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This chapter explores the complex nature of depression, a mood disorder affecting millions worldwide. It discusses the various symptoms, causes, and types of depression, highlighting the interplay between biological, psychological, and social factors. The chapter emphasizes the importance of early recognition and treatment, as well as the potential for music therapy to offer significant benefits. It looks at how music can evoke emotions, regulate moods, and foster social connection, serving as a valuable tool for managing depression. The chapter also explores specific music therapy techniques, such as improvisation and targeted playlists, that can aid in emotional expression, self-regulation, and the cultivation of resilience. The chapter concludes by underlining the importance of a holistic approach to depression treatment, combining music therapy with conventional therapies and lifestyle changes for optimal results.
This chapter explores the debilitating nature of chronic pain and the potential of music therapy as a complementary treatment. It acknowledges the complex nature of chronic pain, which can arise from both physical and psychological factors. The chapter highlights the limited research on music therapy for chronic pain, but emphasizes the positive results found in studies involving patients with migraines and tension headaches. It also discusses the potential for music to address both the physical and emotional aspects of chronic pain, through relaxation techniques, emotional expression, and social support. The chapter offers practical recommendations for individuals with chronic pain, suggesting ways to utilize music for pain relief, emotional regulation, and improved well-being. It encourages the use of music as a distraction from pain, a tool for relaxation, and a means of promoting positive emotions. It also suggests specific techniques such as deep breathing with calming music and gentle stroking to alleviate pain. The chapter concludes by highlighting the importance of seeking professional music therapy for those with chronic pain, emphasizing its potential to improve quality of life and provide a holistic approach to pain management.
This study exploratively analyzed the associations of well-being with psychological characteristics, socioeconomic status (SES), and the number of relocations after the Fukushima nuclear disaster.
Methods
Using a cross-sectional study design, an online questionnaire survey was administered to 416 residents of Fukushima and Tokyo each aged 20-59 years (832 in total) between August 25 and 26, 2018, which was 7 and a half years after the disaster. Categorical factor analysis and multiple regression analysis were performed to investigate associations of 5 well-being scales (positive emotion, negative-free emotion, life satisfaction and general happiness, positive characteristics, and positive functioning) with psychological characteristics, SES, and the number of relocations.
Results
Four of the well-being scales, except for negative-free emotion, were strongly associated with each other and showed similarities in the strength of their associations with psychological characteristics and SES. Among the items surveyed, psychological distress, mindfulness, and marital status were strongly associated with well-being among Fukushima residents. Contrarily, radiation risk perception or the number of relocations were not significantly associated with well-being.
Conclusions
Focusing on psychological distress is expected to have a significant impact on improving well-being after the disaster. In addition, assistance in avoiding unintended family separation may be helpful.
Good states want to increase the well-being of their citizens, and act to do this. Insofar as state efforts constrain action for the sake of well-being, however, there is a danger that these constraints will limit liberty in a way that actually undercuts the individual achievement of well-being. If we limit liberty in order to bring us to one desirable state (say, good health) that doesn’t necessarily increase well-being if the loss of liberty in itself diminishes well-being. However, when we consider the three major theories of well-being, hedonism, desire-satisfaction, and objective list theories, we see that there is nothing in the loss of liberty that necessarily diminishes well-being at all. It depends on what that loss brings about. Sometimes liberties make us better off, but it depends on the specific liberty and what it contributes. There is nothing about loss of liberty per se that does us any harm.
This article advocates for the expansion of research into the topic of well-being in language education. It begins by outlining key definitional concerns and then moves to outline general issues and gaps in the current body of research such as a need for a diversification in research in social contexts, working conditions, languages, cultures, as well as a clarification of the domain specificity of the construct. In the main body of the paper, three core specific areas are outlined in detail with suggestions of not only what could be researched but how this could be done in concrete empirical terms. Task 1 concerns the dynamism of well-being across different timescales and how those interact. Task 2 focuses on the relationship between self-efficacy and well-being as an example of one core individual difference that could impact well-being development. Task 3 reflects on the possible interplay between learner and teacher well-being. The article ends by arguing for language teacher well-being to receive the urgent and critical attention that it deserves across the whole range of contexts and individuals who identify as language educators.
Paradigm cases of disappointment occur when we fail to attain the object of our desire, or when doing so frustrates some of our other desires. However, some non-standard cases seem not to fit this pattern. We occasionally find ourselves disappointed despite perceiving that our desire has been fulfilled. Experiences of this sort are sometimes called ‘Dead Sea apples’. Such cases threaten the viability of theories that claim that fulfilling our desires always makes our lives go better for us. This paper considers what reflection on the nature of Dead Sea apples can teach us about the structure of desire and its relationship to well-being. I argue that this type of disappointment often occurs when we have a frustrated conjunctive desire that contains some satisfied conjuncts. The fact that the desire contains some satisfied conjuncts explains why we are prone to misidentifying it as fulfilled.
The standard of living is a conceptual object of great concern to governments, social scientists, and the public. How people lived in the past is likewise of much interest to historians. There is wide (if not universal) agreement that a higher standard of living is preferable to a lower one. Congruence ends there, however, as what constitutes the appropriate measure of people’s well-being is subject to a wide range of parallel, overlapping, and sometimes even conflicting opinions. How to collect the evidence necessary to calculate whatever measure we settle on, from both the contemporary world and the historical record, is equally contested. Indeed, in the case of efforts to measure well-being in the past, the evidence we might want may not exist at all. The question is too important though to settle for narrow and often misleading metrics that capture material wealth alone. Measures of our lifespan, the expansion of our mental capabilities, and our ability to feel secure and to participate in our collective governance make essential contributions. Finally, we need measures that are sensitive to the requirements for shared human sociability in different historical contexts. The insights of historians and other observers of human societies will be essential to complement the theorizing of social scientists.
This chapter introduces First Nations approaches to health care that have relevance for the Australian and Aotearoa New Zealand contexts. It examines the historical influences that impacted the health and well-being of First Nations in these countries and considers the need for adopting First Nations approaches to health care practice such as cultural safety, cultural responsiveness and other cultural frameworks. Several of the principles for practice are transferrable to international First Nations communities as well as culturally and linguistically diverse populations.
The role of occupational health nurses is to improve mental and physical health outcomes and the well-being of workers. These benefits can often extend to family and community. Workers’ health is impacted by several factors including fatigue, gender, culture, age, language, living conditions, access to nutritious food, level of physical activity, sleep patterns, personal health practices and coping strategies, levels of social support and inclusion, personal safety and freedom from violence.
High rates of divorce in western society have prompted much research on the repercussions for well-being and the economy. Yet little is known about the important topic of whether parental divorce has deleterious consequences upon adult children. By combining experimental and econometric survey-based evidence, this study attempts to provide an answer. Under controlled conditions, it measures university students’ subjective well-being and productivity (in a standardized laboratory task). It finds no evidence that either of these is negatively associated with recent parental divorce. If anything, happiness and productivity appear to be slightly greater, particularly among males, if their parents have divorced. Using longitudinal data from the British Household Panel Survey—to control for so-called fixed effects—we then cross-check this result, and confirm the same finding, on various random samples of young British adults.
Social media permeates many aspects of our lives, including how we connect with others, where we get our news and how we spend our time. Yet, we know little about the economic effects for users. In 2017, we ran a large field experiment with over 1765 individuals to document the value of Facebook to users and its causal effect on news, well-being and daily activities. Participants reveal how much they value one week of Facebook usage and are then randomly assigned to a validated Facebook restriction or normal use. One week of Facebook is worth $67. Those who are off Facebook for one week reduce news consumption, are less likely to recognize politically-skewed news stories, report being less depressed and engage in healthier activities. These results are strongest for men. Our results further suggest that, after the restriction, Facebook’s value increases, consistent with information loss or that using Facebook may be addictive.
The chapter begins with a review of the historical and current socio-political context for sexual minority and gender diverse (SMGD) individuals living in Portugal, followed by relevant research on the associations between minority stress and well-being. A particular focus is devoted to presenting data collected as part of the SMGD-MN study. The chapter concludes with recommendations for future psychological research with SMGD communities in Portugal.
The chapter begins with a review of the historical and current socio-political context for sexual minority and gender diverse (SMGD) individuals living in Indonesia, followed by relevant research on the associations between minority stress and well-being. A particular focus is devoted to presenting data collected as part of the SMGD-MN study. The chapter concludes with recommendations for future psychological research with SMGD communities in Indonesia.
The chapter begins with a review of the historical and current socio-political context for sexual minority and gender diverse (SMGD) individuals living in Switzerland, followed by relevant research on the associations between minority stress and well-being. A particular focus is devoted to presenting data collected as part of the SMGD-MN study. The chapter concludes with recommendations for future psychological research with SMGD communities in Switzerland.
The chapter begins with a review of the historical and current socio-political context for sexual minority and gender diverse (SMGD) individuals living in Malaysia, followed by relevant research on the associations between minority stress and well-being. A particular focus is devoted to presenting data collected as part of the SMGD-MN study. The chapter concludes with recommendations for future psychological research with SMGD communities in Malaysia.
The chapter begins with a review of the historical and current socio-political context for sexual minority and gender diverse (SMGD) individuals living in the United States, followed by relevant research on the associations between minority stress and well-being. A particular focus is devoted to presenting data collected as part of the SMGD-MN study. The chapter concludes with recommendations for future psychological research with SMGD communities living in the United States.
The chapter begins with a review of the historical and current socio-political context for sexual minority and gender diverse (SMGD) individuals living in South Africa, followed by relevant research on the associations between minority stress and well-being. Given the dearth of research on this topic, a large portion of this chapter focuses on recommendations for future research and practice for those interested in working with SMGD individuals living in South Africa.
The chapter begins with a review of the historical and current socio-political context for sexual minority and gender diverse (SMGD) individuals living in Italy, followed by relevant research on the associations between minority stress and well-being. A particular focus is devoted to presenting data collected as part of the SMGD-MN study. The chapter concludes with recommendations for future psychological research with SMGD communities in Italy.
The chapter begins with a review of the historical and current socio-political context for sexual minority and gender diverse (SMGD) individuals living in Brazil, followed by relevant research on the associations between minority stress and well-being. A particular focus is devoted to presenting data collected as part of the SMGD-MN study. The chapter concludes with recommendations for future psychological research with SMGD communities in Brazil.
The chapter begins with a review of the historical and current socio-political context for sexual minority and gender diverse (SMGD) individuals living in Nigeria, followed by relevant research on the associations between minority stress and well-being. Given the dearth of research on this topic, a large portion of this chapter focuses on recommendations for future research and practice for those interested in working with SMGD individuals living in Nigeria.