engleski

Positive and negative life events: frequency and intensity of events is predicted by well-being and emotion regulation

Objectives This study is part of a longitudinal research project on well-being and life events in Croatia designed to investigate whether well-being can be considered not only an indicator of the good life, but also as a predictor for favorable life events (CRO-WELL project). The current aim is to examine whether the components of well-being and emotion regulation strategies are distinctly associated with positive and negative life events. Method The sample, N=1970, consists of adult Internet users. They completed an on-line survey of well-being measures: Scale of Positive and Negative Experience, Life satisfaction, Happiness, Flourishing, a measure of Emotion regulation, and a checklist of 69 Life events. Participants reported the frequency and rated the positivity and negativity of events. Hedonic intensity of life events was calculated (negativity ratings were subtracted from positivity ratings). Demographic variables, i.e., age, gender, education and income, were controlled in the analyses. Results Controlling for demographic variables, hierarchical regression analyses showed that better psychological well-being and effective regulation strategies were the strongest predictors of the frequency of positive events. Less experience of positive feelings and the use of non-effective regulation strategies were the strongest predictors of the frequency of negative events. The intensity of positive events was positively related to higher well-being, while intensity of negative events was not predicted by any well-being or emotion regulation measure. Conclusions Differential relationships between well-being, emotion regulation and life events are explained within Fredrickson’s broaden-and-build theoretical framework, which describes how positive emotions may lead to better life outcomes.

Project CRO-WELL, well-being, emotion regulation, life events

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