1. POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY

2. Seligman Enduring happiness is combination of: –Set-point –Circumstances –Voluntary control

3. Focus on human strengths Prior emphasis upon disorder and disease Research focal points - positive experiences, the positive individual and positive institutions

4. Happiness leads to greater job satisfaction, better health outcomes and better relationship quality (Lyumbomirsk et al, 2005) The “hedonic treadmill”: the bar is set ever higher when we seek happiness We continually adapt to new sources of happiness, always coming back to a neutral state (Brickman and Campbell, 1971)

5. Lykken and Tellegen (1996) identified a genetically-determined “happiness set- point”, which sets the individual maximum level, from twin studies Strack et al (1988) – cautions against use of self-report method in happiness studies: –“salience effect” of including items that culturally should influence happiness

6. Strack et al (1988) – –Happiness rating followed by frequency of dating led to no correlation –Frequency of dating followed by happiness rating led to large correlation

7. Diener et al (1985): most individuals rate themselves just above the midpoint on happiness scales. Found in millionaires in the US and homeless prostitutes (Biswas- Diener and Diener, 2001) Diener explains this as people imagining that they are happier than they believe other people are

8. A study of a wide range of incomes revealed that the richest people report, overall, greater happiness levels (Lucas and Shummack, 2009) Happy individuals more likely to have a goal in life (Csikzentmihalyi, 1999; Diener et al, 1999) Over 65s report greater happiness than younger adults (Mroczek, 2004)

9. Over 65s more likely to report still liking a purchase two weeks later (Kim et al, 2008) Happy people take more chances and react less intensely to threats (Peterson, 2000) They are more open to new ideas (Ashton- Jones et al, 2009)

10. How young women smiled in their university yearbooks is a predictor of later life success (Harker and Keltner, 2001), with those displaying Duchenne smiles being happier decades later Married people are more happy than those who are not (DeNeve, 1999)

11. Immediately after a lottery win happiness is rated as being high. A few months later it returns to average (Diener et al, 1999; Myers, 2000) Seligman et al’s (2005) “count your blessings” study: journal kept each night for one week for ten minutes –Happiness increased and sadness decreased when compared to a control group

12. Jon Haidt's work on "elevation“ –Inspired? –Touched? –Moved? –Helping people we do not know

13. Social disgust versus social elevation Taken from http://faculty.virginia.edu/haidtlab/articles/haidt.elevation-and-positive- psychology.manuscript.html ComponentElevationSocial Disgust Elicitor People moving up, blurring human/god divide People moving down, blurring human/animal divide Motiv. TendencyMerge, open up, help othersSeparate, close off Affective phenomenology feel lifted up, optimistic about humanity Feel dragged down, cynical about humanity Physical changesChest (warm glow)Gut (nausea) ContaminationPositiveNegative

14. Studying “Elevation” Haidt’s exercise: –name 5 situations that produce positive emotions –describe the bodily changes, thoughts, actions, motivations in these different situations Social focus Does elevation foster love? Admiration? Closer affiliation? What is the evidence?

15. Induced elevation study (Haidt) Mother Teresa video = experimental group Other video(s) = control group Experimental group rated themselves as feeling more inspired after viewing film. Experimental group significantly more likely to volunteer for charitable work afterwards. Experimental group -> physical sensations in chest

16. Flow – “a state of optimal experience” (Csikszentmihalyi, 1990) Qualities of flow experiences include: –Freely investing in an activity for its own sake –Reduced distraction –Skill requirement –Immediate feedback on activities

17. Scales –Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS) - Brown and Ryan15-item scale –Personal Growth Scale – Robitschek –The Gratitude Questionnaire-Six Item Form (GQ-6) - McCullough, Emmons and Tsang 6 items on a 1 to 7 scale Reliability = 0.8 5 minutes

18. –Meaning in Life Questionnaire (MLQ) - Steger, Frazier, Oishi and Kaler 10 item likert –Inventory of Character Strengths (Linley et al, 2007) 240 strengths (24 strengths measured by 10 items each)