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Positive Psychology

• Article: Does Happiness Promote Success? Meta Analysis.– By Boehm and Lyubomirsky, 2008 • (longitudinal data)

– People who felt more positive emotions than those who felt less positive emotions:• More likely to receive a 2nd interview several years later• More job satisfaction several years later• More financial security several years later• More likely to receive greater support from colleagues and supervisors a year later• More likely to be evaluated more favorably by the supervisors a year later• More effective at work (produce better sales) 6 months later• More present (less absent) at work months later

Positive Psychology

• Article: Does Happiness Promote Success?– By Boehm and Lyubomirsky– People who felt more positive emotions than those who felt less

positive emotions:• Less likely to lose their jobs• Less likely to be unemployed• If unemployed, likely to find a new job more quickly• Earn more money later in their life

Positive Psychology

• Article: Does Happiness Promote Success?– By Boehm and Lyubomirsky, 2008 • experimental data

– People who felt more positive emotions than those who felt less positive emotions:• More cooperative• Find more mutually beneficial solutions to problems• Less contentious (involvement in heated disagreements)• Setting higher goals• More persistent at difficult tasks• More positive evaluation of self• More optimistic about the outcomes of events• Better rate their own performance• Give others better ratings

Positive Psychology

• Article: Does Happiness Promote Success?– By Boehm and Lyubomirsky, 2008 • experimental data

– People who felt more positive emotions than those who felt less positive emotions:• Help others more• More creative• More curiosity• More disregard irrelevant info

Positive Psychology

• Article: The Benefits of Frequent Positive Affect: Does Hapiness Lead to Success?– By Lyubomirsky and King, 2005 • longitudinal

– People who felt more positive emotions than those who felt less positive emotions:• More financial independence 8 years later• More fulfilled with meaning at work 1.5 years later• More autonomy (independence) at work 1.5 years later• More sense of variety (work not monotonous) at work 1.5 years later• Rated by supervisors as more productive at work 1.5 years later• Rated by supervisors as more dependable at work 1.5 years later

Positive Psychology


– People who felt more positive emotions than those who felt less positive emotions:• Rated by supervisors as superior in goal emphasis 3.5 years later• Rated by supervisors as superior in team building 3.5 years later• Had higher income 5 years later• Had higher income 16 years later• Less likely to experience long term-unemployment after college• More emotional support (others helping them and befriending them) 1 year later

Positive Psychology


– People who felt more positive emotions than those who felt less positive emotions:• More likely to be married 6 years later• More marital satisfaction 3 years later, 6 years later• More likely to be remarried 2.5 years later• More likely to have longer marriages• More likely to be given emotional and tangible (touchable) assistance from strangers• More likely to be befriended by strangers

Positive Psychology


– People who felt more positive emotions than those who felt less positive emotions:• More likely to receive empathy from others (physical or verbal comfort)• Less likely to suffer depression if they become unemployed later on• Less likely to have a mental illness disabling them to work 12 years later• Less likely to commit suicide 20 years later• Better physical health (cold, flu, hospitalization) 5 years later• Live 4 years longer after a diagnosis of renal disease• Live 7 years longer after a diagnosis of breast cancer• Live 11 years longer after a diagnosis of spinal cord injury

Positive Psychology


– People who felt more positive emotions than those who felt less positive emotions:• Live longer than their peers (20 months longer in one study; 2.5 times less likely to

die in comparison to peers of certain age)• Greater sense of competence 2 and 3 decades later• More outgoing 10 years later• More time spent on recreation at a later time• More time spent on activities with friends and family at a later time• More hours spent on volunteering (which made them even happier)• Less likely to drink and smoke 5 years later

Positive Psychology


– People who felt more positive emotions than those who felt less positive emotions:• Less likely to develop a cold• Enhanced NK cell activity (in cancer patients) 18 months later• Evaluated as more creative by their employers 1.5 years later

Positive Psychology

• Article: The Benefits of Frequent Positive Affect: Does Hapiness Lead to Success?– By Lyubomirsky and King, 2005 • Experimental studies

– People who felt more positive emotions than those who felt less positive emotions:• Assess their own task performance as superior• Like more a stranger• Rating job applicants higher• More likely to hire a job applicant• More likely to recall positive information about another person• More likely to initiate a conversation with a stranger• More likely to be attentive to what a stranger is saying

Positive Psychology


– People who felt more positive emotions than those who felt less positive emotions:• More engage in social interaction with a peer stranger• More engage in self-disclosure with a peer stranger• Greater interest in planning a trip or vacation• Greater interest in going to a party• Greater interest in going to a sporting event• Greater interest in shopping• More likely to enjoy the task they are asked to perform

Positive Psychology


– People who felt more positive emotions than those who felt less positive emotions:• Less preference for resolving conflict through avoidance• Less preference for resolving conflict through competition• Increased inclination for reducing conflict through collaboration• More likely to offer help to others (numerous studies)• Less likely to break off negotiation• Less likely to use an aggressive negotiation tactic

Positive Psychology


– People who felt more positive emotions than those who felt less positive emotions:• More liking of others• More sense of advantageous resources that should be shared with others• More sense of good fortune that should be shared with others• Expect more that their helpfulness will result in more gratitude and appreciation than

costs• More likely to recall the positive aspects of their past helping experiences• More likely to view themselves as: generous, confident, efficacious, resource laden,

in control, and more skilled at helping

Positive Psychology


– People who felt more positive emotions than those who felt less positive emotions:• Have higher pain thresholds• Have lower blood pressure reactivity to stress• Greater ability in managing illness• More optimism about the progression of their illness• Stronger intentions to follow the treatment regimen• Exert more effort to overcome the illness

Positive Psychology


– People who felt more positive emotions than those who felt less positive emotions:• Less urge to smoke in those withdrawing from smoking• More will power once again after it has been worn down by temptation• Increased activity of the immune system (important for fighting diseases)• More original• More flexible thinking• Feel more safe and secure• Seek more variety in their choices (try more different things)

Positive Psychology

• Article: The Benefits of Frequent Positive Affect: Does Hapiness Lead to Success?– By Lyubomirsky and King, 2005

• Experimental studies– People who felt more positive emotions than those who felt less positive

emotions:• Persist longer at tasks requiring perseverance• More likely to include more diverse people within their group• More likely to define others as part of their own group• Make faster and more efficient decisions regarding a personally relevant task• Perform better on a clerical error-checking task• Faster at diagnosing a disease• Less likely to review information they had already seen• More likely to eliminate alternatives that were not important for the task• Sometimes worse at problem solving, but can overcome these deficits if they are motivated to

perform well at the task (if stakes are high, for example)– More careless when problem solving task not that important

Positive Psychology

• Article: Positive Health– By Seligman, 2008 – People who felt more positive emotions than those who felt less

positive emotions:• Better peripheral attention• Better health status 6 months after a heart-transplant• Better medication compliance 6 months after the heart transplant• Lowr risk of developing common cold• Less likely to suffer from stroke• Less rapid progression of HIV

Positive Psychology

• Article: Positive Psychotherapy– By Seligman, Rashid and Parks, 2006– About exercises that completely eliminated severe

depression in some participants, and significantly reduced depression in the remaining participants

– One study lasted 6 months, and the other 1 year– Techniques/Exercises (that put you in a good mood)

Positive Psychology

• Techniques/Exercises (that put you in a good mood)– Clients write a one page positive introduction, in which they tell a concrete

story illustrating their personality strengths.– Clients discuss situations in which these signature strengths have helped

them previously– Clients complete VIA-IS questionnaire online, which identifies client’s

signature strengths.• http://www.authentichappiness.sas.upenn.edu/default.aspx Under Questionnaires, scroll

down to VIA questionnaire

– Clients asked to think of ways to use those strengths more in their daily life

– Clients start a Blessings Journal in which three good things (big or small) that happened during the day are written.

– Clients write a forgiveness letter describing transgression, related emotions and pledge to forgive transgressor (if appropriate) but may not deliver the letter

http://www.authentichappiness.sas.upenn.edu/default.aspx



Positive Psychology

• Techniques/Exercises (that put you in a good mood)– Clients write and present a letter of gratitude to someone they have

never properly thanked (over the phone or to visit that person)– Clients are guided to think of times when they lost out at something

important, when a big plan collapsed, and when they were rejected by someone. Then clients are asked to consider that when one door closes, another one almost always opens.

– Clients are invited to recognize signature stranghts of a significant other

– Clients ask family members to take VIA-IS questionalire then draw a tree that includes signature strengths of all members of their family including children. A family gathering is to be arranged to discuss everyone’s signature strenghts.

– Clients encouraged to respond in a visibly positive and enthusiastic way to good news from someone else.

Positive Psychology

• Techniques/Exercises (that put you in a good mood)– Clients plan pleasurable activities and carry them out as planned– Clients take the time to enjoy something that they usually hurry

through (examples: eating a meal, taking a shower, walking to class). When it’s over, they write down what they did, how they did it differently, and how it felt compared to when they rushed through it.

– Clients imagine that they have passed away after living a fuigrul and satisfying life. They write what would they want their obiutary to say? The write a 1-2 page essay summarizing what they would like to be remembered for the most.

– Clients are to give the gift of time by doing something that requires a fair amount of time and whose creation calls on signature strengths—such as mentoring a childr or doing community service