Mindfulness theorists suggest that people spend most of their time focusing on the past or future rather than the present. Despite the prevalence of this assumption, no research that we are aware of has evaluated whether it is true or what the implications of focusing on the present are for subjective well-being. We addressed this issue by using experience sampling to examine how frequently people focus on the present throughout the day over the course of a week and whether focusing on the present predicts improvements in the 2 components of subjective well-being over time—how people feel and how satisfied they are with their lives. Results indicated that participants were present-focused the majority of the time (66%). Moreover, focusing on the present predicted improvements in life satisfaction (but not happiness) over time by reducing negative rumination. These findings advance our understanding of how temporal orientation and well-being relate.
This blog reports new ideas and work on mind, brain, behavior, psychology, and politics - as well as random curious stuff. (Try the Dynamic Views at top of right column.)
Monday, November 06, 2017
Focus on present predicts enhanced life satisfaction but not happiness
Another study by Felsman et al., in the vein of the work described in MindBlog's Oct. 25 post. That study claimed a correlation between present-moment attention and increased positive affect, this study suggests a correlation with life satisfaction but not happiness:
Blog Categories:
attention/perception,
emotions,
happiness,
mindfulness
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I paste in this comment, which somehow got posted but then erased: Eltern Klasse 10b E. v. Thadden Schule has left a new comment on your post "Focus on present predicts enhanced life satisfacti...":
ReplyDeleteThis article suggests that focusing on the moment, the now, increases satisfaction with life but not necessarily happiness. What do we do with this? I have always thought that satisfaction was the basis for happiness. Certainly happiness can not arrive with a non satisfactury situation. The only conclusion I draw is that happiness needs something else apart of satisfaction with life What might this be?