The Undoing Effect of Positive Emotions

Positive emotions are hypothesized to undo the cardiovascular aftereffects of negative emotions. Study 1 tests this undoing effect. Participants (n = 170) experiencing anxiety-induced cardiovascular reactivity viewed a film that elicited (a) contentment, (b) amusement, (c) neutrality, or (d) sadness. Contentment-eliciting and amusing films produced faster cardiovascular recovery than neutral or sad films did. Participants in Study 2 (n = 185) viewed these same films following a neutral state. Results disconfirm the alternative explanation that the undoing effect reflects a simple replacement process. Findings are contextualized by Fredrickson's broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions (B. L. Fredrickson, 1998).Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/45369/1/11031_2004_Article_292902.pd

Testing a scalable web and smartphone based intervention to improve depression, anxiety, and resilience: A randomized controlled trial

Psychological interventions targeting wellbeing can reliably increase wellbeing and decrease depressive symptoms. However, only a handful of studies have implemented wellbeing interventions online, and those studies have largely done so in a way that prioritizes experimental control over realism and scalability. We sought to take existing wellbeing interventions with established efficacy and to evaluate their impact when translated into a format that is publicly accessible, scalable, and designed with the goal of engaging users. Participants in this fully online trial were first-time registrants of the Happify platform, a fully automated web and mobile wellbeing intervention grounded in positive psychology, cognitive-behavioral therapy, and mindfulness-based stress reduction, which has offered wellbeing programs to over 3 million registrants to date. Consenting participants were randomly assigned to access the full Happify platform or a psychoeducation comparison condition and further categorized by their usage during the study: recommended usage (a minimum of 2-3 activities per week) or low usage (usage less than the recommended level). Participants were assessed on depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and a composite measure of resilience at baseline and 8 weeks later. Participants who used Happify at the recommended level reported fewer depressive and anxiety symptoms and greater resilience after 8 weeks than participants who used Happify at a low level or participants who used the psychoeducation condition at any level. The Happify group also experienced greater rates of reduction in depression and anxiety symptom severity category, and had a greater net benefit (% users who improved minus % users who deteriorated), compared to the other groups. The results of this study suggest a successful first attempt at implementing and scaling a comprehensive package of lab-tested wellbeing interventions without losing efficacy

Positive emotions and resilience: Exploring subjective, cognitive, and physiological consequences.

Theory indicates that resilient individuals are able to bounce back from stressful experiences quickly and effectively, having the capacity to flexibly adapt to changing situational demands. Few studies, however, have provided supportive empirical evidence for this theory. The present investigation seeks to do so, using a multi-method approach to examine the subjective, cognitive, and physiological qualities of psychological resilience. Toward this end, the broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions (Fredrickson, 1998; 2001) is used as a framework for understanding resilience theory. Five studies explore the hypothesis that resilient people use positive emotions to rebound from, find positive meaning in, and flexibly cope with, stressful encounters. Study 1 examined the physiological characteristics associated with psychological resilience. In Study 2, cognitive appraisals were experimentally manipulated to examine their role in relation to psychological resilience and cardiovascular recovery from negative emotional arousal. Moving beyond laboratory-based stressors, Study 3 examined the role that resilience and positive emotions have in the capacity to find positive meaning in negative circumstances. In Studies 1, 2, and 3, mediational analyses revealed that the experience of positive emotions contributed, in part, to participants' ability to achieve efficient emotion regulation, demonstrated by accelerated cardiovascular recovery from negative emotional arousal (Studies 1 and 2) and by finding positive meaning in negative circumstances (Study 3). Studies 4 and 5 examined the reasons why positive emotions help low and high resilient individuals effectively recover from stressful experiences by examining the critical role that positive emotions might play in broadening coping resources (Study 4) with which to flexibly cope in times of stress (Study 5). Findings revealed that positive emotions are useful to low and high resilient individuals in different ways, which provide insights into potential developmental processes associated with psychological resilience. Implications for research on resilience and positive emotions are discussed.Ph.D.Clinical psychologyPsychologySocial psychologyUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/128811/2/3029447.pd

ÉMOTIONS POSITIVES ET RÉSILIENCE : EFFETS DES ÉMOTIONS POSITIVES SUR LE BIEN-ÊTRE PHYSIQUE ET PSYCHOLOGIQUE

L’article présente la théorie de Fredrickson sur les émotions positives dite « expansion et construction » (broaden and build) ainsi que des résultats qui la soutiennent. Dans le contexte de cette théorie, nous discutons des bienfaits de l’expansion et de la construction des émotions positives sur la santé physique et psychologique : une résilience aguerrie, des stratégies efficaces face au stress ainsi que la récupération physiologique à la suite d’expériences négatives. Enfin, nous présentons un bref aperçu des approches passées et actuelles pour l’étude des émotions positives et nous proposons de nouvelles techniques pour la mesure de ces émotions en utilisant les nouvelles technologies mobiles.In this paper, we review Fredrickson’s Broaden and Build theory of positive emotions and the empirical work supporting this theory. Within this context we discuss the beneficial psychological and physical health outcomes associated with the broadening and building effects of positive emotions, such as greater resilience and coping in the face of stress as well as physiological recovery after negative experiences. Lastly, this paper will outline past and current approaches to studying positive emotions, and will propose new methods of measuring positive emotion by using modern, mobile technology

Amp it Up or Tamp it Down: Examining Strategies and Outcomes of Positive Emotion Regulation

There are a variety of ways to appropriately regulate positive emotions and there are even differences in positive emotion regulation across the lifespan. Research shows that positive emotion regulation has important consequences on physical health and mental health and wellbeing. This paper seeks to provide an overview of current understandings and implications of positive emotion on well-being as well as provide suggestions for future research and interventions

Regulation of Positive Emotions: Emotion Regulation Strategies that Promote Resilience

resilience, emotion regulation, positive emotions,