Increase Life Satisfaction by Analysing the Negative But Just Experiencing the Positive
Our wellbeing isn't just affected by what we think about, but also how we think. In particular, the way in which we process past life events has an important impact on our life satisfaction and physical health. A series of experiments conducted by Professor Sonja Lyubomirsky and colleagues at the University of California, Riverside, shows how we should analyse the negative, but just experience the positive (Lyubomirsky, Sousa & Dickerhoof, 2006).
Study 1
This was designed to find out which method of processing negative events is most beneficial: writing, talking aloud or privately thinking about them. The study found those who thought privately about negative events saw reductions in the life satisfaction and no changes in other measures. On the other hand, participants who talked or wrote about a negative event showed improved mental health, life satisfaction and social functioning.
Study 2
Here participants turned their attention to positive events in their lives - and were asked to write, talk or privately think about them. Here it was privately thinking about positive life events that was associated with increased life satisfaction, rather than talking or writing about them.
Study 3
The third study looked more closely at exactly how people thought about positive events. It compared merely replaying a positive event in the mind, with breaking it down and attempting to analyse it. This found that, as expected, thinking about a really happy moment increased health and physical functioning. On the other hand, analysing a positive event tended to reduce well-being and health.
The message of this research is that systematic analysis of negative events improves well-being and health. Positive events, on the other hand, should just be re-experienced, not analysed.
» Read more on positive psychology.
Reference
Lyubomirsky, S., Sousa, L., & Dickerhoof, R. (2006). The costs and benefits of writing, talking, and thinking about life's triumphs and defeats. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 90, 692-708.
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The three studies are really very interesting not only in design but also in analytic conclusion .
haa!How could the Sonja Lyubomirsky think up the experiment on happiness ?
So to maximize life happiness, we should talk about negative things and keep positive things to ourselves? I think this would make interpersonal relationships very difficult if all you ever talk about is the negative. I know I would get tired of only ever hearing the negative.
How to escape this trap?
It makes sense (to me at least) that analysis of negative would make us feel better. This would be analysis - ie: not brooding.
By analyzing negative experiences, we can hopefully determine what errors were made on our part, and how they can be prevented in the future.
And this goes with the assumption of believing that we might have control over future events, and prevent the same negative events.
Will, good point. But: for positive life events in study 2, it's the comparison that shows thinking about them is better. Doesn't mean talking about them is bad for you. And who could stop us talking about good stuff that's happened to us anyway?!
Jeremy,
To me this - analyzing negative and experiencing positive events- immediately brings to mind, to the some extent valid generalization, that left side of brain is more analytical and 'lights up' during negative emotions; while the right side is more holistic and lights up during positive emotions. To me it seems that using an analytical approcah to negative events multiplies the activity and the associated negativity in the left hemisphree; while the opposite happens when one just experinces the positive.
Juts my two pence:-)