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Why Contentment?

Positive emotions broaden individuals’ momentary thought-action repertoires, and builds their personal resources. Why Contentment?. Poorly-defined and under-researched Emotion induced/released in relaxation, meditation, happiness/ flow-states Useful in positive-emotion studies

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Why Contentment?

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  1. Positive emotions broaden individuals’ momentary thought-action repertoires, and builds their personal resources.

  2. Why Contentment? Poorly-defined and under-researched Emotion induced/released in relaxation, meditation, happiness/ flow-states Useful in positive-emotion studies Self-regulation studies

  3. What is contentment? • State of happiness and satisfaction: he found contentment in living a simple life in the country (Oxford dictionary) • Instead of judging or second-guessing yourself, you are satisfied to just be • Contentment feels peaceful as the moonlight at the bottom of a stream, tranquil amid constant change (Johnson & Ruhl, 1999).

  4. William James (1840 – 1910) • “...the bodily changes follow directly the perception of the exciting fact and that our feeling of the same changes as they occur is the emotion” (James, 1890).

  5. Frederickson (2010) • Serenity/Contentment • Context: safe, certain, low effort • Tendency: savour & integrate • Outcome: modify self- & world-views • Inspires more of a mental state rather than an action state.

  6. Proposed autonomic and cognitive correlates of contentment Physical correlates of contentment: Cognitive correlates of contentment Body relaxes Heart rate Body-tension Muscles relaxation Blood flow Temperature Immunes system strengthens EEG synchronisation/changes physiological equilibrium Emotion- changes Stress decreases (coping) Can “hear” body symptoms (awareness increases) Feel content to be in this moment

  7. Current Contentment Measures The Contentment with Life Assessment (Lavallee, Hatch, Michalos, & Mckinley, 2006). The Generalised Contentment Scale (Hudson, 1986) physiological correlates State contentment

  8. Measuring Contentment Create and statistically validate a contentment measure

  9. The Measure 38 initial questions Life satisfaction + Current cognitive/emotional satisfaction + Physiological state of contentment Contentment with Life Assessment, Generalised Contentment Scale 10 X UoA colleagues

  10. Participants 352 ppt’s UoA Between 17 and 59 (M = 21.96 SD = 6.60) 78.3% females /21.7% males Euro (n = 188), Asian (n = 78); Indian (n = 21); Maori (n = 18); P.I. (n = 9), other ethnicity (n = 46)

  11. Final 10 Questions for State Contentment Measure General Cognitive Appraisal State Tension Appraisal 1. I feel content 2. At this time I feel in control of my life 3. I feel unhappy because there are other things I would like to be doing in my life 4. I feel love towards myself 5. All of my needs for contentment have been taken care of 6. I feel unfulfilled with what I am achieving in my life 1. My shoulders are relaxed 2. My body feels tense 3. I feel stressed out 4. I am calm

  12. Testing the Contentment Measure Convergent and Discriminant validity of the State Contentment Measure 83 ppts (UoA) Between19 and 61 (M = 27.79 SD = 7.41) 80.7% female/16.9% male

  13. Scales correlated with CM Depression, Anxiety, Stress Scale Oxford Happiness Questionnaire Mindfulness Awareness Attention Scale Satisfaction with Life Scale Contentment with Life Assessment scale General Contentment Scale

  14. Discussion A 10-item contentment measure (CM) was created with two distinct subscales Reliable validated Short (easily add it to larger questionnaire packages) State Physiological

  15. Add it to... Positive emotions studies Mindful eating studies Meditation studies Flow and well-being studies

  16. Limitations Limited specific population Further testing needed on other populations

  17. Questions Can the measure predict physiological markers Can the measure predict psychological well-being markers

  18. A Potential Definition of Contentment? Contentment is an active state of cognitive and physiological equilibrium

  19. The State Contentment Measure (SCM; Taylor, 2013). • For permission to access the SCM (at no cost) please email either: • g.owens@auckland.ac.nz • t.taylor@auckland.ac.nz

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