Shrunken Mind - Latest Positive Psychology Tools w/John Schinnerer Ph.D. » Print » Writing about how positive event may NOT have happened creates greater increase in mood

Writing about how positive event may NOT have happened creates greater increase in mood - Scientific American

Posted By John Schinnerer On 14. July 2009 @ 23:49 In Relationships, Gratitude, Curiosity, Science of love, Emotional management, Emotional mind, Dr. John Schinnerer, Emotional IQ, Happiness, Positive Psychology | No Comments

Fantastic new article in Scientific American by Dr. Sonja Lyubomirsky

‘New research reveals a better way to boost happiness than counting blessings–imagining that the good things never happened’

‘The researchers show that people prompted to write about how a positive event may not have happened experience a greater uptick in mood than those prompted to describe the positive event. In their most persuasive study, individuals in committed relationships wrote for 15 to 20 minutes about how they might never have met and [1] connected with their partners. Others wrote instead about the reverse – that is, how they did meet, start dating, and end up with their partners. Several control conditions, which involved writing about one’s typical day or about one’s [2] friendships, were included as well. The biggest increase in satisfaction with the relationship occurred not in the group that pondered the sunny beginnings of their union but in the “mental subtraction” (or “How I might never have met Peter”) group.’[3] http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=what-if-id-never-husband&sc=CAT_MB_20090714

Enjoy!

Dr. John Schinnerer

Article printed from Shrunken Mind - Latest Positive Psychology Tools w/John Schinnerer Ph.D.: http://drjohnblog.guidetoself.com

URL to article: http://drjohnblog.guidetoself.com/2009/07/14/writing-about-how-positive-event-may-not-have-happened-creates-greater-increase-in-mood-scientific-american/

URLs in this post:
[1] connected: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=study-shows-like-personal
[2] friendships: http://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode.cfm?id=happiness-is-contagious
-08-12-05
[3] http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=what-if-id-never-husband&sc=CAT_MB_20090714: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=what-if-id-never-husband&sc
=CAT_MB_20090714

Click here to print.