Prioritizing positivity: An effective approach to pursuing happiness?

Abstract

A decade of research reveals the benefits of positive emotions for mental and physical health; however, recent empirical work suggests the explicit pursuit of happiness may backfire. The present study hypothesized that the pursuit of happiness is not inherently self-defeating; in particular, individuals who seek positivity, as exemplified by how they make decisions about how to organize their day-to-day lives, may be happier. This individual difference is labeled prioritizing positivity. In a community sample of young to older adults (N = 233), prioritizing positivity predicted a host of well-being outcomes (positive emotions, depressive symptomology). In addition, people high in prioritizing positivity have greater resources, and these links are explained by more frequent experiences of positive emotions. In sum, the present study suggests that seeking happiness, although a delicate art, may be a worthwhile pursuit.

Is valuing happiness associated with lower well-being? A factor-level analysis using the valuing happiness scale

“…Several studies using the Valuing Happiness Scale found that people who score high on this scale are worse off on a range of well-being indicators . These findings stand in contrast to studies using alternative operationalizations of the construct of valuing happiness which have tended to find positive associations with well-being (Bastian et al, 2014;Catalino et al, 2014). …”

Well-Being: An Important Concept for Psychotherapy and Psychiatric Neuroscience

“…Momentary assessment will importantly help to understand the real-time dynamics between social interactions and mental states in daily life, and how they influence the balance between wellness and disease. Conditions that trigger upward spirals toward social and emotional well-being are particularly relevant [30,31]. With wellness consciousness at an all-time high, there will be no shortage of ‘citizen scientists' who are eager to contribute time and enthusiasm for large population-based studies.…”

A Self-Paced, Web-Based, Positive Emotion Skills Intervention for Reducing Symptoms of Depression: Protocol for Development and Pilot Testing of MARIGOLD (Preprint)

“…       Prioritizing Positivity Scale [131] 6 items measuring the extent to which a person seeks out positive emotional experiences when organizing their day-to-day life.       Brief Resilience Scale (BRS) [132] 6 items measuring self-reported resilience.…”