Great article (two noticed bugs, I think you meant synthesize instead of synthesis on pg 2 and borrowing instead of burrowing on pg 9 but I'm sure you've already caught them and mistakes like that support your generative AI statement anyway 😂). I like how you organized the characteristics under lenses, though as an amateur student of dynamical systems, I wonder which characteristics might impact others in complementary, deprecatory, reflexive or even compensatory ways both bottom up and top down. Such as how positive affect can inform meaning and gratitude. I know that when my positive affect is up as opposed to my negative and not infrequent affect that it overrides many of the characteristics that would otherwise inform negative wellbeing. On those days I feel like the dog drinking coffee in the burning building. The triggers for this can be tangible or invisible. Though on average the characteristics listed do weigh heavily in rumination. But maybe that's where psychopathology comes in.
This is a great add on - questions to be asking. I agree much can be done with an exploration of “psychological finger prints.” What for you does gratitude infect? For example.
In the rare cases where I've felt interpersonal gratitude towards anyone, I've generally seen an improvement in social well-being in the "community" content category, to the effect of, "That was nice, I no longer wish to see them all die in a fiery cataclysm." This is usually short lived. However, existential gratitude occurs more frequently, such as, "I'm grateful for this beautiful hummingbird flitting about my porch, I don't really want a fiery cataclysm to destroy the pretty things." But then a spike in positive affect caused by random mood swings or a light lunch or a well timed whiskey, or resolving a difficult problem, or any number of things I still haven't fully catalogued pushes the other direction and I can't imagine why I was fantasizing about fiery cataclysms in the first place because everything is awesome (cue music), and I'm just so grateful for all the people I usually hate so much.
Though, when I'm writing gratitude into the reaction of a character in a story, the results are a bit more deterministic. Generally I up psychological wellbeing, engage a bit of tit for tat, and generally move the character 's growth forward, unless they are suspicious of the other character's intentions, don't wish to be indebted, or, in the cases where the other character is feeling gratitude, and the main character issuffering from negative affect and self worth, it might lead to avoidance behavior. Of course these tiny personas I create are easier to manipulate than the big fat ego persona I find myself wearing daily, but that's a different problem.
This quote hits hard (specially for me, studying creativity for my book):
"Suddenly, everything is creative, which means nothing is creative."
I think from your article, that can also conversely be said of well-being:
"When everything is well-being, nothing is well-being."
Such a great read, Todd. I appreciate the sincerity and also clarity to bring facts into the table. Not everything shining is gold.
Thanks ! You have no idea how much pushback I get for this quote. Especially when I use it to describe children’s art.
Great article (two noticed bugs, I think you meant synthesize instead of synthesis on pg 2 and borrowing instead of burrowing on pg 9 but I'm sure you've already caught them and mistakes like that support your generative AI statement anyway 😂). I like how you organized the characteristics under lenses, though as an amateur student of dynamical systems, I wonder which characteristics might impact others in complementary, deprecatory, reflexive or even compensatory ways both bottom up and top down. Such as how positive affect can inform meaning and gratitude. I know that when my positive affect is up as opposed to my negative and not infrequent affect that it overrides many of the characteristics that would otherwise inform negative wellbeing. On those days I feel like the dog drinking coffee in the burning building. The triggers for this can be tangible or invisible. Though on average the characteristics listed do weigh heavily in rumination. But maybe that's where psychopathology comes in.
And Justin keep pointing out errors. So helpful.
This is a great add on - questions to be asking. I agree much can be done with an exploration of “psychological finger prints.” What for you does gratitude infect? For example.
In the rare cases where I've felt interpersonal gratitude towards anyone, I've generally seen an improvement in social well-being in the "community" content category, to the effect of, "That was nice, I no longer wish to see them all die in a fiery cataclysm." This is usually short lived. However, existential gratitude occurs more frequently, such as, "I'm grateful for this beautiful hummingbird flitting about my porch, I don't really want a fiery cataclysm to destroy the pretty things." But then a spike in positive affect caused by random mood swings or a light lunch or a well timed whiskey, or resolving a difficult problem, or any number of things I still haven't fully catalogued pushes the other direction and I can't imagine why I was fantasizing about fiery cataclysms in the first place because everything is awesome (cue music), and I'm just so grateful for all the people I usually hate so much.
Though, when I'm writing gratitude into the reaction of a character in a story, the results are a bit more deterministic. Generally I up psychological wellbeing, engage a bit of tit for tat, and generally move the character 's growth forward, unless they are suspicious of the other character's intentions, don't wish to be indebted, or, in the cases where the other character is feeling gratitude, and the main character issuffering from negative affect and self worth, it might lead to avoidance behavior. Of course these tiny personas I create are easier to manipulate than the big fat ego persona I find myself wearing daily, but that's a different problem.