Transcript Positive Health: Connecting Well

Positive Health: Connecting
Well-being with Biology
Ryff, Singer, & Love (2004)
Health & Happiness
• Positive Health: the experience of wellbeing contributing to the effective
functioning of several biological systems
• Eudaimonic well-being: the task of life is
to recognise and realise your unique
capabilities
• Hedonic well-being: pleasure, happiness
and the satisfaction of human needs
The Study
• Whether well-being is associated with
reduced biological risk
• Whether eudaimonic and/or hedonic wellbeing have an effect on biological
correlates
• Predicted that eudaimonic well-being
would produce greater biological activation
than states of hedonic well-being, i.e.
happiness and contentment
Sample & Measures
• 135 ageing women (61-91yrs)
• Eudaimonic well-being was measured on 14
item scales based on 6 dimensions of wellbeing
• Hedonic well-being was assessed in terms of
positive affect
• Biomarkers from neuroendocrine, immune
and cardiovascular systems
• Assessments of sleep to determine whether
well-being is linked to a restorative process
Results
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The overall pattern of effects were
modest
Older women with higher levels of
eudaimonic well-being had:
lower levels of cortisol level
pro-inflammatory cytokines
Positive cardiovascular markers
Longer, and better quality sleep
Results
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There was only one significant effect for
hedonic well-being:
1. HDL (the good) cholesterol was
positively related to positive affect
Discussion
• Their study shows that eudaimonic and
hedonic well-being are not biologically
correlated
• Future research should look at whether
positive well-being offers protection
against illness
• Whether you can maintain well-being
despite adversity and negative life-events
Question
• Could this be a circular argument?
• Does well-being affect health, or does
good health cause well-being?