The DOI matches its Crossref record; 85 of the 85 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
The How, Why, What, When, and Who of Happiness
Abstract
Over the past decade, positive psychological scientists have gathered a great deal of evidence to support the benefits of positive emotions above and beyond simply feeling good (Frederickson, 2001, in press; Lyubomirsky, King, & Diener, 2005). Randomized controlled experiments have shown that numerous positive activities (e.g., expressing gratitude, committing acts of kindness, savoring positive events, and practicing optimistic thinking) lead to increases in positive emotions and well-being. To gain a deeper understanding of how positive activities work (rather than whether they work), our laboratory has tested the mediating and moderating factors that underlie the success of positive interventions. Specifically, our research focuses on the following questions: 1) What are the mechanisms by which positive activities work to increase well-being? 2) How should positive activities be performed to maximize their effectiveness? and 3) For whom do specific positive activities work best? This chapter reviews findings supporting our new positive activity model. The model proposes four mediating variables (positive emotions, positive thoughts, positive behaviors, and need satisfaction) and two categories of moderating variables (characteristics of the positive activity [e.g., their dosage and variety] and characteristics of the person [e.g., their motivation and effort]). Finally, the model posits the importance of person-activity fit for optimal positive activity success.
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“Various researchers working on interventional studies have claimed that randomly assigning participants to intervention and control groups may not be an optimal means of assessing the efficacy of interventions as motivation to practice represents a key element in program efficacy (e.g., [77]).”
From Mindfulness-based programs improve psychological flexibility, mental health, well-being, and time management in academics (2020) · cites this paper as [77]
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Metadata
- Authors
- Layous, K., & Lyubomirsky, S.
- Affiliations
- University of California, Riverside (US)
- Venue
- Positive Emotion
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press
- Published
- 2014-01-23
- Pages
- 472-495
- OpenAlex
- W2488217528
- Cited by
- 147
- References
- 85
- Citations by year
- 2026: 10 · 2025: 8 · 2024: 12 · 2023: 15 · 2022: 12 · 2021: 9 · 2020: 8 · 2019: 15 · 2018: 13 · 2017: 14 · 2016: 14 · 2015: 10 · 2014: 5
- FWCI
- 58.61
- Type
- book chapter
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Oxford University Press eBooks (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Psychological Well-being and Life Satisfaction
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Applied Psychology › Optimism, Hope, and Well-being
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Aging and Gerontology Research
- Keywords
- positive activities, positive emotions, well-being, positive interventions, gratitude, acts of kindness, savoring, optimism, positive behavior, need satisfaction, mediation, moderation, motivation
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