Ryan Serhant: How to Manage Your Time for Happiness
How the real estate mogul and TV star manages his time in accordance with his values.
Ryan Serhant: How to Manage Your Time for Happiness Read More »
Happiness Research
Happiness: What Works?
The authors’ systematic review explored popular strategies for increasing happiness. Analyzing media articles, they identified five commonly recommended techniques: expressing gratitude, enhancing sociability, exercising, practising mindfulness/meditation, and increasing nature exposure. Then, they reviewed scientific literature and found 57 well-designed studies testing these strategies on subjective well-being. Surprisingly, some commonly recommended strategies lack a strong scientific
Happiness: What Works? Read More »
Cutting back on social media reduces anxiety, depression, loneliness
Researchers found college students who tried to cut their social media use to 30 minutes per day scored significantly lower for anxiety, depression, loneliness and fear of missing out at the end of the two-week experiment and when compared to the control group.
Cutting back on social media reduces anxiety, depression, loneliness Read More »
Spread Joy: Sharing Positivity Helps Fight Loneliness and Negativity
Did you know that sharing positive feelings with others can help alleviate loneliness-related negativity? It’s true! According to a recent study by researchers at the University of Nebraska, individuals who regularly share positive emotional experiences with their loved ones experienced a lower correlation between loneliness and negative interpretations of ambiguous situations. This finding is important
Spread Joy: Sharing Positivity Helps Fight Loneliness and Negativity Read More »
People in historically rice-farming areas are less happy and socially compare more than people in wheat-farming areas.
Using two nationally representative surveys, we find that people in China’s historically rice-farming areas are less happy than people in wheat areas. This is a puzzle because the rice area is more interdependent, and relationships are an important predictor of happiness. We explore how the interdependence of historical rice farming may have paradoxically undermined happiness by creating more social comparison than wheat farming. We build a framework in which rice farming leads to social comparison, which makes people unhappy (especially people who are worse off). If people in rice areas socially compare more, then people’s happiness in rice areas should be more closely related to markers of social status like income. In two studies, national survey data show that income, self-reported social status, and occupational status predict people’s happiness twice as strongly in rice areas than wheat areas. In Study 3, we use a unique natural experiment comparing two nearby state farms that effectively randomly assigned people to farm rice or wheat. The rice farmers socially compare more, and farmers who socially compare more are less happy. If interdependence breeds social comparison and erodes happiness, it could help explain the paradox of why the interdependent cultures of East Asia are less happy than similarly wealthy cultures. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)
The role of positive relationship events in romantic attachment avoidance.
Motivated by the Attachment Security Enhancement Model (Arriaga et al., 2018), the present research investigated the associations between positive relationship experiences and romantic attachment avoidance in three dyadic studies that combined multiple methods, including daily diaries, laboratory observations, and longitudinal follow-ups. Frequency of daily positive relationship events (but not external positive events) during a 21-day diary period predicted declines in romantic attachment avoidance (but not anxiety) from pre- to post-diary in fledgling couples (Study 1) and newlyweds (Study 2). Video-recorded discussions of fledgling couples’ shared positive experiences revealed that behaviors validating the relationship (but not simply showing conversational interest) predicted lagged declines in romantic attachment avoidance (but not anxiety) over 1 month (Study 3). The associations were mediated by positive affect during the diary period in Studies 1 and 2, and by changes in positive affect from pre- to post-discussion in Study 3. Positive relationship experiences did not significantly interact with time in predicting romantic avoidance over a 1-year follow-up with quarterly assessments of attachment orientations in Study 1, over an 8-month follow-up with monthly assessments in Study 2, or over a 2-month follow-up with monthly assessments in Study 3. Altogether, these studies provide one of the most comprehensive tests of how positive relationship experiences in nondistressing contexts are linked to romantic attachment. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)
The role of positive relationship events in romantic attachment avoidance. Read More »
Take it from the experts, a pet can change your life
Some people should not have pets. They’re expensive and can make you sneeze. They require time, attention, and stability. If you have allergies, don’t make yourself suffer. If you travel frequently, think twice. If you simply can’t warm to the idea of an animal companion, then by all means, forget the pet. Otherwise, there are
Take it from the experts, a pet can change your life Read More »
Positive Parenting, Flourishing Families
Can science-backed strategies transform your family’s happiness and resilience? Discover the power of positive parenting.
Positive Parenting, Flourishing Families Read More »
Thomas Jefferson Was Right: Happiness Comes First
Take it from Thomas Jefferson and recent psychology studies: Taking part in a government of the people, by the people, and for the people can make you happier.
Thomas Jefferson Was Right: Happiness Comes First Read More »
