Week 3 Flashcards
What are Top-Down predictors of well-being?
What goes on inside a person (evaluations/interpretations of events/life)
- we bring tendencies to the table of well-being as we interpret life events
What is the 1st Top-Down predictor of well-being?
Optimism
What is optimism?
anticipating a bright future (the 1st top-down predictor)
What are the 3 ways that optimism views setbacks?
1- setbacks as temporary, changeable, and local (does not become helpless and looks at setbacks as just 1 instance that will not last forever)
2- bad events as unstable, not fatalistic
3 - could setbacks be “opportunity” (Ex = think of me leaving S.I. and being able to do summer courses)
What does research indicate about optimism?
-it is generally associated with good outcomes
-decreases distress with different circumstances (ex= new university)
-more satisfying relationships, less postpartum depression, better at sticking to exercise plans and, more successful at school, work, and sports
-there is a strong relationship between optimism & health (ex=pessimism & cardiovascular risk, and colds & flues)
What are 2 things that optimistic people tend to do regarding setbacks?
-bounce back more quickly from setbacks
-don’t globalize setbacks as much (ex=don’t carry work setbacks into being setbacks at home)
Can optimism be learned?
Yes! It can be cultivated and learned.
What is learned optimism?
-learned optimism is not positive thinking in defiance of the facts (facts matter)
-careful and reasoned consideration of the facts (facts matter)
How do optimism and pessimism function?
-they function as different tools for different jobs
- using negative emotions advantageously is good and important (ex = anger etc.)
What are the 2 types of pessimism?
Depressive pessimism & Defensive Pessimism
What are the characteristics of depressive pessimism and does it contribute to well-being?
-internal, global, and stable attributions
-does not contribute to well-being
What are the 3 pathways of depressive pessimism?
1 - internal (all about me)
2 - global (about everything)
3 - stable (always will be like this)
What is defensive pessimism?
a cognitive strategy to manage disappointment - very creative
How does defensive pessimism work?
-low expectations to help deal with anxiety
-anticipated disappointment = less stressful than actual disappointment
AND
Take active steps to avoid and prepare backup plans (they worry about many ways that a plan can go wrong)
(Ex=think about me with my grad audit)
What are some ups and downs to defensive pessimism?
-superior athletic & academic performance & lower cross-cultural drop-out rates
-BUT it’s not as much fun as being an optimist
Should defensive pessimism be discouraged?
-trying to force a pessimist into optimism backfires
-there is more than 1 way to live well/flourish
What kind of optimist do we want?
A healthy optimist
-not unrealistic optimism in defiance of the facts
What are do we want for pessimists?
-move towards higher ground but on the same side of the fence (use more helpful pessimism)
What are bottoms-up predictors of well-being?
=the summing up of all the factors of life (create a summary score per say)
What are examples of bottoms-up predictors of well-being and do all of them have the same influence on well-being?
-money, wealth, gender, age, race, education, politics, height, marital status, and leisure
-some of these do not have a strong influence on well-being but others do (e.g., poverty)
-lots of these are factors to judge the self on & for social comparison
What is the 2nd Top-Down predictor of well-being?
Social Comparison
What is social comparison, how does it work, & how do happy people use it?
(the 2nd top-down predictor of well-being)
-sum up all the bottoms-up factors that stand out in mind
-happy people use social comparison WISELY
What are the 3 ways that people use social comparisons wisely?
1 - select various types of comparisons to their advantage
i) upward social comparisons
ii)lateral social comparisons
iii)downward social comparisons
2 - happy people use social comparisons infrequently BUT when they do, they do it well
3 - happy people expect a “good enough” life - not “the best life”
(Satisfiers VS maximizers for decision making)
What are the 3 types of social comparisons?
1 - Upward social comparisons (to those we think are doing better than us BUT use to motivate self to do better/be better not to look down on the self)
2 - Lateral social comparisons (to those we think are in the same situation as us - “I’m not alone” & “I’m normal” - can be helpful)
3 - Downward social comparisons (to people less fortunate than us - being grateful for all given and response of humility)
