Terms of Happiness Flashcards
Which term is also used interchangeably with happiness?
Subjective Wellbeing
How does Sonja Lyubomirsky define happiness in her book The How of Happiness?
The experience of joy, contentment, or positive well-being, combined with a sense that one’s life is good, meaningful, and worthwhile
How does Lyubomirsky’s defintion resonate with the approach of the Greater Good Centre?
It captures the fleeting positive emotions that come with happiness, along with a deeper sense of meaning and purpose in life—and suggests how these properties of happiness complement each other.
Tell me about: Life satisfaction
A general assessment that, as a whole, one’s life is good and worth living.
Researchers usually measure life satisfaction by using the Satisfaction with Life Scale, developed by University of Illinois professor Ed Diener and colleagues.
Tell me about: Positive affect
A technical term to describe the experience of feeling a positive emotion, such as joy, love, or amusement.
Positive affect is an important ingredient to happiness and is sometimes used synonymously with happiness, though it generally refers to a fleeting emotional state rather than an enduring way of being.
It is often measured using the Positive and Negative Affect Scale (PANAS).
Tell me about: Subjective well-being
Researchers often use this term interchangably with happiness, perhaps because it sounds more precise and scientific.
It refers to the way people evaluate their lives, in terms of both their global life satisfaction and emotional states–i.e., it is often assessed by measuring life satisfaction and positive affect. It is strongly tied to positive health.
