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Perspectives on positive
psychology
Paul Rozin
University of Pennsylvania
March, 2013
Sao Paolo, Brazil
“Positive Psychology is the scientific study of the
strengths and virtues that enable individuals and
communities to thrive. The Positive Psychology
Center promotes research, training, education,
and the dissemination of Positive Psychology.
This field is founded on the belief that people
want to lead meaningful and fulfilling lives, to
cultivate what is best within themselves, and to
enhance their experiences of love, work, and
play. “
Positive Psychology
• Begun by Martin Seligman in late 1990s,
announced as president of American
Psychological Association
• Positive Psychology Center Opens: 2003
• Masters in Applied Positive Psychology
(MAPP) begins: 2005
• Present Center: 30 full time employees
• Director: Martin Seligman
• Other Full-time Psychology Faculty Working Directly at PPC: Angela Duckworth, Paul Rozin, James Pawelski
• Other faculty at the U. of Pennsylvania
• Adam Grant (Wharton/Management)
• Lyle Ungar (Computer Science)
Faculty affiliated with PPC
• Roy Baumeister (prospection, energy)
• Michael Csikszentmihayli (engagement/flow)
• Ed Diener (wellbeing)
• Christopher Peterson (character, scaling) *
• Barbara Fredrickson (positive emotions)
• Jonathan Haidt (Morality)
• Sonja Lyubomirsky (happiness)
• Barry Schwartz (wisdom and choice)
• George Vaillant (life histories)
• Amy Wrzesniewski (work, callings)
Major Projects at Penn
• BASIC RESEARCH
• Prospection: driven to future: (Templeton Fund)
• Measuring well-being: Diener, Kern, Ungar
• Grit and self-control Angela Duckworth
• PERMA world well being project. U. K., Bhutan
• Comprehensive soldier fitness data base, over 1,000,000 soldiers many measures, analysis
• Templeton Positive Neuroscience Research Awards to young investigators: a neuroscience network: 20 grants of up to $200,000
• INTERVENTIONS
• Army resilience: 950,000 soldiers, 10,000 trained (Karen Reivich)
• Resilience projects in schools in Philadelphia, Australia, U.K.
• Web-based interventions
– Expressing gratitude
– Active-constructive responding
– Building on signature strengths
• EDUCATION/DISSEMINATION
• MAPP program (James Pawelski)
• Web Activities
Character: Peterson and Seligman:
VIA (Values in Action)
24 character strengths
• Character taxonomy
• WISDOM AND KNOWLEDGE
• COURAGE (integrity/genuineness/honesty)
• (perseverance/industry/diligence)
• HUMANITY AND LOVE (kindness)
• JUSTICE
• TEMPERANCE
• TRANSCENDENCE (spirituality)
Exploring (Moral) Character
Geoffrey Goodwin, Jared Piazza and
Paul Rozin
• Core character strengths: honesty, kindness
• Conditional character strengths: dedicated, loyal
• Signature strengths: Working on strengths or weaknesses
• The ability domain
• The moral domain: kindness and honesty
Thinking about experiences
• Think of a positive experience, like going to a favorite sports event or concert. We can talk about three aspects of this experience. First, is the ANTICIPATION of the experience….you have the ticket and enjoy thinking about going. Second, is the actual EXPERIENCE of the event, when you are attending it. Third is the MEMORIES of the event, remembering the different things that happened. This could be immediately after the event, or days or months or years later. Generally, how important do you think ANTICIPATION, EXPERIENCE, and MEMORY are for you, in your life. Rank the three.
• Almost all work on negative events
• For positive events:
– Beginning
– peak
– End
– duration neglect
Duration neglect in a meal 5-6 courses:
Increasing liking from courses 1 to 5
1 2
1 2 3 4 5 fav
1 2 3 4 5 fav 6 fav
Overall ratings of each meal are the SAME
Rode, Rozin & Durlach, 2006
When I go to my favorite restaurant,
I choose to order…
A. my favorite item on the menu
B. a new item that I have never tried
New uncertain vs familiar-
positive experiences Experienced Remembered Anticipated
New food at
favorite
restaurant
High average
but risk
Favorite food
at favorite
restaurant
Higher
average and
reliable
New uncertain vs familiar-
positive experiences Experienced Remembered Anticipated
New food at
favorite
restaurant
Positive but
variable
High average
but risk
Favorite food
at favorite
restaurant
High positive Higher
average and
reliable
New uncertain vs familiar-
positive experiences Experienced Remembered Anticipated
New food at
favorite
restaurant
Positive but
variable
Distinct new
positive
memories
High average
but risk
Favorite food
at favorite
restaurant
High positive No new
memories:
merge into
past
Higher
average and
reliable
Meal or Music Trajectories
black: typical meal, red: ideal meal
for maximizing memory Meal and concert profiles
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
sequence
aff
ecti
ve
va
lue
With Christopher Dunn and Margaret Ercolani
• 12 item sequences for: art, houses, tall
buildings, cartoons, foods, animals, vacation
trip, music
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Position in Sequence
Lik
ing
Intermission: extra beginning and end
Possibly related factors
• Memory (Primacy effect)
• Affective value (Ending/recency)
• Relation between memory for an event and
its affective contribution to memory
Life endings and death
• Solutions
• Religion and Heaven
• Posthumous re-evaluation
• Rozin and Stellar
Good lives, negative posthumous reversal
• “Alex devotes his life to finding cures for deadly diseases.
He works hard has a wife and two kids. At age 35, he
discovers a drug that cures a painful disease and is praised
by the world until his death at age 75.// After his death it
is found that the drug causes serious birth defects in the
babies conceived by people on this drug. His drug is said
to have caused more harm than good and Alex’s work is
discredited. ##
• Goodness of life to // 86.0
• Goodness of life to ## 57.9
• Happiness of life to // 84.8
• Happiness of life to ## 71.7
• Parallel results with art appreciated only after death
Time spent in major domains (3 cultures: France, Peru, USA in 1972)
Szalai, 1976
Activity % total daily time
Sleep 36.7%
work 16.0%*
Food/ food related 13.2%
Leisure 10.0%
Other chores/personal 6.1%
House chores 5.9%
Jobs, Careers, and Callings
Jobs: Work as income
‘If I was financially secure, I would continue
my current work even if I stopped getting
paid.’ (reversed)
Careers: Advancement in occupation
‘I view my job as a stepping stone to other jobs.’
Callings: Fulfillment from the work itself
‘My work makes the world a better place.’
Work Orientation
• Unambiguous in seeing work as a Job, Career, or Calling
• Work orientations associated with differences in behaviors at work, and work and life satisfaction
• Each orientation found both across and within occupations and organizations
• Job crafting
(Berg et al., 2010; Wrzesniewski et al., 1997; Wrzesniewski, 1999; Wrzesniewski, 2003)
Country rankings: Population about 2008 http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/peo_pop-people-population
Country Pop Country Pop
1 China 1,303 11 Mexico 110
2 India 1,148 12 Phillipines 96
3 USA 304 13 Viet Nam 86
4 Indonesia 238 14 Ethiopia 83
5 Brazil 196 15 Germany 82
6 Pakistan 173 16 Egypt 82
7 Bangladesh 154 17 Turkey 72
8 Nigeria 146 18 Congo 67
9 Russia 141 19 Iran 66
10 Japan 127 20 Thailand 66
• Diener (2005) from Veenhoven, R.
(1999-2001) All things considered,
how satisfied are you with your life as-
a-whole now?” on a 10-pt scale from 1
(dissatisfied) to 10 (satisfied).
(Brazil not in data base!!)
Denmark 8.24 France 7.01
Mexico 8.18 Indonesia 6.96
Netherlands 7.85 Nigeria 6.87
Canada 7.85 China 6.53
USA 7.66 Japan 6.47
Sweden 7.64 Bangladesh 5.77
Venezuela 7.52 Turkey 5.62
Germany 7.42 India 5.14
Great Britain 7.40 Russia 4.56
Argentina 7.30 Tanzania 3.87
Hindu India vs USA
Generation effects
Item India
Student
US
Student
US
Gparent
Do your DUTY
above all else
86 46 62
Pleasantness of
outcomes not
important
35 12 23
Marriage: tradition
more than romance
63 17 35
Culture as different defaults
• SHAME ANGER HAPPINESS
• American college students 95% happy
• Small Brahmin Indian sample 100% anger
• Hindu Indian college students 44% anger
– Menon & Shweder, Rozin, 2003
Consumer spending on food 1980s: Economists Book of World Statistics
Country Food (% total) Highest
Category
China 51 food
India 52 food
USA 13 leisure (26%)
USSR 43 food
Indonesia 55 food
France 20 leisure (20%)
Late 20th Century developed
world
• Epidemiological revolution: longer life and death
from degenerative diseases
• food surplus
• extraordinary range of food choices
• development of super-foods (e.g. chocolate)
• no work needed to attain choices
• massive amounts of risk information
• no training in dealing with risks/benefits
“Concerned about being
overweight”
• % responding “often“ or “almost always”
• 57% females, 21% males
• US college students from 6 locations
Obesity:
France vs USA
• % BMI >= 30
• France: 16%
• USA: 32%
• 2008 http://www.who.int/gho/countries
Life expectancy at birth (data from 2008-2010: www.who.int/gho/countries)
rank country years rank country years
1 Japan 83 10 Norway 81
4.5 Australia 82 10 Sweden 81
4.5 Israel 82 14 Austria 80
4.5 Italy 82 14 Belgium 80
4.5 Singapore 82 14 Finland 80
4.5 Spain 82 14 Germany 80
4.5 Switzerland 82 14 Greece 80
10 Canada 81 14 Korea 80
10 France 81 14 U.K. 80
10 Netherlands 81 19.5 U.S.A. 79
Percent of subjects preferring an
inexpensive nutrient pill to eating
Females Males
Paris, France 10 9
Six USA
college
campuses
32 23
Percent of subjects preferring a week at a
luxury (vs. gourmet) hotel at same price
Females Males
Paris, France 13 8
Six USA
college
campuses
83 70
Percent of subjects selecting “unhealthy” for
choice:
What do you think of when you think of
HEAVY CREAM?: whipped or unhealthy
Females Males
Paris, France 28 23
Six USA
college
campuses
68 48
Percent of subjects agreeing that
they eat a “healthy diet”
Females Males
France 76% 72%
USA 28% 38%
Factors in food attitudes
• Consumption of fat-reduced food
• Worry or concern about food and eating
• Importance of food in life
• Culinary vs nutritional thinking
• Evaluation of self as a healthy eater
Restaurant portion size
Restaurant France USA
McDonald’s (7) 189g 256g
Quick/Bking(5) 207g 322g
Chinese (6) 244g 418g
Supermarket food portions
ITEM Carrefour Acme
Yogurt (modal) 125g 227g
Fresh fruit
(mean,4 types)
431g 553g
Coca cola
(modal)
330ml 500ml
Supermarket non-food portions
ITEM Carre-
four
Acme
toothpaste
(modal, ml)
75 170
toilet paper
(mean, sq cm)
121 117
Cat food
(modal, g)
100 85
Environment Changes
• Accessibility in salad bar; location
– (Rozin, Urbanek, Dingley, Scott)
• Accessibility in salad bar: Spoon-tongs
– (Rozin, Scott, Dingley, Stein)
Lay’s stacked potato chips
Geier, Wansink and Rozin
Segmentation and consumption interrupts
About 50% reduction
Unit bias and portion size (Geier, Rozin & Doros, 2005)
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
tootsie rolls pretzels M&Ms spoon
Small
Large
*
*
*
Some French-American
behavioral differences • Portion size
• Eating time
• Eating sociality/ conversation
• Freshness and taste (vs shelf life) priority in foods
• Degree of snacking and snacking opportunities
• Differences in actual foods consumed (e.g., wine)
• Differences in variety of food consumed (Drewnowski et al.)
• Walk/bicycle vs car orientation
We can learn from the French in
this domain (not all domains)
• Focus on the environment to try to reduce
food intake and waist lines
• Don’t curtail the pleasure of eating
• Make small changes that encourage more
exercise and less eating
• Let the effects of those small changes
accumulate
Borrowing from Cultures
Heaven Hell
Brazil: Interpersonal
warmth and politeness
Israel: Army
Switzerland: Banks
Italy: Lovers
France: Food
U. K.: Universities
Borrowing from Cultures
Heaven Hell
Brazil: Interpersonal
warmth and politeness
Brazil: Army
Israel: Army
Switzerland: Banks
Italy: Lovers
France: Food
U. K.: Universities
Borrowing from Cultures
Heaven Hell
Brazil: Interpersonal
warmth and politeness
Brazil: Army
Israel: Army Israel: Politeness
Switzerland: Banks
Italy: Lovers
France: Food
U. K.: Universities
Borrowing from Cultures
Heaven Hell
Brazil: Interpersonal
warmth and politeness
Brazil: Army
Israel: Army Israel: Politeness
Switzerland: Banks Switzerland: Lovers
Italy: Lovers
France: Food
U. K.: Universities
Borrowing from Cultures
Heaven Hell
Brazil: Interpersonal
warmth and politeness
Brazil: Army
Israel: Army Israel: Politeness
Switzerland: Banks Switzerland: Lovers
Italy: Lovers Italy: Banks
France: Food
U. K.: Universities
Borrowing from Cultures
Heaven Hell
Brazil: Interpersonal
warmth and politeness
Brazil: Army
Israel: Army Israel: Politeness
Switzerland: Banks Switzerland: Lovers
Italy: Lovers Italy: Banks
France: Food France: Universities
U. K.: Universities
Borrowing from Cultures
Heaven Hell
Brazil: Interpersonal
warmth and politeness
Brazil: Army
Israel: Army Israel: Politeness
Switzerland: Banks Switzerland: Lovers
Italy: Lovers Italy: Banks
France: Food France: Universities
U. K.: Universities U.K.: Food
measuring aversion: card sorts
comfortable uncomfortable
80 year old German who
was an executive in a
German corporation
during World War II
? ?
living next
door to a:
measuring aversion: card sorts
comfortable uncomfortable
25 year old German
whose grandfather was a
German army soldier
who served in France
? ?
living next
door to a:
Hypothetical individuals – comfort living next door High aversion
participant
Low aversion
participant
Joseph Goebbels uncomfortable uncomfortable
80 year old former Nazi, an SS Nazi officer in Auschwitz uncomfortable uncomfortable
80 year old German man, an executive in a German corporation during
WWII
uncomfortable
80 year old American Jew, a Kapo in Auschwitz uncomfortable
65 year old German, in the Hitler Youth at age 8 uncomfortable
80 year old former German army soldier who served in France uncomfortable
25 year old German male, grandfather was an SS Nazi officer in Auschwitz uncomfortable
50 year old German, father was a German army soldier who served in France uncomfortable
65 year old German, raised in South America, and moved to Germany after
the war
uncomfortable
25 year old German male, grandfather was a German army soldier who
served in France
uncomfortable
80 year old German woman, remained at home with her children during
WWII
uncomfortable
80 year old American citizen, native language German, came to the U.S.
from Germany in 1932, at age 10
uncomfortable
25 year old German male, grandfather was in the resistance and executed by
the Nazis
uncomfortable
65 year old American, parents migrated to the U.S. from Germany in 1925 uncomfortable
80 year old Jewish retired pediatrician, served in the US Army during WWII
Nazis Nazi
related
German
WWII
link
German
association
Nazis Nazi
related
German
WWII
link
German
association
Pattern observed in a
participant scoring
HIGH on aversion
Pattern observed in a
participant scoring
LOW on aversion
0
20
40
60
80
100
1 4 7 10 13 16 19 22 25 28 32
Cumulative number of participants
% D
isco
mfo
rt
USHolo
CzechHolo
Students
% disconfort for set of 14 German-related people
German Aversion in Jews
0
20
40
60
80
100
Goe
bb
80A
usch
65H
itYou
80Sol
dier
80C
EO
25 G
PinSS
50FSol
dier
80M
ama
25G
PSoldi
er
65SA
mer
65G
erAm
er
80lv
1932
25G
PGer
Res
% D
iscom
Iort
USHoloCZHoloUSStud
Predicter variables
• Prior famliarity with “good” Germans
• Degree of blame
• Jewish identity/religiosity
• German essentialism
Percent of reduced fat foods in
different categories, in supermarkets
Item France USA
Yogurt 22 96
Milk 36 56
Ice cream 00 25
Mid 1990s