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118
Pursuing happiness: The architecture of sustainable change
- Review of General Psychology
, 2005
"... The pursuit of happiness is an important goal for many people. However, surprisingly little scientific research has focused on the question of how happiness can be increased and then sustained, probably because of pessimism engendered by the concepts of genetic determinism and hedonic adaptation. Ne ..."
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Cited by 262 (45 self)
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The pursuit of happiness is an important goal for many people. However, surprisingly little scientific research has focused on the question of how happiness can be increased and then sustained, probably because of pessimism engendered by the concepts of genetic determinism and hedonic adaptation. Nevertheless, emerging sources of optimism exist regarding the possibility of permanent increases in happiness. Drawing on the past well-being literature, the authors propose that a person’s chronic happiness level is governed by 3 major factors: a genetically determined set point for happiness, happiness-relevant circumstantial factors, and happiness-relevant activities and practices. The authors then consider adaptation and dynamic processes to show why the activity category offers the best opportunities for sustainably increasing happiness. Finally, existing research is discussed in support of the model, including 2 preliminary happiness-increasing interventions. The pursuit of happiness holds an honored position in American society, beginning with the Declaration of Independence, where it is promised as a cherished right for all citizens. Today, the enduring U.S. obsession with how to be happy can be observed in the row upon row of popular psychology and self-help books in any major bookstore and in the millions of copies of these books that are sold. Indeed, many social contexts in the United States have the production of happiness and positive feelings as their primary purpose, and questions
Risk for psychopathology in the children of depressed mothers: A developmental model for understanding mechanisms of transmission. Psychol Rev
"... A large body of literature documents the adverse effects of maternal depression on the functioning and development of offspring. Although investigators have identified factors associated with risk for abnormal development and psychopathology in the children, little attention has been paid to the mec ..."
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Cited by 222 (3 self)
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A large body of literature documents the adverse effects of maternal depression on the functioning and development of offspring. Although investigators have identified factors associated with risk for abnormal development and psychopathology in the children, little attention has been paid to the mechanisms explaining the transmission of risk from the mothers to the children. Moreover, no existing model both guides understanding of the various processes ' interrelatedness and considers the role of development in explicating the manifestation of risk in the children. This article proposes a develop-mentally sensitive, integrative model for understanding children's risk in relation to maternal depression. Four mechanisms through which risk might be transmitted are evaluated: (a) heritability of depression; (b) innate dysfunctional neuroregulatory mechanisms; (c) exposure to negative maternal cognitions, behaviors, and affect; and (d) the stressful context of the children's lives. Three factors that might moderate this risk are considered: (a) the father's health and involvement with the child, (b) the course and timing of the mother's depression, and (c) characteristics of the child. Relevant issues are discussed, and promising directions for future research are suggested. Much has been written about the adverse effects of mothers' depression on their children. Most of that work has focused on
Beyond the hedonic treadmill: Revising the adaptation theory of well-being.
- American Psychologist,
, 2006
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Structural relationships among dimensions of the DSM-IV anxiety and mood disorders and dimensions of negative affect, positive affect, and autonomic arousal.
- Journal of Abnormal Psychology,
, 1998
"... Using outpatients with anxiety and mood disorders (N = 350), Ihe authors tested several models of the structural relationships of dimensions of key features of selected emotional disorders and dimensions of the tripartite model of anxiety and depression. Results supported the discriminant validity ..."
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Cited by 109 (12 self)
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Using outpatients with anxiety and mood disorders (N = 350), Ihe authors tested several models of the structural relationships of dimensions of key features of selected emotional disorders and dimensions of the tripartite model of anxiety and depression. Results supported the discriminant validity of the 5 symptom domains examined (mood disorders; generalized anxiety disorder, GAD; panic disorder; obsessive-compulsive disorder; social phobia). Of various structural models evaluated, the best fitting involved a structure consistent with the tripartite model (e.g., the higher order factors, negative affect and positive affect, influenced emotional disorder factors in the expected manner). The latent factor, GAD, influenced the latent factor, autonomic arousal, in a direction consistent with recent laboratory findings (autonomic suppression). Findings are discussed in the context of the growing literature on higher order trait dimensions (e.g., negative affect) that may be of considerable importance to the understanding of the pathogenesis, course, and co-occurrence of emotional disorders. Over the past few decades, the number of diagnostic categories has increased markedly with each edition of the major classification systems for mental disorders (e.g., the Diagnostic and
Life satisfaction set point: Stability and change
- Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
, 2005
"... Using data from 17 years of a large and nationally representative panel study from Germany, the authors examined whether there is a set point for life satisfaction (LS)—stability across time, even though it can be perturbed for short periods by life events. The authors found that 24 % of respondents ..."
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Cited by 88 (0 self)
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Using data from 17 years of a large and nationally representative panel study from Germany, the authors examined whether there is a set point for life satisfaction (LS)—stability across time, even though it can be perturbed for short periods by life events. The authors found that 24 % of respondents changed significantly in LS from the first 5 years to the last 5 years and that stability declined as the period between measurements increased. Average LS in the first 5 years correlated.51 with the 5-year average of LS during the last 5 years. Height, weight, body mass index, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and personality traits were all more stable than LS, whereas income was about as stable as LS. Almost 9% of the sample changed an average of 3 or more points on a 10-point scale from the first 5 to last 5 years of the study. The purpose of this study was to explore the degree to which life satisfaction (LS) varies around an individual set point, a personal baseline that remains constant over time. The set-point concept was borrowed from the idea of a weight set point and implies that there is a stable baseline of LS, with homeostatic forces returning it to its original level after life events or changing circumstances change it. We analyzed in a large probability sample whether annual reports of LS followed a set-point pattern over a 17-year period. The concept of set point is a pivotal one to the field of subjective well-being (SWB) for both theoretical and applied reasons. In terms of theory, the idea of set point makes strong predictions about the relation of temperament and events in influencing SWB. In terms of practical importance, interventions to change society or to help individuals must be considered in a different light if they cannot hope to improve people’s SWB. Thus, the question of whether a personal set point exists is of immense importance to the field of psychology. In recent years, a large literature has been focused on the
The child is father of the man: Personality continuities from childhood to adulthood
- Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
, 2000
"... This article presents findings about continuities in personality development that have been uncovered in the Dunedin study, an investigation of a cohort of children studied from age 3 to 21. At age 3, children were classified into temperament groups on the basis of observations of their behavior. In ..."
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Cited by 87 (2 self)
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This article presents findings about continuities in personality development that have been uncovered in the Dunedin study, an investigation of a cohort of children studied from age 3 to 21. At age 3, children were classified into temperament groups on the basis of observations of their behavior. In young adulthood, data were collected from study members themselves, from people who knew them well, and from official records. Undercontrolled 3-year-olds grew up to be impulsive, unreliable, and antisocial, and had more conflict with members of their social networks and in their work. Inhibited 3-year-olds were more likely to be unassertive and depressed and had fewer sources of social support. Early appearing temperamental differences have a pervasive influence on life-course development and offer clues about personality structure, interpersonal relations, psychopathology, and crime in adulthood. My heart leaps up when I behold A rainbow in the sky: So was it when my life began; So is it now I am a man: So be it when I shall grow old, Or let me die!
Job satisfaction: Environmental and genetic components
- Journal of Applied Psychology
, 1989
"... Monozygotic twins reared apart from an early age were used to test the hypothesis that there is a significant genetic component to job satisfaction. Thirty-four monozygotic twin pairs who had been reared apart completed the Minnesota Job Satisfaction Questionnaire as part of a comprehensive work-his ..."
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Cited by 87 (5 self)
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Monozygotic twins reared apart from an early age were used to test the hypothesis that there is a significant genetic component to job satisfaction. Thirty-four monozygotic twin pairs who had been reared apart completed the Minnesota Job Satisfaction Questionnaire as part of a comprehensive work-history assessment. Three subscales were formed from the job satisfaction items to reflect intrinsic, extrinsic, and general satisfaction with the current (or major) job. Intraclass correlations were computed to estimate the proportion of observed variability resulting from genetic factors for all job satisfaction items and for the three subscales. Resulting values indicated that approximately 30 % of the observed variance in general job satisfaction was due to genetic factors. Additional analy-sis indicated that these results obtained even when job characteristics such as complexity, motor skill requirements, and the physical demands were held constant via partialing methods. Finally, the data indicated significant heritabilities for several of these job characteristics, which is consistent with the hypothesis of a genetic disposition to seek and remain in similar environments (jobs). Implications of these findings for theories of job satisfaction, selection, and job enrichment are dis-cussed. Personal experience informs us that some coworkers or
The Hedonistic Paradox: Is homo economicus happier?
, 2008
"... The “Hedonistic Paradox” states that homo economicus, or someone who seeks happiness for him- or herself, will not find it, but the person who helps others will. This study examines two questions in connection with happiness and generosity. First, do more generous people, as identified in dictator e ..."
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Cited by 57 (0 self)
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The “Hedonistic Paradox” states that homo economicus, or someone who seeks happiness for him- or herself, will not find it, but the person who helps others will. This study examines two questions in connection with happiness and generosity. First, do more generous people, as identified in dictator experiments, report on average greater happiness, or subjective well-being (SWB), as measured by responses to various questionnaires? Second, if the answer is affirmative, what is the causal relationship between generosity and happiness? We find a favorable correlation between generosity and happiness (i.e., SWB is directly related to several measures of happiness and inversely related to unhappiness) and examine various possible explanations, including that material well-being causes both happiness and generosity. The evidence from this experiment, however, indicates that a tertiary personality variable, sometimes called psychological well-being, is the primary cause of both happiness and greater generosity. In contrast to field studies, the experimental method of this inquiry permits anonymity measures designed to minimize subject misrepresentation of intrinsic generosity (e.g., due to social approval motives) and of actual happiness (e.g., because of social desirability biases) and produces a rich data set with multiple measures of subjective, psychological and material well-being. The results of this and other studies raise the question of whether greater attention should be paid to the potential benefits (beyond solely the material
Testing a model for the genetic structure of personality: A comparison of the personality systems of Cloninger and Eysenck
- Journal of Penonality and Social Psychology
, 1994
"... Genetic analysis of data from 2.680 adult.~ian twin pailS demonstrated signiiic:mt genetic conuibutions to variation in scores on the Harm Avoidance.:-fovelty Seelcing, and Reward Depen-dence SCLIes of Ooningcr's Tridimensional Personality Questiol1Dllire (TPQ). accounting for be-tween 54 % and ..."
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Cited by 56 (22 self)
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Genetic analysis of data from 2.680 adult.~ian twin pailS demonstrated signiiic:mt genetic conuibutions to variation in scores on the Harm Avoidance.:-fovelty Seelcing, and Reward Depen-dence SCLIes of Ooningcr's Tridimensional Personality Questiol1Dllire (TPQ). accounting for be-tween 54 % and 61 '! & of the stable variation in tllese traits. Multivariate genetic triangular decom~ sition models were fitted to determine the extent to wbidl the TPQ assesses the same dimensions of heritable variation as the revised Eysenck Personality Questionnaire. These analyses demonsuated. that the personality systemS ofEysenck and Ooningcr are not simply altem&tM: descriptions of the same dimensions of petSODaIity. but rather each provide incomplete descriptions of the strUCtUre of heritable personality diB"erences. Much research has been published on the factorial structure of personality, and many theories of personality structure have been propounded (e.g., Eysenc:Jc & Eysenck. 1969. 1976: Gray,
Individual differences in dispositional expressiveness development and validation of the emotional expressivity scale
- Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
, 1994
"... Although emotional expressivity figures prominently in several theories of psychological and physical functioning, limitations of currently available measurement techniques impede precise and economical testing of these theories. The 17-item Emotional Expressivity Scale (EES) was designed as a self- ..."
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Cited by 54 (5 self)
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Although emotional expressivity figures prominently in several theories of psychological and physical functioning, limitations of currently available measurement techniques impede precise and economical testing of these theories. The 17-item Emotional Expressivity Scale (EES) was designed as a self-report measure of the extent to which people outwardly display their emotions. Reliability studies showed the EES to be an internally consistent and stable individual-difference measure. Validational studies established initial convergent and discriminant validities, a moderate relationship between self-rated and other-rated expression, and correspondence between self-report and laboratorymeasured expressiveness using both college student and community populations. The potential for the EES to promote and integrate findings across diverse areas of research is discussed. Other peoples ' emotional expressions hold a certain fascination for nearly everyone. News agencies always provide images of politicians ' expressions on winning and losing elections. Reports of court cases routinely mention the defendant's emotional expressions during the reading of the verdict. Winning and losing locker-room photographs attempt to capture sports
