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Living life with lightness and a sense of satisfaction would be based on the way we approach our activities, according to a recent study. Our passions would thus be the barometer of our moods. On condition, however, that it is not an obsessive passion.
How to touch happiness with your fingertips? A recent study now gives us new insight: the happiest individuals seem to be those who regularly immerse themselves in one or more passions. But the term passions can be ambiguous.
Harmonious passions and well-being are linked
The study published in the journal Motivation and Emotion sought to find out why some people are happier than others (a big question!). To do this, she analyzed, in 5 studies conducted in the United States and Canada, the role of passion(s), and that of self-regulation (i.e. how people motivate themselves to perform less pleasant tasks on a daily basis) on psychological well-being. These studies attempted to detect:
- The link between the number of a person’s passions and the notion of well-being;
- The duration of the well-being felt;
- The personal motivation that directs them towards a passion;
- The way these fulfilled or unfulfilled people view the chores of daily life.
With what findings?
Individuals with the highest levels of psychological well-being (the top 25% of the sample) reported being passionate about not one but four activities in life, and displayed significantly higher levels of harmonious passion (i.e. healthy passion). These healthy passions also allowed them to accomplish other less enjoyable tasks such as obligations, by choice and personal responsibility. Finally, harmonious passion induced positive emotions. While obsessive passion was linked to both positive and negative emotions, its overall impact on well-being was less favorable.
Feel good in your body, feel good in your head!
The difference between harmonious passion and obsessive passion
Having one or more passions in life and devoting time to them would therefore be the key to a fulfilled life. And the authors invite us, if this is not already the case, to find what inspires us. But be careful, the study also shows that there is a difference between a passion that carries you and one that consumes you. How to tell the difference? Several researchers, particularly Canadian and Belgian, have theorized on the subject. Thus, even if the two types of passions have points in common, such as investing oneself and devoting time to them, the difference is in the balance.
- In a so-called harmonious passion, the exciting activity takes an important place in an individual’s identity, but harmonizes with his other interests, his family life, his obligations. The motivation associated with it is usually intrinsic, that is to say, it is aroused by the interest and pleasure that the activity provides;
- In an obsessive passion, the motivation is extrinsic, that is, the person seeks to obtain recognition, a reward or to please others. In this case, there is a greater chance of developing a passion that occupies the entire identity space…. and ends up harming well-being.
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