Previous research finds cultural differences in response to activities designed to increase happiness, or Positive Psychological Intervention (PPIs). The goal of the present study is to explore why different cultural groups respond differently to PPIs. Specifically, we examined responsiveness to PPIs in three cultural groups—Anglo-American, Asian American, and Indian (living in India)—both quantitatively and qualitatively. Participants (n = 469) were recruited and participated in the study via Amazon Mechanical Turk and were randomly assigned to a 15-min writing task focused on gratitude, optimism, or daily activities (control). As expected, we observed a culture by condition interaction whereby Anglo-Americans experienced increases in positive emotion with both gratitude and optimism tasks, but Indian participants experienced increases in both positive emotion and negative emotion when practicing gratitude, but not optimism. Qualitative analyses revealed possible causes for variability in success of PPIs in different cultures, and suggest possible adjustments that could be made to improve their efficacy. In summary, we observed differences in response to gratitude, but not optimism, which may be fueled by an adverse affective response among non-Anglo-American participants—Gratitude makes them feel good, but also sad and guilty.

Americans are guaranteed the right to 'pursue happiness' for themselves. But might they be better off if they pursued happiness for others? In five studies, we compared the two strategies, showing that, ironically, the second pursuit brings more personal happiness than the first. Retrospective study 1 (N = 123) and experimental studies 2 (N = 96) and 3 (N = 141) show that trying to make someone else happy leads to greater subjective well-being than trying to make oneself happy. In all three studies, relatedness need-satisfaction mediated the condition differences. Study 4 (N = 175) extended the findings by showing that trying to make others happy is more personally beneficial than when others try to make us happy. Study 5 (N = 198) found that feeding strangers' parking meters produced the effect even though the participant did not interact with the targeted other.

No abstract

According to self-determination theory and research, authorities should support subordinates' autonomy to maximize subordinates' well-being and performance. The current studies examine the novel effects of supporting one's own autonomy, via one's self-talk. In cross-sectional Study 1, rated self-supportiveness predicted subjective well-being to a greater extent than rated supportiveness of authorities in one's life. In longitudinal Study 2, initial self-supportiveness predicted boosted well-being after hiking the Pacific crest trail (Study 2a) and across six weeks of a college semester (Study 2b) more strongly than the positive effects of feeling supported by authorities or the negative effects of feeling controlled by authorities or by oneself. In Study 3, experimentally manipulating self-support (compared to self-control) in a "problem class" scenario predicted higher expected enjoyment and less distress. However, we also predicted and found a matching effect, such that those with a higher self-control orientation expected the self-controlling strategy to lead to greater class success and better emotional tone. Overall, results provide a new type of support for the idea that people should try to be friends with themselves, rather than harsh taskmasters.