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Despite recent research associating inferiority feelings with two of the social disruptors of happiness, namely self-concealment (Cimsir & Akdoğan, 2019) and loneliness (Akdoğan, 2017), neither the nature nor the mechanism of the connection between inferiority feelings and happiness have been investigated. The main objective of this study was, therefore, to test if inferiority feelings are associated with subjective happiness, while proposing a process in which inferiority feelings cause self-concealment, which in turn, causes loneliness, thereby resulting in a decrease in happiness. A serial mediation analysis was conducted via PROCESS, a computational tool for observed variable moderation, mediation and conditional process modeling (Hayes, 2012). The results confirm that self-concealment and loneliness act as serial mediators between inferiority feelings and subjective happiness, meaning that individuals with increased inferiority feelings have a higher tendency toward self-concealment. This, in turn, results in an increase in loneliness and a decrease in happiness. Additionally, a multiple regression analysis revealed that inferiority feelings, loneliness, self-concealment, age and gender significantly explain happiness at a level of 35% (R 2 = 0.35, F (5, 276) =30.27, p <.001), with loneliness and inferiority feelings being the only significant predictors of subjective happiness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Recent studies indicated that a considerable proportion of adult individuals experience poor mating performance: They face considerable difficulties in attracting and retaining mates. Using an evolutionary theoretical framework, we hypothesized that poor mating performance would be associated with more negative and fewer positive emotions as well as low life satisfaction. Evidence from an online sample of 735 participants provided strong support for this hypothesis. In particular, we found that individuals who indicated poor mating performance, experienced more negative emotions such as sadness and loneliness, and fewer positive emotions such as happiness and excitement, and they were less satisfied with their lives. On the other hand, those who indicated a good performance in mating, experienced more positive emotions and fewer negative emotions, and they were more satisfied with their lives. As indicated by the effect sizes, mating performance had a moderate to strong effect on positive and negative emotions and wellbeing. Also, consistent with the results of previous research, we found that about one in two participants faced difficulties in either starting or keeping an intimate relationship. Highlights • People who experienced poor mating performance experienced more negative emotions. • People who experienced good mating performance experienced more positive emotions. • Mating performance had a moderate to strong effect on emotions and wellbeing. • About one in two participants faced difficulties in intimate relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research to date have begun to provide evidence that indicate that doing things, or having experiences, is more strongly related with psychological well-being than having material goods. However, most studies have used self-report measures to assess materialism, while implicit measures seem to provide an objective and less biased approach. In the present study we aimed the implicit assessment of the materialism, and the study of the links between psychological well-being and materialism. To reach these aims, a sample of 327 Spanish consumers, aged from 18 to 65 years old filled in some self-report measures, i.e. Pemberton Happiness Index, Major Depression Inventory and the reduced version of Material Values Scale. Furthermore, the same participants completed an Implicit Association Test developed in order to assess implicit materialism. A reliable and valid implicit measure of materialism has been developed. Both explicitly and implicitly measures of materialism were modestly associated, whereas only explicit measures of materialism were associated with self-reported happiness and depression. Specifically, increased happiness and less depressive symptoms were observed in those participants with lower explicit materialism. Our conclusions agree with other previous studies, concluding greater psychological well-being as a consequence of the consumption of experiences, compared to consumption of materialistic goods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study examined the possible moderating roles of personality on the link between the fear of happiness and the experience of happiness, with happiness defined as the frequency of positive and negative affect. Respondents completed measures of affect, fear of happiness, and the big-five personality inventory. Result revealed substantial moderating effects of personality, but the pattern differed across positive and negative affect. Whereas higher levels of agreeableness and neuroticism potentiated the effect of fear of happiness on positive affect, higher levels of extraversion, conscientiousness, and openness to experience weakened the effect. On the other hand, except for higher levels of extraversion that also undermined the influence of fear of happiness on negative affect, fear of happiness and negative affect were positively related at all levels of the personality dimensions. These findings highlight the need to incorporate personality into the study and theoretical articulations of the operations of the fear of happiness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Well-being is typically defined as positive feeling (e.g. happiness), positive functioning (e.g. competence, meaning) or a combination of the two. Recent evidence indicates that well-being indicators belonging to different categories can be explained by single “general” factor of well-being (e.g. Jovanović, 2015). We further test this hypothesis using a recent well-being scale, which includes indicators of positive feeling and positive functioning (Huppert & So, 2013). While the authors of the scale originally identified a two-factor structure, in view of recent evidence, we hypothesize that the two-factor solution may be due to a method effect of different items being measured with different rating scales. In study 1, we use data from the European Social Survey round 3 ( n = 41,461) and find that two factors have poor discriminant validity and, after using a bifactor model to account for different rating scales, only the general factor is reliable. In study 2, we eliminate method effects by using the same rating scale across items, recruit a new sample ( n = 507), and find that a one-factor model fits the data well. The results support the hypothesis that well-being indicators, typically categorized as “positive feeling” and “positive functioning,” reflect a single general factor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research suggests that happiness emotion goals (i.e., cognitive representations that happiness is the desired emotional endpoint) may confer risk for depression. Based upon prior speculations that emotion regulation could be important for understanding the association between happiness emotion goals and depression, in Study 1, we examined whether expressive suppression moderated the association between happiness emotion goals and depressive symptoms using a sample of community adults located in the United States ( N = 465). Contrary to study predictions, expressive suppression did not moderate that association. In Study 2, we proposed and examined whether negative mood regulation (NMR) expectancies moderated the association between happiness emotion goals and depressive symptoms among an independent sample of community adults located in the United States ( N = 439). Along with replicating Study 1 findings, we found support for the proposed moderating effect of NMR expectancies in Study 2. Happiness emotion goals were only associated with depressive symptoms when individuals held low NMR expectancies. Conceptual and therapeutic implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The past years have seen a growing interest in the study of positive psychology interventions. Meta-analytic evidence suggests that they are effective in enhancing happiness and ameliorating depression. However, far less is known on why and how they work. We test two proposed working mechanisms: An attentional shift to the positive, and savoring positive emotions. The proposed mechanisms are tested by manipulating the time focus (past, present, or future) in the instruction of a one-week online humor-based positive intervention (three funny things). A sample of 695 adults was randomly assigned to one of the intervention condition or a placebo control condition. All three variants were effective in enhancing happiness and ameliorating depressive symptoms from pre- to post-intervention compared to the placebo control condition. As expected, the present variant was associated with both mechanisms, while the past variant was more strongly associated with the savoring mechanism, and the future variant more strongly with the attentional shift mechanism. This initial study provides first support for the potential working mechanisms of effective positive interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prioritizing positivity, which reflects the extent to which individuals organize their lives in ways that would maximize their experience of happiness, has been found to be associated with higher levels of well-being via positive emotions. However, previous research on this construct has been cross-sectional in nature which has made the temporal sequence of effects ambiguous. Moreover, previous studies have not explored the reciprocal relations among key constructs. In this study, we addressed these gaps using a three-wave longitudinal study which assessed the extent to which prioritizing positivity relates with positive emotion and life satisfaction among 408 Filipino secondary school students. Cross-lagged analysis indicated that T1 prioritizing positivity positively predicted T2 positive emotions which in turn predicted T3 life satisfaction after controlling for autoregressor effects. Notably, T2 positive emotions mediated the relations between T1 prioritizing positivity and T3 life satisfaction. We also found evidence of reciprocal effects with prior positive emotions predicting subsequent prioritizing positivity. The theoretical and practical implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mindfulness and self-compassion are emerging as crucial constructs in mental health research. Recent studies have shown that both mindfulness and self-compassion skills may play important roles in well-being and positive emotions associated with mindfulness training. Studies are needed to explain this relationship and to determine what facets may be correlating and mediating the meditation–happiness relationship. The aim of this study was to explore the meditation–happiness relationship and examine which mindfulness and self-compassion facets are better predictors of happiness. A total of 365 participants completed an assessment protocol composed of: the Five Facets of Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ), the Self-Compassion Scale-short form (SCS-SF), and the Pemberton Happiness Index (PHI). Hierarchical regression analysis showed that two FFMQ facets ( Observing and Awareness ) and two SCS components ( Self-kindness and Common humanity ) were significant predictors of happiness. Mediation results revealed a significant total indirect effect of Observing , Awareness , Self-kindness and Common humanity in the meditation frequency–happiness relationship. Significant indirect effects were found for observing , self-kindness and common humanity . The results supported the model of mindfulness and self-compassion facets as partial mediators of the meditation–happiness relationship. Findings are in line with other studies and provide evidence about the influence of mindfulness and self-compassion on happiness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Both motivational and hedonic deficits are related to negative schizotypal traits. [•] This study found amotivation, rather than anhedonia, to be more closely related to negative schizotypy. [•] Greater severity of negative schizotypy was related to lower levels of happiness, independent of amotivation and anhedonia. [•] Potential mechanisms mediating these relationships are discussed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]