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Hedonic Adaptation to Positive and Negative Experiences
Abstract
Empirical and anecdotal evidence for hedonic adaptation suggests that the joys of loves and triumphs and the sorrows of losses and humiliations fade with time. If people's goals are to increase or maintain well-being, then their objectives will diverge depending on whether their fortunes have turned for the better (which necessitates slowing down or thwarting adaptation) or for the worse (which calls for activating and accelerating it). In this chapter, I first introduce the construct of hedonic adaptation and its attendant complexities. Next, I review empirical evidence on how people adapt to circumstantial changes, and conjecture why the adaptation rate differs in response to favorable versus unfavorable life changes. I then discuss the relevance of examining adaptation to questions of how to enhance happiness (in the positive domain) and to facilitate coping (in the negative domain). Finally, I present a new dynamic theoretical model (developed with Sheldon) of the processes and mechanisms underlying hedonic adaptation. Drawing from the positive psychological literature, I propose ways that people can fashion self-practiced positive activities in the service of managing stress and bolstering well-being.
... For example, Buddhist philosophy teaches us that one can train one's mind to achieve happiness and that several components are relevant when doing so, such as compassion for others, forgiveness, and gaining perspective. Some authors such as Lyubomirsky argue that 50% of our happiness is due to genetic factors and 10% to circumstances and the rest of 40% depends on ourselves (Lyubomirsky et al., 2005Lyubomirsky, 2008Lyubomirsky, , 2011. The pursuit of happiness does not end with people reaching a certain age (e.g. with turning 30 or being in one's 60s) but represents a lifelong task. ...
Emotions play an important role in our daily lives, helping us communicate with others and increase our self-knowledge. Older age is often associated with negative feelings (e.g. sadness, regret, anxiety, etc.). However, research points out that older people can experience increased positive emotions compared to young individuals. The present chapter aims to provide some answers regarding whether people become happier as they grow older, by examining the meanings and characteristics of emotional ageing and emotional development in midlife and older age. The chapter also explores how emotional development is linked to other developmental areas (i.e. social, cognitive, physical, and personality). Finally, the chapter applies a positive psychology perspective to illustrate some general principles concerning how to foster emotional growth in midlife and older age. Other chapters in the present book examine in more detail how to promote happiness in older age (Chap. 13), how to foster love in midlife and older age (Chap. 11), and how to intervene to prevent or reduce loneliness (Chap. 14) and prevent anxiety (Chap. 17) and depression (Chap. 18) among older individuals.
... Further investigation of the heterogeneity of SWB and how it changes over time (e.g., Li et al., 2022;Moreno-Agostino et al., 2021) may help us to better understand the complex structure of SWB. For example, it is still not entirely known why its cognitive (life satisfaction) and affective components are interrelated but at the same time constitute separable constructs, here when taking into account its temporal stability, predictors, and different backgrounds (Luhmann et al., 2012;Lyubomirsky, 2011;Schimmack et al., 2002). Regarding psychotherapists, more research is necessary on self-care behaviours, which have been found as the most important factors promoting personal and professional quality of life in this profession (Laverdière et al., 2018;Rupert & Dorociak, 2019). ...
The main goal of this study was to investigate the trajectories of the changes in burnout and subjective well-being (SWB) among psychotherapists in relation to social support, self-efficacy, sociodemographic, and work-related factors, with additional control for the subjectively experienced Covid-19 related distress. This study was carried out over a 1-year period during the critical time of the Covid-19 pandemic. We reached 226 Polish psychotherapists, of which 207 psychotherapists (91.6%) participated in all three measurements. The participants completed the following measurements: the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Service Survey, the Satisfaction with Life Scale, the General Self-Efficacy Scale, the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, and a questionnaire regarding sociodemographic, work-related factors and Covid-19 related distress. Several trajectories were observed for both burnout and SWB, which were differently associated with the level of social support, self-efficacy, and sociodemographic and work-related factors. We did not find a significant relationship between Covid-19 related distress and the inclusion of either burnout or SWB trajectories. This study calls for greater interest in the psychological health of psychotherapists. More specifically, our findings may entail some implications for the practice of psychotherapy by creating customized intervention programs to reduce burnout and enhance well-being in this specific occupation.
... How do we treat unfamiliar patterns in our environment? This is especially important given phenomena such as "hedonic adaptation" (e.g., Frederick & Loewenstein, 1999), which is the tendency to habituate to positive (and negative) life circumstances and experiences (Lyubomirsky, 2011;Lyubomirsky et al., 2005;Sheldon & Lyubomirsky, 2004, and "inattentional blindness" (e.g., Mack, 2003;Rock et al., 1992;Seegmiller et al., 2011), which occurs when we fail to notice an unexpected yet visible stimulus and instead act on what can be considered autopilot. ...
One of the central components of meaning in life involves the experi�ence that life “makes sense” and represents a coherent whole. Yet, less is known
about the ways through which individuals discover or find meaning in everyday
life. Despite advances in our understanding of the creative pathway through which
individuals find meaning in life, mainly through the field of meaning in work, and
the attitudinal pathway, mainly through the exploration of meaning-making in
the face of adversity, the experiential pathway remains largely underexplored and
its potential components require further unpacking. This chapter aims at broad�ening the existing perspective regarding the ways in which individuals seek and
derive meaning in their lives by considering the potential role of mindfulness and
unexpected experiences in everyday life. Based on conceptual and empirical suggestions, these two rather underexamined gateways of the experiential pathway
may have a unique contribution to make in better understanding of how individuals
may approach the question of meaning in life in the face of the unique challenges
of the volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous world of our time.
... Hedonic adaptation can happen with both positive and negative life events, which will reduce the experience of pleasure and a purposeful living. Thus, it has a major role in low well-being and happiness (Lyubomirsky, 2011). ...
Both hedonia and eudaimonia contribute to well-being, but existing literature on alcohol-dependence concentrates on hedonic needs alone, leaving a research gap on the role of eudaimonia in alcohol-dependence. Theoretically, mindfulness promotes eudaimonia that presumably benefits individuals with alcohol-dependence, but the empirical literature on the same is scarce. Hence, the current pilot study intended to examine the association of eudaimonia and mindfulness with alcohol-dependence, and assess the feasibility of the main study. Study-I compared mindfulness and eudaimonia of individuals with (N = 154) and without (N = 160) alcohol-dependence. Its results called forth a study-II that explored the role of eudaimonia and mindfulness in predicting alcohol-dependence among the individuals undergoing treatment for alcohol-dependence (N = 110). The data were analyzed using the independent-sample t-test, Pearson correlation, and multiple linear regression. Study-I revealed the significant deficiency of mindfulness and eudaimonia among individuals with alcohol-dependence compared to those without alcohol-dependence. Study-II found that mindfulness and eudaimonia predicted alcohol-dependence and alcohol craving. Study result indicates the potential role of mindfulness and eudaimonia in the effective treatment of alcohol-dependence, through significant correlation among the variables. The study also highlights the feasibility and utility of the main study.
... The reason behind utilizing positivity as the main factor to measure adaptability level of Iraqi students toward E-learning is that positivity has significant impact on student's adaptation to school life [21]. In addition, empirical studies and researches showed that adaptation is rapid and surely complete in response to positive experiences [22]. Therefore, this paper suggests that E-learning adaptability level is measured based on positivity total gain. ...
E-learning became the main medium of education in the world for the past two years. COVID-19 virus has pushed all the universities and academic institutions to utilize and activate E-learning platforms and systems. The sudden and urgent transformation from the regular traditional learning system to E-learning system has involved many challenges and limitations. Therefore, the need to evaluate and enhance the current E-learning mechanism in Iraq became very urgent and critical need. The target level was students at higher education institutes which include university students in Basra city. The data collected based on students’ evaluation and opinions about E-learning based on their interaction and usage during two years under COVID-19 spread era. This research involved applying data mining techniques to sample dataset and utilizing the obtained results as feedback for a proposed model suggested by the authors to measure adaptability. The proposed model is derived from the idea of the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) with focus on the positivity as the main factor to measure adaptability. The results of the research showed approximate adaptation level of 52% which is very close compared to the actual situation in real life which involve limitations and challenges faced by Iraqi students.
Welfare measures began to shift to the condition of Subjective Wellbeing (SWB). Meanwhile, the welfare of farmers must be prioritized, one of which is to fulfill their basic needs in the form of agricultural land. Ironically, land inequality in Indonesia is still quite high. This study aims to see the impact of agricultural land ownership on the SWB score of farmers in Indonesia. This study uses data from the 2007 and 2014 IFLS and fixed effect estimation method and PSM to address sellection bias. Agricultural land tenure was found to have a consistent and positive effect on SWB even after controlling for income.
Purpose
The present research integrates conservation of resources theory (COR) and adaptation theory to investigate the dynamics of entrepreneurs' reactions to obstacles. Furthermore, this research explores whether entrepreneurs' effort allocations following an obstacle influence how entrepreneurs appraise subsequent loss-related events. Finally, this research seeks to understand why some entrepreneurs handle obstacles better than others by considering the role of optimism.
Design/methodology/approach
This research utilized a longitudinal survey with 130 nascent entrepreneurs across 4 time periods. This research used a multivariate latent change analysis model to examine the temporal dynamics of new venture effort after exposure to obstacles.
Findings
The results indicated that entrepreneurial obstacles at time t were associated with decreased effort in new ventures at time t+1. Furthermore, new venture effort at time t was associated with decreased effort in new ventures at time t+1. The results also demonstrated that the allocation of greater effort may lead to a decrease in subsequent obstacle appraisals, a relationship that also varies as a function of nascent entrepreneurs' optimism.
Originality/value
This research extends the understanding of the dynamic pattern of reactions following exposure to entrepreneurial obstacles. The findings suggest that, rather than being straightforward, reactions are likely to ebb and flow over time.
This chapter explores the relation between personal well-being-measured with life satisfaction and intergenerational mobility in Spain (2017). We start by applying machine learning techniques to overcome traditional data limitations and estimate intergenerational income mobility. Then, by means of several econometric specifications, we find the relation between personal well-being and intergenerational income mobility to be non-significant. This result is robust to several measures of educational and occupational mobility. Contrary to the comparison theory, if Spanish citizens derive well-being benefits or losses from intergenerational mobility, these effects are not permanent and dissipate with time. We find other variables, such as enjoying good health, higher income levels, and marriage, to be positively associated with life satisfaction. Overall, personal well-being in Spain is more related to materialistic aspects rather than to the comparison of individuals' current position against the previous generations socioeconomic status.
Human personality traits which can be reliably measured by any of a number of rating scales, show a considerable heritable component. The tridimensional personality questionnaire (TPQ) is one such instrument and was designed by Cloninger to measure four distinct domains of temperament - Novelty Seeking, Harm Avoidance, Reward Dependence and Persistence-that are hypothesized to be based on distinct neurochemical and genetic substrates. Cloninger proposed that individual variations in the Novelty Seeking trait are mediated by genetic variability in dopamine transmission. Individuals who score higher than average on the TPQ Novelty Seeking scale are characterized as impulsive, exploratory, fickle, excitable, quick-tempered and extravagant, whereas those who score lower than average tend to be reflective, rigid, loyal, stoic, slow-tempered and frugal. We now show that higher than average Novelty Seeking test scores in a group of 124 unrelated Israeli subjects are significantly associated with a particular exonic polymorphism, the 7 repeat allele in the locus for the D4 dopamine receptor gene (D4DR). The association of high Novelty Seeking and the 7-repeat allele was independent of ethnicity, sex or age of the subjects. This work, together with the accompanying confirmations in this issue, provides the first replicated association between a specific genetic locus involved in neurotransmission and a normal personality trait.
Extrapolating from B. L. Fredrickson's (1998, 2001) broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions, the authors hypothesized that positive emotions are active ingredients within trait resilience. U.S. college students (18 men and 28 women) were tested in early 2001 and again in the weeks following the September 11th terrorist attacks. Mediational analyses showed that positive emotions experienced in the wake of the attacks - gratitude, interest, love, and so forth - fully accounted for the relations between (a) precrisis resilience and later development of depressive symptoms and (b) precrisis resilience and postcrisis growth in psychological resources. Findings suggest that positive emotions in the aftermath of crises buffer resilient people against depression and fuel thriving, consistent with the broaden-and-build theory. Discussion touches on implications for coping.
Positive emotions include pleasant or desirable situational responses, ranging from interest and contentment to love and joy, but are distinct from pleasurable sensation and undifferentiated positive affect. These emotions are markers of people's overall well-being or happiness, but they also enhance future growth and success. This has been demonstrated in work, school, relationships, mental and physical health, and longevity. The broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions suggests that all positive emotions lead to broadened repertoires of thoughts and actions and that broadening helps build resources that contribute to future success. Unlike negative emotions, which are adapted to provide a rapid response to a focal threat, positive emotions occur in safe or controllable situations and lead more diffusely to seeking new resources or consolidating gains. These resources outlast the temporary emotional state and contribute to later success and survival.
This chapter discusses the nature of positive emotions both as evolutionary adaptations to build resources and as appraisals of a situation as desirable or rich in resources. We discuss the methodological challenges of evoking positive emotions for study both in the lab and in the field and issues in observing both short-term (“broaden”) and long-term (“build”) effects. We then review the evidence that positive emotions broaden perception, attention, motivation, reasoning, and social cognition and ways in which these may be linked to positive emotions' effects on important life outcomes. We also discuss and contextualize evidence that positive emotions may be detrimental at very high levels or in certain situations. We close by discussing ways in which positive emotions theory can be harnessed by both basic and applied positive psychology research.
Japanese college students viewed a series of positive and negative stimulus words printed in katakana, a Japanese syllabary. Jacoby's process-dissociation procedure was used to assess the roles of conscious and unconscious processes in stimulus recognition. There was a stronger conscious recollective component in recognition of negative items and a higher correct rejection rate for negative stimuli, replicating American findings reported by Robinson-Riegler and Winton, and Ortony, Turner, and Antos. In addition, during the encoding phase, negative stimuli were associated with more eyeblinks and longer eyeblink latencies than positive stimuli; this pattern suggests greater cognitive activity in response to negative stimuli, consonant with Taylor's mobilization-minimization hypothesis. The eyeblink response, as measured in the present research, represents a new method for assessing the positive-negative asymmetries that are characteristic of the mobilization process.
Subjects in a positive, neutral, or negative mood were presented with behaviour descriptions exemplifying different categories to investigate mood effects on the organization of person information. Subjects were instructed either to form an impression about the person performing the behaviours (impression set) or to memorize the behaviours (memory set). Neutral mood subjects showed higher recall and more clustering under impression instructions than under memory instructions, replicating previous findings. Regardless of instructions, subjects in both positive and negative mood showed recall as high as that shown by those in a neutral mood under impression set. Subjects in a positive mood showed considerable clustering regardless of instruction set, whereas subjects in a negative mood showed little clustering regardless of instructional set. Thus, recall appeared to be mediated by different processes in the positive and negative mood conditions. Results are consistent with the interpretation that different affective states influence processing styles which in turn mediate recall.
For the past decade, an increasing number of studies have demonstrated that when individuals write about emotional experiences, significant physical and mental health improvements follow. The basic paradigm and findings are summarized along with some boundary conditions. Although a reduction in inhibition may contribute to the disclosure phenomenon, changes in basic cognitive and linguistic processes during writing predict better health. Implications for theory and treatment are discussed.