (especially women) said "yes" in the 1960s, but in the 1990s the overwhelming response of both men and women was "no."

Posttraumatic growth seems to depend heavily on

meaning-making

What is paradoxical about gender and happiness?

men and women are equally happy even though women experience more frequent negative emotions and show higher rates of depression.

Within-country comparisons of life satisfaction/happiness and per capita income show

moderate positive correlations among poor, but very small correlations among more affluent countries, consistent with the idea of basic need fulfillment

The "two-minded view" of money and happiness refers to surveys showing that most people seem to believe that

money is not a basis for happiness, but think that more money will make them happier.

The relationship between more education and higher levels of happiness probably results from the fact that

more education leads to more satisfying and financially rewarding jobs.

Stone and his colleagues had adult men keep a daily diary of their moods at work, home, and in leisure activities for 12 weeks. Each man in the study also took a harmless protein antigen pill every day. Results showed that the

more positive moods and events the men experienced the more antibodies to the antigen pill their immune systems produced.

According to the second author of your text (a practicing psychotherapist), psychotherapy is a form of mindfulness coaching because people in emotional trouble

need help in becoming aware of the feelings and undesirable aspects of their personality that they work so hard to suppress.

One of the more noteworthy findings of survey researchers studying subjective well-being or happiness is that the connection between money and happiness is

overall, very weak except for the very poor.

Brown and Ryan make a connection between mindfulness and goal research. These researchers believe that mindfulness may be particularly important for

overriding automatic behaviors, increasing autonomous choices, and regulating goal directed behavior.

Buckner and his colleagues studied resilience among disadvantaged youth (ages 8 to 17) living in poverty. Their sample included Caucasians, African Americans, Puerto Ricans, and other Latinos. Nearly a third (29%) of their sample was classified as resilient. Which of the following parental factors differentiated resilient from non-resilient youths?

parental monitoring of youth activities and whereabouts

Research evaluating the importance of social comparison processes in people

people are not passive social comparison victims, but actively choose who to compare themselves to.

According to Waterman's studies, eudaimonic enjoyment results from activities that create feelings of

personal expressiveness, meaning, challenge, competence, and growth.

According to the research of Janoff-Bulman, what three assumptions or beliefs are shattered by trauma and loss (i.e., negative effects of trauma)?

personal invulnerability, meaningfulness, and positive view of self.

The difference between hedonic and eudaimonic conceptions of happiness boils down to the difference between

pleasure/happiness and meaning/personal expressiveness.

As shown in Watson's research, the strongest predictive component and the most defining feature of happiness within the subjective well-being conception is

positive affect.

The most recent studies in health psychology are of particular interest to positive psychologists because they suggest that

positive emotions may effect our health in ways that are essentially opposite from those for negative emotions.

The relationship between the traits of self-esteem and optimism to physical/emotional health may be based on the connection of these two traits to

positive emotions.

Based on studies of children and youth, Masten has described three general categories of protective factors that contribute to resilient responses: those within the child, within the family, and within the community. Which of the following have been identified as "within the child protective factors"?

positive self-image, optimism, easy-going temperament, and good intellectual and problem solving skills.

Which of the following is true concerning the effects of social relationships on well-being? Relationships

predict happiness across different cultures, are as important as smoking and obesity to physical health, and are a major contributor to mental health.

Research by Tice and Baumeister examined differences in performance and stress levels among college students who did or not procrastinate in completing term papers and major class projects. Overall they found that procrastination

produces short-term benefits, but longer-term costs.

Psychologists believe and research suggests that forgiveness may be particularly valuable for

reducing the negative health effects of anger and for repairing relationships.

In a Chicago Tribune survey reported by Csikszentmihalyi, people at various yearly income levels (e.g., $30,000, $100,000) were asked whether more money would make them happier. Survey results showed that

regardless of their current income people believed more money would make them happier.

According to attachment theory, some of our most basic emotional responses to intimate relationships are shaped by

relationships with our parents.

If your goal is to do something nice for someone, you only have to think of one thing to do. If your goal is to avoid offending people, you have to be continuously on guard for signs of any offense in all your social interactions. This example highlights one reason that avoidance goals are more difficult to achieve. Avoidance goals

require constant monitoring and vigilance that may deplete our self-control resources.

What does Ann Masten mean when she describes human resilience as "ordinary magic"?

resilient responses are quite common and stem from normal and everyday capacities and conditions.

Which adult attachment style is associated with being a supportive partner, more intimate disclosures, more satisfying social life, and a higher level of emotional well-being?

secure

Baumeister and Exline argue that the Seven Deadly Sins (e.g., gluttony, greed, lust, anger) result from

self-control failure, suggesting self-control is the "moral muscle" behind virtuous behaviors and therefore the master virtue.

Research by Baumeister and his colleagues presented people with tasks that require self-control (like eating vegetables instead of available chocolates) have found that on subsequent self-control tasks people

self-control is a limited resource like a muscle that tires with repeated use.

According to Bryant and Verhoff, three preconditions must be met for a savoring experience to occur. These are

sense of here and now, setting aside self-esteem needs, and a mindful appreciation of the moment

According studies by Csikszentmihalyi, the flow experience is characterized by

total absorption, loss of self, and exhilaration

Both physiological and self-report studies suggest that positive and negative affect are best regarded as

two basic dimensions of our emotional experience.

Eudaimonic theories of well-being, such as self-determination theory, generally support a

universalistic view of well-being by positing basic needs shared by all human beings.

One of he ways that optimism "works" is that optimists

use more effective, active, and flexible coping strategies while pessimists use more passive strategies such as denial and withdrawal.

Studies of the wealthiest Americans and longitudinal studies examining the effects of increased and decreased income on happiness show that overall,

the amount of money people make is only weakly related to happiness.

According to the historical analysis of Solomon and his colleagues (developers of terror management theory), what does gold in ancient Egypt, the Temple of Juno Moneta in Rome, and the imagery on a U.S. dollar bill all have in common? These authors argue that each of these example show

the connection of money to the transcendence of death.

Diener and Fujita examined the relationship between personal resources (e.g.. intelligence, social skills, support) and personal goals, and well-being among college students. These researchers found that higher levels of well-being and happiness were related to

the degree of match or congruence between resources and personal goals.

In a series of studies, Laura King and her colleagues examined the relationship between positive affect (e.g., happiness) and sense of meaningfulness or life purpose. Overall, these studies found that

the experience of positive affect was consistently related to meaningfulness.

Positive psychologists argue that statistics on the objective facts of people's lives give a misleading view of well-being because

the facts of people's lives are not strongly related to their subjective interpretations

According to self-discrepancy theory, what determines how people feel (e.g., good or disappointed) when they evaluate themselves relative to their own standards?

the magnitude of the discrepancy between their actual, ideal, and ought selves

In a study of his distinction between a hot and a cool control system Mischel used the delay of gratification marshmallow test. Which set of instructions described below led to longest delays in gratification? Children who were asked to think about

the marshmallow as a puffy cloud.

The emergence of positive psychology in the late 1990s had much to do with cultural trends, or zeitgeist, captured in the phrase

the paradox of affluence

Posttraumatic growth (PTG) refers to the

the positive life lessons and changes that may result from a traumatic event.

Social psychologists have documented one of the most important contributions to well-being, which is

the powerful connection between relationships with others and personal happiness.

In Gottman and his colleagues's "love lab" studies, married couples are observed in an apartment where their verbal, nonverbal and physiological responses are carefully recorded. Gottman found that happy/stable couples were distinguished from those headed for divorce by

the ratio of positive to negative behaviors.

Longitudinal studies consistently show one potential difficulty with passion and romantic love as the primary basis for marriage, which is that

these positive emotions together with marital satisfaction decline over time.

Self-regulation and control have to do with the ________ of goal achievement.

"how"

Relationship researchers comparing friendship and romantic partners have investigated what people mean when they say they "love" someone and when they say they are "in love" with someone. Studies suggest that

"in love" involves feelings of sexual desire and attraction and is used to describe romantic, but not friendship, relationships.

In the dorm room assignment study by Dunn and her colleagues, what was the basis for students' predicted happiness with their dorm assignment and what determined their actual dorm-life satisfaction? 1. Predicted_____________ 2. Actual____________

1. Location 2. Social relationships

Up until the recent economic downturn, individual income and consumer purchases have risen dramatically over the last 40 years. During this same period, Americans' level of life satisfaction and happiness has 1.___________and rates of depression have 2._____________.

1. not changed 2. increased dramatically

Health researchers have described three coping strategies that people may adopt to reduce stress and its negative effects. Each approach has a different goal or focus. The goal of problem-focused coping is to 1.__________, emotion-focused coping is to 2.____________ and pro-active coping is to 3._____________.

1. reduce or eliminate the source of the stress 2. change or reduce one's response to stress 3. prevent stress from happening in the first place

Harker and Kletner examined the type of smile women showed in their women

Duchenne smiles were related to greater health and happiness and more stable and satisfying marriages.

In their classic study of the "dark side of the American dream," Kasser and Ryan found strong evidence for an inverse relationship between financial aspirations and well-being. What was the specific nature of this relationship?

People who rated financial success as more important than intrinsic goals such as self-acceptance and affiliation showed lowered well-being.

Overall, what have researchers concluded about the well-being benefits of religion?

Religion shows small but consistently positive well-being benefits.

Terror management theory states that the evolution of human intelligence came with a price tag. Which is that

all humans are aware that they will eventually die.

Lyubormirsky has investigated the differences between very happy and unhappy people. Her studies show that unhappy people

all of the above

Recent studies by Brown and Ryan using the Mindfulness Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS) have

all of the above

Mindfulness refers to

an open and receptive, present-centered attention focused on the way things

What is the connection of death and materialism as shown in studies employing a mortality salience condition in which people are instructed to think about their own death? Studies of mortality salience show that

anxiety about death increased materialistic expectations and behavior, suggesting that money and possessions may provide a sense of safety and security.

The concept of depressive realism is supported by researching showing that mildly depressed people (compared to the non-depressed)

are more accurate in their judgments of themselves and their life, supporting a sadder-but-wiser effect.

According to Bryant and Verhoff, savoring refers to people

attend to, appreciate, and extend positive experiences.

The concept of relative deprivation as an explanation for why more money doesn't necessarily bring more happiness suggests that people's satisfaction with their income and material possessions is

based on social comparisons rather than objective life circumstances.

The major finding of the Nun Study was that

cheerful and upbeat nuns lived significantly longer that less cheerful nuns

Buckner and his colleagues studied resilience among disadvantaged youth (ages 8 to 17) living in poverty. Their sample included Caucasians, African Americans, Puerto Ricans, and other Latinos. Nearly a third (29%) of their sample was classified as resilient. What did these researchers find was the most powerful predictor of resilience among disadvantaged youth?

cognitive and emotional self-regulation abilities

Most relationship researchers would affirm the implications of the Lauer's study of 351 couples married at least 15 years by arguing that enduring and happy marriages are built on

companionate love based on friendship rather than romantic

The virtue of transcendence

connects the individual to larger and deeper meanings of life.

The effects of marriage on individual happiness and well-being, as shown in large national sample surveys, is

considerable stronger than most other demographic variables.

Many social observers believe that the increasing emphasis on romantic love and emotional fulfillment in marriage

contributes to divorce because expectations are too high, which leads to disillusionment

Studies of negative affect across the life span consistently show that negative affect (emotion) __________________as we get older.

decreases

Research investigating the characteristics that define a wise person have found that wisdom is

defined by knowledge and judgment related to the conduct of a virtuous life.

Walter Mischel's classic studies with children using what came to be called the "marshmallow test" showed that children who were able to_____________ went on to become more socially and academically competent teenagers.

delay gratification by resisting immediate temptations

Goals are defined as

desired states and outcomes that people expend energy trying to achieve.

Research by Carver & Scheier suggests that important factors determining the well-being effects of goal disengagement (giving up an important life goal) are

differences in people's ability to let go (disengage from a goal) and ability to reengage in new goals.

In one of Fredrickson's studies, college students became very nervous after they were told they had one minute to prepare a speech to give in front of their peers. After preparing their speeches, students were assigned to different conditions to watch films with a neutral, positive, or negative emotional content. The findings of this study supports the value of positive emotions

in undoing the effects of negative emotions because of the faster rate of return to baseline heart-rate among students in the positive emotion film group.

As used by psychologists, traits refer to

internal dispositions that influence how we look at the world.

In Sternberg's triangular theory of love, different varieties of love are based on three essential ingredients. These are

intimacy, passion, and commitment.

Researchers have found that higher-quality family life, self-esteem, optimism, social support, and enhanced mental health are consistently linked to what type of religious orientation?

intrinsic

A basic premise of positive psychology is that the field of psychology

is out of balance with too much focus on negative human behaviors.

Kunzman and his colleagues examined age-related differences in two types of positive emotions: pleasant affect and positive involvement. They also examined age differences in two lifestyles: a hedonic lifestyle and a more eudaimonic and growth-related lifestyle. Overall their findings suggest that the basis for positive emotions

shifts from pleasant affect and a hedonic lifestyle when young, to positive involvement and a growth-related lifestyle in older adulthood.

When Waterman had people rate their 5 most self-defining activities according to their level of hedonic and eudaimonic enjoyment, he found that the hedonic and eudaimonic ratings

showed substantial overlap (50 to 66%).

Earnest Becker in his classic book The Denial of Death argued that everything from the Egyptian pyramids to modern skyscrapers to cultural heroes who triumph over adversity all communicate the symbolic message that

we don't really die.

When psychologists (e.g. Baumeister) examined the empirical evidence for the widespread cultural assumption that: a) low self-esteem was a significant cause of individual problems, such as school failure and drug abuse, and that b) raising self-esteem would "cure" these problems because of its many benefits, they found

weak support for either assumption.

The study by Schkade and Kahneman found that students living in California and the Midwest

were most affected by winter weather, with Californians showing higher life satisfaction during the winter, but not for the spring, summer, and fall.

Which of the following are the six "universal" virtues identified by the Values in Action Project?

wisdom, courage, humanity, justice, temperance, and transcendence.

To measure wisdom, Baltes and his colleagues use trained judge's evaluation of people's responses to various life dilemmas. In one study using the life dilemma measure, Baltes and Kunzman asked whether wise people are happier than the less wise. Results from their study found that

wise people report both less negative and less positive emotional experiences suggesting skill at self-control.

Two things are important to keep in mind when we interpret national differences in the income-happiness relationship. These are that

within-country comparisons are heavily influenced by personality differences and between-country comparisons are influenced by co-variations in things like freedom, individual rights, and access to resources.