Indian Journal of Positive Psychology

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Does Positivity Predict Well-being?


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1 Department of Psychology, Fer gusson College (Atunomous), Pune, Maharashtra, India
     

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The present study is an attempt to investigate whether having Positive Traits predicts psychological well-being. While traits such as hope and resilience have been shown to predict well-being, an overall positive disposition has not been well researched for its relationship with well-being. For the present study , a tool which the researchers have developed, the PsyPositive was used. This tool is an index of positivity, comprising five positive human traits - Hope, Happiness, Resilience, Forgiveness and Gratitude. This 37-item tool was correlated with Ryff's scale of Psychological Well-being (Ryff, 1995). A total of 300 participants (132 males & 168 females) with a mean age of 32.5 years completed both the questionnaires. All the dimensions of the PsyPositive were found to be significantly and positively correlated with all the dimensions of Psychological Well-being. Regression analysis revealed that all the five dimensions of the PsyPositive, individually as well as cumulatively are significant predictors of psychological well-being. The paper discusses the possible pathways through which positivity leads to well-being, as well as the practical implications of study in terms of designing interventions that aim to foster positivity.

Keywords

positivity , hope, happiness, forgiveness, gratitude, resilience, psychological well-being
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  • Does Positivity Predict Well-being?

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Authors

Megha Deuskar
Department of Psychology, Fer gusson College (Atunomous), Pune, Maharashtra, India
Shobhana Abhyankar
Department of Psychology, Fer gusson College (Atunomous), Pune, Maharashtra, India

Abstract


The present study is an attempt to investigate whether having Positive Traits predicts psychological well-being. While traits such as hope and resilience have been shown to predict well-being, an overall positive disposition has not been well researched for its relationship with well-being. For the present study , a tool which the researchers have developed, the PsyPositive was used. This tool is an index of positivity, comprising five positive human traits - Hope, Happiness, Resilience, Forgiveness and Gratitude. This 37-item tool was correlated with Ryff's scale of Psychological Well-being (Ryff, 1995). A total of 300 participants (132 males & 168 females) with a mean age of 32.5 years completed both the questionnaires. All the dimensions of the PsyPositive were found to be significantly and positively correlated with all the dimensions of Psychological Well-being. Regression analysis revealed that all the five dimensions of the PsyPositive, individually as well as cumulatively are significant predictors of psychological well-being. The paper discusses the possible pathways through which positivity leads to well-being, as well as the practical implications of study in terms of designing interventions that aim to foster positivity.

Keywords


positivity , hope, happiness, forgiveness, gratitude, resilience, psychological well-being

References





DOI: https://doi.org/10.15614/ijpp%2F2022%2Fv13i2%2F215351