Year: 2019
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: A decade of research reveals the benefits of positive emotions for both mental and physical health, and yet recent empirical work suggests the explicit pursuit of happiness may backfire. The present research suggests that the pursuit of happiness is not inherently self-defeating and at least one effective way may exist. In particular, I propose that individuals who arrange their lives to include frequent experiences of positivity may be happier. I label this individual difference, prioritizing positivity. Study 1 featured the development and the psychometric properties of the prioritizing positivity scale. Study 2 revealed that prioritizing positivity predicted a host of beneficial mental health outcomes (e.g. positive emotions, life satisfaction, depression). Study 3 examined whether prioritizing positivity predicted heightened attention to positive stimuli, relative to neutral stimuli, and revealed it does not. Study 4 examined whether prioritizing positivity predicted whether people exert greater effort to obtain pleasant experiences, and suggest some evidence in support of this hypothesis. In addition, Study 4 examined if prioritizing positivity predicted people's resources, over time, as mediated by positive emotionality, and found no support. In summary, I provide some evidence to suggest that prioritizing positivity is an individual difference that may promote well-being.
DOI: 10.17615/prme-xq25
Author: Catalino, Lahnna I.
Institution: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Language: English
Subfield: Social Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2948771475