Positive Psychology

Front 1

Losada Ratio

Back 1

Positivity and negativity are powerful feedback processes in human behavior. Positive feedback encourages us to continue doing what we have done so far. Negative feedback, on the contrary, generally acts as a warning signal that tells us to moderate or stop what we are doing and to redress the course of our actions. Positive feedback can be linked to approach behavior and negative feedback to avoidance behavior. Through the course of evolution, these two processes, approach and avoidance, have helped us survive in complex environments. A powerful indicator of what is possible for a system is the positivity/negativity ratio of feedback; that is, how many instances of positive vs. negative feedback we can observe in a human interaction process, such as a team meeting or in a couple's conversation.
The positivity/negativity ratio (P/N) has been found to be a critical parameter to ascertain what kinds of dynamics are possible for a team (Losada & Heaphy, 2004). P/N is measured by counting the instances of positive feedback (e.g. "that is a good idea") vs. negative feedback (e.g. "this is not what I expected; I am disappointed"). In Marcial Losada's study, high performance teams had a P/N ratio of 5.6; medium performance teams a P/N of 1.9 and low performance teams a P/N of 0.36 (there was more negativity than positivity).
These ratios determine the level of connectivity that a team can reach (Losada & Heaphy, 2004). Connectivity is the control parameter in the meta learning model developed and empirically validated by Losada (1999), who found that high performance teams have dynamics that correspond to a complexor (complex order) which is mathematically equivalent to a chaotic attractor, representing the flexibility and creativity of these teams; medium performance teams have dynamics that correspond to a transient limit cycle that eventually settles into a fixed-point attractor, representing the inability to escape limiting routines; and low performance teams have dynamics that correspond to a fixed-point attractor, representing even less flexibility, and leading to a dead-end situation from which it's very hard to escape.
John Gottman (1994) found that similar ratios occur in marriages who flourish (P/N ratio of 5.1) and those who end up in divorce (P/N ratio of 0.77). Barbara Fredrickson and Marcial Losada found that individuals who flourish have a P/N ratio above the Losada line and those who languish have a P/N ratio below the Losada line (Fredrickson & Losada, 2005). Waugh and Fredrickson found that the Losada line separates people who are able to reach a complex understanding of others from those who do not (Waugh & Fredrickson, 2006). The Losada line establishes the minimum level at which a complexor is reached and is equal to a P/N of 2.9013 (Fredrickson & Losada, 2005; Fredrickson, 2009, chapter 7).

Front 2

Meaning

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-belonging to something larger than yourself
-altruism (selflessness) versus pleasure

Front 3

Accomplishment

Back 3

-self discipline and grit is twice as important as IQ

Front 4

GRIT

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sticking with things over the very long term until you master them." In a paper, she writes that "the gritty individual approaches achievement as a marathon; his or her advantage is stamina."



Duckworth's research suggests that when it comes to high achievement, grit may be as essential as intelligence. That's a significant finding because for a long time, intelligence was considered the key to success.

Front 5

How does positive psychology differ from traditional psychology and psychotherapy?

Back 5

Dr. Seligman explained that the goal of psychotherapy is to get rid of people’s problems. Patients go to therapists in order to alleviate ills (e.g., anxiety, depression). However as Dr. Seligman noted, simply alleviating peoples’ problems does not lead to a full life. Getting rid of all the bad stuff does not a happy person make. Positive psychology is a reaction against psychology’s traditional focus on redressing wrongs. Positive psychology instead aims to actively promote peoples’ well-being.

Front 6

What is PERMA? What does each branch of PERMA stand for?

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PERMA is one way positive psychology has defined well-being. The acronym PERMA stands for: positive emotion, engagement, relationships, meaning and accomplishment. By classifying well-being into these five categories, positive psychology has made an elusive term – well-being -- measurable. In the social sciences, operationalizing a construct of interest is the first step that must be taken in order to study it. Each of these five aspects of well-being then presents a potential target for intervention.

Front 7

3.
Explain what is meant by the declining effect of money (also known as the declining marginal utility of money).

Back 7

In the United States, up until $60,000 of income, there is an approximately linear relationship between income and well-being. However above $60,000, money has less “bang for the buck.” Beyond $60,000, each additional dollar adds less additional well-being than the previous one. As Dr. Seligman mentioned in class, this means that if you make $60,000 a year and your boss offers you a $20,000 bonus that will require you to miss spending time with your family, the better choice (assuming your goal is to maximize your well-being) is probably to turn down the offer.

Ideas like these have often been maxims of self-help books (“no-one ever says on his deathbed that he wishes he’d spent more time at the office”), but taking a scientific approach lets us place quantitative (numerical) bounds on these effects, and rigorously evaluate them.

Front 8

What are the two ways to measure well-being that were mentioned in class?

Back 8

First, well-being is measured using self-report scales. Second, well-being is measured by analyzing word-use in social media. The word clouds shown in lecture, for example, demonstrated that people high in neuroticism used different language than people low in neuroticism.

Front 9

What is the Losada Ratio? Describe its importance

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The Losada ratio refers to the ratio of positive words to negative words. Losada ratios have shown to correlate with and predict important outcomes. For example, business executive who have at least a 2.9::1 ratio of positive to negative words belong to organizations that are flourishing. The Losada ratio that predicts marital well-being is 5:1. This means that happy couples make 5 positive remarks for every 1 negative remark they make to each other.

Front 10

What is a gratitude visit? What are the long-term effects of making a gratitude visit?

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A gratitude visit entails the following steps. First, imagine someone who has had a big impact on you who you have never properly thanked. Second, write a 300-word gratitude letter to that person. Third, call the person and tell them you want to come visit them, but don’t tell them why. Fourth, show up on their doorstep with your letter and read your letter to them.

In several studies individuals who performed the gratitude visit were shown to be significantly happier one month later, compared to controls.

Front 11

When people survive a trauma, what typically happens next?

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Different individuals have different reactions to trauma over the medium term. Positive psychology has introduced us to the phenomenon of post-traumatic growth: the idea that some people get stronger after passing through tragic experiences. A very surprising finding is that people who have survived three traumatic experiences have higher happiness levels than individuals have survived two; likewise, people who have survived two traumatic experiences are generally happier than individuals have survived one, and individuals who have survived one traumatic experience are generally happier than individuals have never had one. This doesn’t mean that trauma itself is healthy or that everyone should have one. Some people have very negative responses to trauma. But this range of reactions is important.

Front 12

What is active constructive responding? How is it different from active destructive responding, passive destructive responding, and passive constructive responding? Give an example.

Back 12

If your partner tells you that they got a raise, there are several different ways you can respond.
The active constructive response: “Wow, that’s amazing! Relive the moment with me. Where were you when it happened? What did it feel like?” (In active constructive responding, you ask the other person to elaborate and you relive the situation together.)
The passive constructive response: “Great job!” (In passive constructive responding you say something nice, but don’t ask the person to relive the situation with you and you don't really with the other person, or really exemplify how you care.)
The passive destructive response: “What’s for dinner?” (In passive destructive responding, you ignore the person’s good news, without really acknowledging what you were told.)
The active destructive response: “This is going to put us in a higher tax bracket, this stinks.” (Active destructive responding is sarcastic and hurtful to the receiver.)

Front 13

Can the skills of positive psychology be taught within organizations? What effects of such teaching have been demonstrated?

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Yes, the skills of positive psychology have been taught both to students in school and soldiers in the U.S. Army. First, in schools, randomized controlled trials show that students who receive positive psychology interventions are rated by their teachers as having better social skills up to 18 months post-intervention. Second, in the U.S. Army, studies show that if you are a solider whose drill sergeant has completed a positive psychology training course, you show better coping than your fellow soldiers at follow-up.