Happiness literature pet peeve: the tricks of mood management

Positive psychology has produced a host of techniques in the past few decades for extending the duration of positive moods (‘happiness’) and reducing the severity and frequency of negative moods. These include savouring, basking, gratitude, mindfulness, renunciation and even just plain-old Ophra-friendly ‘positive thinking’.

Review: Stability of Happiness: theories and evidence on whether happiness can change, by Kennon M. Sheldon and Richard E. Lucas eds.

Whether happiness can change might seem like an odd question to ask. Of course! I felt really good after the pizza last night, and when I missed the bus this morning I felt terrible. But wait, now that I think about it, this week has actually been pretty much the same as last week, so I guess my happiness doesn’t change. Although…come to think of it…I might actually be in a rut... I really should do something about the slow decline of my life satisfaction. These are the dimensions of happiness that Stability of Happiness explores, and it does an excellent job.