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Positive Balance at the Emotional Level: Hedonic Well-Being

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Positive Balance

Part of the book series: Social Indicators Research Series ((SINS,volume 80))

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Abstract

In this chapter I discuss the concept of positive balance at an emotional level. I define positive mental health as follows: Individuals with high levels of well-being experience a preponderance of positive emotions (happiness, joy, elation, contentment, serenity, etc.) relative to negative emotions (anger, hate, disgust, fear, jealousy, envy, etc.). This definition of positive mental health at the emotional level is based on much of the research related to three programs of research in well-being, namely the measurement of positive and negative affect, the broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions, and flow theory. Furthermore, well-being at the physiological level (neurochemicals associated with the reward system and stress) is said to influence the formation of well-being at the emotional level (hedonic well-being). Positive neurochemicals (dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin) at the physiological level mediated by a process of cognitive appraisal (positive frame) result into positive affect (happiness, joy, contentment, etc.) at the emotional level; and conversely, negative neurochemicals (cortisol) mediated by a process of cognitive appraisal (negative frame) result into negative affect (anger, sadness, jealousy, envy, depression, etc.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, USA

    M. Joseph Sirgy

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  1. M. Joseph Sirgy
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Sirgy, M.J. (2020). Positive Balance at the Emotional Level: Hedonic Well-Being. In: Positive Balance. Social Indicators Research Series, vol 80. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-40289-1_3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-40289-1_3

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-40288-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-40289-1

  • eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)

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