Everyday happiness: Gifting and eating as everyday activities that influence general positive affect and discrete positive emotions

Hurling, Robert; Linley, P. Alex; Dovey, Helen; Maltby, John; Wilkinson, Joann

doi:10.5502/ijw.v5i2.3

Cited by 4 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 59 publications

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“…In addition, research has shown that kindness boosts one's own happiness, acts as a buffer against burnout and emotional exhaustion, and increases creativity and life satisfaction (Chancellor et al, 2018;Curry et al, 2018;Grant & Berry, 2011;Grant & Sonnentag, 2010). Hurling et al (2015) identified small acts-of-kindness, such as gifting ice cream to a fellow student, as an everyday activity that can spark joy and immediately elevate positive affect in university undergraduates. The benefits of experiencing positive affect can be contextualized within the Broaden-and-Build Theory of positive emotions.…”

Section: Prosocial Behaviour and Kindness Interventionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

To whom should I be kind? A randomized trial about kindness for strong and weak social ties on mental wellbeing and its specific mechanisms of change

Wieners

Radstaak

Zyl

et al. 2021

Intnl. J. Wellbeing

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The current study examines the role of social ties in performing kind acts to enhance university students’ wellbeing. Due to facing multifaceted challenges, university students form a group that is particularly vulnerable in terms of their mental health. Interventions harnessing prosocial behaviour have the potential to increase students’ wellbeing, strengthen personal competencies, and broaden social networks. The first aim of the trial (N = 222) was to explore whether a 4-week acts-of-kindness intervention targeting either (1) strong social ties, (2) weak social ties or (3) unspecified receivers (treatment-as-usual) differ in their impact on students’ mental wellbeing, positive relations, depressive symptoms, anxiety, and perceived stress. The second aim was to examine whether kindness for strong versus weak social ties have different underlying working mechanisms (i.e., positive emotions versus self-esteem) and who benefits most from these instructions (i.e., those with high or low levels of self-esteem and positive relations). Results demonstrated that the most significant improvements in mental wellbeing were found in the kindness for strong social ties condition compared to the other conditions. No mediation effects of positive emotions and self-esteem were found. Moderation analyses revealed that participants who performed kind acts for weak social ties reported significantly less positive effects on mental wellbeing, but only when their levels of self-esteem at baseline were medium or high. Independent of group allocation, participants’ mental wellbeing increased throughout the intervention, but so did the experience of depressive symptoms, anxiety, and perceived stress. More research is needed to examine the timing of kindness interventions and investigate how they can improve mental wellbeing and psychological distress in acute phases of academic stress in university students.

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Section: Prosocial Behaviour and Kindness Interventionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

To whom should I be kind? A randomized trial about kindness for strong and weak social ties on mental wellbeing and its specific mechanisms of change

Wieners

Radstaak

Zyl

et al. 2021

Intnl. J. Wellbeing

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“…This preference for referrals for home consumption could be explained by the more personal source, a degree of message personalisation impossible to achieve with conspicuous indicators, and the willingness to risk a negative outcome in private. A marketing effort in this category could feature a campaign which applauds “risky” behaviours, such as the willingness to try new flavours or experimenting (perhaps capitalising on desires to be home chefs and cuisine creators), and leverages the word of mouth potential as opinion leaders discover new products and refer [with the inherent benefits of leadership and positive psychological outcomes (Hurling et al , 2015)].…”

Section: Conclusion Limitations and Future Directionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The impact of purchase goal on wine purchase decisions

Dobele

Greenacre

Fry

2018

IJWBR

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Purpose This paper aims to examine the impact of purchasing occasion on product value indicators for a selection of Australian and New Zealand branded wines, as evaluated by consumers. Value indicators were defined as conspicuous or inconspicuous. Conspicuous indicators include corporate advertising, such as the vineyard, region or brand, and are considered the same (or equal) for all recipients. Inconspicuous indicators are less visible and may differ from recipient to recipient, such as referrals. Purchasing occasions are either home (personal and private) or restaurant consumption (personal and public) or as a gift (impersonal and public). Design/methodology/approach An online survey was used to understand the changing importance of value indicators based on differing purchase goals. The snowball sample was comprised of marketing professionals, who are highly educated and likely to be of prime working age (25-55 years). Initial participants were then asked to forward the email invitation to their networks. The majority of the 298 survey respondents were Australian-born and described themselves as Anglo-Saxon. Findings Conspicuous indicators, such as advertising, are given more consideration for impersonal consumption experiences such as gifts or to drink in public. Less conspicuous, but more trustworthy, indicators, (personal recommendations), are more important for personal consumption experiences. These results offer insight into the indicators of product value that marketers could emphasise in their marketing mixes to target consumers buying with different purchase goals in mind and seek new markets. Research limitations/implications This study was limited in geographical selection, and the methodology comprised an online survey. The nature of the purchase contexts was deliberately kept broad to highlight the overall impact of value indicators. Originality/value While there have been some studies centering on wine purchase and consumption in different situations, direct comparisons between contexts are rare. This paper addresses this gap in the literature by comparing consumer behaviour across wine purchase contexts. The value of this paper stems from deepening understanding of the role of context in purchase decision-making and the implications for marketing practitioners and clearly identified opportunities for future research.

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“…Chon and Fredrickson (2010) found that people who use interventions more frequently and for longer tend to get more benefit. Wilkinson, 2015). Indeed, in their meta-analysis of 51 positive psychology interventions, Sin and Lyubomirsky (2009) found they significantly enhanced well-being.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Short Tips Delivered “in the Moment” Can Boost Positive Emotion

Hurling¹,

Murray²,

Tomlin³

et al. 2017

IJPS

Self Cite

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Background: Positive psychology interventions have been shown to increase happiness and well-being, and researchers are beginning to speculate on the mechanisms through which these interventions may be effective, such as positive emotion, behavior and thought. Short interventions matched to an individual’s current context may be a route to boosting positive emotion in everyday life contexts where people have limited time.Methods: In the first study 250 UK participants completed a control task or three short tips selected from a list of 10. Positive emotion was monitored before and 15 minutes after the task via PANAS (Positive and Negative Affect Schedule) and additional items in a new Positive Emotional Intensity Scale (PEIS). Study 2 was a series of user centered design sessions with 18 UK participants to identify the key design principles for a Smartphone App intervention to boost positive emotion in an everyday life context. Study 3 involved 280 UK participants who either used the Smartphone App for two days or were in a control group. PANAS and PEIS were monitored during the intervention period and two days before. Personality, Adult Playfulness and the Satisfaction with Life Scale were deployed as potential moderators. The fourth study followed a similar design to study 1 but with 406 Chinese participants completing the short tips translated into Chinese, with PANAS, PEIS and Flourishing monitored before and after.Results and Discussion: In Study 1, we found three short tips increased positive emotion, relative to the control, as monitored by PEIS (but not PANAS). Study 2 identified twelve design principles that were used to develop the Smartphone App, which delivers short tips tailored to an individual’s context. Study 3 found that the Smartphone App boosted positive emotion (PEIS) and reduced PANAS Negative Affect relative to a control. In study 4 the same tips used in study 1 also increased positive emotion for Chinese participants when monitored via PANAS (but not PEIS).Conclusions: Varied short tips to boost positive emotion, behaviors and thoughts, which are matched to an individual’s context, may be an effective approach to enhancing happiness and well-being.

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Everyday happiness: Gifting and eating as everyday activities that influence general positive affect and discrete positive emotions

Cited by 4 publications

References 59 publications

To whom should I be kind? A randomized trial about kindness for strong and weak social ties on mental wellbeing and its specific mechanisms of change

To whom should I be kind? A randomized trial about kindness for strong and weak social ties on mental wellbeing and its specific mechanisms of change

The impact of purchase goal on wine purchase decisions

Short Tips Delivered “in the Moment” Can Boost Positive Emotion

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