A BETTER LIFE

A Better Life

A Better Point

Introduction

One emphasis of positive psychology is the positive emotion of a better life. Some researchers define a better life in one of two ways as the emotion of being in a “state of joy" or the cognitive reflection of a “state of satisfaction. It is further proposed that a better life has three distinct elements: (l) the frequency and degree of positive joy (2) the average level of satisfaction over a period, and (3) the absence of negative feelings, such as depression and anxiety. It is explicated by various researchers that global levels of a better life are comprised of overall satisfaction, the circumstances in life that are out of our control and intentional activities which propagate positive events and feelings. It is suggested that a better life is comprised of two parts, both one's situation and one's state of mind. According to this definition, an individual is considered happy if there is contentment due to having a good amount of what the individual considers important.

Understanding a Better Life

Griffin indicated that moods, attitudes and feelings are only one piece of understanding what the word “a better life” means. The other piece has to do with whether or not an individual has had “good life” Individuals want to know how to make their present lives happier. It is indicated that the idea of how often people experience positive effect is more important to the definition of a better life than the strength of the positive effect. It is suggested that if one repeatedly experiences positive emotions a good deal of the time and experiences unpleasant emotions only minimally, high reports of a better life will follow, even if the positive emotions are only minor (Landy & Conte, 2009). In addition, a better life can vary individually over time, and certain people possibly have a tendency towards higher levels of a better life than others. It is important to distinguish life satisfaction as a separate construct than a better life, which is an emotional state and can contribute to satisfaction, but which does not encompass all of the aforementioned processes. Validity refers to how much you can differentiate one construct from another, related construct. This indicates that while positive affect and life satisfaction are interconnected, they are not the same construct.

Subjective Well-being

It is identified that the broad concept of subjective well-being, which encompasses occurrences of pleasant emotions, minimal levels of negative moods and high measures of life satisfaction. Subjective well-being encompasses positive effect, negative affect and perceived quality of life, which is defined as a person's subjective evaluation of the degree to which his or her most important needs, goals, and wishes have been fulfilled. It is identified that happy people are those who experience numerous positive emotions, like joy and pride, and only occasional negative emotions, like sadness and worry. Feelings of a better life and being satisfied with life are imperative to positive adjustment and mental ...