Increasing Happiness as a Fixative Measure For Depression

     In current days, treatment of psychological disorders has followed a “fix-it” methodology. People get treatment in the form of therapies or medication that aims to alleviate depression-related symptoms by lessening the severity of or eliminating the negative effectors that contribute to depression. If depressive disorders are mainly characterized as being caused by a lack of happiness, why then is happiness not prescribed as a method of treatment? The two research articles I plan to highlight explain how positive effectors can be used to alleviate depression symptoms and are more effective than the traditional treatment methods of treating depression.

    In Dr Silton’s talk, she brought forth an alternative approach to alleviating the symptoms of depression. She proposed that rather than using approaches that downregulate negative emotions, an approach should be taken that introduces positive emotions and increases positive affect in those with depression. In her research, the most effective approach to increasing positive emotions was by “savoring the moment.” This referred to the capacity to attend to, appreciate, and enhance positive experiences in one’s life by intentionally focusing on a positive experience and what feelings it evoked. Research subjects who “savored the moment” were in turn experienced more happiness, extraversion, self-esteem, and greater life satisfaction. 

In the research article Does Hope Mediate and Moderate the Relationship Between Happiness Aversion and Depression Symptoms?, the researchers use a similar approach to Silton’s but they use hope as a positive regulator of emotion rather than savoring. In both depressive disorders and happiness aversion, one effect was lower feelings of hope. The participants who felt less of a sense of hope typically had more severe levels of depression or happiness aversion. In their study on the treatment of depression and happiness aversion disorders, the researchers began to see a shift from addressing and identifying negative schemas to positive psychological interventions (PPIs). With all of the research that has been done involving PPIs, there have been positive correlations between introducing the PPI and reduction of depression symptoms. The participants in their study followed this same trend in that they saw a reduction in the severity or amount of depression symptoms they experienced when the amount of hope they had increased. 

Research about positive regulators in treating depressive disorders demonstrates researchers shifting away from medication and “fixing” methods of treatment and a new emphasis is being placed on person-centered well-being-focused care. I think this research will lead to new therapy and treatment methods to better help manage depression symptoms and maybe even treat depression. I think introducing positive stimuli or placing emphasis on existing positive stimuli is aligned with positive psychology because it focuses on enhancing a person's physiological and psychological well-being.

References: 

Bloore, Rebecca A., et al. “Does hope mediate and moderate the relationship between happiness aversion  and depressive symptoms?” Open Journal of Depression, vol. 09, no. 01, 2020, pp. 1–16, https://doi.org/10.4236/ojd.2020.91001.

Silton, Rebecca L., et al. “Regulating positive emotions: Implications for promoting well-being in individuals with depression.” Emotion, vol. 20, no. 1, Feb. 2020, pp. 93–97, https://doi.org/10.1037/emo0000675.