Introductory psychologyLesson 2 of 2 in the course Stress, Lifestyle, and Health

Happiness, Well-Being, Adaptation, and Flow

5 flashcards · 5 quiz questions · 5 match pairs · 5 fill-in sentences · English

Save course
Lesson progress
0 / 5

Your progress is kept in this browser only.Sign up to save it

Summary

This lesson introduces happiness as a multifaceted, enduring form of well-being and explores three elements that contribute to a full life.

Happiness can mean different things to different people. Some emphasize virtue, reverence, and spirituality; others focus on contentment, inner peace, and satisfaction with relationships and accomplishments. Still others emphasize engaging in activities that feel rewarding, exciting, or meaningful. These are different emphases rather than necessarily incompatible definitions.

All flashcards

Subjective well-being
A relatively enduring experience of positive emotions and life satisfaction, including a sense of meaning and value.
Affective forecasting
Predicting the intensity and duration of one's future emotional reactions.
Emotional adaptation
The tendency for emotional reactions to become less intense as circumstances grow familiar.
Positive psychology
The scientific study of strengths and qualities that can promote fulfillment and well-being.
Flow
An absorbing experience in which an activity is rewarding for its own sake.

Quiz questions

  1. If married people report greater happiness on average than unmarried people, what conclusion is supported by that finding alone?Answer: Relationship status and happiness are associated, but causation is not established.
  2. What does affective forecasting involve?Answer: Predicting how intense and how long future emotional reactions will be.
  3. Which aim is central to positive psychology?Answer: Studying strengths and qualities that can support fulfillment and well-being.
  4. Which conditions are most likely to support flow during an activity?Answer: The activity is challenging and draws on skills the person believes they have.
  5. In one study of U.S. residents, what happened to the average well-being–income relationship above about $75,000 in annual income?Answer: The average increase in well-being was negligible in that study.

Based on Psychology 2e by Rose M. Spielman, William J. Jenkins, Marilyn D. Lovett (OpenStax), licensed CC BY 4.0. Adapted into a summary, flashcards and quizzes.

More in Introductory psychology

All Introductory psychology lessons
Introductory psychologyEmotion: Components, Theories, Brain Systems, and Expression5 flashcards · 5 quiz questions · 4 gamesPlay free →Introductory psychologyObservational Learning: Modeling, Vicarious Consequences, and Social Influence5 flashcards · 5 quiz questions · 4 gamesPlay free →Introductory psychologyStress, Immunity, Cardiovascular Risk, Asthma, and Headaches5 flashcards · 5 quiz questions · 4 gamesPlay free →Introductory psychologyHumanistic Psychology: Maslow’s Needs and Rogers’s Self-Concept5 flashcards · 5 quiz questions · 4 gamesPlay free →Introductory psychologyTrait Models: Allport, Cattell, Eysenck, the Big Five, and HEXACO5 flashcards · 5 quiz questions · 4 gamesPlay free →Introductory psychologyLearning, Social-Cognitive, and Situational Accounts of Personality5 flashcards · 5 quiz questions · 4 gamesPlay free →