Subjective Well-Being (2)

Cicilia Evi GradDiplSc., M. Psi

Leisure

• How we spend our spare time, what we do to relax, the activities we engage in to have fun and how we exercise our passions and interests

• Adventurous? Traditional activities? Quiet activities?

Leisure & Life Satisfaction

• Time Warner/CNN poll (1992) 70% people would like to slow down and live a more relaxed life with their families

• “Life outside work” strong predictor of WB• At least one leisure activity is associated with

changes in mood – ↓ damaging effects of Alzheimer’s disease– Aerobic = ↓ symptoms of depression and anxiety

• But, the association is not direct/automatic• Important to choose activities that are personally

meaningful connected at emotional level • When activities turn into leisure (Argyle, 1987):– Fulfilled needs for autonomy– Allowed the enjoyment of family life– Provided for relaxation– Offered escape from routine

“Be in the Zone”

• Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi • Flow the holistic sensation when we act

with total involvement • Reading for pleasure, sports, religious rituals,

using computer, teaching, driving, being with family, solitary retreat, cramming for exams

• Microflow leisurely involved in a relatively simple, almost automatic activity doodling

Characteristics of Flow

1. The merging of action and awareness 2. Complete concentration on the task at hand 3. Lack of Worry about Losing Control that, Paradoxically,

Results in a Sense of Control4. A Loss of Self-Consciousness5. Time no longer seems to pass in Ordinary ways6. Autotelic Nature of the Experience7. Flow accompanies a challenging activity that requires

skill8. The activity has clear goals and immediate feedback

• Flow is innate and universal only need to learn on how to express flow

• Four stages from microflow to very intense flow experiences:1. Paying attention physiological processes2. Interested attention stay and enjoy 3. Absorbed attention won’t be distracted4. Merging self = activity

Flow and Subjective WB

• Flow significant component of many pleasurable leisure activities – Even without recognition or money

• Flowlike experiences related to leisure and satisfaction– Lack of internal conflict between competing goals

• Ability to stay absorbed and interested in our daily experience is one of the key ingredients of a happy and fulfilling life

Produce More Flow

• Not entirely controllable, but we can increase the likelihood in certain circumstances

• All that required is to find a way to challenge oneself, make the task more interesting and pay attention to what one is doing

• Two conditions:– High demands force us to concentrate – Demands move beyond a state of self-

consciousness task and self-evaluation are one!

• Not directly associated with better performance but being engaged with the activities

• Happiness and flow often go together, but NOT always – Someone is experiencing positive experiences

with the flow of his/her work, but feel less happy at work, compare to other contexts

Peak Performance

• Gayle Privette (1981, 1983)• Those moments when we perform at a level

that is beyond our normal level of functioning being more efficient, more creative, more productive, better than ordinary behavior in intellectual, emotional or physical activities

• It is a superior behavior at a task NOT a subjective experience doing the task (Flow)

Four Parameters

1. Clear focus on self, object, and relationship2. Intense involvement in the experience3. A strong intention to complete a task4. A spontaneous expression of power

Understanding Peak Performance

• Two types:1. In a crisis situation spontaneous in a fire2. Train to master specific skills to induce a

moment of peak performance • Most often found in activities or situations

that a person is deeply involved with, committed to, absorbed in, or emotionally connected with

Eight Conditions 1. Mentally relaxed, a sense of calm, high concentration and a

sense that time has slowed down2. Physical relaxation with loose and fluid movements 3. Self-confidence and optimism4. Focus on the present and a sense that one’s body performs

automatically 5. High energy level along with positive emotions6. Extraordinary awareness of one’s own body 7. A sense of total control without effort to create/maintain that

control8. “In the cocoon”

• Differences with flow not just what it feels to be ‘in the zone’ but what it takes to perform better

• Once a certain skill level is achieved, then 40-90% of athletic success is due to psychological factors (Williams & Krane, 1993)

• Peak performance = – psychological factors of commitment + dedication +

intellectual and emotional involvement (obsession)

Mindfulness

• Paying attention to one’s own on-going experience in a way that allows openness and flexibility being fully present and aware during our daily activities, rather than the goals and hoped for accomplishments

• Mindlessness found in habit, premature cognitive commitments to categories, and in focus on future goals rather than immediate processes

Savoring

• An awareness of pleasure along with a quite deliberate attempt to focus attention on the sensation and relish it

• Four basic types of savoring:1. Basking – receiving praise and congratulations2. Marveling – getting lost in the moment 3. Luxuriating – indulging in a sensation4. Thanksgiving – expressing gratitude

• Five basic ways to enhance savoring and promote the possibilities of savoring:1. Absorption – allowing oneself to be immersed in the

experience2. Sharpening the senses – focusing on one sensation

and blocking our others 3. Memory building – do something to remember the

experience later on 4. Sharing with others 5. Self-congratulations

Summary

• Focus on an appreciation of our current experience decreased self-focused attention and internal dialogue – Antiflow is associated frustration and boredom

increase in negative “inner chatter”• Two alternate pathways greater WB:– Self-enhancement process (peak performance)– Temporarily forgetting awareness of self and

appreciating the moment (flow, mindfulness and savoring)