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Can Passion be Polyamorous? The Impact of Having Multiple Passions on Subjective Well-Being and Momentary Emotions

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  • Benjamin Schellenberg
  • Daniel Bailis

Abstract

Having a harmonious passion (HP) can contribute to overall subjective well-being (Philippe et al. in Appl Psychol Health Well Being 1:3–22, 2009 ). We examined if people who had two passions in life reported even higher levels of well-being, and tested if these relationships depended on the extent to which the passions were harmonious or obsessive (OP). Undergraduates (N = 1,218) completed measures of HP and OP for their favorite and second favorite activities, along with assessments of well-being. In a follow-up study, a subsample of students (N = 62) who reported having an HP for one activity but an OP for another participated in an experiment in which we measured momentary emotions after priming either their HP, OP or a control activity. We found that students with at least one HP reported higher levels of well-being compared to those without an HP, and those with two HPs reported higher levels of well-being compared to those with only one HP, independent of the total time spent in passionate activities. In the follow-up study, participants’ levels of momentary positive and negative affect depended on whether their HP or OP was primed. These results suggest that, rather than introducing conflict or dividing a fixed sum of activity-related potential, having two HPs creates novel opportunities for subjective well-being. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2015

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  • Benjamin Schellenberg & Daniel Bailis, 2015. "Can Passion be Polyamorous? The Impact of Having Multiple Passions on Subjective Well-Being and Momentary Emotions," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 16(6), pages 1365-1381, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:jhappi:v:16:y:2015:i:6:p:1365-1381
    DOI: 10.1007/s10902-014-9564-x
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Terence Bostic & Doris McGartland Rubio & Mark Hood, 2000. "A Validation of the Subjective Vitality Scale Using Structural Equation Modeling," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 52(3), pages 313-324, December.
    2. Alan Waterman & Seth Schwartz & Regina Conti, 2008. "The Implications of Two Conceptions of Happiness (Hedonic Enjoyment and Eudaimonia) for the Understanding of Intrinsic Motivation," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 9(1), pages 41-79, January.
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    Cited by:

    1. Benjamin Schellenberg & Daniel Bailis, 2021. "More Questions About Multiple Passions: Who Has Them, How Many Do People Have, and the Relationship Between Polyamorous Passion and Well-being," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 22(8), pages 3299-3320, December.
    2. Warnick, Benjamin J. & Murnieks, Charles Y. & McMullen, Jeffery S. & Brooks, Wade T., 2018. "Passion for entrepreneurship or passion for the product? A conjoint analysis of angel and VC decision-making," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 33(3), pages 315-332.
    3. István Tóth-Király & Beáta Bőthe & Éva Gál & Gábor Orosz & Adrien Rigó, 2021. "Perceived Parenting Practices as Predictors of Harmonious and Obsessive Passion Among High Schoolers and Adults," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 22(7), pages 2981-2999, October.
    4. Song Gu & Sheng Bi & Zhixun Guan & Xuemo Fang & Xulu Jiang, 2022. "Relationships among Sports Group Cohesion, Passion, and Mental Toughness in Chinese Team Sports Athletes," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(22), pages 1-14, November.
    5. Jan de Jonge & Yannick A. Balk & Toon W. Taris, 2020. "Mental Recovery and Running-Related Injuries in Recreational Runners: The Moderating Role of Passion for Running," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(3), pages 1-14, February.

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