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Implicit Theories of Well-Being Predict Well-Being and the Endorsement of Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes

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  • Andrew J. Howell

    (MacEwan University)

  • Holli-Anne Passmore

    (University of British Columbia)

  • Mark D. Holder

    (University of British Columbia)

Abstract

The current studies investigated whether beliefs concerning the malleability or immutability of well-being (i.e., incremental and entity implicit theories of well-being, respectively) are predictive of hedonic and eudaimonic well-being and of the endorsement of activities conducive to well-being. Studies 1 and 2 demonstrated that, relative to entity theory endorsement, the endorsement of an incremental theory of well-being predicted greater hedonic and eudaimonic well-being. Moreover, regression analyses showed that these associations remained when including scores on measures of socially desirable responding, implicit theories of ability, and related variables of striving for personal growth, hope, and character strengths usage. Study 3 showed that greater endorsement of an incremental theory of well-being predicted greater perceived utility of well-being activities. Study 4 showed that an experimentally-induced incremental theory of well-being caused greater endorsement of well-being activities than an experimentally-induced entity theory of well-being. These findings suggest that amenability toward, and responsiveness to, existing well-being interventions may be fostered by an incremental theory of well-being. Furthermore, they suggest that cultivating an incremental mindset regarding well-being may facilitate adaptive functioning and, thereby, serve as a well-being intervention.

Suggested Citation

  • Andrew J. Howell & Holli-Anne Passmore & Mark D. Holder, 2016. "Implicit Theories of Well-Being Predict Well-Being and the Endorsement of Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 17(6), pages 2347-2363, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:jhappi:v:17:y:2016:i:6:d:10.1007_s10902-015-9697-6
    DOI: 10.1007/s10902-015-9697-6
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Adrian Furnham & Helen Cheng, 2000. "Lay Theories of Happiness," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 1(2), pages 227-246, June.
    2. Ed Diener & Derrick Wirtz & William Tov & Chu Kim-Prieto & Dong-won Choi & Shigehiro Oishi & Robert Biswas-Diener, 2010. "New Well-being Measures: Short Scales to Assess Flourishing and Positive and Negative Feelings," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 97(2), pages 143-156, June.
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    Cited by:

    1. Carmela A White & Bob Uttl & Mark D Holder, 2019. "Meta-analyses of positive psychology interventions: The effects are much smaller than previously reported," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 14(5), pages 1-48, May.
    2. Feng Kong & Wenjie Li & Qiuling Wang & Zonglei Zhen, 2023. "Incremental Well-being Beliefs and Well-being in Adolescents: The Mediating Role of Self-esteem and Optimism," Child Indicators Research, Springer;The International Society of Child Indicators (ISCI), vol. 16(2), pages 533-549, April.
    3. Michael A. Busseri & Mojan Naisani Samani, 2019. "Lay Theories for Life Satisfaction and the Belief that Life Gets Better and Better," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 20(5), pages 1647-1672, June.
    4. Holli-Anne Passmore & Andrew J. Howell & Mark D. Holder, 2018. "Positioning Implicit Theories of Well-Being Within a Positivity Framework," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 19(8), pages 2445-2463, December.

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