It's Time to Take the "Positive"Out of Positive Psychology¹

是时候把"正面"从积极心理学中拿走

What is the prescription² for optimalliving? The burgeoning³ field of positive psychology appears to have many of theanswers: We should be kind and caring to others, forgiving of transgressions,gracious and compassionate⁵ in our daily lives, and upbeat and optimistic aboutthe future. Following this simple plan should keep us happy and healthy.

到底什么是理想生活的灵丹妙药？积极心理学新兴领域出现了很多答案：我们日常生活中应该善待并关心别人，原谅别人的罪过，亲切、富有同情心，还有要乐观，对未来充满希望。跟随这种简单的建议就可以使我们健康快乐。

But as with most things, it turns out thatthe answer might not be that simple (link is external). What's good may notalways be good, and what's bad may not always be bad. Being kind and caring isa good thing-as long as the person you are kind and caring towards deservesyour kindness. Being forgiving may produce contentment-except when the forgiverhas no plans to make amends⁶. Being optimistic about the future may keep yourspirits up and help you feel happy-unless you are a gambler who believes thenext bet will be the big one.

但在大多数情况下，（与外部链接后）事实并没有那么简单。好的开始并不总是好的结果，而坏的开始也并不一定总是坏的结果。善良且富同情心是好的--前提是你善待及关心的人值得你对他好。宽恕原谅可能带来满足--被宽恕者没有打算赎罪除外。对未来感到乐观可能让你充满精神且让你开心--除非你是个赌徒且总是相信下一个赌注将有好结果。

We have labeled certain traits and states"positive" and others "negative" but according toresearchers Jim McNulty and Frank Fincham "psychological traits andprocesses are not inherently positive or negative; instead, whetherpsychological characteristics promote or undermine well-being⁷ depends on thecontext in which they operate."

我们把一些特点标记为"正面"，另一部分标记为"负面"，但根据研究者Jim McNulty和Frank Fincham, "心理特质和过程并非天生的正面或负面，取而代之，心理特征是否促进或破化幸福感取决于他们的操作。"

How do we take the positive out of positivepsychology? According to McNulty and Fincham, we stop assuming that"positive" traits such as kindness are always beneficial forwell-being and instead dig a big deeper to figure out when, for whom, and towhat extent, being kind and caring, forgiving, or compassionate, actually leadsto greater happiness and health. What does this mean exactly?

我们怎样把把"正面"从积极心理学中拿走？根据McNulty及Fincham，我们应停止假设"正面"性格如善良，总是对有利于得到幸福。取而代之是更深地挖掘：什么时候、对谁、做到什么程度，去展示友善、关怀、宽恕或怜悯，才真实地到来更大的幸福感。这到底怎么理解呢？

They suggest three approaches:

对此他们有三个方法：

1. Consider the context. In order tounderstand when traits and processes are beneficial, we need to consider themwithin the social context. "Positive" traits and processes may not bepositive in all conditions, and under certain circumstances, they couldactually be harmful. Forgiving your spouse⁸ might strengthen your relationshipif her transgression⁴ is forgetting to turn off the lights, and it's clear shefeels bad about her forgetfulness. But if she is constantly belittling⁹ you infront of your friends, and shows no remorse¹⁰ for her actions, forgiveness maynot be the best approach.

考虑环境因素。为了能了解什么特征及处理是有利的，我们需要考虑我们所在的社会环境。不是所有的情况"正面"的性格及处理方法都能带来正面的结果，在某种情况下，它甚至会造成伤害。原谅你的配偶可能会更加巩固你们的关系，若对方的错误是忘记关灯且她已经意识到自己的疏忽。但如果她不断的在你的朋友面前贬低你并对自己的行为没有丝毫懊悔，原谅并不是最佳的方式。

2. Consider the sample. The positivepsychology movement helped psychologists realize that we cannot understand thewhole of the human condition if we focus only on those who have problems.Likewise, we cannot understand how to promote well-being if we focus only onthose who are already happy. In order to uncover the secrets to living a happyand healthy life, we must examine the effects of psychological characteristicsnot just within samples of people who are functioning optimally¹¹, but also thosewith dysfunction. Perhaps optimism is only beneficial for those who havesomething to be optimistic about. To find out, we must conduct studies on boththe college undergraduate with the bright future and the medical patient whowas diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer.

细想这个例子。积极心理学运动帮助心理学家意识到若我们只聚焦在存在问题的人的身上，我们没办法明白人类的整体情况。同样地，若我们只关注那些实际已经感到开心快乐的人身上，我们并不能知道怎样促进健康。为了揭开能快乐健康生活的秘密，我们不但要观察身心已处于最佳状态的人的心理特征，我们还要观察那些功能失调的。或许，乐观只有利于那些有事物可让他们感到希望乐观的人上。为了查明，我们进行了研究：一方是前途光明的大学生，另一方则是被确诊癌症第四期的患者。

3. Consider the timeline. Most psychologicalresearch is cross-sectional (measuring how a bunch of people feel at one pointin time). To find out how psychological characteristics truly influencewell-being, we need to look at them longitudinally (sampling the same people atmany different time points throughout their lives). This is important becauseresearchers are discovering that what can be good in the short term might bedetrimental over the long run. Spouses¹² who deal with serious relationshipproblems by being kind to each other instead of critical report feeling betterabout their relationships in the moment, but over time they become lesssatisfied relative to spouses who were more critical. Why? The critical spousesactually deal with their problems which helps to improve their relationships.

考虑到时间轴。绝大多数的心理研究都是代表性研究（测量一群人在特定时间中的感受）。但若我们希望查明心理特征怎样实实在在地影响幸福感，我们需要纵向地去看（同一群人中，在每个人人生不同的点都进行抽样）。纵向观察很重要，因为研究员发现一些有利于短期的事件却不利于长远。在夫妻关系出现严重问题时，选择善待彼此的夫妻比选择指责批评的夫妻在短期内觉得关系更好；但随着时间过去，（比起"指责组"）善待彼此的夫妻却对关系更感不满。为什么？因为"指责组"实际上是在处理他们之间的问题，从而改善他们的关系。

Why does this matter? The positivepsychology movement is widespread and many of us have taken the movement toheart. Therapies, self-help books, and better living apps are now centered onthe promotion¹³ of positive characteristics, such as being more kind andforgiving. But if characteristics like kindness and forgiveness aren'tnecessarily a good thing for everyone, than we need to move forward withcaution, only promoting these characteristics in the contexts in which they arelikely to be fruitful.

为什么这事重要？积极心理学运动广为流传，我们中有很多人已把这运动刻在心中。疗法、自助书籍，协助更好生活的应用程序......已经成为促进积极的特征中心，如更善良和宽容。可是，如果善良、宽容这类特征未必对每个人都是好事，那我们需要非常谨慎探索；只能在了解事情背景并认为善良、宽容这类特征会有对得到正面的成效时才去做。

Did you hop¹⁴ on the positive psychologybandwagon? Do you agree it's time to take the "positive" out ofpositive psychology? Suggestions for other ways to do this?

你会指责积极心理学见风使舵吗？你同意是时候把"正面"从积极心理学中拿走？你有其他好的建议吗？