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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]

Abstract: General life satisfaction scales are widely used to examine the degree to which people are satisfied with their lives. Previous research indicates that part of the variability in life satisfaction scores does not genuinely reflect individuals’ life conditions, and that there are factors biasing people’s responses to these scales. The present study provided initial evidence showing that the fear of happiness (a belief that happiness may have negative consequences) influenced people’s responses to the items of a life satisfaction scale in an Iranian university student sample. Implications of the results are discussed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Although previous research has uncovered various ways people can savor or dampen their positive emotional experiences, the unique impact of each of these strategies on well-being remains unknown. The present study examines the relative impact of the main positive emotion regulation strategies on two components of well-being: positive affect (PA) and life satisfaction (LS). A total of 282 participants completed measures of PA, LS, overall happiness, and the savoring and dampening strategies they typically used. Results show that when experiencing positive events, focusing attention on the present moment and engaging in positive rumination promoted PA, whereas telling others promoted LS. In contrast, being distracted diminished PA, while focusing on negative details and engaging in negative rumination reduced LS. As the strategies targeted different components of well-being, our results further show that regulatory diversity (i.e., typically using various strategies rather than a few specific ones), was beneficial to overall happiness. Our findings suggest that there are several independent ways to make the best (or the worst) out of our positive emotions, and that the cultivation of multiple savoring strategies might be required to achieve lasting happiness. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Using the Life Inventory Task to induce emotions (fear, anger, and happiness) and BIS/BAS questionnaire to measure motivational systems this experiment (N =305) investigated the effects of emotion inductions on self-reported emotions and motivational systems. Structural equation modeling results validated the Life Inventory Task as an effective emotion induction technique and revealed that experimentally induced emotions predicted BIS/BAS activation. Specifically, happiness and anger, both approach emotions, predicted BAS, while fear, a withdrawal emotion, predicted BIS. Such empirical evidence supported the notion that emotions are associated with motivational systems by their unique action tendencies (withdrawal and approach), not by their valence (negative and positive). [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Matsumoto and Ekman’s Japanese and Caucasian facial expressions of emotion (JACFEE) have been tried in many countries including China. Consistent results from these nominal (or categorical) studies have been shown that the perception accuracies of Anger, Disgust, Happiness and Sadness are high, and that of Contempt is low, and those of Fear and Surprise are mixed. We have hypothesized that a principal component analysis (PCA) on the perceived intensity alone might offer a scalar (dimensional) classification of emotion. We therefore invited 200 Chinese university students who were blind to the JACFEE nominal classification, to rate the emotion intensities displayed by each poser. Happiness received the highest intensity score, and Contempt the lowest. PCA results produced seven scalar factors of emotion which corresponded well to the nominal ones. Picture loadings on the target emotions demonstrated that Contempt emerged as an independent factor, similarly to Anger, Disgust, Happiness and Sadness. However, picture loadings in regard to Fear and Surprise were mixed up, which still leaves the question open how to separate the two emotions efficiently. Nevertheless, our study has been demonstrated the validity of JACFEE in Chinese culture, and suggests a modification of the picture clusters, especially those of Fear and Surprise. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The authors examined the association between psychopathy and identification of facial expressions of emotion. Previous research in this area is scant and has produced contradictory findings (Blair et al., 2001, 2004; Glass & Newman, 2006; Kosson et al., 2002). One hundred and forty-five male jail inmates, rated using the Hare Psychopathy Checklist: Screening Version participated in a facial affect recognition task. Participants were shown faces containing one of five emotions (happiness, sadness, fear, anger, or shame) displayed at one of two different levels of intensity of expression (100% or 60%). The authors predicted that psychopathy would be associated with decreased affect recognition, particularly for sad and fearful emotional expressions, and decreased recognition of less intense displays of facial affect. Results were largely consistent with expectations in that psychopathy was negatively correlated with overall facial recognition of affect, sad facial affect, and recognition of less intense displays of affect. An unexpected negative correlation with recognition of happy facial affect was also found. These results suggest that psychopathy may be associated with a general deficit in affect recognition. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This study examined the relationship between the Big Five personality traits (Gosling et al., 2003), trait emotional intelligence (EI) (Petrides & Furnham, 2001) and happiness (Argyle et al., 1989) in a sample of 112 (61 female) student and non-student participants. Strong dispositional determinants of happiness were identified. In line with previous findings, four of the Big Five, namely stability, extraversion, conscientiousness, and agreeableness, were positively correlated with both happiness and trait EI, which explained 18% of unique variance (over and above age and the Big Five) in happiness. Furthermore, a significant amount of shared variance between happiness and the Big Five was explained by trait EI, which partly mediated the paths from stability and conscientiousness to happiness, and fully mediated the link between agreeableness and happiness. Limitations and implications are discussed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Linear additive models of affect and subjective well-being do not account for why people can uphold their sense of well-being during adversity. This paper presents a multiplicative model––the Affective Endowment-Contrast Theory, and reports a prospective study testing the theory. Endowment means that the accumulation of positive (PA) and negative affect (NA) has direct effects on well-being. Contrast, represented by the product term PA × NA, means that the effect of PA is stronger when NA is high than when NA is low. The effect of contrast thus partly compensates the main effect of NA during difficult times. Seventy-one university students completed affect diaries over a 4-week period. The results provided support for the well-being repair function of contrast. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The interest of research in well-being has been constantly growing. The principal aim of this study was to analyse the relationship between locus of control and well-being. From an original sample of 1403 adults from general population, two groups were formed: one composed by 67 individuals with high personal locus of control and low social locus of control and another composed by 91 individuals with high social locus of control and low personal locus of control. Participants completed questionnaires about subjective well-being (life satisfaction, happiness, positive and negative emotions; satisfaction with specific life domains) and six measures of psychological well-being. MANOVA showed that those individuals with personal locus of control – against those with social locus of control – had more life satisfaction, job satisfaction, positive emotions, less negative emotions, also scoring higher in every psychological well-being measures. The findings suggest the promotion of personal control in order to enhance well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]