Psychology (Week 5) Flashcards
What are the different perspectives on what makes people happy?
The hedonic perspective focuses on maximizing pleasure, while the eudaimonic perspective involves striving for personal potential and self-realization.
According to Di Tella & MacCulloch (2009), how does consumerism relate to happiness?
Consumerism suggests a link between growing income and increasing happiness. However, self-determination theory emphasizes that consumerist culture thwarts basic psychological needs satisfaction by fostering extrinsic goals.
What motivates self-centredness and selflessness, according to the notes?
Self-centredness is driven by extrinsic motivators such as possessions, popularity, and money. Selflessness is motivated intrinsically by autonomy, relatedness, and competence.
What is the impact of valuing self-centred happiness versus selflessness on well-being?
Research suggests that self-centred spending does not significantly correlate with happiness, while prosocial spending contributes positively to happiness.
How does decision-making influence estimates of current and future happiness?
Current happiness estimation relies on fast thinking, while predicting future happiness requires slow thinking based on mental simulations of future emotions.
What are common errors in predicting future happiness?
Common errors include relying on past events, making inaccurate comparisons, and failing to imagine the exact future context.
List strategies highlighted to enhance well-being and future happiness.
Strategies include favoring experiences over possessions, engaging in prosocial behavior, considering small experiences over large ones, paying in advance for delayed consumption, expanding considerations before purchase, and avoiding comparison shopping.
