Biases in Favour of the Negative

2021 ◽  
pp. 107-124
Author(s):  
Ingmar Persson
Keyword(s):  
Well Being ◽  
Moral Reasons ◽  
Positive Feelings ◽  
Negative Feelings

Contrary to Schopenhauer’s claim that positive feelings consist simply in the cessation of negative feelings, it is contended that positive feelings are feelings just like negative feelings. But there is a bias or asymmetry in favour of the negative to the effect that negative feelings can in general have a greater intensity: pain can be more intense than pleasure, depression than elation, etc. This is because negative feelings often signal losses that are irreversible, and that by themselves guarantee reductions of well-being, whereas this is not true of the improvements signalled by positive feelings. Due to this asymmetry, compassion can be stronger than sympathetic joy and, as these emotions provide moral reasons, this explains why, intuitively, it seems morally more urgent to prevent what is bad than to produce what is good as, e.g. negative utilitarianism maintains.

scholarly journals The bittersweet experience of being envied in a consumption context

2016 ◽  
Vol 50 (7/8) ◽  
pp. 1239-1262 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simona Romani ◽  
Silvia Grappi ◽  
Richard P. Bagozzi
Keyword(s):  
Consumer Satisfaction ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Mitigation Strategies ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Coping Responses ◽  
Positive Feelings ◽  
Relationship Factors ◽  
Negative Feelings ◽  
Moderating Role

Purpose Very limited research exists examining envy from the viewpoint of an envied consumer, rather than an envier. This paper aims to address this gap by examining whether and how the experience of being envied actually affects consumers. Design/methodology/approach This paper presents three experiments. Study 1 investigates the ambivalent experience of being envied. Study 2 examines the effect of being envied in consumption contexts on consumer satisfaction, analyzing the combined ambivalent effects of positive and negative feelings. It also investigates the moderating role played by consumer coping responses to enviers (mitigation vs exacerbation). Finally, Study 3 applies the hypothesized model in a specific context (i.e. a material possession context), focusing on adult consumers. Findings Results show that negative (e.g. guilt and anxiety) and positive (e.g. sense of well-being and prestige) feelings for being envied depend on the type of relationship between the envier and the envied, and the type of desired object, and consumer satisfaction is driven by the combined ambivalent effects of positive and negative feelings, where coping responses by envied consumers moderate the effects of such feelings on satisfaction. Originality/value This paper makes three main contributions: it extends prior research by highlighting the role of personal relationship factors and the type of object of desire in the experience of being envied; demonstrates that both positive and negative feelings of being envied affect consumer satisfaction; and shows conditions regulating the influence of positive and negative feelings on satisfaction, demonstrating that mitigation strategies decrease the effects of negative feelings on satisfaction, whereas exacerbation strategies failed to regulate the effects of positive feelings.

Subjective well-being of people with ASD in Japan

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 129-138
Author(s):  
Michio Kojima
Keyword(s):  
Well Being ◽  
Self Esteem ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Working Adults ◽  
Spectrum Disorders ◽  
Positive Feelings ◽  
Negative Feelings

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate developmental changes and factors affecting subjective well-being (SWB) of people with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) in Japan. Design/methodology/approach Questionnaires were distributed to participants (n = 87) and interviews(n = 33) were conducted to investigate factors affecting SWB. Findings This study suggested that the SWB of people with ASD might be closely correlated with their self-esteem. Moreover, high school and university students have negative feelings such as anxiety and worries that affected their SWB, whereas working adults have positive feelings and thinking that influenced their SWB. Furthermore, hobbies were the source of happiness for people with ASD. Originality/value This study suggests the factors affecting SWB of people with ASD.

scholarly journals Commitment and Attachment to Pet and Emotional Well-Being Among Low-Income Pet Owners

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 114-114
Author(s):  
Ke Li ◽  
Fengyan Tang ◽  
Mary Rauktis
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Global Mental Health ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Pet Ownership ◽  
Pet Attachment ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Pet Owners ◽  
Positive Feelings ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Negative Feelings

Abstract Pets play an important role in older adults’ lives, as people treat pets as their companion and family members. Owning a pet has been believed to be beneficial; however, previous literature demonstrated mixed results of the effects of pet on people’s well-being. Using data collected from 392 food pantry users in Pittsburgh, this study examined the relationships of pet ownership, attachment and commitment with emotional well-being, and investigated whether sociodemographic profiles conditioned those relationships. emotional well-being was assessed by global mental health, positive functioning, perceived negative feelings, and perceived positive feelings. Commitment to pet was measured by a 10-item scale adapted from the Miller-Rada Scale about the likelihood of giving up pet under various difficult circumstances. Attachment to pet was measured by the 23-item Lexington Attachment to Pets Scale about emotional ties to pet. About two-thirds of respondents (66%) were pet owners. Multiple regression analysis showed that pet owners perceived fewer positive feelings (e.g. happy, joyful) than non-pet owners. However, among pet owners, a higher level of pet attachment was associated with more positive feelings. Gender and education significantly moderated the effects of pet ownership on emotional well-being, as male and employed respondents were more likely to benefit from owning a pet. Moreover, the positive effects of attachment and commitment to pet were stronger among respondents with higher levels of education or in the labor force. future studies need to investigate how to promote the benefits of pet companion and address the challenges faced by low-income pet owners.

CONVERGENT VALIDITY OF THE DEPRESSION-HAPPINESS SCALE WITH THE BRADBURN AFFECT BALANCE SCALE

2000 ◽  
Vol 28 (6) ◽  
pp. 579-584 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher Alan Lewis ◽  
Paddy McCollam ◽  
Stephen Joseph
Keyword(s):  
Negative Affect ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Convergent Validity ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Positive And Negative Affect ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Affect Balance ◽  
Balance Scale ◽  
Positive Feelings ◽  
Negative Feelings

The aim of the present paper is to provide further evidence for the convergent validity of one such measure, the Depression-Happiness Scale (McGreal & Joseph, 1993; Joseph & Lewis, 1998). The Affect Balance Scale (Bradburn, 1969), a measure which is very well established in the subjective well-being literature, which contains measures of both positive and negative affect, was administered alongside the Depression-Happiness Scale to 67 undergraduate students. As predicted, higher scores on the Depression-Happiness Scale, indicating a higher frequency of positive feelings and a lower frequency of negative feelings, were significantly associated with higher scores on the Affect Balance Scale and the Affect Positive Scale and also with lower scores on the Affect Negative Scale. These data provide further evidence of the convergent validity of the Depression-Happiness Scale.

scholarly journals It’s not what you do, it’s the way that you do it: An experimental task delineates among styles of behaviour on social networking sites and psychosocial measures.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Shaw ◽  
Charlotte Rebecca Pennington ◽  
Nicola Ngombe ◽  
Klaus Kessler ◽  
Linda Katherine Kaye
Keyword(s):  
Social Networking ◽  
Social Networking Sites ◽  
Social Connectedness ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Network Size ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Experimental Conditions ◽  
Content Sharing ◽  
Positive Feelings ◽  
Negative Feelings

The popularity of social networking sites (SNS) continues to rise globally, prompting research into the potential consequences of their usage on our well-being. Studies have produced vastly disparate findings, however, reporting positive, negative, and sometimes no associations with psychosocial outcomes. These inconsistencies may, in part, reflect a lack of consideration for how people use SNS; meaningful interactions are suggested to foster positive feelings of social connectedness, but the passive consumption of others’ feeds is proposed to promote negative feelings related to social comparison. To evaluate this claim empirically, the present study developed a novel computerised task to measure objectively styles of usage on a mock SNS platform . By administering this behavioural task online to 526 individuals, we identified three dissociable usage styles: passive use (a tendency to consume content posted by others), reactive use (a proclivity to react to [like] others’ content), and interactive use (a propensity to interact with others through content sharing). Furthermore, these usage styles differed on various subjective measures of psychosocial variables: more interactive use was associated with greater feelings of social connectedness and social capital than passive or reactive usage. Importantly, however, our data also reveal the multi-dimensional nature of usage styles, with online network size and time spent on SNS platforms serving as potentially confounding influences on some psychosocial measures. These findings advance our understanding of behaviour on SNS, and demonstrate the utility of a computerised task that can be administered under experimental conditions as an alternative to self-report and unidimensional digital tracking methods.

Conclusion

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Krista K. Thomason
Keyword(s):  
Moral Psychology ◽  
Negative Emotions ◽  
Moral Maturity ◽  
Moral Agents ◽  
The People ◽  
Positive Feelings ◽  
Negative Feelings

The conclusion summarizes the main aims of the book. Even though shame can be a painful and damaging emotion, we would still not be better off without it. A continued liability to shame shows that we accept that we are not always the people we think we are, but accepting this fact is a sign of moral maturity. Additionally, this conclusion raises questions about moral philosophy’s commitment to positive moral psychology. Although some philosophers have defended negative emotions, the field as a whole still treats positive feelings as better and more desirable than negative feelings. But it is reasonable to ask whether moral agents should try to be “emotional saints.”

Optimism

2009 ◽  
pp. 302-312 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles S. Carver ◽  
Michael F. Scheier ◽  
Daniel Fulford
Keyword(s):  
Disease Progression ◽  
Health Risks ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Problem Solution ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Negative Feelings ◽  
Seriously Ill

Optimism is expecting good things to occur in one's life. Such positive expectations are associated with higher subjective well-being, even under conditions of stress or adversity. In contrast, pessimists respond to adversity with more intense negative feelings. There are also differences in the manner in which optimists and pessimists try to cope with adversity. Optimists tend to put the best face on the adversity, but they acknowledge its existence and its importance, and they try to do as much as possible to resolve whatever problems can be resolved. Pessimists are more likely to distance themselves from the problem and put off doing anything about it as long as possible. They are also more likely to give up trying, if things remain difficult. Some kinds of problem solution is proactive, engaged in before the problem arises. Optimists also tend to engage in such proactive efforts, including taking actions to minimize various kinds of health risks. Perhaps, as a consequence of these preventive steps, optimists also tend to have better health than pessimists. They seem to heal faster from wounds, and there is some evidence that when they are seriously ill they experience slower disease progression. It has been suggested that optimists sometimes are no better off than pessimists, and sometimes are worse off: that their confidence can get them into situations where it is difficult to cope effectively. Evidence of such negative effects of optimism does exist, but it is relatively sparse.

scholarly journals Reconciling Loss Aversion and Gain Seeking in Judged Emotions

2021 ◽  
pp. 096372142199204
Author(s):  
Barbara A. Mellers ◽  
Siyuan Yin ◽  
Jonathan Z. Berman
Keyword(s):  
Loss Aversion ◽  
Reference Point ◽  
Emotional Reactions ◽  
Status Quo ◽  
New Approach ◽  
Negative Change ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
The Status ◽  
Positive Feelings ◽  
Negative Feelings

Is the pain of a loss greater in magnitude than the pleasure of a comparable gain? Studies that compare positive feelings about a gain with negative feelings about a comparable loss have found mixed answers to this question. The pain of a loss can be greater than, less than, or equal to the pleasure of a comparable gain. We offer a new approach to test hedonic loss aversion. This method uses emotional reactions to the reference point, a positive change, and a negative change. When we manipulated the reference point (i.e., pleasurable and painful), two distinct patterns emerged. Pain surpassed pleasure (loss aversion) when the reference point was positive, and pleasure exceeded pain (gain seeking) when the reference point was negative. A reference-dependent version of prospect theory accounts for the results. If the carriers of utility are changes from a reference point—not necessarily the status quo—both loss aversion and gain seeking are predicted. Loss aversion and gain seeking can be reconciled if you take the starting point into account.

scholarly journals Attractions to Fuel the Imagination: Reframing Understandings of the Role of Distraction Relative to Well-Being in the Pediatric Hospital

2018 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 130-146 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca McLaughlan ◽  
Ahmed Sadek ◽  
Julie Willis
Keyword(s):  
Well Being ◽  
Hospital Staff ◽  
Hospital Environment ◽  
Photo Elicitation ◽  
Pediatric Hospital ◽  
Waiting Room ◽  
Positive Feelings ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Patient Resistance ◽  
Outpatient Appointments

Objective: Ulrich’s (1991) definition of “positive distraction” includes that which “elicits positive feelings and holds attention,” implying that the capacity of an environmental feature to hold attention is a necessary component. This article examines whether, in the context of a pediatric hospital, a distraction needs to “hold attention” to secure positive benefits for patient well-being. Background: Data collected from 246 patients at Melbourne’s Royal Children’s Hospital (Australia) revealed a discrepancy between what children and young people told us they did, and valued, within the hospital, relative to the time they spent engaging in, or paying attention to, these same features. This motivated a closer interrogation of the relationship between well-being, distraction, and socialization within the pediatric context. Method: Data were collected using a mixed-methods approach that included 178 surveys, 43 drawings contributed by patients/siblings within the outpatient waiting room, 25 photo-elicitation interviews with patients, and 100 hr of spatial observations within public and waiting room spaces. This was supplemented by interviews with architects and hospital staff. Conclusions: The mechanism by which we have understood positive distraction to contribute to well-being within the pediatric hospital environment is more complex than existing models accept. Within this context, environmental features that can positively transform expectations of visiting the hospital—that can ignite the imagination and incite a desire to return—can offer significant benefits to well-being. This is particularly relevant in the context of absenteeism from outpatient appointments and in reducing patient resistance to future, or ongoing, treatments.

scholarly journals Social representations of low-income diabetic women according to the health-disease process

2008 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 389-395 ◽  
Author(s):  
Denise Siqueira Péres ◽  
Laércio Joel Franco ◽  
Manoel Antônio dos Santos ◽  
Maria Lúcia Zanetti
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Social Representations ◽  
Disease Process ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Diabetic Patients ◽  
Diet Plan ◽  
The Social ◽  
Negative Feelings ◽  
Representations Of Women

The purpose of this article is to identify the social representations of low-income diabetic women according to the health-disease process. This is a descriptive, exploratory study. Eight participants, all of them patients at a basic health unit in Ribeirão Preto, were interviewed in 2003. The data were organized according to thematic content analysis and analyzed according to theory of social representations. Diabetes is related to negative feelings, such as shock, anger and sadness; the diet plan is linked to the loss of pleasure, and also to health risks. The diabetic women showed an ambivalent relation to medication, perceived it as both tiring and as a resource that promotes well-being and improvements in quality of life. The negative representation of health services seems to interfere with the behavior of adherence to pharmacological treatment. Understanding the representations of women with diabetes contributes to integral healthcare for diabetic patients.

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