Happiness and Positive
Psychology
Dr. Phil Watkins
I. An Introduction to
Positive Psychology
A)
The Importance of a Positive
Psychology
Sadly, while plumbing the depths of what is
worst in life, psychology has lost its connection
to the positive side of life – the knowledge about
what makes human life most worth living, most
fulfilling, most enjoyable and most productive.
-Martin E. P. Seligman
Figure 1
Number of Psychology Related Publicaions Relevant to
Positive and Negative Psychology
78,183
80,000
70,000
Number of Publications
60,000
50,000
40,000
27,928
30,000
20,000
10,000
0
Positive Emotions
Negative Emotions
Type of Emotion or Trait
Occurrences of Positive and Negative Emotions in the Bible
Positive & Negative Psychology Publications Over Time
8
% of Total Records
7
6
Positive Psychology
5
Negative
Psychology
4
3
2
1
0
19001910
19111920
19211930
19311940
19411950
19511960
19611970
Publication Dates
19711980
19811990
19912000
I. An Introduction to
Positive Psychology
A) The Importance of a Positive
Psychology
B) What is Positive Psychology?
What is Positive Psychology?
…the positive side of life – the
knowledge about what makes human
life most worth living, most fulfilling,
most enjoyable and most productive.
II. The Psychology of Happiness
A) The What of Happiness
1) Defining Happiness
Myer’s definition of happiness:
“…a pervasive sense that
life is good.”
(p. 23)
II. The Psychology of Happiness
A) The What of Happiness
1) Defining Happiness
2) Measuring Happiness
Happy Faces Measure
The Distribution of Happiness
M eans of % Estimates of SWB
90
% Mean Estimates of American SWB
80
70
Working Adults
Psychology Majors
Clinical Graduate Students
Correct Res pons e
82-84
60
50
40
30
20
8-18
10
0
% Lifetime Depress ion
% Who Report Positive
Life Satisfaction
% chronic
nonhospitalized mental
patients reporting more
pos itive than negative
affect
II. The Psychology of Happiness
A) The What of Happiness
1) Defining Happiness
2) Measuring Happiness
3) Positive Emotions and Happiness
II. The Psychology of Happiness
A) The What of Happiness
B) The Why of Happiness
1) Why study happiness?
“...how to gain, how to
keep, how to recover
happiness is in fact for
most men at all times
the secret motive of
all they do"
-William James (1902/1958, p. 76)
Positive Emotions:
» Broaden:
 Your
scope of attention
 Your scope of cognition
 Your scope of action
» Build:
 Your
physical resources
 Your intellectual resources
 Your social resources
Percent Solving Problem
Problem Solving & Positive Affect
75
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
13
13
10
0
No Film
Non-Humorous
Film
Funny Film
What good is happiness?
The utility of happiness
(Veenhoven, 1984)
II. The Psychology of Happiness
A) The What of Happiness
B) The Why of Happiness
1) Why study happiness?
2) What things don’t cause
happiness…and why
a) Material Wealth
Positive Emotion & Longevity
(The Nun Study)
94
93.5
Mean Age of Death
92
90
90
88
86.6
86.8
86
84
82
Low
Low/Moderate
High/Moderate
Positive Emotion Sentences
High
Happiness and National GNP
Why can’t you buy your
happiness?
Pete Incavelia (former outfielder
for the Texas Rangers):
"People think we make
$3 million or $4 million a
year. They don't realize
that most of us only
make $500,000”
“An ever increasing craving for
an ever diminishing pleasure
is the formula”
-C. S. Lewis, (Screwtape Letters,
1961/1982, p. 42)
How much would you need
per year to fulfill your dreams?
110,000
102,000
100,000
90,000
80,000
70,000
60,000
50,000
50,000
40,000
30,000
20,000
1987
1994
II. The Psychology of Happiness
A) The What of Happiness
B) The Why of Happiness
1) Why study happiness?
2) What things don’t cause
happiness…and why
a) Material Wealth
b) Age
II. The Psychology of Happiness
A) The What of Happiness
B) The Why of Happiness
1) Why study happiness?
2) What things don’t cause
happiness…and why
a) Material Wealth
b) Age
c) Gender
Report of Satisfaction by Gender
100
90
Men
80
Women
70
60
M ean %
Reporting
50
40
30
20
10
0
% "Satisfied"
% "Very Happy"
II. The Psychology of Happiness
A) The What of Happiness
B) The Why of Happiness
1) Why study happiness?
2) What things don’t cause
happiness…and why
a) Material Wealth
b) Age
c) Gender
d) Ethnicity
II. The Psychology of Happiness
B) The Why of Happiness
1) Why study happiness?
2) What things don’t cause
happiness…and why
a)
b)
c)
d)
Material Wealth
Age
Gender
Ethnicity
e) Intelligence
Can a mortal ask questions which God
finds unanswerable? Quite easily, I
should think. All non-sense questions are
unanswerable. How many hours are
there in a mile? Is yellow square or
round? Probably half the questions we
ask—half our great theological and
metaphysical problems—are like that.
-C. S. Lewis (1961), A Grief Observed, p. 81-82
II. The Psychology of Happiness
A) The What of Happiness
B) The Why of Happiness
1) Why study happiness?
2) What things don’t cause
happiness…and why
3) Things that are related to
happiness…and why
To be what is called happy,
one should have something to
live on, something to live for,
and something to die for. The
lack of one of these results in
drama. The lack of two of
these results in tragedy.
-Cyprian Norwid
3) Things that are Related to Happiness and Why
a) Happy Genes (and other biological factors)
"So we never live, but we hope to
live -- and as we are always
preparing to be happy, it is
inevitable we should never be
so."
-Pascal
We want a whole race perpetually in
pursuit of the rainbow’s end, never
honest, nor kind, nor happy now, but
always using as mere fuel wherewith
to heap the altar of the Future every
real gift which is offered them in the
Present.
-CS Lewis, Screwtape Letters, p. 70
The happiness which is
lacking makes one think even
the happiness one has
unbearable.
-Joseph Roux, Meditations of a Parish
Priest (1886)
A great obstacle to happiness
is to anticipate too great a
happiness.
-Fontenelle, Du Bonheur (1687)
The search for happiness is
one of the chief sources of
unhappiness.
-Eric Hoffer, The Passionate State of
Mind (1954)
One of the surest ways to avoid
being happy is to insist on being
happy at all costs. The religion
of cheerfulness, as Father Brown
reminds us, is a cruel religion,
and maybe the best way not to go
mad is not to mind much if you
go mad.
-Simon Tugwell, (1980).
The greatest happiness you
can have is knowing that
you do not necessarily
require happiness.
-William Saroyan
Correlations Between
Attractiveness & SWB
Natural (head
& shoulders)
Natural (full
length)
SWLS
Unadorned
Fordyce
Video
Interview
-0.05
0
0.05
0.1
0.15
0.2
3) Things that are Related to Happiness and Why
a) Happy Genes (and other biological factors)
b) The Happy Personality
Happiness depends, as
Nature shows,
Less on exterior things than
most suppose.
-William Cowper
3) Things that are Related to Happiness and Why
a) Happy Genes (and other biological factors)
b) The Happy Personality
1) The Big 5 Approach
The Big 5 Personality Traits
Openness
Conscientiousness
Extraversion
Agreeableness
Neuroticism
3) Things that are Related to Happiness and Why
a) Happy Genes (and other biological factors)
b) The Happy Personality
1) The Big 5 Approach
2) More Specific Cognitive Traits of Happy
People
3) Things that are Related to Happiness and Why
b) The Happy Personality
2) More Specific Cognitive Traits of Happy People
a) Happy people are not Defensive
b) Happy people don’t rest on Chance
c) Happy people tend to be Trusting people
d) Happy people tend to be Emotionally Stable
e) Happy people tend to want Control of their life
f) Happy people are Hardy people
g) Happy people tend to be Grateful people
3) Things that are Related to Happiness and Why
a) Happy Genes (and other biological factors)
b) The Happy Personality
1) The Big 5 Approach
2) More Specific Cognitive Traits of Happy
People
3) Summarizing the Traits of Happy People
a) Traits that focus on emotional tendencies
b) Relationship enhancing traits
c) The way people tend to explain their lives
3) Things that are Related to Happiness and Why
b) The Happy Personality
1) The Big 5 Approach
2) Specific Cognitive Traits of Happy People
3) Summarizing the Traits of Happy People
4) How are Personality Traits Related to Happiness?
a) Temperament Models
b) Congruence Models
c) Cognitive Models
d) Emotion Training Models
3) Things that are Related to Happiness and Why
a) Happy Genes (and other biological factors)
b) The Happy Personality
c) Satisfied with Self, Satisfied with Life
1) Importance of Positive Self-Regard
How might SelfEsteem contribute to
Subjective WellBeing?
Correlations W ith Self-Esteem
Assets:
Downward
0.02
0.08
Assets: Same
level
0.36
0.12
Assets:
Upward
0.25
-0.04
Lifestyle:
Downward
0.12
0.26
Lifestyle:
Same Level
0.11
Hap py Ef fec t
0.15
# of Comp arisons
Lifestyle:
Upward
-0.2
0.1
0.02
0
0.2
0.4
M u rra y ’s Mo de l o f R e l a t io ns hi p
o f S e l f - E s te e m t o Pe r c e iv e d
R e l a t io ns h ip an d t o R e l a t io ns hi p
Sa ti s f a ct io n
SelfEstee m
Part ner’s
Perce ived
Regar d
Relat ionship
Perce ptions
Narcissism
Personal
Superiority
Inflated Sense of Entitlement
Inflated Sense of Uniqueness
Pride is essentially competitive – is
competitive by its very nature – while
the other vices are only competitive,
so to speak, by accident. Pride gets
no pleasure out of having something,
only out of having more of it than the
next man…It is the comparison that
makes you proud: the pleasure of
being above the rest.
-C. S. Lewis (1943/1996, p. 110)
3) Things that are Related to Happiness and Why
a) Happy Genes (and other biological factors)
b) The Happy Personality
c) Satisfied with Self, Satisfied with Life
1) Importance of Positive Self-Regard
2) The Importance of Humility
How do you think most people
picture a humble person?
"Humility is the mother of
giants. One sees great things
from the valley; only small
things from the peak."
-G. K. Chesterton
“A proud man is always
looking down on things and
people: and, of course, as
long as you are looking down,
you cannot see something
that is above you.”
-C. S. Lewis
“There is the strangest
lightness about the heart
when one’s nothingness is
once accepted in good
faith…Everything added to the
Self is a burden as well as a
pride.”
-William James
If anyone would like to acquire
humility, I can, I think, tell him the first
step. The first step is to realize that
one is proud. And a biggish step,
too. At least, nothing whatever can
be done before it. If you think you
are not conceited, it means you are
very conceited indeed.
-C. S. Lewis
3) Things that are Related to Happiness and Why
a) Happy Genes (and other biological factors)
b) The Happy Personality
c) Satisfied with Self, Satisfied with Life
1) Importance of Positive Self-Regard
2) The Importance of Humility
a- The humble person is self-forgetful
"In every part and corner of
our life, to lose oneself is to be
a gainer, to forget oneself is to
be happy.”
-Robert Lewis Stevenson
“A person who has gained a
sense of humility is no longer
phenomenologically at the center
of his or her world. His or her
focus is on the larger community,
of which he or she is a part.”
-June Tangney (2000, p. 72)
“Feelings of insecurity, inadequacy,
inferiority, and self-hatred rivet our
attention on ourselves. Humble men
and women do not have a low
opinion of themselves; they have no
opinion of themselves, because they
rarely think about themselves.”
-Brennan Manning
3) Things that are Related to Happiness and Why
c) Satisfied with Self, Satisfied with Life
1) Importance of Positive Self-Regard
2) The Importance of Humility
a- The humble person is self-forgetful
b- The humble person has an accurate view of
herself
Humility is the realistic appraisal of one’s strengths
and weaknesses—neither overestimating nor
underestimating them. To be humble is not to have
a low opinion of oneself, it is to have an accurate
opinion of oneself. It is the ability to keep one’s
talents and accomplishments in perspective…, to
have a sense of self-acceptance, an understanding
of one’s imperfections, and to be free from
arrogance and low self-esteem.
-Bob Emmons
Human Weaknesses and Limitations
the Humble Person is Aware of:
The self-serving bias
 Our vulnerability to evil
 Our contingency
 She knows that she doesn’t know

3) Things that are Related to Happiness and Why
c) Satisfied with Self, Satisfied with Life
1) Importance of Positive Self-Regard
2) The Importance of Humility
a- The humble person is self-forgetful
b- The humble person has an accurate view of
herself
c- The humble person is able to laugh at
herself
Pride cannot rise to levity or levitation. Pride
is the downward drag of all things into an
easy solemnity. One “settles down” into a
sort of selfish seriousness; but one has to rise
to a gay self-forgetfulness. A man “falls” into
a brown study; he reaches up at a blue sky.
Seriousness is not a virtue…For solemnity
flows out of men naturally; but laughter is a
leap. It is easy to be heavy: hard to be light.
Satan fell by the force of gravity.
-G.K. Chesterton
3) Things that are Related to Happiness and Why
c) Satisfied with Self, Satisfied with Life
1) Importance of Positive Self-Regard
2) The Importance of Humility
a- The humble person is self-forgetful
b- The humble person has an accurate view of
herself
c- The humble person is able to laugh at
herself
d- Humble people give up their high
pretentions
William James Self-Esteem
Formula
Self-esteem =
Success
Pretensions
3) Things that are Related to Happiness and Why
c) Satisfied with Self, Satisfied with Life
1) Importance of Positive Self-Regard
2) The Importance of Humility
a- The humble person is self-forgetful
b- The humble person has an accurate view of
herself
c- The humble person is able to laugh at
herself
d- Humble people give up their high
pretentions
e- Humble people appreciate simple pleasures
The truth is, that all genuine appreciation rests on a certain
mystery of humility and almost darkness. The man who said,
“Blessed is he that expecteth nothing, for he shall not be
disappointed,” put the eulogy quite inadequately and even
falsely. The truth is, “Blessed is he that expecteth nothing, for
he shall be gloriously surprised.” The man who expects
nothing sees redder roses than common men can see, and
greener grass, and a more startling sun. Blessed is he that
expecteth nothing, for he shall possess the cities and the
mountains; blessed is the meek, for he shall inherit the earth.
Until we realize that things might not be, we cannot realize that
things are. Until we see that darkness we cannot admire the
light as a single and created thing. As soon as we have seen
that darkness, all light is lightening, sudden, blinding, and
divine.
-G. K. Chesterton
3) Things that are Related to Happiness and Why
c) Satisfied with Self, Satisfied with Life
1) Importance of Positive Self-Regard
2) The Importance of Humility
a- The humble person is self-forgetful
b- The humble person has an accurate view of
herself
c- The humble person is able to laugh at
herself
d- Humble people give up their high
pretentions
e- Humble people appreciate simple pleasures
3) Things that are Related to Happiness and Why
a)
b)
c)
d)
Happy Genes (and other biological factors)
The Happy Personality
Satisfied with Self, Satisfied with Life
Happy at Work, Happy in Life
1) The Employed are Happier than the
Unemployed
Why does employment
contribute to happiness?
 Unemployment
degrades self-esteem
 Unemployment contributes to an external
locus of control
 Unemployment contributes to boredom
3) Things that are Related to Happiness and Why
d) Happy at Work, Happy in Life
1) The Employed are Happier than the
Unemployed
2) What Kind of Work is Happy Work?
"When work is a pleasure,
life is a joy! When work is
a duty, life is slavery."
-Maxism Gorky
"I am doing work which is worth
doing. It would still be worth
doing if nobody paid for it. But
as I have no private means, and
need to be fed and housed and
clothed, I must be paid while I do
it."
-C.S. Lewis
How can work provide
us with meaning?
Identity
 Purpose

3) Things that are Related to Happiness and Why
d) Happy at Work, Happy in Life
1) The Employed are Happier than the
Unemployed
2) What Kind of Work is Happy Work?
3) Work that Flows is Happy Work
Job Complexity & Depression
2
Depression
1.9
1.8
1.7
1.6
1.5
1.4
T oo Little
1.3
-2
Good Fit
-1
0
Job Complexity
T oo Much
1
2
High Challenge
Low
Skills
High
Skills
Low
Challenge
“Well-being resides not in
mindless passivity but in mindful
challenge.”
-David Myers
Ways to turn boredom into
excitement (Myers):
 Set
Goals
 Immerse Yourself in the Activity
 Be Mindful of What is Happening
 Enjoy the Immediate Experience
"It is neither wealth nor
splendor, but tranquility and
occupation, which give
happiness."
-Thomas Jefferson
3) Things that are Related to Happiness and Why
a) Happy Genes
b) The Happy Personality
c) Satisfied with Self, Satisfied with Life
d) Happy at Work, Happy in Life
e) Happiness at Play
Sp
or
tin
g
So
ci
M al
us
Vo ica
Ev
lu l
en n t
in e e
r
g
C
la
D ss
an
c
R in g
el
ig
io
u
Po s
lit
ic
a
H
ob l
bi
e
C s
ha
ri
ty
D
ra
m
a
Rated Joy
Joy in Different Group Activities
4
3.5
3
2.5
2
1.5
1
Group Activity
Satisfaction with Different Activities
(Robinson, 1977)
80
70
60
50
% Claiming
40
"Great
Satisfaction" 30
20
10
0
TV
Housework Sports &
Games
Religion
Children
What can we do to reassess
our leisure time?
Think about how you use you leisure
time now
 Ask yourself what active hobbies and
leisure activities you enjoy doing
 Ask yourself what kind of active leisure
activities you enjoy most
 Ask yourself what you would have to do
to engage yourself in those activities
more frequently
 Plan for your leisure

3) Things that are Related to Happiness and Why
a) Happy Genes
b) The Happy Personality
c) Satisfied with Self, Satisfied with Life
d) Happy at Work, Happy in Life
e) Happiness at Play
f) Happy People are Social People
1) Friendships
Positive Affect with Different Companions
Happiness Score
(Larson, 1990)
With Friends
With Family
Alone
0.6
0.5
0.4
0.3
0.2
0.1
0
-0.1
-0.2
-0.3
13-18
19-29
30-39
40-54
Age
55-69
70-85
Why does friendship
seem to enhance
happiness?
3) Things that are Related to Happiness and Why
f) Happy People are Social People
1) Friendships
2) Love and Marriage
Does marriage benefit men
more than women?
Marriage and Depression
5.8
Annual Depression Rate
(%)
6
5.1
5
4.1
4
3
2
2.4
1.5
1
0
Married
Never
Married
Divorced
Once
Cohabit
Divorced
Twice
Problems with Cohabitation




1990 Gallup survey showed that of those still
married, 40% of those who had cohabited
before marriage said they might divorce, but
only 21% of those who had not.
A Canadian survey found that women who
had cohabited were 50% more likely to have
divorced within 15 years
A Swedish study found that cohabitation was
associated with an 80% greater risk of
divorce
Serial cohabiters are even more likely to
divorce
Marital Satisfaction by
Family Life Cycle Stage
58
56
Blood-Wolfe
Locke-W allace
British study
Rollins-Feldman
54
52
50
48
46
Honeymoon
Before
Children
Children
under 5
Adolescent
Children
V
VI
VII
VIII
Why might marriage enhance
happiness?
 Marriage
offers meaning to the
individual
 Marriage offers an intimate,
supportive relationship that endures
over time and life circumstances
3) Things that are Related to Happiness and Why
a) Happy Genes
b) The Happy Personality
c) Satisfied with Self, Satisfied with Life
d) Happy at Work, Happy in Life
e) Happiness at Play
f) Happy People are Social People
g) Happy People are Giving People
The Benefits of Volunteering
It gets me "out of myself"
Not Important at all
Not Very Important
Fairly Important
Very Important
It gives me a sense of personal
achievement
It's part of my religious belief
or life philosophy to give help
I really enjoy it
It makes me feel less selfish as
a person
It gives me the chance to do
things that I'm good at
It's the satisfaction of seeing
the results
I meet people and make friends
through it
0
10
20
30
40
50
% of Respondents
60
70
80
3) Things that are Related to Happiness and Why
a) Happy Genes
b) The Happy Personality
c) Satisfied with Self, Satisfied with Life
d) Happy at Work, Happy in Life
e) Happiness at Play
f) Happy People are Social People
g) Happy People are Giving People
h) How Happy People Cope
3) Things that are Related to Happiness and Why
h) How Happy People Cope
1) Positive Affect in the Midst of Stress
2) The Coping Strategies of Happy People
Change in Positive Affect
1
0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2
0
-0.2
-0.4
-0.6
-0.8
-1
+/No Peer FB
+/Peer Even better
-/No Peer FB
-/Peer Even Worse
Happy
Unhappy
Change in Self-Confidence
3
+/No Peer FB
+/Peer Even better
-/No Peer FB
-/Peer Even Worse
2.5
2
1.5
1
0.5
0
Happy
Unhappy
3) Things that are Related to Happiness and Why
a) Happy Genes
b) The Happy Personality
c) Satisfied with Self, Satisfied with Life
d) Happy at Work, Happy in Life
e) Happiness at Play
f) Happy People are Social People
g) Happy People are Giving People
h) How Happy People Cope
i) The Goals of Happy People
What are goals?
—What
people are typically trying to
do in life (Austin & Vancouver, 1996)
Write down your goals
(using our definition)
3) Things that are Related to Happiness and Why
i) The Goals of Happy People
1- The existence of goals
2- Progressing toward your goals
3- Goal content
4- Goal conflict
3) Things that are Related to Happiness and Why
a) Happy Genes
b) The Happy Personality
c) Satisfied with Self, Satisfied with Life
d) Happy at Work, Happy in Life
e) Happiness at Play
f) Happy People are Social People
g) Happy People are Giving People
h) How Happy People Cope
i) The Goals of Happy People
j) Spirituality and Happiness
3) Things that are Related to Happiness and Why
j) Spirituality and Happiness
1- The Relationship
Happiness & Religious Attendance
3) Things that are Related to Happiness and Why
j) Spirituality and Happiness
1- The Relationship
2- Why are Religious People Happier?
a- social support
b- coping benefits
c- goal integration
d- a balanced view of self
e- increased gratitude
McCullough, Emmons, & Tsang (2002)
found that grateful people tend to:






feel that religion is more important
attend church and other religious
services more frequently
have more religious friends
read Scripture more
pray more often
rate their relationship with God as more
intimate
Relationship of Gratitude to Religiosity
Extrins ic
-.28
.32
Intrinsic
-0.4
-0.2
0
0.2
0.4
3) Things that are Related to Happiness and Why
a) Happy Genes
b) The Happy Personality
c) Satisfied with Self, Satisfied with Life
d) Happy at Work, Happy in Life
e) Happiness at Play
f) Happy People are Social People
g) Happy People are Giving People
h) How Happy People Cope
i) The Goals of Happy People
j) Spirituality and Happiness
k) Happy Memory
l) Life Stories of Happy People
I.
Introduction to Positive psychology
II. The Psychology of Happiness
III. The Psychology of Virtue: The
Example of Gratitude
A) The What and Why of Gratitude
1) Gratitude and Indebtedness
Phenomenology of Indebtedness and
Gratitude
95
% Reporting Emotion
Enjoyable
100
80
60
40
20
8
0
Indebtedness
Gratitude
Procedure
Subjects Recruit ed
from Psychology
Courses
PANAS
Random a ssignment to ob ligation cond ition
No
Oblig ation
(n=35)
Moderate Oblig ation
(expectation of
expression of gratitud e,
n=37)
Emotional Expression Scales
Action Tendency Measures
PANAS and Trait Gratitud e
Questionn aires
High Obligat ion
(expectation of
gratitud e exp ression
and return favo r,
n=35)
Gratitude and Indebtedness by Obligation Condition
4
Level of Emotion
3.5
3
Gratitude
Indebtedness
2.5
2
1.5
No Obligation
Moderate
Obligation
Obligation Condition
High Obligation
Future Help by Obligation Condition
5
Future Liklihood of Help
4.9
4.8
4.7
4.6
4.5
4.4
4.3
None
Moderate
Level of Obligation
High
Thought/Action Tendency by Obligation
Condition
0.6
Adoration
Approach
0.4
Yield
Z Scores
0.2
0
-0.2
-0.4
-0.6
None
Moderate
Obligation Condition
High
Action Tendency Correlations with Gratitude
and Indebtedness
-0.5
-0.3
-0.1
0.1
0.3
.57***
Adoration
.16
.40***
Approaching
.04
.30**
Yielding
.10
-.21*
Active Against
Passive Negative
Passive Against
0.5
.17
-.37***
.16
-.27**
.13
Gratitude
Indebtedness
Correlations of Dispositional Gratitude with
Various Measures
-0.4
-0.2
Gratitude
0
0.2
0.4
.20
.34
Glad
Guilt
Annoyed
Help
-.31
-.27
.25
Adoration
Approach
.35
.29
Correlations of G ratitude and Inde btedne ss
Respons e with Affect Change
-.1 0
Positive Aff ect
Change
.25**
I nde btedness
-.0 1
Negative
Aff ect Change
Gratitud e
-.1 7*
-0.2
-0.1
0
0.1
0.2
Pears on Correlation Coefficients
0.3
Conclusions





Gratitude and indebtedness can be dissociated
Gratitude and indebtedness may best be viewed
as distinct states
With an increasing sense of obligation,
indebtedness increases but gratitude decreases
Gratitude covaries with positive emotional states
but indebtedness covaries with guilt
Gratitude is associated with an increased
inclination for future altruism but indebtedness is
not
A Paradox of Giving and
Gratitude
If gifts are given for the purpose of
receiving return favors from the
beneficiary, the beneficiary is less
likely to feel grateful, and less
likely to feel like returning the favor
I.
Introduction to Positive psychology
II. The Psychology of Happiness
III. The Psychology of Virtue: The
Example of Gratitude
A) The What and Why of Gratitude
1) Gratitude and Indebtedness
2) The Conditions of Gratitude
Recognitions of Gratitude
Recognize the gift
 Recognize the goodness of the gift
 Recognize the goodness of the giver
 Recognize the gratuitous nature of the
gift

I.
Introduction to Positive psychology
II. The Psychology of Happiness
III. The Psychology of Virtue: The
Example of Gratitude
A) The What and Why of Gratitude
1) Gratitude and Indebtedness
2) The Conditions of Gratitude
3) Gratitude as State and Trait
The Trait and State of Gratitude
Attitude of Gratitude:
The Pervasive
sense that all of
life is a gift.
What are the Characteristics
of a Grateful Person?

Lack of a sense of deprivation (or a sense of
abundance)

Appreciation for simple pleasures

Appreciation for others

Importance of expressing gratitude
III. The Psychology of Virtue: The
Example of Gratitude
A) The What and Why of Gratitude
B) Gratitude and Happiness
C. S. Lewis’ Approach
to Praise
I think we delight to praise what we enjoy
because the praise not merely expresses
but completes the enjoyment; it is its
appointed consummation. It is not out of
compliment that lovers keep on telling one
another how beautiful they are; the delight
is incomplete until it is expressed.
III. The Psychology of Virtue: The
Example of Gratitude
A) The What and Why of Gratitude
B) Gratitude and Happiness
1) Are Grateful People Happy
People?
Relationships of Gratitude
with Positive States
Satisfaction with
Life
.50
Elation/
Depression
.47
Positive
Affectivity
.36
Happiness
(Fordyce)
.49
Percent Happy
(Fordyce)
.38
Happy Bias
(Fordyce)
.48
0
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
Comparison of Correlations of Gratitude and Other
Personality Variables with the Satisfaction With Life Scale
Sociability*
0.2
-0.25
Emotionality*
Neuroticism*
-0.48
GQ-6
0.53
0.5
GRAT
-0.5 5
-0.3 5
-0.1 5
0.0 5
0.2 5
Pearson r correlation Coefficients
0.4 5
0.6 5
III. The Psychology of Virtue: The
Example of Gratitude
A) The What and Why of Gratitude
B) Gratitude and Happiness
1) Are Grateful People Happy
People?
2) Does Gratitude Cause
Happiness?
Effect of Mood Inductions
(Westermann et al., 1996)
0.8
0.7
0.6
0.5
0.4
0.3
0.2
0.1
n
s sio te rac tion
e
r
p
a l Ex ocia l In
Fa ci
S
ic
Mus
ic +
ba c k gina tion
d
e
Mus
e
F
I ma
Velte
n
Gift
tory /Story +
S
/
m
l
Fi
Film
Impact of Gratitude Induction
(from Woodward, 2000)
30
28
28 .8 6
27 .3 3
Mean PANAS Scores
26
Gratitude
Resentment
24
22
20
18 .5 6
18
15 .5 3
16
14
12
10
Positive Affect
Negative Affect
Expression of Gratitude & Well-Being
(Stone & Watkins, 2001)
2.9
3
2.4
Mean PANAS Change Scores
2.5
Control
Grateful Thinking
2
1.55
1.5
Grateful Essay
Grateful Letter
1
0.5
0
-0.26
-0.5
-1
-0.97
-1.1
-1.1
-1.21
-1.5
Positive Aff ect
Negative Af fect
III. The Psychology of Virtue: The
Example of Gratitude
B) Gratitude and Happiness
3) How Might Gratitude Cause
Happiness?
How Might Gratitude Enhance
Happiness?
Are goods better when they’re gifts?
 Does gratitude counteract the principle of
adaptation?
 Does gratitude direct our attention away
from upward social comparison targets?
 Does gratitude enhance a happy memory
bias?

Gratitude & Intentional Memory Bias
12
11.79
Number of Memories Recalled
11
Grateful
Less Grateful
10
9.71
9.18
9
8.34
8
7
6
Positive
Negative
Valence of Memory
Gratitude & Intrusive Memory Bias
6
5.47
Grateful
Less Grateful
Number of Memories Recalled
5
4
3.03
3
2.5
2.25
2
1
0
Positive
Negative
Valence of Memory
Emotional Impact Ratings of
Positive Memories
8
7.8
7.6
7.4
7.2
7
6.8
Less grateful
Grateful
6.6
6.4
Then
Now
Emotional Impact Ratings of
Negative Memories
5
4.5
4
Less grateful
Grateful
3.5
3
2.5
2
Then
Now
Do grateful people
notice and relish
positive events more
than less grateful
individuals?
How Might Gratitude Enhance
Happiness?
Are goods better when they’re gifts?
 Does gratitude counteract the principle of
adaptation?
 Does gratitude direct our attention away
from upward social comparison targets?
 Does gratitude enhance a happy memory
bias?
 Does gratitude enhance adaptive coping?

Gratitude & PTSD Symptoms in
Trauma Survivors
Modified PTSD Symptom Scale-SR
30
25
25.14
22.53
20
14.3
15
10
5
0
Low
Moderate
Gratitude Status
High
Gratitude & Impact of Event on
Trauma Survivors
25
Impact of Event Scale-R
21.88
20
18.1
15
12.59
10
5
0
Low
Moderate
Gratitude Status
High
Correlations of Gratitude with TM M S Scales
Attention to
Feelings
.41
.36
Clarity of Feelings
Mood Repair
.62
Total TMMS
.57
0
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
Pearson r correlation Coefficients
0.6
0.7
How Might Gratitude Enhance Happiness?







Are goods better when they’re gifts?
Does gratitude counteract the principle of
adaptation?
Does gratitude direct our attention away from
upward social comparison targets?
Does gratitude enhance a happy memory bias?
Does gratitude enhance adaptive coping?
Does gratitude increase social benefits?
Does gratitude prevent depression?
Relationship of Gratitude to
Unpleasant States
-0.6
-0.5
-0.4
-0.3
-0.2
-.54
-0.1
0
BDI
-.53
% Unhappy
-.30
Anger
-.19
-.20
-0.35
Anxiety
Negative
Affectivity
Negative Affect
Gratitude & Clinical Depression
190
183.87
180
171.55
Mean GRAT Score
170
160
150.23
150
140
130
120
110
100
Non-depressed
Controls
History of
Depression
Clinical Status
Depressed
III. The Psychology of Virtue: The
Example of Gratitude
A) The What and Why of Gratitude
B) Gratitude and Happiness
C) Happiness and Gratitude
A Cycle of Virtue?
Be tt er Ab le to
Re cog n ize Goo d Gift s
a n d Goo d In t en tio ns
En ha n ceme nt , Ela bor a t ion
a n d C o m pl e tio n o f t h e
En joy men t o f Bene fit s
“Except where intolerably
adverse circumstances
interfere, praise almost
seems to be inner health
made audible”
-C. S. Lewis