WELL-BEING, HAPPINESS AND
POSITIVE SOCIAL SCIENCES
Helena Águeda Marujo
Luis Miguel Neto
Psychology Department
Lisbon University
Abril 2011
lenaamarujo@yahoo.com
netoebom@gmail.com
Razão de ser destas escolhas
ABOUT THE URGENCY OF THE A POSITIVE,
PROMOTIONAL APPROACH TO HEALTH AND LIFE
It appears that happiness does not
predict longevity in sick populations, but that it does predict
longevity among healthy
populations. So, happiness does not cure illness but it does
protect against becoming ill.
The effect of happiness on longevity in healthy populations is
remarkably strong. The size
of the effect is comparable to that of smoking or not.
Current public health policies seem only to
affect happiness marginally.
If so, public health can also be promoted by
policies that aim at greater happiness of
a
greater number. That can be done by
strengthening individual life-abilities and
by
improving the livability of the social
environment.
Happiness can be advanced in several ways: At the individual level
happiness can be furthered by means of :
1) providing information about consequences of life-choices on
happiness
2) training in art-of-living skills, and
3) professional life-counselling.
At the level of society greater happiness for a greater number can be
achieved by policies that aim at a decent material standard of living,
the fostering of freedom and democracy and good governance.
Evidence based happiness engineering requires more research.
(Ruut Veenhoven, 2006)
What facilitates “Positive Aging”
(George Vailland, Aging Well, 2009 e Harvard Study of
Adult Development )
- HAD NEVER SMOKED OR HAD STOPPED SMOKING WHILE
YOUNG
- ADAPTIVE COPING (CAPACITY TO MAKE LEMONADE)
- CONTROLLED ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION
- A STABLE RELATIONSHIP/MARRIAGE
- MORE THAN 12 YEARS OF EDUCATION
- NOT OVERWEIGHED AND DO REGULAR EXERCISE (10.000
STEPS)
THE LEVEL OF POSITIVE EMOTIONS AND
COMETENCE IN SOCIAL RELATIONSHIPS
DATA ON UNHAPPINESS AND PSYCHOTROPIC
MEDICATION
The annual economic
impact of depression in
adults is estimated
around 83 billion of
dollars only in lost of
productivity.
“In the last decade, psychotropic drug prescription in
children
raised exponentially”
(Sparks & Duncan, 2008)
“Studies with more then one million
children and adolescents in NorthAmerica show that in the last twenty
years prescription of drugs for emotional
and behavioral problems more then
tripled”
Zito et al., 2003
“Only in 2002 there were 11 million
prescriptions of anti-depressive drugs to
children less than 18 years in the USA.”
Rigoni, 2004, cit. in Sparks & Duncan, 2008
Between 2000 and 2003 there was a raise of 184% in expenses with
prescription for ADHA (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder)
These increase was of 369% in children less than 5 years old (Sparks
& Duncan, 2008).
One in every Americans aged less than 12 years of age were medicated
with anti-depressives (National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey,
2005-2006).
In children younger than 6 years there was an increase of 580% in antidepressive medication.
Institutionalized children have 16 times plus
probability of being medicated with psychotropic
drugs than those that live at their homes with
their families (Zito et al., 2003).
Children on welfare are three times more prone
of being medicated, when compared with those
outside the social security systems. (Raghavan,
Zima, Andersen, Leibowitzet al., 2005)
• For the first time in history, the spending with medication to treat
behavioral problems in youngsters were higher then for the
treatment of physical illnesses, including (Medco Health Solutions,
Inc., 2004).
• With the growing of medication for behavioral problems,
“treatment” is more and more synonymous of “drug prescription”,
diminishing the impact and investment in the conditions that
potentiate health (Martin & Lesli, 2003).
WHY POSITIVE AND APPRECIATIVE
APPROACHES?
Negative versus positive topics in
psychology journal articles 1887 to 2001:
• 9,760 on “anger”
• 65,531 on “anxiety”
• 79,154 on “depression”
• 20,868 on “fear”
• 207,110 on “treatment”
• 1,021 on “joy”
• 4,129 on “life satisfaction”
• 3,522 on “happiness”
• 781 on “courage
• 31,019 on “prevention
“We see what we look for and we miss much of what we are
not looking for even though it is there... Our experience of the
world is heavily influenced by where we place our attention.”
Stavros and Torres
Psychology as a discipline should be as concerned
with:
- strength as with weakness
- building the best things in life as in repairing the
worst
- making the lives of normal people fulfilling as with
healing pathology
(Seligman, 2007)
Positive Psychology: what and why?
• A branch inside Psychology that uses scientific
rigor to study people at their best:
–
–
–
–
Positive individual characteristics, like virtues and strengths
Positive emotions and positive experiences
Positive relationships, institutions, communities and nations
Using all these aspects to contribute to subjective and social wellbeing, happiness, mental and psychological health, positive
functioning of groups, creating conditions for a life that is worth
living, helping the flourishing of persons, communities and
institutions (Keies e Haidt, 2003; Seligman & Csikszentmihalyi, 2000)
Uma forma de educar com base na Psicologia Positiva
WELL-BEING: POSITIVE EMOTIONS AND
RELATIONSHIPS, ENGAGED LIVES AND
PURPOSE
Flourishing
Positive Emotions
(Seligman, 2011)
Engaged life
Positive
Relationships
Achievements
Meanning
HOPE
(Snyder, 2000)
OBJECTIVES
AGENCY
PATHWAYS
FLOW
(Csikszentmihalyi,
1991)
BALANCED CHALLENGES/
PERCEIVED
COMPETENCIES
SELF-EFICQACY
EFFORT
PERCEPTION OF CONTROL
INTRÍNSIC MOTIVATION
PLEASURE
ENGAGEMENT/FLUX
DISTORCED TEMPORAL
PERCEPTION
CLEAR OBJECTIVES
CONSTANT FEED-BACK
SELF-DETERMINATION
(Deci & Ryan, 2000)
Competency
Interpessoal
relationship
Autonomy
Optimism in Psychology
• A focus on good things.
• An expectation of good things.
• A particular explanatory style.
Character strengths: dominant
conceptualisations
- The VIA Classification of Strengths and Virtues
- 24 strengths organized into 6 virtues
- Strengths enable the achievement of virtues
Strengths are distinguished from talents (talents are more
innate, non-moral and can be wasted)
A strength is a natural capacity for behaving, thinking, or
feeling in a way that allows optimal functioning and
performance in the pursuit of valued outcomes (Linley &
Harrington, 2006).
www.positivepsychology.org – online test measuring 24 strengths
VIA Classification of Character Strengths
Wisdom
-Creativity
-Curiosity
-Judgment
-Love of Learning
-Perspective
Courage
-Bravery
-Industry
-Authenticity
-Zest
Love
-Intimacy
-Kindness
-Social Intelligence
(Peterson and Seligman)
Justice
-Citizenship
-Fairness
-Leadership
Temperance
-Forgiveness
-Humility
-Prudence
-Self-Control
Transcendence
-Awe
-Gratitude
-Hope
-Humor
-Spirituality
VIA Strengths: 24 Character Strengths and
Virtues
Peterson & Seligman (2004)
Transcendence
Appreciate beauty/awe
Gratitude
Hope/optimism
Humor/playfulness
Religiosity/purpose
Are all Strengths Equal?
- The key 5 most closely related to Life Satisfaction
- Optimism
- Gratitude
- Zest
- Curiosity
- Ability to love and be loved
www.viacharacter.org
Sonja Lyubomirsky:
The How Of Happiness (2009)
Humor as a tool for change
Todd Thrash’s research takes a left-field approach to well-being, starting
with the suggestion that by focusing only on agency, and what we can do
to intentionally increase our well-being, we might be obscuring other
important influences, like INSPIRATION FROM OTHERS
INSPIRATION LEADS TO INCREASED WELL-BEING. IT APPEAR THAT
INSPIRATION MAKES US FEEL MORE GRATEFUL, IN A BETTER
MOOD, AND TO HAVE A HIGHER SENSE OF PURPOSE, AND THEN
GRATITUDE AND PURPOSE MAKE US FEEL GREATER WELL-BEING
Thrash, T.M., Elliot, A.J., Maruskin, L.A. & Cassidy, S.E.
(2010). Inspiration and the promotion of well-being: Tests of
causality and mediation. Journal of Personality and Social
Psychology, 98(3). 488-506.
ACTIVE STRATEGIES FOR HAPPINESS
(Lyubomirsky, 2007)
EXPRESS GRATITUDE
FORGIVE
CULTIVATE OPTIMISM
AND HOPE
ENGAGE IN
OBJECTIVES
INTENSIFY
MOMENTS OF
FLOW
SAVOR THE
MOMENT/
MINDFULNESS
STOP RUMINATING AND
COMPARING WITH
WHOM HAS MOST
BE GENEROUS
TAKE CARE OF BODY
AND DEVELOP
HUMOR
GROW WITH
CHALLENGES
ENHANCE POSITIVE
RELATIONS
INVEST IN A
SPIRITUAL PATH IN
LIFE
How do those living in poverty view wellbeing?
• “World Bank”, “Voices of the Poor” Project:
• 60,000 interviews with poor man and women
• The “Good-life” is seen as multidimensional
concept/experience, with both material and
psychological dimensions – is peace of mind, good
health, belonging to a community, safety, freedom of
choice and action… a dependable livelihood, a steady
source of income; it is also food.
(http://www.worldbank.org/poverty/voices/listenfindings.htm)
Inspirations, ideology and integration
• Positive Psychology (Martin Seligman,
Chris Peterson, C. R. Snyder , Mihahily
Csikszentmihalyi, , Barbara Fredrickson
• Appreciative Inquiry (David
Cooperrider…)
• Solution-focused Brief Therapy (Steve
De Shazer, Insoo Kim Berg…)
• Social construcionism (Kenneth Gergen)
• Systemic Thinking and Family Therapy
(Lynn Hoffman, Mara S. Palazzoli,
Janine Roberts, Peter Lenaharts, David
McGill…)
• Humor Studies and Interventions
(Begoña Larrauri, Madan kataria,
William Fry, Waleed A. Salameh, Paul
Devereux…)
Why not intervene directly with those
on the bottom of the social ladder
using methodologies that have
proven to have positive influence on
health and longevity?
This seems to be the case with positive
emotions (Fredrickson, 2002), and
humor and laughter (Devereux &
Heffener, 2007; Diamond, 2001)
Appreciative Inquiry Solution-focus and
Systemic Approaches
Concepts,
features and
tools
Appreciative Interview
“When was the funniest
moment of your family
life/work…”
“What are your dreams
for the future for
optimazing humor in your
life?”
4D Cycle
Appreciative Evaluation
Room for
improvement
Role for the negative?
Positive Psychology
SOLUTION-FOCUS
Speech Acts as unit of analysis
and intervention (e.g. “How
were you able to use humor to
manage this challenge?”)
VIA - Values in Action
Baby steps for change
Ratio Communication 3:1
Questions:
Scaling
Miracle
Confronting
“Fake it, fake it, until you make
it”
Experiential:
Humor Strategies
SYSTEMIC
Rhizome and Gift Exchange
Practices (Lynn Hoffman & Chris
Kinman)
“Emotions Work”
What about power/ hierarchy?
Positive Emotions
VIP
Time Machine
Art
Happiness exercises
…
Research methods –
qualitative and quantitative
with meaning
For More Information
• Positive Psychology Center: www.positivepsychology.org
• VIA Signature Strengths Survey: www.authentichappiness.org
• Master of Applied Positive Psychology: www.pennpositivepsych.org
Movements of positive change…
• From an intervention
based on formal, verbal
interactions, to a coconstruction of change
supported in deepinformal collaboration and
strategies (world café,
non-verbal expressive
languages, such as humor,
art, dance, celebrations,
or contact with nature)
Movements of positive change…
• From a culture of isolation, to
one of connection and positive
interactional sharing (e.g.
social bonds and shared
laughter, behavior synchrony,
and emotional contagion
Devereux & Heffner, 2007)
• From a paradigm of identifying
needs and problems, using a
language of pathology, to a
paradigm of assets,
virtuosities, strengths,
laughter, positive emotions
and dreams
Movements of positive change…
• From individual interventions to
collective ones - couples, family,
group and community coconstructions and co-laboration
• From a framework of support,
based on a one-to-one
relationship between a
professional and a
client/patient, to a paradigm
structured upon having all
persons from all systems and
power levels involved (summit
from A.I.; playfulness as
families)
Movements of positive change…
• From a language of
pessimism and
despair, focused on
the past, to a
language of
appreciation,
optimism, hope,
and dreams,
focused on the
future
Movements of positive change…
• From a culture of
intervention involving
women (“the face of
poverty”; the ones who
traditionally look for
help), to a culture of
constructed change
based on also involving
men and children
Movements of change…
• From a stance of
“professionals as
experts”, to a rich
egalitarian position of
power and expertise
(depowerment of the
privileged)
• From a position of
dependency to one of
leadership of selfdetermination
At the same time we are…
• Dealing with issues
of health and
longevity (positive
emotions, humor,
optimism,
autonomy, hope,
positive illusions,
spirituality…),as
much as food,
education, housing,
work…
ASSESSMENT
- Transformative value of
assessment/evaluative
transformation:“Living and
Telling about it” D.Kahneman,
J.Riis (2006) - DSM + ESM
M.Csikszentmihalyi)
- Appreciative evaluation
(appreciative interviews to
explore the best of experience)
(Coghlan, 2003)
• Qualitative methods and
quantitative approaches
with a meaning (ex.
adapting scaling
questions, Marujo &
Neto et al., 2007; Marujo
& Neto, in press)
• Culture/sub-culture
sensitivity
• “Me and my children, we can laugh now of the
difficulties of the past” (Susana, 33 years old, divorced,
4 children)
• “I’m laughing again! I was not laughing for years!”
(Ana, 45 years old, single mother of two)
• “When I’m sad, I play and pray. I do not allow the
sadness to put me down.” (João, 10 years old)
• “I dream with peace on earth, with happiness in every
person’s face. That “beggar”, “poor”, "prisoner” would
disappear from the vocabulary. That the smell of roses
would be everywhere in the world, and that each and
one of us would fulfill their dreams so that we could
feel accomplished with life.” (Francisca, 16 years)
Globalization, respect for changes and values Humorous Integration of the past, the present
and the future
Q: “What do you do when you are
sad?”
A: (8 year-old boy)
“I pray and I play with my Play-station”
Goal: Moving with the families and
communities towards a “Pray
Station”, that is, acknowledging
and respecting the past, the
specifics/local, and moving
towards a hopeful future and an
integration with the global – using
humor and positive emotions as
collective strategies for change
Baumeister, R. F., & Vohs, K. D. (2002). The pursuit of meaningfulness in life. In C.R.
Synder & S.J. Lopez (Eds.), Handbook of positive psychology (pp. 608-631). New York:
Oxford University Press.
Lyubomirsky, S. (2008). The how of happiness: A scientific approach
to getting the life you want. New York: Penguin Press.
Frankl, V. E. (1984). Man’s search for meaning: An introduction to logotherapy (3 rd
ed.). (I. Lasch, Trans.). New York: Simon & Schuster. (Original work published in 1959).
PP. 119-157.
Seligman, M. E. P. (2002). Authentic happiness: Using the new positive psychology to
realize your potential for lasting fulfillment. New York: Free Press.