Department of Psychiatry, University of California at San Francisco.
Department of Psychology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Emotion. 2014 Dec;14(6):1155-61. doi: 10.1037/a0038029.
A decade of research reveals the benefits of positive emotions for mental and physical health; however, recent empirical work suggests the explicit pursuit of happiness may backfire. The present study hypothesized that the pursuit of happiness is not inherently self-defeating; in particular, individuals who seek positivity, as exemplified by how they make decisions about how to organize their day-to-day lives, may be happier. This individual difference is labeled prioritizing positivity. In a community sample of young to older adults (N = 233), prioritizing positivity predicted a host of well-being outcomes (positive emotions, depressive symptomology). In addition, people high in prioritizing positivity have greater resources, and these links are explained by more frequent experiences of positive emotions. In sum, the present study suggests that seeking happiness, although a delicate art, may be a worthwhile pursuit.
十年的研究揭示了积极情绪对身心健康的益处；然而，最近的实证研究表明，刻意追求幸福可能适得其反。本研究假设，追求幸福本身并不是自相矛盾的；具体来说，那些寻求积极性的人，例如他们如何决定如何组织日常生活，可能会更快乐。这种个体差异被标记为优先考虑积极性。在一个由年轻到老年的社区样本中（N=233），优先考虑积极性可以预测一系列幸福感结果（积极情绪、抑郁症状）。此外，优先考虑积极性高的人拥有更多的资源，而这些联系可以通过更频繁的积极情绪体验来解释。总之，本研究表明，尽管追求幸福是一门微妙的艺术，但它可能是一种值得追求的目标。
