Validity and Reliability of the Persian Version of the Fear of Happiness Scale

Abstract

Background: Certain scales have been designed to measure fear of happiness as a phenomenon that is observed in different cultures. Objectives: The present study was conducted to investigate the psychometric properties of the fear of happiness scale in an Iranian sample, and to study this phenomenon in the Iranian culture. Methods: A total of 210 students of Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran, including 83 males and 127 females, completed the fear of happiness scale (FHS), the mindful attention awareness scale (MAAS), the fear of negative emotions scale (FNES), and the positive and negative affect schedule (PANAS). The data obtained were analyzed in SPSS and LISREL using confirmatory and exploratory factor analyses, the Pearson correlation and Cronbach's alpha. Results: The single-factor structure of the main scale was not confirmed in the sample. Confirmatory factor analysis suggested the fitting of the two factors, and the exploratory factor analysis obtained two factors, namely "fear of experiencing happiness" and "fear of consequences of happiness", which explained 52.41% of the variance. The Cronbach's alpha calculated for fear of experiencing happiness was 0.70 and for fear of consequences of happiness was 0.73. Conclusions: The results of the present research showed that Iranian citizens tend to reduce or suppress their feeling of happiness owing to their cultural beliefs. Moreover, the psychometric properties of the fear of happiness scale were found to be appropriate in Iranian students.

Fear of Happiness: Description, Causes and Prevention

“…The individual who experiences fear of happiness believes that unhappiness will come right after happiness, and that being cheerful or laughing is a characteristic of irresponsible people. As a result, the individual experiences more problems in social relationships (Yıldırım and Belen 2018), feels more negative emotions (Amiri et al 2019), resorts to more cognitive distortions in his relationships, and may experience more psychological fragility (Elmas 2022). Knowing the protective factors that prevent the emergence of fear of happiness and the risk factors that facilitate it are as important for mental health as knowing the symptoms caused by the fear of happiness.…”

“…These beliefs are based on two basic factors. These; It is the fear of being happy and the fear of the consequences of happiness (Amiri et al 2019).…”

“…Fear of happiness can be caused by a child being warned or punished when he or she has a positive emotion at an early age, growing up in a family that does not have healthy family patterns, feeling guilty for having fun in the presence of a sick family member, or developing early maladaptive schemas (Gilbert et al 2014, Ekşi et al 2020). Likewise, their positive emotions cause negative emotions in individuals whose needs cannot be met in a warm and sincere manner (Amiri et al 2019). Especially in Eastern cultures, the glorification of sadness and the viewing of a suffering person as more valuable and burdensome has caused people to control and suppress happiness.…”