Question 1

Exploring the development of character strengths such as self-control, compassion, and courage is most clearly central to the recently emerging subfield of

Accepted Answer

Positive psychology is a relatively new subfield that focuses on exploring and enhancing the positive aspects of human experience, including character strengths such as self-control, compassion, and courage. This contrasts with traditional psychology, which has tended to focus more on negative aspects such as mental illness and dysfunction. Health psychology and behavioral medicine, on the other hand, focus more specifically on the links between psychological and physical health, while psychoneuroimmunology explores the connections between the nervous system and the immune system.

Question 2

Of the following, differences among people's self-reported happiness levels are MOST strongly related to

Accepted Answer

Research studies consistently suggest that genetic differences play a significant role in predicting and explaining individual differences in self-reported happiness levels.

Question 3

The concept of relative deprivation refers to the perception that

Accepted Answer

Relative deprivation refers to the perception that one is worse off than those with whom one compares oneself. This often results in feelings of frustration, resentment, and discontentment.

Question 4

People who must go on kidney dialysis usually ________ recover near-normal levels of day-to-day happiness. People who must have permanent colostomies usually ________ recover near-normal levels of day-to-day happiness.

Accepted Answer

Research in psychology suggests that people are remarkably resilient and tend to adapt to significant life changes, including serious health conditions. Both individuals on kidney dialysis and those with permanent colostomies have been found to adapt over time and can recover near-normal levels of day-to-day happiness, demonstrating the human capacity for psychological adaptation.

Question 5

You were happy with your grade of B on the psychology test until you learned that almost everyone else in the class received an A. This illustrates that happiness is influenced by

Accepted Answer

The situation described in the scenario illustrates the concept of relative deprivation, which refers to the feeling of discontent that arises when we compare ourselves to others who are doing better than us in a particular domain. In this case, the person was initially happy with their B grade but upon learning that others had received A's, they felt less satisfied. This suggests that their happiness was not solely based on their objective performance but also on how they compared to others.

Question 6

Researchers have found that certain factors are related to happiness. One of these is that happy people tend to

Accepted Answer

Research has consistently shown that social relationships play a significant role in happiness, and having a satisfying marriage or close friendship is correlated with higher levels of happiness. Education and physical attractiveness have less consistent or weaker correlations with happiness, while having many children can be a source of both joy and stress, making this choice less clear.

Question 7

Juan and Berta were millionaires who lost half of their life savings due to a bad investment decision. Which of the following best explains why after three years Juan and Berta seem to have suffered no permanent loss of happiness?

Accepted Answer

The adaptation-level phenomenon refers to the tendency for individuals to adapt to a certain level of stimulation or situation and perceive it as normal, thus leading to increases in one's baseline level of happiness. In this case, Juan and Berta may have adapted to their new financial situation and as a result, their baseline level of happiness may have remained relatively stable despite their loss of wealth.

Question 8

Research on the well-being of Americans indicates that the

Accepted Answer

Research on the well-being of Americans suggests that while the buying power of Americans has increased significantly over the last half-century, their personal happiness has not seen a corresponding increase. This indicates that factors other than material possessions and wealth are more important for personal happiness.

Question 9

The first pillar of the positive psychology movement focuses on the study of

Accepted Answer

The first pillar of positive psychology is focused on the study of subjective well-being, which includes factors such as happiness, life satisfaction, and positive emotions. Mindfulness meditation and the relaxation response are techniques used to enhance well-being, but are not the primary focus of the first pillar. The general adaptation syndrome is a stress response model and not directly related to positive psychology.

Question 10

Those who strive hardest for ________ have tended to live with higher subjective well-being.

Accepted Answer

Research has consistently found that individuals who prioritize contributing to their community, helping others, or having a sense of purpose tend to have higher levels of subjective well-being. The other options (A, C, D) have not consistently been found to have a positive association with well-being.

Question 11

A major physical disability usually leaves people ________ than able-bodied people with depression. Most patients "locked-in" motionless body ________ say they want to die.

Accepted Answer

The answer of A major physical disability usually leaves people...

Question 12

Since 1970, entering U.S. collegians have expressed a(n) ________ desire to be wealthy and a(n) ________ desire to develop a meaningful life philosophy.

Accepted Answer

Studies have shown that since 1970, incoming college students prioritize wealth and financial success over developing a meaningful philosophy of life. Therefore, the desire to be wealthy has increased while the desire to develop a meaningful life philosophy has decreased.

Question 13

When the mayor ordered a salary increase for the city's police officers, there was a sudden loss of morale among the city's firefighters. The firefighters' sudden dissatisfaction best illustrates

Accepted Answer

Relative deprivation refers to the feeling of being deprived of something that one believes they are entitled to when others receive it. In this case, the firefighters believed that they deserved a salary increase as well, and when the police officers received one without them, they felt a sense of deprivation which led to their dissatisfaction.

Question 14

When Mrs. Van Dyke first acquired a new luxury car, she was ecstatic. After several weeks, however, she took the car for granted and it gave her little sense of emotional excitement. This change in her feelings can best be explained in terms of

Accepted Answer

The adaptation-level phenomenon is the tendency for individuals to adapt to a new level of stimulation or experience, leading to reduced emotional response over time. In this case, Mrs. Van Dyke initially experienced excitement with her new car, but as she became accustomed to it, her emotional response decreased.

Question 15

After watching a video of his winning game shot in a high school basketball tournament, Jordan was easily persuaded to babysit his little sister while his parents went out for dinner. This best illustrates the

Accepted Answer

The feel-good, do-good phenomenon suggests that when individuals feel happy or good, they are more likely to do good deeds for others. After watching the video of his winning game, Jordan may have felt good and thus was more easily persuaded to babysit his little sister.

Question 16

People's positive emotions typically ________ between the early and middle hours of the day and typically ________ between the middle and late hours of the day.

Accepted Answer

Research has shown that people's positive emotions typically rise between the early and middle hours of the day and then start to fall between the middle and late hours of the day.

Question 17

After imagining and then writing about various tragedies, such as people being burned and disfigured, university women expressed increased

Accepted Answer

The question states that after imagining and writing about tragedies, such as people being burned and disfigured, university women expressed increased emotions. The only positive emotion listed as a choice is subjective well-being, which is an overall sense of happiness and life satisfaction. The other options (fear, anger, and depression) are negative emotions and do not fit with the idea of increased emotions from writing about tragedies.

Question 18

A sense of satisfaction with life is known as

Accepted Answer

Subjective well-being refers to an individual's overall sense of happiness and satisfaction with their life. It includes cognitive evaluations of life satisfaction as well as emotional reactions to daily experiences. The other options refer to different psychological concepts or phenomena that are distinct from subjective well-being.

Question 19

Our tendency to judge various stimuli relative to those we have previously experienced is called

Accepted Answer

The tendency to judge stimuli relative to past experiences is called the adaptation-level phenomenon. This phenomenon refers to the way we adjust our perceptions of stimuli based on what we have previously experienced, which can have an impact on our overall sense of well-being, satisfaction, and happiness.

Question 20

Martin Seligman has sought to promote the development of human strengths and virtues by means of a scientific movement known as

Accepted Answer

Martin Seligman's scientific movement aimed at promoting the development of human strengths and virtues is known as positive psychology. Choice B (behavioral medicine) and C (health psychology) are related fields but do not specifically focus on the development of human strengths and virtues. Choice D (the ABC program) is not a recognized scientific movement related to Seligman's work.

Quiz 11: Stress, Health, and Human Flourishing