PSYC 575 Unit II Exam

Passions: Flow States Theory

-"Happiness cannot be pursued; it must ensue". -"Happiness... is a condition that must be prepared for, cultivated, and defended privately by each person. People who learn to control inner experience will be able to determine the quality of their lives, which is as close as any of us can come to being happy" (Csikszentmihalyi). → Focus on the present moment. -8 Features of Flow States: 1. Challenges and skills in balance. 2. Complete concentration on the task at hand. 3. Clear goals with immediate feedback. 4. Sense of control over the task. 5. Sense of effortlessness. 6. Transformation of time (speeds up or slows down). 7. Intrinsic rewards. 8. Loss of self-consciousness (action and awareness merge).

Passions: Liking vs. Wanting Measured Via Animal Behavior

-"Liking" behavior - nonverbal cues with sweet tastes. -"Wanting" behavior - willingness to work.

Choices: Upward Social Comparison is the Thief of Joy

-Anagram Experiment: -->A participant and a confederate (slow vs. fast) solve anagrams side-by-side. -->Manipulation Check: Participants' rating of the confederates' solving speed. -->Outcome Measures: Participants' rating of mood and task ability pre-and-post task. -->Maximizers with a faster peer felt a larger decrease in their ability to solve the anagram and a greater increase in negative emotions due to social comparison.

Character Strengths: Meta-Analytic Evidence

-Analysis looking at the impact on positive emotions: -->Strength interventions aren't making PEs worse; they are constant or better results. -Impact on Depression: -->Small, reliable effects. -Impact on Life Satisfaction. **BOTTOM LINE: Few studies; small yet consistent, positive effects.

Passions: Flow Resides Between Anxiety & Boredom: Fittingly Challenging Activities Create Flow

-Any activity has a challenge, and you meet the activity with a certain level of skill. -Flow sits between boredom and anxiety (Flow Channel). -The goal is to find a close match between challenge and skill. -When bored, increase your challenge. Try to avoid low-skill and low-challenge.

Passions: Outer Loop of the Upward Spiral Theory --> A Biological Vantage Resource

-Cardiac Vagal Tone increases positive emotion yield. **Recall: When exposed to LKM, higher heart-rate variability showed higher positive emotions. -As people practiced meditation more, their heart rate variability improved. -Cardiac Vagal Tone, over time, increases liking and nonconscious motivations.

Meaning: Effects of Video on Universe Size Comparison

-Cosmos Film: 1 billion light years away control film. -Seeing film first made people score lower on cosmic mattering. -However, scores were higher for interpersonal mattering.

Meaning: Additional Elements For Well-Being & Meaning Among African Americans

-Endorsement of racial/ethnic identity is a predictor of religious commitment and satisfaction with life/presence of meaning. -Specific black values and practices combine to create black cultural strength, which predicts well-being. -->Communalism: "I make sacrifices for my family, and they do the same for me".

Passions: Inner Loop Processes of The Upward Spiral Theory

-Engagement in Health Behaviors → Positive Affect During Health Behaviors → Nonconscious Motives for Health Behavior. -Harmonious Passion → Positivity of Spontaneous Thoughts about Physical Activity → Frequency and Re-engagement of Physical Activity. -->Inner Loop = Passion Processes.

Choices: Prosocial Spending & Physical Well-Being

-Fewer sleep disorders. -Better hearing. -More physical strength. -Lower blood pressure. -Less physical pain over 10 years.

Meaning: Multi-Trait Multi-Method Research Design: 220 Knowledgable Co-Worker Pairs

-Fill out the PERMA measures for yourself and your co-worker. -Self-reported PERMA predicts: -->Self-reported subjective well-being. -->Collateral-reported subjective well-being. - 5 PERMA building blocks predict: -->Self-reported subjective well-being. -->Collateral-reported subjective well-being (same results predicted by co-worker). -Collateral-reported PERMA predicts: -->Self-reported subjective well-being. -->Collateral-reported subjective well-being. **BOTTOM LINE: Rules out self-report (mono-method) bias. -->Support for PERMA.

Passions: Positive Emotions & Positive Health Behaviors

-Forecast behavioral engagement. -Event at a 15-month follow-up. -Especially for positive emotions during positive health behaviors. -->Cross-day effects of fruit and vegetable consumption.

Character Strengths: The Reflected Best-Self Exercise (RBSE)

-Four Steps of the RBSE: 1. Identify 10-20 respondents who know you well. 2. Request feedback ("3 stories that describe a time when I was at my best and added value"). 3. Analyze the received feedback (look for themes). 4. Compose a Reflected Best-Self Portrait. -"Appreciative Jolts" that you don't typically experience. -->Surprising feedback that illuminates one's contributions and strengths and triggers self-reflection, disrupted routines, and changed behavior (e.g., an unexpected compliment; RBSE).

Meaning: Biological Underpinnings

-Gene expression in white blood cells positively correlates with eudaimonic well-being rather than hedonic well-being. -Heart rate variability/cardiac-vagal tone and higher correlations with eudaimonic well-being. -People enjoy the meditation more under oxytocin and felt more spiritual (lasts a week). -->Biological resources have a one-direction link to positive emotions and a reciprocal link to purpose. -->Biological resources may account for links from positive emotions and purpose to health and longevity (E). -->Purpose (meaning) may be more directly linked to biomarkers of health (E). **BOTTOM LINE: Some positive emotions matter more than others.

Passions: Origin of Vantage Sensitivity

-Genetic polymorphisms do not simply convey "risk" and "non-risk" for poor outcomes with negative exposures but may also convey "vantage sensitivity" and "vantage resistance" for good outcomes with positive exposures. -->Positive exposure (Loving-Kindness Meditation). -->Vantage sensitivity is dependent on the OXTR "GG" genotype (less resistant).

Passions: Harmonious Passions Predict Behavior Engagement Through Positive Spontaneous Thoughts

-Harmonious passion for physical activity drives the frequency of the physical activity through the active ingredient of positivity of spontaneous thoughts about the positive activity. -Only harmonious passion is related to happiness through positive, spontaneous thoughts and the frequency of physical activity.-You didn't try to have that thought, it just pushed itself into consciousness.

Passions: Dualistic Model of Passion Theory

-Harmonious passion → "Flexibly persistent" (Able to set it aside). -->Higher adaptiveness of outcomes. -Obsessive passion → "Rigidly persistent" ("If I don't get to do it, then my day is ruined"). -->Lower adaptiveness of outcomes. -Not a typology (i.e., not harmonious or obsessive → It can be both). -->Both-And not Either-Or. -The Passion Scale: -->I spend a lot of time doing this activity. -->I like this activity. -->This activity is important for me. -->This activity is a passion for me.

Passions: Fitness & Friendship Per The Upward Spiral Theory

-Having a friend when starting a new activity has a more positive affect and spontaneous thoughts, forming a desire to participate in it again. -What value might awareness of positive spontaneous thoughts have for lifestyle change (A)? -->Noticing whether such thoughts emerge can reveal the likely long-term success of one's attempts at lifestyle change. That is, their presence provides a clue as to whether you've successfully harnessed your non-conscious motives.

Choices: Paradox of Choice

-Having more choices is not inherently a negative thing. -Accommodates individual preferences. -It can be more motivating. -->When college students could choose which puzzles to solve vs. being forced to solve a particular puzzle, they were more motivated and performed better. -->However, having more choices becomes a disadvantage when the number of options exceeds the decision makers' cognitive resources.

Passions: Harmonious & Obsessive Passions Are Linked to Distinct Emotions & Forms of Well-Being

-Hedonic and Eudaimonic Well-Being: -->People who are harmonious in their passions have higher eudaimonic and hedonic well-being. -->Having no passion is equal to having an obsessive one. -Negative and Positive Emotions: -->Obsessive passions lead to negative affect, which leads to lower subjective well-being. -->Harmonious passions lead to positive affect, which leads to better subjective well-being.

Choices: Affective Forecasting & Exercise

-How pleasurable would exercising be? -The initial response is that exercising is associated with sweatiness and tiredness. -However, studies found that people enjoy exercising more than they anticipated.

Character Strengths: Why Know Them?

-If you aren't aware of your strengths, you won't use them. -Predictions of your own capacity are stronger than your actual strengths.

Meaning: Does the Preposition Matter?

-Meaning OF Life: -->Scope: large, existential. -->Focus: Seeks universal answer. -->Discipline: Philosophy. -->Example: "Why are we here on Earth?". -Meaning IN Life: -->Scope: small, personal. -->Focus: Seeks individual answer. -->Discipline: Psychology. -->Example: "What makes my life valuable to me?".

Meaning: Positive Emotions Vis-A-Vis Meaning

-Meaning triggers positive emotions. -Emotion is initiated by context-specific meaning assessment (shaped by past experiences). -Emotions change the lenses through which you see.

Meaning: Meaning Produces Positive Emotions

-Measured nightly report experiences of meaning for 21 days: -->Daily meaning in life predicted daily positive emotions (controlling for previous day positive emotions). -->Daily meaning in life predicted increases in positive emotions from the start to the end of the study (across the month). -In a randomized intervention study: -->A PPI that increased meaning in life also increased positive emotions (taking pictures and writing about it).

Meaning: More Than A Momentary Blip In The Universe? - Individual Variation

-Measures of daily and quarterly religiousness. -Positive associations between religiousness and meaning. -Cosmic mattering as the active ingredient between religiousness and perceived meaning. **BOTTOM LINE: Religiousness predicts meaning in life via cosmic mattering (mostly) and social mattering (less so).

Passions: Model Lessons (IMPORTANT)

-Model Lesson 1: -->When one box (e.g., Box 2) sits in the intermediate position between two other boxes, that middle box is a "mediator" or "active ingredient" that helps explain the association between Box 1 and Box 3. -Model Lesson 2: -->When one arrow (e.g., Arrow 1) points to the middle of another arrow (e.g., Arrow 2), the concept in the box from which Arrow 1 emerges (e.g., Box 4) is a "moderator" or "amplifier" of the association between Box 3 and Box 1. -->That is, the strength of the association between Box 3 and Box 1 depends on the value of Box 4 (or concepts in Box 3 and Box 4 interact to produce Box 1).

Character Strengths: Why Focus On Strengths vs. Weaknesses?

-More success and joy if you work on your signature strengths. -However, the reading from this week revealed that there was no difference in working on your signature strengths vs. your lesser strengths. -->Both led to greater happiness.

Meaning: Distilling PERMA Blocks To The Essentials: The Flourishing Triangle

-No engagement or accomplishment (same as meaning). -The main drivers of subjective well-being are positive emotions, positive meanings, and positive connections. -->Gears reflect reciprocal causality.

Meaning: How People See Themselves Mattering

-Overall, participants saw their life as having matter. -->Similar results with mattering to other people. -But, when thinking about mattering in the vast scheme of the universe, results were varied. -->Dependent on religiosity and narcissism. -Interpersonal and cosmic mattering are distinct facets. -Both interpersonal and cosmic mattering predict overall mattering. -Both interpersonal and cosmic mattering predict positive mental health. -Most people see the enormity of the universe as slightly or not relevant to the significance of a human life.

Choices: Focusing Illusion

-Overweighting one affective component of an event or behavior while discounting others. -Schkade & Kahneman Study: -->Participants were from Midwest and California universities. -->Own life satisfaction. -->Life satisfaction of a typical student in the Midwest vs. California. -->People expected Californians to be more satisfied than Midwesterners. -->Overall life satisfaction ratings from people in the Midwest are equivalent to people in California.

Meaning: PERMA+4: Building Blocks Of Positive Functioning At Work

-PERMA + Physical Health, Mindset, Environment, Economic Security. -Physical Health - biological, functional, and psychological health assets. -Mindset - future-oriented, growth mindset, perseverance. -Environment - spatiotemporal elements, such as access to natural light, nature, and physiological safety. -Economic Security - perception of financial security.

Meaning: 3 Meanings of Meaning in Life Theory

1. Coherence: -->Definition: A sense of comprehensibility and one's life making sense. -->Opposite: Uncertainty and incomprehensibility. -->Normativity: Descriptive. -->Domains: Understanding. -->Ex. "Most things happening in my life do make sense" (3DM). 2. Purpose: -->Definition: A sense of core goals, aims, and direction in life. -->Opposite: Aimlessness and loss of direction. -->Normativity: Normative. -->Domains: Motivation. -->Ex. "My daily activities are consistent with a broader life purpose" (3DM). 3. Significance: -->Definition: A sense of life's inherent value and having a life worth living. -->Opposite: Absence of value. -->Normativity: Normative. -->Domains: Evaluation. -->Ex. "My life is full of value" (3DM). **What unites these? -->Each facet requires "deep, abstract, conceptual work" to find a product of the fundamental human capacity "to reflect on the standards used in evaluating one's life". -->"Meaning is about rising above the merely passive experiencing, to a reflective level that allows one to examine one's life as a whole, making sense of it, infusing direction into it, and finding value in it". -The Three Dimensional Meaning in Life Scale (3DM): -->The 3 dimensions are distinct, yet intercorrelated. -->All 3 dimensions uniquely predict overall meaningfulness, explaining 79-91% variance.

**LCC Meaning 1: Q. According to research by Laura King, which emotional state is likely to make your life seem especially meaningful? A. Pride. B. Confusion. C. Sadness. D. Guilt.

A.

**RCC Meaning 1: Q. According to the reading by Martela & Streger on "The three meanings of meaning in life", what distinguishes the facet of meaning as coherence from the facet of meaning as significance? A. Coherence is about what we know, whereas significance is about what we value. B. Coherence is about how things converge, whereas significance is about how things diverge. C. Significance is about isolated events, whereas coherence is a general evaluation. D. Significance is about what we know, whereas coherence is about what we value.

A.

**RCC Passions 2: Q. Study 2 in the article by Rice & Fredrickson (2017) found that people's degrees of harmonious passion for physical activity predicted their frequency of engaging in physical activity. According to their hypothesis, what accounts for this effect? A. Harmonious passion predicts positive spontaneous thoughts, which in turn predicts behavior. B. Harmonious passion fosters a sense of self, which in turn predicts behavior. C. Harmonious passion predicts maximizing, which in turn predicts behavior. D. Harmonious passion predicts well-being, which in turn predicts behavior.

A.

Meaning: Building Blocks of Well-Being: PERMA Model

P: Positive Emotions. E: Engagement (flow). R: Relationships. M: Meaning. A: Accomplishment. -Distinct categories. -Not a replacement for subjective well-being, but rather the building blocks.

Meaning: Constructing vs. Detecting Meaning

-Participants (college students) wrote about a positive or negative life event. Then, detected and constructed meaning were measured, plus overall meaningfulness. -Detected Meaning: "The experience reinforced what I know about humanity". -->If you were able to detect meaning from a positive event, you thought your life was more meaningful. -Constructed Meaning: "I thought about it a lot, trying to understand what I experienced". -->If you were able to construct meaning from a negative event, you thought your life was more meaningful. **BOTTOM LINE: Meaningfulness is high when valence and meaning strategy match.

Meaning: Positive Emotions Produce Meaning

-Participants were randomized to read a positive, negative, or neutral scenario and then asked to write about their thoughts and feelings. -Also randomized to be cued or not that "moods affect how we think about our life in general - and the scenario you read may have influenced your current mood". -->A positive mood and not believing that the story made you feel that way led to greater meaning. -So, reciprocal causality is seen between positive emotions and meaningfulness. -->Hedonic represents positive emotions. -->Eudaimonic represents purpose.

Passions: Outer Loop of The Upward Spiral Theory (Power Boost)

-Passion Processes wrapped in Broaden-and-Build Processes. -The outer loop can strengthen the inner processes.

Choices: How We Can Maximize Happiness From Experiences

-Peak-End rule: Memories of an experience are influenced by what is felt at the peak and end, rather than the duration of the experiences. -Cold Water Experiment: -->Participants 1. Submerged hand in the tub of ice-cold water for 60 seconds and 2. Submerged hand in the tub of ice-cold water (same temp) for 60 seconds, then for another 30 seconds as they raise the temperature. -->When asked which trial they would prefer to repeat, 69% chose the longer trial. -->Reported that the longer trial: **Caused less discomfort. **It was less cold in its most extreme moment. **Less tough to cope with. -Real-life example: Waiting in line at a theme park. -Practical implications: -->Build on high moments and end on a good note (e.g., vacations). -->Create well-rounded endings (e.g., closure).

Passions: The Upward Spiral Theory of Lifestyle Change

-Positive Health Behavior: Any behavior that, if engaged in regularly, can prevent or reverse chronic conditions. -Willpower and Behavioral Intentions Fail: -->Among sedentary adults who begin to engage in regular physical activity, within 6 months to a year, 60-90% revert to sedentary status. -Definition of Lifestyle Change: New behaviors maintained for 2+ years. -->Lifestyle change is a function of: 1. Behavior Initiation: -->A conscious process (e.g., a decision). -->It has been long studied, and many theories have been proposed about it. 2. Behavior Maintenance: -->Non-conscious processes (e.g., a desire). -->Rarely studied, and few theories about it. **Upward Spiral Theory focuses here.

Meaning: Web Of Well-Being: Re-Examining PERMA Via Network Analysis

-Positive emotions are found in the center, surrounded by engagement, relationships, meaning, and accomplishment. -Network Insights: -->Positive emotions are most centrally related to all other elements (Fredrickson). -->Reprise: "Tiny Engines". -Engagement held the weakest links to all other elements (Author). -Meaning and accomplishments are NOT independent elements (Author). -->Displayed by THICK green lines.

Passions: Insights From The Upward Spiral Theory --> Keys to Intrinsically Sustained Behavior Change

-Positive emotions build both nonconscious motives and vantage resources. -Built Resources: Biological and Psychological. -->Harmonious passion is a vantage resource. **Overarching Hypothesis: Positive emotions create nonconscious motives for positive health behaviors that over time get stronger as vantage resources build up.

Character Strengths: Applying Signature Strengths at Work

-Predicts more job satisfaction and less job strain over 5 workdays. -Links between applying signature strengths (SS) and job satisfaction and strain emerge: -->Between-persons: Those who more than others act on their SS show bigger effects on job satisfaction and strain. -->Within-persons: Daily variation in applying SS predicts daily variability in job satisfaction and strain. **Within-person evidence justifies investing more effort in applying your signature strengths at work.

Passions: Outer Loop of the Upward Spiral Theory --> A Psychological Vantage Resource

-Prioritizing Positivity and Pre-Meditation: -->Random assignment to learning prioritizing positivity or not. -->Teaching prioritizing positivity resulted in more enjoyment of the activity. -Also, positive emotions during mediation inspire sustained behavior: -->29% increase in frequency → ~10 additional minutes per week. -If-Then Plans for Prioritizing Positivity in Physical Activity: -->"If I am too tired to exercise after work, then I will remind myself how good I will feel once I start exercising" (Positive Affect During Behaviors).

Choices: When Prosocial Spending is Most Predictive of Well-Being

-Provides an opportunity for social connection. -->Highest boost when spending on close others. -Feeling that the generous action makes a difference. -->The greatest boost in happiness comes from charities with clear promises. -Have a choice about whether to give. -->People are in happier moods when they have an option of how much to give.

Meaning: PERMA & PERMA+4: Building Blocks of Well-Being

-Quantitative synthesis of 111 studies looking at PERMA or PERMA+4. -PERMA predicts subjective well-being with LARGE effect sizes. -PERMA+4 predicts subjective well-being with MEDIUM to LARGE effect sizes. -Each building block also relates to subjective well-being (smallest effect = accomplishment). -Links to other positive outcomes: Resilience, work citizenship, sleep quality. -Links inversely to negative outcomes: Depression, burnout, job stress, turnover.

Meaning: Religion Or Spirituality? Which Matters More For Meaning In Life?

-Religiosity is: -->Attendance at formal worship services. -->Consuming religious media. -Spirituality is: -->Sense of universal human nature. -->Connectedness of all things. **BOTTOM LINE: Practicing religion in the context of spirituality (as with practicing spirituality by itself) deepens the levels of meaning in one's life, while practicing religion without spirituality does the opposite.

Character Strengths: Character Strengths in 75 Countries

-Remarkable convergence across nations. -->Widespread endorsement of top 5 signature strengths: 1. Honesty. 2. Fairness. 3. Kindness. 4. Curiosity. 5. Judgment. -->Fairness made the top 5 strengths in all 75 countries.

Passions: Positive Affect (Liking) Builds Unbidden Motives

-Reward is not a unitary concept but is more aptly described as a recurrent sequence of (E): -->Liking, linked to brain opioids +. -->Wanting, linked to brain dopamine. -->Learning their connection. -Incentive salience (Inner Loop) is the psychological glue (or active ingredient) that binds past liking to future wanting and surfaces as unbidden (automatic) nonconscious motives (T). -->Analogy: People and objects that are associated with past positive experiences are coerced in glitter, drawing your attention and desire to repeat that experience. -->E.g., a recovering drug addict's intense cravings on seeing their drug-using friends and drug paraphernalia. -->E.g., seeing your friends' faces "pop out" as you arrive at a crowded party. -->That is: Incentive salience is a form of nonconscious motive. -Drug addiction: A case when "liking" and "wanting" can diverge (E).

Choices: Maximizers vs. Satisficers

-Satificers: Employ a search strategy of continuing to look until coming across a result that is "good enough". -Maximizer: Employ a search strategy of continuing to look until finding a result that is considered the "best possible outcome". -Searching for the "best possible outcome" does not necessarily increase well-being. -Maximizing is associated with: -->Lower happiness and satisfaction in life. -->Lower self-esteem. -->More regret from the decision. -->More counterfactual thinking. -->More social comparisons.

Passions: Adjusting the Volume of Positive Emotions

-Sickness Behaviors: -->The way inflammation affects people's psychology. 1. Don't want to be social. 2. Don't want to be active. 3. Don't feel energetic. 4. Don't partake in self-care. 5. Don't eat well. -->This decreased motivation can be created from inflammation in the body. -->Reward circuits are muted, leading to the risk of depression. -Wellness Behaviors: -->Increasing Motivation: 1. Social. 2. Active. 3. Energetic. 4. Self-Care. 5. Eating Well.

Choices: Spend Money on Experiences

-Spending money on experiences (vs. material goods) is associated with longer, sustained happiness over time. -How does this work? -->Builds identity. -->Builds social connection through unique experiences (Going to the Bahamas vs. buying a new iPhone). -->It's not easily comparable.

Passions: Studies on Spontaneous Thoughts in the Inner Upward Spiral Theory

-Study 1: -->Across 10 real-life activities, positive spontaneous thoughts account for the link between past liking and future wanting. **Liking → Positive Spontaneous Thoughts → Wanting (Inner Loop (T)). -Study 2: -->Testing positive affect (liking) as the cause of positive spontaneous thoughts. -->Methods: 1. Randomize Ps to levels of positive affect: (Funny cartoon series (100%); Mixed cartoon series (50%)). -->The Thought Listing Task assessed the frequency and pleasantness of spontaneous thoughts about the cartoons. -->Estimate the font size of "CARTOON". **Results: More positive spontaneous thoughts in the funny cartoon condition. -Study 3: -->Testing the consequences of positive spontaneous thoughts. -->Methods: 1. Randomize Ps to give feedback about their positive spontaneous thoughts about a given physical activity. 2. Measure how much time Ps plan to devote to that activity in the coming week. **Results: People planned to study for half an hour more with false feedback. -->"Your data suggests that your spontaneous thoughts are generally quite positive, averaging 88% positive".

Choices: More Options Lead to Choice Paralysis

-Study 1: Jam Experiment -->Condition 1: Extensive Choice vs. Condition 2: Limited Choice -->60% stopped at condition 1. -->However, only 3% of customers bought a jam in condition 1. -Study 2: Extra Credit Essay -->Limited Choice Condition: 6 Topics vs. Extensive Choice Condition: 30 Topics. -->74% (more) completed the assignment in the limited choice condition.

Choices: Spend Money On Others

-Study of 15,545 diverse Americans on their spending habits and subjective well-being. -Spending money on others is associated with greater happiness. -The effect holds regardless of beliefs about how spending on others relates to happiness. -Prosocial spending is associated with subjective well-being in 120 of 136 countries.

Passions: Incentive Salience Measured as Exaggerated Perceptions in Humans

-Study of font size estimation. -If the word was positive, people estimated a larger font size.

Choices: Counterfactual Thinking

-The act of imagining alternative outcomes ("what could have been"). -Poster Experiment: -->At the start of the study, participants ranked 9 posters in order of preference. -->Participants choose one of two posters (ranked 4th and 5th) to keep. -->Conditions: 1. Irreversible 2. Reversible. -->At the end of the study, they ranked the posters again. -->Participants who did not have the option to switch increased their liking of their selected poster, but those who had the option to switch did not.

Choices: Affective Forecasting

-The process of predicting future feelings from an event or an action. -How happy will buying that movie ticket make me? -Choose the thing that will make you happiest... But is it really that easy? -We often inaccurately predict our future feelings. -Impact bias: The tendency to overestimate the intensity and duration of our emotional reactions to future circumstances. -->Overestimate how long and happy you will be if you win the lottery. -->Not as sad for as long as one might predict after a breakup.

Passions: Positive Emotions Build Vantage Resources

-Vantage Resources: Any individual difference factor that renders an individual more sensitive to positive experiences. -->Inflammation as a reduction factor. -Familiar Example - Physical Fitness as a Vantage Resource: -->Engaging in physical activity is not enjoyable at first. -->The more physically fit you are, the more enjoyable the activity is. -->Thus, the more you engage, the more you are building physical fitness, which makes the activity more enjoyable.

Character Strengths: What Makes a Character Strength Into a Signature Strength?

-Venn Diagram: -->Character Strengths. -->Positive Experiences for You. -->Constructive Experiences for Others. **Signature Strengths = The Overlap. -Character Strength: A personal characteristic that contributes to a person's happiness without diminishing the happiness of others.

**RCC Strengths 1: Q. The article by Robertson ("Looking in the Mirror...") finds that the RBSE raised undergrad students' confidence that they could successfully market their own skills during a job interview. Additionally, study results showed that the impact of the RBSE was larger from some students than for others. Which two variables below best describe for whom the impact of the RBSE was largest? A. Students with low general self-efficacy and low career choice confidence. B. Students with high trait mindfulness and high trait resilience. C. Students with high general self-efficacy and high career choice confidence. D. Students with low trait mindfulness and low trait resilience.

A.

**RCC Strengths 2: Q. The randomized control trial reported by Proyer (2015) compared a placebo control (PC) condition to two variations of a positive psychology intervention (PPI) to use character strengths in new ways: One PPI variant focused on signature strengths (SS PPI) and the other on lesser strengths (LS PPI). Which statement best describes the overall effect on participants' happiness? A. Relative to the PC condition, both the SS PPI and the LS PPI increased happiness. B. Relative to the PC condition, both the SS PPI and the LS PPI decreased happiness. C. Relative to the PC condition, the SS PPI increased happiness whereas the LS PPI decreased happiness. D. Relative to the PC condition, the LS PPI increased happiness whereas the SS PPI decreased happiness.

A.

**LCC Strengths: Q. Two formal exercises for illuminating people's strengths have been studied in positive psychology: the RBSE and the VIA Character Strengths Survey (used for PPI #5). In what ways is the RBSE thought to be more impactful than the VIA survey? A. The RBSE provides more substantial quantitative feedback. B. The RBSE provides memorable appreciative jolts. C. The RBSE shows greater test-retest reliability. D. The RBSE takes less time.

B.

**LCC Passions 2: Q. The Upward Spiral Theory presented in lecture has two loops: the inner loop and the outer loop. Which loop was described as working "Broaden-and-Build" processes? A. Neither loop. B. Both loops. C. Outer loop. D. Inner loop.

C.

**RCC Choices: Q. According to Schwartz et al. (2002), maximizers are more likely than satisficers to... A. Buy many different brands of the same product. B. Rely on institution when making choices. C. Engage in more social comparison. D. Be satisfied with their purchases.

C.

**LCC Meaning 2: Q. According to lecture, what is the strongest active ingredient that accounts for the observed link between people's religiousness and their reports of meaning in life? A. Social mattering B. Spiritual mattering C. Earthly mattering D. Cosmic mattering

D.

**LCC Passions 1: Q. For whatever reason, a random thought about your favorite activity pops to mind and makes you smile. According to lecture, this is an instance of which concept in the Upward Spiral Theory? A. Cognitive elaboration. B. Positive affect. C. Activity engagement. D. Nonconscious motive.

D.

**RCC Meaning 2: Q. According to the reading by Rogers and colleagues (2023) on the Hero's Journey, what can perceiving your own life as a hero's journey do for you? A. Allow you to better savor your positive experiences. B. Decrease your upward social comparisons. C. Increase your self-efficacy for writing stories. D. Increase the meaningfulness of your life.

D.

**RCC Passions 1: Q. The Dualistic Model of Passion, as described by Vallerand (2008), proposes that people may have two types of passions for their favorite activities. What are they? A. Obsessive passion and relaxed passion. B. Divergent passion and harmonious passion. C. Divergent passion and abundant passion. D. Obsessive passion and harmonious passion.

D.