Happiness is the frequency, not the intensity, of positive versus negative affect.

By E. Diener, Ed Sandvik, W. Pavot. 2009

680 citations recorded by the source corpus.

Subfields: Applied Psychology, Clinical Psychology, Social Psychology

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/4536eccf1c408bcca8933cb67579caec918966b4

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Citations in the corpus

Toward a Quality-of-Life Theory of Leisure Travel Satisfaction (2010, background): “This may be due to the fact that the positive affect generated from intense positive experiences is offset by the negative affect generated from intense negative experiences (Diener, Sandvik, and Pavot 1991; Diener and Larsen 1984; Diener et al. 1985).”
Positive and negative affect, and grit as predictors of happiness and life satisfaction. (2008, background): “Diener, Sandvik, and Pavot (1991) have also observed that life satisfaction is a function of the preponderance of Positive Affect in daily life.”
If money doesn't make you happy, then you probably aren't spending it right (2011, background): “Why does prosocial spending produce such strong and consistent benefits for well-being? Diener and Seligman (2002) argue that strong social relationships are universally critical for happiness, and prosocial spending has a surprisingly powerful impact on social relationships.”
Happiness Through Vacationing: Just a Temporary Boost or Long-Term Benefits? (2011, background): “Holiday trips may boost happiness in the long run as more trips or more vacation days per year could be associated with higher happiness, as happiness is about the frequency of positive affect, not the intensity (Diener et al. 1990).”
Validation of the Flourishing Scale and Scale of Positive and Negative Experience in Portugal (2011, background): “It seems that people who are successful at attaining frequent positive affect tend to be happier (Diener et al. 2009).”
New Measures of Well-Being (2009, background): “Diener, Sandvik, and Pavot (1991) argued that global reports of well-being are more closely linked to the duration of positive versus negative experiences than to the intensity of the experiences.”
The role of positive and negative emotions in life satisfaction judgment across nations. (2008, neutral): “As indicated by previous research, the affective component of SWB depends primarily on the frequency and not on the intensity of positive and negative affective experiences (Diener, Colvin, Pavot, & Allman, 1991; Diener, Sandvik, & Pavot, 1990 ).”
Inmate Emotion Coping and Psychological and Physical Well-Being (2007, neutral): “Emotions often tend to have a long-term impact on our psychological well-being (e.g., Diener, Sandvik, & Pavot, 1991; Fredrickson, 2002); moreover, emotions also have an effect on our physical well-being.”