In Pursuit of Happiness: Effects of Mental Subtraction and Alternative Comparison

Ang, Swee Hoon; Lim, Erle C.H.; Leong, Siew Meng; Chen, Zhaonan

doi:10.1007/s11205-014-0681-z

Cited by 9 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 38 publications

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“…The present findings contribute to the small but growing body of literature suggesting that mentally subtracting a positive life event may not reliably boost life satisfaction or positive affect (e.g., Ang et al, 2015). Specifically, our findings demonstrate that mentally subtracting a romantic partner from one’s life may not be an effective way to boost relationship satisfaction.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 50%

Does imagining you never met a romantic partner boost relationship satisfaction and gratitude? A conceptual replication and extension of the effect of mentally subtracting a partner

Park¹,

Raposo²,

Muise

2020

Journal of Social and Personal Relationships

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Previous research has found that thinking about the presence of a partner in one’s life can, at least temporarily, increase relationship satisfaction. However, other studies have found that doing the opposite—thinking about the absence of a partner from one’s life (i.e., mentally subtracting a partner)—can boost relationship satisfaction. The current study is a conceptual replication and extension of a previous study demonstrating that people who imagined never meeting their current partner reported greater satisfaction than people who thought about the presence of a partner in their life or a neutral control. We expected that thinking about the absence of a partner could boost gratitude and, in turn, promote greater relationship satisfaction. However, we did not find support for the mental subtraction effect on relationship satisfaction or gratitude. That is, participants who mentally subtracted their romantic partners from their lives did not report greater relationship satisfaction or gratitude compared to participants who thought about the presence of their partner in their lives (or those in a control condition). Our study suggests that mentally subtracting positive life events may not always boost feelings of satisfaction.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 50%

Does imagining you never met a romantic partner boost relationship satisfaction and gratitude? A conceptual replication and extension of the effect of mentally subtracting a partner

Park¹,

Raposo²,

Muise

2020

Journal of Social and Personal Relationships

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Later in life, the executive who tries to deal with a midlife crisis by buying himself a Porsche 718 Cayman sports car may find that he still has a crisis on his hands when he sees his colleague driving down the road in a Porsche 911 Turbo S Cabriolet. The availability of discomforting comparisons can undermine enjoyment of both experiential and material purchases (Ang, Lim, Leong, & Chen, ), but there is evidence that these sorts of comparisons have less impact when it comes to the experiences people buy (Carter & Gilovich, ; Howell & Hill, ). One reason, then, that people tend to derive more enduring satisfaction from their experiential purchases is that their enjoyment of them is less likely to be undermined by comparisons with the superior purchases of others.…”

Section: Sources Of the Experiential Advantagementioning

confidence: 99%

Consumers’ pursuit of material and experiential purchases: A review

Gilovich

Gallo

2019

Consumer Psychology Review

101

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More than 15 years ago, Van Boven and Gilovich (Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 85, 2003, 1193) presented evidence that experiential purchases make people happier than material purchases once consumers have covered their basic needs. This experiential advantage has attracted significant attention from researchers in the fields of social and consumer psychology. In this article, we review the literature on this subject. We first define the constructs of experiential and material purchases, and contrast them with previous, related constructs. We then identify and review the different mechanisms that appear to underlie the experiential advantage.Finally, we examine evidence of systematic differences in how people make decisions about material and experiential purchases, focusing on differences in how consumers process information and evaluate options prior to making a purchase.

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“…One of the most poignant and visceral character strength activities is a well-being boosting activity involving mental subtraction (Koo et al, 2008;Ang et al, 2015). This task is referred to as "subtract a signature strength" (Niemiec, 2018).…”

Section: Mental Subtractionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Decoding of the Human Spirit: A Synergy of Spirituality and Character Strengths Toward Wholeness

2020

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Little attention has been given to the integral relationship between character strengths and spirituality (the search for or communing with the sacred to derive meaning and purpose). The science of character strengths has surged in recent years with hundreds of studies, yet with minimal attention to spirituality or the literature thereof. At the same time, the science of spirituality has steadily unfolded over the last few decades and has offered only occasional attention to select strengths of character (e.g., humility, love, and forgiveness) or the universal typology of the VIA classification of character strengths and virtues. In this exploration, we argue that there is a robust synergy of these sciences and practices revealing that spirituality is vitally concerned with promoting character strengths. At the same time, character strengths can enhance and deepen spiritual practices, rituals, and experiences. We elaborate on how character strengths and spirituality come together in the context of the psycho-spiritual journey toward wholeness. By wholeness, we are referring to a way of being in the world that involves a life-affirming view of oneself and the world, a capacity to see and approach life with breadth and depth and the ability to organize the life journey into a cohesive whole. We further discuss six levels by which spirituality can be integrated within the VIA Classification, including a meta-perspective in which wholeness represents a meta-strength or superordinate virtue. We frame two pathways of integration: the grounding path, in which character strengths offer tangibility and thereby deepen and enhance spirituality, and the sanctification path, in which spirituality elevates character strengths. Finally, we turn to research-based practices and examine how character strengths might facilitate and contribute to spiritual practices and, conversely, how spirituality might enhance character strength practices. Such multifaceted integration offers insight and wisdom to both areas of study and opens up new directions for psycho-spiritual research and practices to deepen and broaden our understanding of what it means to be human.

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In Pursuit of Happiness: Effects of Mental Subtraction and Alternative Comparison

Cited by 9 publications

References 38 publications

Does imagining you never met a romantic partner boost relationship satisfaction and gratitude? A conceptual replication and extension of the effect of mentally subtracting a partner

Does imagining you never met a romantic partner boost relationship satisfaction and gratitude? A conceptual replication and extension of the effect of mentally subtracting a partner

Consumers’ pursuit of material and experiential purchases: A review

The Decoding of the Human Spirit: A Synergy of Spirituality and Character Strengths Toward Wholeness

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