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<p>Happy people presumably think differently than unhappy people, yet there is very little research on this happiness-thought interface. In the present research (2 studies, total <i>N</i> = 334), young adult participants were placed in quiet rooms in which they simply observed their thoughts prior to reporting on them. Momentary variations in happiness were assessed in terms of pleasant versus unpleasant feelings and dispositional happiness was assessed using established scales of life satisfaction and flourishing. Happy people (those scoring high in life satisfaction and flourishing), relative to unhappy people, thought about relationships, goals, and good things in their lives more frequently, but did not think about themselves, problems in their lives, or uncertainties less frequently. Thoughts concerning relationships, goals, and especially good things also mediated variance linking dispositional happiness to momentary pleasant affect. The results highlight default thought tendencies that may contribute to variations in dispositional happiness.</p>

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What Do Happy People Think About? A New Paradigm for Assessing Self-Generated Thoughts in the Laboratory

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年6月2日

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  • Hamidreza Fereidouni,
  • Michael D. Robinson

摘要

Happy people presumably think differently than unhappy people, yet there is very little research on this happiness-thought interface. In the present research (2 studies, total N = 334), young adult participants were placed in quiet rooms in which they simply observed their thoughts prior to reporting on them. Momentary variations in happiness were assessed in terms of pleasant versus unpleasant feelings and dispositional happiness was assessed using established scales of life satisfaction and flourishing. Happy people (those scoring high in life satisfaction and flourishing), relative to unhappy people, thought about relationships, goals, and good things in their lives more frequently, but did not think about themselves, problems in their lives, or uncertainties less frequently. Thoughts concerning relationships, goals, and especially good things also mediated variance linking dispositional happiness to momentary pleasant affect. The results highlight default thought tendencies that may contribute to variations in dispositional happiness.