ABSTRACT

Recent research has uncovered a downside to the pursuit of happiness; placing a high value on happiness can ironically lead to lower well-being. Not all approaches have this effect, however, and individuals who seek positivity within their day-to-day routines may experience higher well-being. The current research investigated whether the difference between these two approaches (valuing happiness vs. prioritizing positivity) exists in how people orient towards their negative emotions. Across two studies (n = 496) we find that feeling pressured to avoid feeling anxious or depressed partially mediated the relationship between valuing happiness and decreased well-being, but this was not the case for prioritizing positivity. The findings suggest the negative well-being effects of placing a high value on happiness may be partially explained by a related tendency to devalue negative emotions, providing evidence for a mechanism through which the pursuit of happiness can become detrimental.

摘要

最近的研究发现了追求幸福的不利因素。具有讽刺意味的是，高度重视幸福会导致幸福感下降。然而，并非所有方法都有这种效果，在日常生活中寻求积极性的人可能会体验到更高的幸福感。目前的研究调查了这两种方法（重视幸福与优先考虑积极性）之间的差异是否存在于人们如何看待自己的负面情绪。在两项研究 (n = 496) 中，我们发现为了避免感到焦虑或抑郁而感到压力在一定程度上介导了重视幸福和降低幸福感之间的关系，但优先考虑积极性的情况并非如此。