In search of durable positive psychology interventions: Predictors and consequences of long-term positive behavior change

A number of positive psychology interventions have successfully helped people learn skills for improving mood and building personal resources (e.g., psychological resilience and social support). However, little is known about whether intervention activities remain effective in the long term, or whether new resources are maintained after the intervention ends. We address these issues in a 15-month follow-up survey of participants from a loving-kindness meditation intervention. Many participants continued to practice meditation, and they reported more positive emotions (PEs) than those who had stopped meditating or had never meditated. All participants maintained gains in resources made during the initial intervention, whether or not they continued meditating. Continuing meditators did not differ on resources at baseline, but they did show more PE and a more rapid PE response to the intervention. Overall, our results suggest that positive psychology interventions are not just efficacious but of significant value in participants’ real lives.     

The time course of positive and negative emotion in dysphoria

Prior research has demonstrated attenuated reactivity to positive stimuli among depressed and dysphoric individuals, and inconsistent evidence regarding attenuated reactivity to negative stimuli. However, such research has measured experiential reactivity to emotion stimuli in one static moment, which may obscure important information regarding the time course and dynamics of emotion. The current study employed continuous measurement of experiential emotion during and following the presentation of emotion eliciting film clips. Results revealed that dysphoric individuals (n = 16), as compared to nondysphoric controls (n = 31), were equally responsive to positive and negative film clips in terms of peak reactivity during and following the clip. The most striking difference between groups was that dysphoric individuals showed a shortened time course of positive emotion. These emotion dynamics suggest that perhaps the most important aspect of positive emotion regulation in the context of depressed mood is not the inability to initially react to a positive experience, but rather the inability to maintain positive emotion. Possible underlying mechanisms of positive emotion regulation are discussed, and implications for intervention are highlighted.     

The watching eyes phenomenon: The role of a sense of being seen and public self‐awareness

In recent years, a growing number of researchers have examined the watching eyes phenomenon (i.e., increased prosocial and decreased antisocial behavior when subtle watching eyes are present in the environment). Somewhat surprisingly, the questions of how and under what conditions subtle cues of being watched operate have been unanswered so far. The present contribution addresses this research gap. In two studies, we document that (a) subtle cues of being watched induce a sense of being seen and (b) chronic public self‐awareness moderates the watching eyes phenomenon in that specifically individuals with strong chronic public self‐awareness show more prosocial behavior under conditions of watching eyes. The applicability of subtle cues of being watched in research on social presence is discussed.     

Reduced emotional stress reactivity to a real-life academic examination stressor in students participating in a 20-week aerobic exercise training: A randomised controlled trial using Ambulatory Assessment

ObjectivesTo examine if a preventive 20-week aerobic exercise intervention (AET) can improve emotional stress reactivity during real-life stress.DesignRandomised controlled trial; within-subject design.MethodSixty-one inactive students were randomly assigned to a waiting control and an AET group. To capture the situation-specific, intra-individual data in real life, electronic diaries were used. Participants reported their moods and perceived stress (PS) repeatedly over two days during their daily routines pre- and post-intervention. The pre-intervention baseline assessment was scheduled at the beginning of the semester, and the post-intervention assessment was scheduled at a real-life stressful episode, an academic examination. For the aerobic fitness assessment, both groups completed a cardiopulmonary exercise test on the treadmill before and after the intervention. Multilevel models (MLMs) were conducted to compare within- and between-subject associations.ResultsSignificant emotional stress reactivity was evident in both groups during all assessment periods. However, participants in the AET group showed lower emotional stress reactivity compared with their control counterparts after the 20-week training programme during the real-life stress episode (the academic examination).ConclusionsAET conferred beneficial effects on emotional stress reactivity during an academic examination, which is likely an extremely stressful real-life situation for students.AET appears to be a promising strategy against the negative health effects of accumulated emotional stress reactivity.     

The relationships between stressful life events during childhood and differentiation of self and intergenerational triangulation in adulthood

This study examined the relationships between stressful life events in childhood and differentiation of self and intergenerational triangulation in adulthood. The sample included 217 students (173 females and 44 males) from a college in northern Israel. Participants completed the Hebrew versions of Life Events Checklist (LEC), Differentiation of Self Inventory‐Revised (DSI‐R) and intergenerational triangulation (INTRI). The main findings were that levels of stressful life events during childhood and adolescence among both genders were positively correlated with the levels of fusion with others and intergenerational triangulation. The levels of positive life events were negatively related to levels of emotional reactivity, emotional cut‐off and intergenerational triangulation. Levels of stressful life events in females were positively correlated with emotional reactivity. Intergenerational triangulation was correlated with emotional reactivity, emotional cut‐off, fusion with others and I‐position. Findings suggest that families that experience higher levels of stressful life events may be at risk for higher levels of intergenerational triangulation and lower levels of differentiation of self.     

药物成瘾者相关线索反应的自动化用药行为特征及其消退

采用ERP技术考察海洛因成瘾者相关线索下的用药行为的性质和神经机制, 在此基础上结合虚拟现实技术(VR)和途径偏向矫正训练(AAT), 探究基于“相关线索-习惯性用药”联结的自动化用药行为的动作消退、替代训练的有效性。研究发现, (1)相比对照线索, 成瘾者在相关线索下的反应时更长, N1波幅更小, N1潜伏期更短; 相比对照组被试, 成瘾者在相关线索下的行为任务的正确率更低, 反应时更长, N1波幅更小; N1波幅的组间组内差异和潜伏期的组内差异主要集中在中央区。(2)结合VR技术的途径偏向矫正训练后, 训练组被试的生理指标和途径偏向系数显著降低, 且显著低于对照组被试; 追踪测试中, 训练组被试的分数显著低于对照组。这表明相关线索下成瘾者的用药行为具有自动化、无意识的性质, 感觉运动区N1的异常活动是其神经机制之一。VR提取用药动作记忆-AAT消退替代训练, 可以有效削弱或消退成瘾者的成瘾动作倾向, 而且训练效果持续性较好, 可达到减少或停止现实情境中的用药和复吸行为的目的。     

5～7岁自闭症谱系障碍儿童环境文字阅读的特点

以带有不同类型情境线索(包括颜色、图标和字体)的环境文字为材料,采用命名任务考察5～7岁28名自闭症谱系障碍儿童和30名正常儿童阅读环境文字的特点。结果发现:(1)在去掉环境文字中的图标后,自闭症谱系障碍儿童和正常儿童命名文字的得分都显著降低;(2)在消除环境文字的字体线索后,自闭症谱系障碍儿童命名文字的得分显著降低,但正常儿童却较少受影响;(3)在阅读环境文字时,无论是自闭症谱系障碍儿童还是正常儿童,识字量越多,儿童越少依赖图标线索的提示。这些结果表明,自闭症谱系障碍儿童在阅读环境文字时,受图标线索和字体线索的影响较大,为制定促进其阅读学习的早期识字干预方案提供参考。     

女性择偶决策的线索偏好及信息加工方式

以68名20~33岁之间的未婚女性为被试, 探讨了她们在信息板上做出择偶决策时的线索偏好及信息加工方式。结果显示：(1)候选人的性格、健康状况、责任心是女性择偶时优先考虑的线索; (2)被试在完成信息板任务时间接表现出来的线索偏好不完全等同于主观评估给出的线索偏好; (3)择偶决策是一个有限理性的启发式搜索过程, 且时间紧迫性和候选人数量影响被试对择偶线索的信息加工方式; (4)候选人数量与择偶满意度之间不是简单的线性关系, 增加候选人数量并不一定能够提高决策后的满意度。依据有关的理论和发现对这些结果进行了讨论。     

Reactive and self-regulatory dimensions of temperament: Interactive relations with symptoms of general distress and anhedonia

Converging evidence indicates that shared temperamental diatheses partly underlie the covariance between anxiety and depression. Although developmental psychopathology research suggests that self-regulatory temperament (e.g., effortful control or EC) mitigates reactive risks associated with negative affectivity (NA) and positive affectivity (PA), and their respective counterparts, behavioral inhibition- and activation sensitivity (BIS and BAS), no studies have established EC’s protective effects in adulthood. This study examined concurrent relations between temperament and distress symptoms shared by anxiety and depression, and anhedonic symptoms unique to depression, in young adults. Anticipated two- and three-way interactions emerged supporting EC’s moderating effect between reactive temperament (i.e., high BIS and low BAS) and both symptom dimensions. However, no interactive relations emerged between symptoms and NA, PA, and EC.