University of Twente Student Theses
Acts of kindness : the effect of prosocial kindness versus self-focused kindness on mental well-being and the role of positive emotions and positive relations
Voigt, D. (2018) Acts of kindness : the effect of prosocial kindness versus self-focused kindness on mental well-being and the role of positive emotions and positive relations.
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| Abstract: | Pursuing mental well-being is a crucial factor for most people in today’s society and there are numerous reasons, which make investing in mental well-being and optimal functioning an essential asset. Higher levels of mental well-being have shown to be the reason for desirable life outcomes as physical health, success in finances, career and building relationships (Sin & Lyubomirsky, 2009). But how is it possible to increase one’s mental well-being? Research suggests that by both performing acts that aim to be kind to oneself and acts of kindness for others, individuals are able to improve their mental well-being. The aim of the current study is to examine the efficacy of the 6-week long intervention Acts of Kindness versus self-focused kindness on increasing mental well-being in a randomized controlled trial (RCT) and the mediating role of positive relations and positive emotions. Through volunteer sampling in the Dutch population, 362 participants of 18 years and older were evaluated as eligible. Thereafter, randomization proceeded, whereby the participants were assigned to either the prosocial (n = 70) or the self-focused (n = 62) group. The participants were asked to fill out questionnaires regarding positive emotions (mDES), positive relations (PGGS) and mental well-being (MHCSF) at baseline, 2 and 4 weeks into the intervention and at post-test. Independent samples t-tests showed no statistically significant difference in increasing mental well-being, positive emotions and positive relations between both groups at post-test after 6 weeks. Simple mediation analyses have shown that increases in positive emotions 2 to 4 weeks during the intervention were significantly higher in the prosocial group (a-path) and that positive emotions as well as positive relations (b-paths) lead to a significant increase in mental well-being at post-test. Yet, interpreting the results, the indirect effect was non-significant (axb-paths), which is why it can be ruled out that positive relations and positive emotions were mediating the efficacy of Acts of Kindness on mental well-being in the present study. |
| Item Type: | Essay (Master) |
| Faculty: | BMS: Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences |
| Subject: | 77 psychology |
| Programme: | Psychology MSc (66604) |
| Link to this item: | https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/76342 |
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