Effects of happiness training program on subjective well-being modification

Abstract

Bradburn(1969) indicated that psychopathology focuses too exclusively on the negative affect and psychologists ignore the positive aspects of life. The purpose of the present study was to compare the effects of the psychotherapy in order to increase well-being on subjective well being modification with one of the psychotherapy so that anxiety would decrease. In the group on increasing well-being, happiness training program (Fordyce, 1977) was used. In the group on decreasing anxiety, the general cognitive behavior therapy was used. The result was obtained for the effects of the cognitive behavior therapy which could increase subjective well-being and could decrease anxiety. But the effects of the happiness training program were not significant. © 1995, The Japanese Association of Educational Psychology. All rights reserved.