APS Positive Psychology #1 (intro to wellbeing science)

themindroomww.themindroom.com.au
The Science of Wellbeing
An introduction
Jo Mitchell
Clinical Psychologist, PhD

The Agenda
• To explore positive psychology theory and research
• To apply ideas for building health and wellbeing
• www.slideshare.net/drjomitchell
• www.themindroom.com.au/library

What is mental health?
“…a state of wellbeing in which the
individual realizes his or her own abilities,
can cope with the normal stresses of life,
can work productively and fruitfully, and
is able to make a contribution to his or
her own community”
World Health Organisation, 2001, p.1.

But we got distracted…
“The scientific study of what enables individuals and
communities to thrive.”
International Positive Psychology Association, 2008

Positive Psychology
The scientific study of
what enables individuals &
communities to thrive.
International Positive Psychology Association,

Shifting the Prevalence of Mental Health towards Flourishing
(Huppert & So, 2013)

What is not positive psychology?
• All new, cohesive or complete
• A replacement for traditional approaches to mental
health
• A ‘Pollyanna’ approach
Despondex: (Language WARNING)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jd4tugPM83c

What is wellbeing?
• More than the absence of illness
• Variation in wellbeing – languishing to
flourishing
• Major conceptual approaches:
1. Hedonic (feeling good)
2. Eudaimonic (functioning well)

Benefits of wellbeing
Meta-analysis by Lyubomirsky, King & Diener (2005)
Social
• More social support and richer social
interactions
• More satisfying & longer marriages
• More prosocial behaviour
Work
• Greater productivity
• Lower absenteeism

Benefits of wellbeing cont...
Health
• Better physical health (e.g., strengthened immune
system, less pain, and greater longevity)
• Better mental health (e.g., lowered stress, depression
& anxiety)
Personal
• More activity, energy & flow
• Increased creativity & self-confidence
• Better self-regulation & ability to cope
Meta-analysis by Lyubomirsky, King & Diener (2005)

Measuring Wellbeing
• Satisfaction With Life Scale (5-items) http://bit.ly/1iJl4qE
• Flourishing Scale (8 items) bit.ly/1Xe0vme
• Warwick Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale (14 items)
bit.ly/1vy0K1r
• Work on Wellbeing (50+ items) www.workonwellbeing.com
• AWE (52 + 8 demographic items) www.aweschools.com

Lyubomirsky, Sheldon & Schkade
What determines wellbeing?

W E L L B E I N G

WELLBEING
WORKOUT

5 Ways to Wellbeing

themindroomww.themindroom.com.au 5 Ways to Wellbeing

• What do you currently do?
• What would you like to do?
• What gets in your way?
• What helps?

Ref: Seligman et al., 2005, 2010, 2011

Micro moments
Never underestimate the power of small things

Emotions
• What are the consequences of
unpleasant emotions for you? (e.g.,
anger, sadness, fear)
• What type of behaviour do they trigger?

Emotions
• What are the consequences of pleasant
emotions for you? (e.g., contentment,
joy, curiosity)
• What type of behaviour do they trigger?

The role of positive emotions
Broaden momentary
thought-action repertoire
Build enduring personal
resources
Transform people & produce
upward spirals
Positive emotions
Friendships,
creativity,
persistence,
problem solving,
flexibility…
Fredrikson & Joiner (2002)
joy ↔ play
curiosity ↔ explore
contentment ↔ savour & integrate

Positive emotions
• Openness to new ideas and experiences
• Broaden cognitive, physical and social resources
• Fosters collaboration, friendship, love

Psychosocial reserves for times of threat or opportunity

In the moment, positive emotions
• Broaden Attention and Thinking (Fredrickson & Branigan, 2002)
• Helps people to be more creative, learn faster and make better
decisions quicker (Isen, 2000, Positive affect and decision making)
• Undo Lingering Negative Emotional Arousal (Fredrickson &
Levenson, 1998; Fredrickson, Mancuso, Branigan & Tugade, 2000)
• Fuel Resilient Coping (Fredrickson, Tugade, Waugh & Larkin, 2002;
Tugade & Fredrickson, 2002)

Over time, positive emotions
• Increase well-being
(Fredrickson & Joiner, 2002; Tugade & Fredrickson,
2002)
• Build optimism, tranquility, and
resilience
(Fredrickson, Tugade, Waugh, & Larkin, 2002)
• Prevent depression
(Fredrickson, Tugade, Waugh, & Larkin, 2002)

Over time, positive emotions
• Increase work productivity (Marks & Fleming, 1995)
• Improve physical health (Cohen et al., 2003).
• Lead to longevity (Danner D, Snowdon D, Friesen W, 2001)

Positive emotion & physical health
Positive affect modulates the relationship between host
resistance and disease onset or progression.
Marshland, Pressman, Cohen (2007) Psychneuroimmunology, 4th Ed.
Positive affect associated with greater resistance to
objectively verifiable colds and fewer reported cold
symptoms.
Cohen, S., et al., (2003). Emotional Style and Susceptibility to the Common Cold.
Psychosomatic Medicine 65, 652-657.

Positive emotion & longevity
Emotional state and motivation assessed
by autobiographical writing, e.g.,
contentment, gratitude, hope, love, at start
of career
(n=180 Catholic nuns, mean age 22)
Most cheerful vs least cheerful quarter
• 90% vs 34% alive at 85
• 54% vs 11% alive at 94
Danner, Snowdon & Friesen (2001). Positive emotion in early life and
longevity.
J Pers & Soc Psych, 80:804-13.

Neuromuscular Disease & Gratitude
Neuromuscular disease study, daily
gratitude journal intervention for 21-
days, resulted in more/better (compared
to control group):
• Positive moods & energy
• Feelings of connection to others
• Optimistic ratings of one’s life
• Sleep duration and sleep quality
(Emmons & McCullough, 2003)

• RCT (gratitude vs neutral life events vs daily hassle groups)
• More likely to have made progress toward important personal goals
(academic, interpersonal and health-based) over a two-month
period.
• Exercised more regularly
• Fewer physical symptoms of ill health
• More life satisfaction
• More optimistic about the upcoming week.
(Emmons & McCullough, 2003)
Community & Gratitude

Key Message
For optimal wellbeing
get frequent daily hits of
positive emotions

Tuning-in to positive emotions
• How much is enough?
• Is their a ratio of positive to
negative emotions?
• How can I amplify positive
emotions in my life?
CAVEAT: Negative emotions are a normal part of the human experience and are crucial
for survival. Accepting and learning to manage negative or unpleasant emotions is an
equally important life skill.

Your neglected superpower
Ron Gutman, www.ted.com/talks

Gratitude Journal
• Write about 2-3 things that you
are grateful for
• Make them recent (e.g., last 24hrs)
• Make them specific
(e.g., morning coffee, walked the dog,
chat with my sister)

• How do you create positive emotion
in your life?
• Do you get enough hits of positive
emotion?

what you
stand for
as a person
Values Are..?

Connection, adventure,
learning, love
Legacy, achievement,
safety, kindness
Hope, power,
competence, success

How do VALUES contribute to our
WELLBEING and PERFORMANCE?

Values & wellbeing
Values congruence predicts wellbeing
(Elliot & Sheldon, 1997; Ferssizidis, Adams, Kashdan,
Plummer, Mishra, & Ciarrochi, 2010).
Prioritising social values linked to wellbeing
(Ciarrochi & Bailey, 2008, Ferssizidis, Adams,
Kashdan, Plummer, Mishra & Ciarrochi, 2010; Konow
& Earley, 2008)

Value congruence:
wellbeing & burnout amongst mental
health practitioners
(Veage et al, 2014)
Values clarification exercises may invigorate the
sense of meaning in practitioners ‫׳‬work,
increasing wellbeing and reducing staff burnout.

EQUALITY
COURAG
E
JUSTICE
CREATIVITY ACHIEVEMENTHOPE
TRADITION
POWER
PERSISTANCELOVE

VALUES
Knowing what you stand for in
life
COMMITTED ACTION
Doing what matters everyday

“Instead of mercilessly judging and criticizing yourself
for various inadequacies or shortcomings, self-
compassion means you are kind and understanding
when confronted with personal failings – after all,
who ever said you were supposed to be perfect?”
Kristin Neff http://self-compassion.org/

Compassion Meditation Effect on
Neuroendocrine, Innate Immune &
Behavioral Responses to Stress
Pace et al., (2009). Psychoneuroendocrinology.
• RCT of 61 healthy adults
• 6-week compassion meditation training vs health
discussion control group
• High-practice group had significant decrease in
inflammation vs low- & no-practice groups

LKM & Social Connectedness
Hutcherson, Seppala, Gross (2008). Emotion.
• A brief LKM exercise to examine whether social
connection could be created toward strangers in a
controlled laboratory context (matched control)
• CONCLUSION: LKM increases positive social emotions
and decreases social isolation.

“There is no need
for temples; no
need for
complicated
philosophy. Our
own brain, our own
heart is our temple;
the philosophy is
kindness.”
Dalai Lama

Should the medical profession ask about
patient happiness?
Dr Sarah Pressman, Professor of Psychology &
Social Behavior, University of California.
The relationship between positive emotions, social
relationships and physical health and longevity.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IqiGL4e_c30

“Other people matter”
Chris Peterson

Greatest Risk to Health?

Greater Risk to Health?

Mortality Risk &
Social Connectedness
Hold-Lundstadt, Smith & Layton (2010). Plos
Medicine.
• Meta analysis of 148 research studies
• > 300,000 people, followed for M = 7.5 years
• Social support (friends, family, community)
• 50% less likely to die (3.7 years)
• Same effect by gender, age, initial health or cause of
death

Micro-moments
in relationships

Relationship Ratio
John Gottman, relationship expert
• Ratio of positive to negative interactions
• Stay together 5.0 + : 1 -
• Divorce/separate 0.8 + : 1 -

How do you respond when…
• Your partner tells you “I just got promoted”
• Your child/teen tells you “I passed my English essay”
• Your father tells you “I hit a hole-in-one at golf today”
• Your best friend tells you “I found the perfect party outfit”
Active-Constructive Responding
(capitalising)

Active-constructive
• Do you react with genuine interest? "That’s is great news. How are you feeling
about that?“
Active-destructive
• Do you point out the potential problems or down sides of the good event?
"Are you sure you can handle the added responsibility?“
Passive-constructive
• Do you say little, but convey that you are happy to hear the news? You smile or
nod or say "That’s nice.“
Passive-destructive
• Do you seem uninterested? Do you switch topics quickly ”Did you pick up the
shopping?"

Ref:Gable,S.L.,Gonzaga,G.,&Strachman,A.(2006)

Capitalising
ACR leads to amplifying the pleasure of
the good situation and contributing to an
upward spiral of positive emotion.
Capitalising turns out to be the key to
strong relationships.

Random Acts of Kindness
5 random acts of kindness per week,
6 week study
• E.g. a smile, offer your seat on a bus,
thank someone, help a neighbour
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OrADq7JY0Y4
• Significant increases in well-being at
post-assessment
Lyubomirsky et al., 2004

The happiness of a close contact increases
the chance of you being happy by 15%
The happiness of a 2nd-degree contact
(e.g. friend's spouse) increases it by 10%
The happiness of a 3rd-degree contact
(e.g. friend of a friend of a friend) by 6%

References
Gable, S. L., Gonzaga, G., & Strachman, A. (2006). Will you be there for me when things go right? Social
Support for Positive Events. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 91, 904-917.
John Gottman http://www.gottman.com/49799/About-Us.html
Fowler, James H. and Nicholas A. Christakis. 2008. Dynamic spread of happiness in a large social network:
longitudinal analysis over 20 years in the Framingham Heart Study. British Medical Journal 337, no. a2338: 1-9
Pressman, Kollnesher, Cohen (2006). Social Talk and Longevity. Am. Psychosomatic. Soc.
Maisel, N.C. & Gable, S.L. (2009) For richer…in good times…and in health: positive processes in relationships.
In S.J. Lopez & C.R. Snyder (Eds.) Oxford Handbook of Positive Psychology. NY: Oxford University Press.
Huppert, F.A. (2008). Psychological wellbeing: Evidence regarding its causes and consequences. State of the
Science Review: SR-X2, UK Government Foresight Project, Mental Capital and Wellbeing
Buonfino, A.; & Thomson, L. (2007). Belonging in Contemporary Britain. The Commission on Integration and
Cohesion, Department of Communities and Local Government, Government of Great Britain
Bacon,N., Brophy, M., Mguni, N., Mulgan, G. & Shandro A. (2010) The state of happiness: Can public policy
shape people's wellbeing and resilience?. London: Young Foundation.
Putnam, R (2000) Bowling alone: The collapse and decline of American community (Simon & Schuster : New
York)

• Who are the people in your
life?
• How do you nurture or care for
these relationships?
• What are the micro-moments
you could capitalise on?
“Other people matter”
Dr Chris Peterson

“People with no sense of ikigai were
50% more likely to die from any cause,
compared to those who did have [an
ikigai]. They had a 60% greater risk of
death from cardiovascular disease,
most commonly stroke, and were 90%
more likely to die of external causes.”
Sone, T., et al. (2008). J of Psychosomatic
Medicine, 70, 709-715.
Do you have an ikigai?

Altruistic Behaviour
“...a strong correlation exists between the well-being,
happiness, health, and longevity of people who are
emotionally and behaviorally compassionate, so
long as they are not overwhelmed by helping
tasks.”

• What is your ikigai?
• What gives your life a sense of
purpose and meaning?
• Write your 6-word ikigai

Thank You!
“Happiness is always here,
it is always now.”
Osho

APS Positive Psychology #1 (intro to wellbeing science)

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