Positive Psychology & Well-Being
- Explain the goals and focus of positive psychology
- Describe subjective well-being and the factors that influence happiness
- Apply concepts such as flow, the adaptation-level phenomenon, and gratitude
The positive psychology movement
Positive psychology, championed by Martin Seligman, studies human flourishing — strengths, virtues, and what makes life worth living — rather than focusing only on disorder and dysfunction. It examines positive emotions, engagement, meaning, and healthy character strengths. Seligman’s earlier work on learned helplessness (dogs that stopped trying to escape shocks they could not control) informed his later focus: cultivating learned optimism and a sense of control can protect well-being and buffer against depression.
Subjective well-being and happiness
Subjective well-being is a person’s own evaluation of their life — life satisfaction plus the balance of positive over negative emotions. Research reveals surprises. The adaptation-level phenomenon is our tendency to judge new experiences relative to a neutral baseline set by past experience, so we quickly adapt to gains (a raise, a new car) and return toward our prior happiness — the "hedonic treadmill." Relative deprivation is judging our situation by comparing to others, so comparing upward can breed dissatisfaction. Beyond meeting basic needs, more money adds little lasting happiness.
Building well-being: flow and gratitude
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi described flow — a deeply absorbing, rewarding state of being fully engaged in a challenging but manageable task, when we lose track of time. Flow, meaningful engagement, and using one’s strengths contribute more to lasting happiness than passive pleasure. Well-being is also supported by strong social relationships, regular exercise and sleep, acts of gratitude, and helping others. Positive psychology emphasizes that these habits can be deliberately cultivated to raise one’s baseline satisfaction.
A man gets a large raise and feels thrilled, buying a bigger house and a new car. Within several months, though, his day-to-day happiness has returned to about what it was before the raise. Explain this outcome using a positive-psychology concept.
- 1.Identify the pattern: a boost in happiness from a positive change fades back toward the previous level over time.
- 2.Match the concept: judging new circumstances against a baseline set by prior experience, and adapting to improvements, is the adaptation-level phenomenon.
- 3.Explain the mechanism: as the man grows accustomed to his higher income and possessions, they become his new neutral point, so they no longer feel exciting.
- 4.Connect to the broader idea: this "hedonic treadmill" explains why, beyond meeting basic needs, more wealth adds little lasting happiness.
A painter becomes so absorbed in a challenging canvas that hours pass without her noticing, feeling fully engaged and energized by the task. This state is best described as:
Positive psychology flips the usual focus: instead of asking "what makes people ill?" it asks "what makes people flourish?" Anchor Seligman to positive psychology and learned optimism, and Csikszentmihalyi to flow.
A worker is satisfied with her salary until she learns that a colleague with the same job earns more, after which she suddenly feels underpaid and unhappy, though her pay has not changed. This shift is best explained by:
Distinguish two happiness dampeners: the adaptation-level phenomenon is comparing to your own past (you adapt to gains), while relative deprivation is comparing to other people. Both explain why objective improvements often fail to raise lasting happiness.
Answer the 2 checkpoints as you read.
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