Happiness unpacked: Positive emotions increase life satisfaction by building resilience.

TLDR

Happiness, comprising life satisfaction, coping resources, and positive emotions, predicts desirable life outcomes, and the broaden‑and‑build theory attributes this to positive emotions building lasting resources. The study aimed to test whether daily positive emotions build resilience and increase life satisfaction by measuring emotions over a month in 86 students and assessing resilience and life satisfaction at baseline and after one month. The authors collected daily emotion ratings for one month from 86 students and measured life satisfaction and trait resilience at baseline and after the month. Positive emotions predicted increases in both resilience and life satisfaction, mediated the relationship between baseline and final resilience, and, through resilience, enhanced life satisfaction, whereas negative emotions had weak or null effects.

Abstract

Happiness-a composite of life satisfaction, coping resources, and positive emotions-predicts desirable life outcomes in many domains. The broaden-and-build theory suggests that this is because positive emotions help people build lasting resources. To test this hypothesis, the authors measured emotions daily for 1 month in a sample of students (N = 86) and assessed life satisfaction and trait resilience at the beginning and end of the month. Positive emotions predicted increases in both resilience and life satisfaction. Negative emotions had weak or null effects and did not interfere with the benefits of positive emotions. Positive emotions also mediated the relation between baseline and final resilience, but life satisfaction did not. This suggests that it is in-the-moment positive emotions, and not more general positive evaluations of one's life, that form the link between happiness and desirable life outcomes. Change in resilience mediated the relation between positive emotions and increased life satisfaction, suggesting that happy people become more satisfied not simply because they feel better but because they develop resources for living well.