Confidence and Well-being Eight Years on: The Centre’s ‘Integral’ perspective

1. Confidence and Well-being Eight Years on: The Centre’s ‘Integral’ perspective

2. Psychology THE SCIENCE OF MENTAL LIFE Psychology had 3 aims: Understand genius How to lead a better and more meaningful life Understand and cure mental illness

3. Focused ON UNDERSTANDING AND CURING MENTAL ILLNESS • World War II veterans • Investment in research

4. Result PSYCHOLOGY DEVELOPED A DISEASE FOCUS Psychological abstracts 1887 – 2000 * Totals reflect total studies on negative and positive emotions during this period

5. Result PSYCHOLOGY DEVELOPED A DISEASE FOCUS Psychological abstracts 1887 – 2000 Ratio of imbalance 21 : 1 * Totals reflect total studies on negative and positive emotions during this period

6. Deficit Model Focus on the individual Focus on faults | deficits | weaknessess Fixing people Getting from -5 to 0

7. Deficit Model PSYCHOLOGY – DOES IT REALLY MATTER Affects everyday life language | neurotic | ego | paranoia | schizo rotten to the core | bad apple Concentration on negativity

8. Psychology WHAT HAS IT IGNORED OR PLAYED DOWN positive emotions Why they matter How they affect us Infectious nature positive human characteristics Strengths and virtues What does it mean to be: kind | wise | self controlled

9. Positive Psychology THE SCIENCE OF LIFE GOING WELL “ People want more than just to correct their weaknesses. They want lives imbued with meaning and to learn how to go from plus two to plus seven in life and not just to go from minus five back to minus three. ” Professor Martin Seligman

10. Positive Perspective What is right with people Virtues and strengths Focus on flourishing and optimal experiences Focus on the individual and the collective

11. In contrast TO THE DEFICIT APPROACH TO CHILDREN GOING INTO CARE Look at strengths Focus on coping mechanisms and building resilience

12. In contrast TO THE DEFICIT APPROACH IN COMMUNITIES Identify assets and capacities Find out what’s going well and can be built on Look at positive indicators such as happiness and well-being

13. In contrast TO THE DEFICIT APPROACH IN ORGANISATIONS Identify what’s going well Do more of the positive Think in terms of trust | loyalty | motivation

14. Negativity bias Evolution dictates The dangers in life encourage negative thinking

15. Fight or flight Constant danger Avoid danger We’re hard-wired to respond to fear

16. The negativity bias in everyday life Tendency to remember negative actions rather than positive actions People care more about losing than winning More aware of threats than opportunities

17. The negativity bias in everyday life Bad news makes more of an impact than good news Pay more attention to criticism than praise

18. Individual differences MARY POPPINS | GRUMPY OLD MEN Some people are happy-go-lucky Others are more fearful and pessimistic

19. Why positive psychology Negative emotions are part of human experience Positive emotions are just as important

20. The importance of positive emotions THE BROADEN AND BUILD THEORY OF POSITIVE EMOTION “ Unlike negative emotions which narrow attention, positive emotions broaden our attention encouraging us to see the whole picture ” Barbara Fredrickson

21. The importance of positive emotion THE BROADEN AND BUILD THEORY OF POSITIVE EMOTION Enhance learning and development Encourages exploration Aids creative problem solving Helps relationships e.g. can read body language, encourages empathy

22. The importance of positive emotion HEALTH The Nun Study A lifetime study of nuns who expressed positive emotion in their diaries, lived longer than nuns who expressed less positive emotion

23. The importance of positive emotion AGING Young men who displayed: physical health joy in living high income 30 years later 93% could still chop wood walk 2 miles climb 2 flights of stairs without tiring only 53% of men who did not do this when young could perform in old age

24. The importance of positive emotion OPTIMISM People with a positive outlook live longer than those who are miserable A survey measured optimism in 1000 people between 1962 and 1965 and again 30 years later Optimists lived 19% longer Optimists have 50% lower risk of death from all causes 23% had a lower risk of heart failure

25. The importance of positive emotion RELEVANCE TO SCOTLAND? Lowest life expectancy in Europe for men – women not far behind Scottish effect and Glasgow effect

26. Negative trumps positive Experiencing positive emotion is central to people’s lives Natural for people to be in a positive mood but negative trumps positive Equal amounts of postive and negative - atmosphere will be negative Ratio of 3:1

27. Negative emotions are important If they are supressed they will have an adverse effect

28. We need to learn to control the ancient reptilian brain... ...or it will control us

29. Learning from other cultures Buddhism acceptance | mindfulness | meditation

30. The role of Christianity New testament - religion of love Forgiveness Compassion Gratitude Kindness

31. Learning from the Amish community Christian sect in the USA Live separately from the rest of the world Have 10 times less depression than the rest of the world

32. Cognitive tasks reduce activation in the emotional areas of the brain

33. Richer but not happier While income has risen - self reported happiness has not Richard Layard

34. Our ability to adapt We are not as affected by external events as we think Human beings have an incredible capacity to adapt This is a very positive feature but it does have problems

35. Adapting also means that.. Pleasure diminishes as we get used to things They just become our life

36. Hedonic treadmill

37. Social comparison Keeping up with the Joneses

38. Researchers have asked people what they would prefer £50,000 a year while other people get on average of £25,000 or £100.000 on average while other people get £250,000 People would rather earn less but more than others

39. Some choice is good but more is not better Time consuming Dissatisfying Feeling you’ve made the wrong choice Paralysing (often we don’t choose) Decreased confidence and increased doubt Less is more

40. Happiness builders INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH SHOWS Marriage Social relationships Work | employment Exercise

41. The pleasurable life Present savouring spending time with people doing pleasurable things Past satisfaction contentment forgiveness Future hope optimism

42. The engaged life Flow becoming engrossed in challenging, interesting activities (home | work | hobbies) Finding your signature strengths

43. The meaningful life Serving a goal larger than self particularly using your signature strengths to serve this larger goal

44. Ken Wilber’s Four Quadrants

45. Outline of an ‘Integral Approach’ to Glasgow’s problems