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The relationships of affect intensity to happiness

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Abstract

Hypotheses on the relationship of affect intensity to psychological well-being were compared between formulations by Larsen and Diener (1987) and Stones and Kozma (1991). The former anticipate a null relationship whereas Stones and Kozma's prescription is more complex. They hypothesize affect intensity to comprise two components which (1) respectively exhibit negative linear and positive quadratic trends on happiness, (2) predict happiness in a subtractive combination, but (3) have a null relationship with happiness in a summative combination. The hypotheses by Stones and Kozma were confirmed with the first two factors from the Affect Intensity Measure Simplified (AIMS). Affect intensity and its relationships to happiness are subsequently discussed from quantitative and qualitative perspectives.

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Stones, M.J., Kozma, A. The relationships of affect intensity to happiness. Soc Indic Res 31, 159–173 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01207053

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