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Positive Psychology (Conciousness Relates to the control of thoughts and…
Positive Psychology
Conciousness
- Relates to the control of thoughts and feelings
- many cultures believe it's the essence of humanness
(Demassio)
Key Assumption
- Those who attempt to gain mastery over what happens in their consciousness live happier lives
- Consciousness can be ordered - we can control our subjective reality
Functions
- Represents outside and inside for evaluation so it can be acted upon
- Clearinghouse for sensory input
- establishes priorities among input
- Enables abstract theory
Definitions
- a phenomenological model of consciousness based on information theory
- Intentionally ordered information
- Orders our goals, which can change
- A mind with a self in it (demassio)
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Information theory: Knowledge about how data is processed, stored, and used.
Limits
- When we focus on something, we don't notice other details.
- Shortest time to distingiuish bits of info = 1/18th of a second
- We can allow certain things into our consciousness; these things determine the content and quality of our life
The self
- Contains everything that has passed through our consciousness
- Represents the hierarchy of goals we've built up bit by bit over years
- Experience depends on structure of attention
- Structure of attention depends on goals/intentions
Disorder in consciousness
- Information that conflicts with existing intentions or distracts us from carrying them out - called psychic entropy
Order in consciousness
- When info coming into awareness is congruent with goals, psychic energy flows effortlessly
- Optimal experience:
- Free attention to invest
- no disorder to deal with
- no threats to defend against
- we control our psychic energy
Happiness
Types (least to most meaningful)
- Pleasureable:
hedonistic, maximizing pleasure
decreases overtime - build up resistance
depends on genes
- Good
- Meaningful
Causes of happiness
- Brain is more resilient than we think
- tragedies aren't negative for a long time
- Positive events are also not positive for a long time
- money is only temporary provider of happiness
- Happiness is based on our past experiences, and adapts based on your surroundings/environment adapting upwards = hedonic treadmill
- Relative depravation principle = your level of happiness depends on comparison to others
- Downward social comparison gives you happiness
- Challenging activities cause happiness - more involved and less expensive leisure activities cause more happiness
Synthetic Happiness
- When faced with tragedy, our brains adapt to make us happy with our reality
- Choice can decrease synthetic happiness because of the self-doubt
Benefits Of Happiness
- Higher level of happiness is associated with higher creativity, physical health, mental health, empathy, etc
Positivity:negativity Ratio
- The ratio of negative emotions to positive emotions
- 3:1 is the tipping point between languishing and flourishing
- Negativity is needed for positivity
Languish
- A negative feedback loop, people are predictable, lifeless
Flourish
- A positive feedback loop, people who are flourishing are more resilient, creative, productive, and successfull
Broaden Effect
- Positivity momentarily expands people's attention and thinking
- Opens our minds and hearts to new connections, experiences, etc
Undo Effect
- Positive emotions erase the traces of negative emotions
Build
- Positive emotions enable personal and social growth that further increases well-being. Allows you to build up these resources for when you need them. This is the process that makes positive emotions an enabling factor for positive feedback cycles
Disease Model
Positives
- Created large collection of information
- Helped miserable become less miserable
- Created experimental methodologies for testing mental state and cures
Negatives
- neglects what makes life worth living
- absolves people for self-responsibility in well-being
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Humans are cultural amimal
- stems from large prefrontal cortex
- Use of symbolic and information base meaning
- Progressive: build on knowledge of previous generations