Positive Psychology

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Positive Psychology
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Three Minute Review

• TREATMENT
• history of treatment
• 2 major approaches
• Biological
• Psychotherapy
• Psychopharmacology
• Antipsychotic Drugs
• deinstitutionalization
• dopamine
• differences between older and newer generation
  drugs
• Anti-anxiety drugs
• e.g., Valium
• GABA

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• Antidepressants
• tricyclics (reduce reuptake of serotonin NE)
• MAOIs (reduce breakdown of serotonin NE)
• SSRIs (reduce reuptake of serotonin only)
• See Fig. 17.3 of Gray (p. 666)
• monoamine hypothesis and issues with it
• maybe they work because of effects on sleep cycle
• Light therapy for SAD
• Electroconvulsive Therapy
• why resort to something so extreme?
• how has it improved since Cuckoos Nest era?
• Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS)
• magnetic fields disrupt neural firing locally
• Psychosurgery
• history and current status

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• Psychotherapy
• eclectic - mixed bag
• Psychodynamic
• transference
• Humanistic
• client-centred, reflection, empathy,
  unconditional positive regard
• Cognitive Therapy
• problem-centred, change thought patterns

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How Happy Are 023 Students?
April 2006 n 105
Number of Responses
Happiness Rating
6
Youre representative
Data from United States (Myers, 1992)
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Very Common Responses

• Relationships
• ? social life, more time with family and friends
  and partner
• ? finding a partner (or a better partner)
• Money
• ? Common more emphasis on basics and stability
  rather than luxury level
• Money cant buy happiness, it can pay rent!
• ? Less common winning the lottery
• Money cant buy you happiness, but Im happiest
  when I can buy what I want.
• Better grades
• ? end of exams
• Reduced stress
• less stress, less work, less worrying, slower
  pace, more spare time
• ? better study habits, organization
• less parental pressure to perform
• family illnesses, deaths, conflicts

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Fairly Common Responses

• Physical appearance
• esp. weight loss
• Psychological factors
• self-esteem, confidence, less self criticism,
  less concern about others opinions, overcoming
  shyness, more assertive, less anxious
• Career
• ? more certainty about life, direction, career
• ? successful career or education (e.g., med
  school)
• ? summer job (esp. lab work)
• ? working helps me to feel fulfilled
• Health
• good health
• more sleep
• ? sports, exercise (some specific)
• ? better eating habits

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Somewhat Common Responses

• Living conditions
• ? moving away from home
• ? moving closer to home
• ? better roommate (only one month left!!!!!)
• Others behavior/mood
• changed behavior of others in life, fewer
  problems with others in life, family stability,
  family members being happy
• Finding meaning, making a contribution
• be in a more personal environment where I could
  make a constructive contribution
• I cant choose 3 because although my life is
  comparatively wonderful, overall there are huge
  problems with the world
• Making some noticeable change in the community
  with regards to our relationship with the
  environment

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One of a Kind

• I could be rich, Hugh Hefners son, Bill Gates
  nephew, dating both the Olson twins
• if I was rich, I make med school, I find Natalie
  Portman, I win at life
• a new Batman costume two extra hours in each day
• being older
• winning the lottery warm weather world peace
• more laughter, less hate
• live in the now!
• Nothing. Im still alive
• Life is great! Ive been very blessed
• Life isnt searching for more but making the best
  of what you have. The glass is half full! Ive
  learned to be grateful rather than angry.

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Negative versus positive topics in psychology
journal articles 1887 to 2001

• 9,760 on anger
• 65,531 on anxiety
• 79,154 on depression
• 20,868 on fear
• 207,110 on treatment

• 1,021 on joy
• 4,129 on life satisfaction
• 3,522 on happiness
• 781 on courage
• 31,019 on prevention

Slide courtesy of David Myers
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People want more

• Popularity of self-help books suggests a large
  number of people want to go from okay to well

Mental Health Spectrum
Poor
OK
Great
Most of Psychology is here
Why not here?
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What is LEAST important?

• Does money make us as happy as we expect it will?

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Money Matters Between Nations

• correlation between average income and average
  life satisfaction for 28 nations .60
• difference is most pronounced among poorer
  nations

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Gross National Happiness?
Optional video link on course web site
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Money Doesnt Matter Much Within Nations
Australian Living Standards Survey,
1991-1992(percent reporting high life
satisfaction)

• correlation between income and happiness within
  US .12
• some difference between those below and above
  poverty line, but little effect beyond that

Slide courtesy of David Myers
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Income Has Risen But Happiness Hasnt
Personal income (in 1995 )
Very happy ()
Slide courtesy of David Myers
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Hedonic Treadmill

• Happiness Reality / Expectations

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Social Comparison

• Would you rather
• earn 50,000/year when your co-workers get
  25,000/year
• OR
• earn 100,000/year when your co-workers get
  250,000/year?
• Would you rather
• have 2 weeks vacation when your co-workers have 1
  week
• OR
• have 4 weeks vacation when your co-workers have 8
  weeks?
• The paradox of German reunification

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If Only I Could Win the Lottery

• Id probably be about as happy as I am now
• Happiness of lottery winners 4.0
• Happiness of others 3.8
• many life disruptions
• 70 quit jobs ? lose job satisfaction and
  co-workers
• most move, many are not socially acceptable to
  new neighbors
• family quarrels

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What is LEAST important?

• Age
• happiness is stable over life span

Percent Satisfied or Very Satisfied with Life
as a Whole
Percent
100
Age group
80
60
40
20
0
15- 24
25- 34
35- 44
45- 54
55- 64
65
Slide courtesy of David Myers
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What is LEAST important?

• Gender
• despite differences in depression rates, it makes
  little difference

Slide courtesy of David Myers
Percent
100
Males
80
Females
60
40
20
0
Satisfied
Very happy
Pooled data from 169,776 interviews in 16 nations
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What is LEAST important?

• Intelligence
• no correlation between IQ and happiness
• teeny correlation between education level and
  happiness
• Physical Attractiveness
• teeny correlation between attractiveness and
  happiness, esp. for women
• Parenthood
• parents less happy with toddlers and teenagers

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Marital Satisfaction and the Family Life Cycle
56
Rollins-Feldman
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Locke-Wallace
54
53
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Satisfaction
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50
Blood-Wolfe
49
British study
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47
46
Marriedwithoutchildren
Child-bearing
Pre-school children, oldest 5
Schoolchildrenoldest5-12
Teenagers oldest12-16
First child gone to last leavinghome
Emptynest to retirement
Emptynest todeath of first spouse
Slide courtesy of David Myers
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What is VERY important?

• Love and Marriage
• clear correlation
• cause and effect unclear
• relationships --gt happiness?
• happiness --gt relationships?

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Marriage is good if it works
Married
Never married
Separated
Divorced
Slide courtesy of David Myers
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Friends Are Very Important
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What is VERY important?

• Work
• correlation between job satisfaction is clearly
  related to happiness
• again causality is unclear
• those with best fit between complexity and
  ability are happiest
• management happier than staff

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What is VERY important?

• Personality
• past happiness predicts future happiness very
  well
• is there a happiness set point?
• key factors
• self-esteem
• extroversion
• optimism
• sense of control over ones life

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What is SOMEWHAT important?

• Health
• correlation between health and happiness .32
• spurious -- related to neuroticism
• neurotics are less happy
• neurotics are less healthy
• Social activity
• Religion
• social aspect
• healthier lifestyle
• spirituality

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Spirituality and Happiness
From Gallup survey of adult Americans.
100
80
Percent very happy
60
40
20
0
Low
High
Spiritual commitment
Slide courtesy of David Myers
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Very important or essential
Be very well off financially
Develop a meaningful philosophy of life
Slide courtesy of David Myers
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What is SOMEWHAT important?

• Leisure
• correlation between satisfaction with leisure
  activities and happiness .4
• some activities have positive effect
• social clubs, volunteer work, music, dancing,
  sports, holidays
• some activities have negative effect
• excessive TV-watching

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The Tyranny of Choice

• maximizers
• obsessed with finding the best
• less satisfied
• more prone to depression
• satisficers
• willing to accept good enough

Optional Scientific American article including
Maximization Test on course web site
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Choose Wisely
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Finding Flow

• moments of complete engagement in a task
• intense concentration
• clear goals and feedback
• lose sense of time
• lose self consciousness
• optimal when abilities closely match challenges
• surfing the peak of the optimal level of arousal
  curve?
• would you really be happy lying on the beach
  drinking pina coladas all day long for the long
  term?

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Top Ten Things to Remember

1. How to spell Psychology
2. Theres much more to psychology than Freud.
3. Evolutionary principles and neuroscience can
   explain a lot about human behavior.
4. Microsleeps are deadly. If you are sleepy while
   driving, take a break.
5. Beware the banality of evil. If someone asks
   you to do something that you know in your gut is
   wrong, you can refuse.
6. If someone needs help, do something instead of
   waiting for others to take action.
7. Childrens early development is very important
   physical development, critical periods, and
   attachment.
8. Be aware of your prejudices, including the
   implicit ones, to avoid discrimination.
9. Mental disorders are common, understandable and
   treatable.
10. You have to power to improve your happiness
    (e.g., life choices) and success (e.g., internal
    locus of control)