Valuing happiness is associated with bipolar disorder.

Abstract

While people who experience happiness tend to have better psychological health, people who value happiness to an extreme tend to have worse psychological health, including more depression. We propose that the extreme valuing of happiness may be a general risk factor for mood disturbances, both depressive and manic. To test this hypothesis, we examined the relationship between the extreme valuing of happiness and risk for, diagnosis of, and illness course for Bipolar Disorder (BD). Supporting our hypothesis, the extreme valuing of happiness was associated with a measure of increased risk for developing BD (Studies 1–2), increased likelihood of past diagnosis of BD (Studies 2–3), and worse prospective illness course in BD (Study 3), even when controlling for current mood symptoms (Studies 1–3). These findings indicate that the extreme valuing of happiness is associated with and even predicts BD. Taken together with previous evidence, these findings suggest that the extreme valuing of happiness is a general risk factor for mood disturbances. More broadly, what emotions people strive to feel may play a critical role in psychological health.

Culture shapes whether the pursuit of happiness predicts higher or lower well-being.

“…First, together with evidence provided by experimental (Mauss et al, 2011) and prospective studies (Ford et al, 2015), the present results support a model wherein the motivation to pursue happiness can lead to worse well-being. However, these studies were all conducted in the U.S and until additional research is conducted in collectivistic cultures, the alternative direction of effects cannot be ruled out in those cultures.…”

“…Resonating with both laypeople and scientists, the Dalai Lama posits, “the very purpose of our existence is to seek happiness” (Dalai Lama & Cutler, 1998, p. 16), and empirical research has verified happiness as one of humans’ paramount objectives across cultures (Diener, Sapyta, & Suh, 1998). Surprisingly, however, a growing body of research indicates that pursuing happiness can at times impair well-being (Ford, Mauss, & Gruber, 2015; Mauss et al, 2012; Mauss, Tamir, Anderson, & Savino, 2011; Schooler, Ariely, & Loewenstein, 2003). Thus, these key questions remain: when is the pursuit of happiness likely to be associated with more or – paradoxically – less actual happiness and well-being?…”

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 (Ford & Mauss, 2014; Ford, Mauss, et al, 2015; Ford et al, 2014; Mauss, Savino, et al, 2011; Mauss, Tamir, et al, 2011). 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).…”

“…This effect did not apply to personal expectancies about negative emotions, however. Others measured the personal value of happiness rather than social expectations and found that valuing happiness was associated with lower well-being (Mauss, Tamir, et al, 2011), higher levels of loneliness (Mauss, Savino, et al, 2011) and depressive symptoms (Ford, Shallcross, Mauss, Floerke, & Gruber, 2014), and with more frequent diagnoses of bipolar disorder (Ford, Mauss, & Gruber, 2015). …”

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

“…This effect did not apply to personal expectancies about negative emotions, however. Others measured the personal value of happiness rather than social expectations and found that valuing happiness was associated with lower well-being , higher levels of loneliness and depressive symptoms (Ford, Shallcross, Mauss, Floerke, & Gruber, 2014), and with more frequent diagnoses of bipolar disorder (Ford, Mauss, & Gruber, 2015).…”