How we change what others think, feel, believe and do |
Share Good News
Techniques > Happiness > Share Good News Description | Discussion | See also
DescriptionWhen you hear good news that makes you happy, share it with your friends, family and others who like you, and your happiness will be multiplied. DiscussionTalking about something good reminds of it, hence allowing us to re-experience the pleasure of the initial news. Repetition also affirms information, making it more real. When we share information with friends, they will likely empathize with us, picking up on our emotions and feeling likewise. This is a continuing circular process as their happiness feeds back to us as we then empathize again with their joy. And so it continues such that even a little bit of good news can create disproportionate pleasure. It is important that sharing is done with people who will respond well. If they reply in a negative way, they may squash your pleasure and turn the positive spiral into a negative one. Gwinn et al (2012) found that the most effective response was an 'active constructive' one, where the other person takes time to respond with a positive and supportive message. They also found that happiness gained this way had legs, lasting over a long period that could be several weeks. See also
Lambert, N., Gwinn, A., Baumeister, R., Strachman, A., Washburn, I., Gable, S., and Fincham, F. (2012). A boost of positive affect: The perks of sharing positive experiences, Journal of Social and Personal Relationships (in press) |
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| Home | Top | Quick Links | Settings | |
Main sections: | Disciplines | Techniques | Principles | Explanations | Theories | |
Other sections: | Blog! | Quotes | Guest articles | Analysis | Books | Help | |
More pages: | Contact | Caveat | About | Students | Webmasters | Awards | Guestbook | Feedback | Sitemap | Changes | |
Settings: | Computer layout | Mobile layout | Small font | Medium font | Large font | Translate | |
| Home | Top | Menu | Quick Links | |
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