Grant Number:	5R01CA170128-02 Interpret this number
Primary Investigator:	Fredrickson, Barbara
Organization:	Univ Of North Carolina Chapel Hill
Project Title:	Promoting Cancer-Related Behavior Change Through Positive Emotions (PQ4)
Fiscal Year:	2013

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The American Cancer Society estimates that 62% of all cancers could be prevented altogether through lifestyle change. Despite good intentions, people's attempts to alter their behaviors known to increase cancer risk - related to diet, physica activity, tobacco and alcohol use - often fail, which ultimately increases their risks for various cancers. In response to NCI's Provocative Question 4, the overarching goal of the proposed research is to investigate the role of positive emotions in facilitating successful lifestyle chang, defined as long-term adherence to cancer- preventive behaviors (e.g., nutritious eating, physical activity, tobacco, and alcohol use). An innovative upward spiral model of lifestyle change integrates multiple streams of research in basic behavioral and brain sciences to position positive emotions as key active ingredients that not only seed non-conscious motivational pulls toward newly-adopted cancer-preventive behaviors, but also reshape key biopsychosocial resources in ways that increase the subsequent positive emotion yield of multiple cancer-preventive behaviors, creating a self- sustaining dynamic system. A longitudinal, dual-blind, placebo-controlled field experiment tests this new model by targeting three Specific Aims. These aims are: (1) to identify biopsychosocial resources that moderate the link between cancer-preventive behaviors and their positive emotion yield; (2) to test whether and how positive emotions, experienced in daily life, produce a psychological propensity for wellness through the combined presence of (a) increases in non-conscious motives for cancer-preventive behaviors and (b) increases in biopsychosocial resources; and (3) to test whether positive emotions and a psychological propensity for wellness predict increasing and sustained cancer-preventive behaviors and improved health-related outcomes at 18-month follow-up. The proposed study tests the novel upward spiral model in daily life with densely repeated measures and physiological, behavioral, endocrine, and self- report indices of health-related outcomes. This program of translational research stands to reshape public health interventions and unlock hidden opportunities to drastically reduce the incidence of cancer.




Does shared positivity make life more meaningful? Perceived positivity resonance is uniquely associated with perceived meaning in life.
Authors: Prinzing M. , Le Nguyen K. , Fredrickson B.L. .
Source: Journal Of Personality And Social Psychology, 2023 Aug; 125(2), p. 345-366.
EPub date: 2023-02-13 00:00:00.0.
PMID: 36780274
Related Citations

Penalized Estimation and Forecasting of Multiple Subject Intensive Longitudinal Data.
Authors: Fisher Z.F. , Kim Y. , Fredrickson B.L. , Pipiras V. .
Source: Psychometrika, 2022 06; 87(2), p. 1-29.
EPub date: 2022-01-21 00:00:00.0.
PMID: 35060013
Related Citations

More Than a Momentary Blip in the Universe? Investigating the Link Between Religiousness and Perceived Meaning in Life.
Authors: Prinzing M. , Van Cappellen P. , Fredrickson B.L. .
Source: Personality & Social Psychology Bulletin, 2021-12-29 00:00:00.0; , p. 1461672211060136.
EPub date: 2021-12-29 00:00:00.0.
PMID: 34964385
Related Citations

The Psychometric Properties of the Prioritizing Positivity Scale.
Authors: Catalino L.I. , Boulton A.J. .
Source: Journal Of Personality Assessment, 2021 Sep-Oct; 103(5), p. 705-715.
EPub date: 2020-11-09 00:00:00.0.
PMID: 33166185
Related Citations

Understanding Engagement in and Affective Experiences During Physical Activity: The Role of Meditation Interventions.
Authors: Don B.P. , Van Cappellen P. , Fredrickson B.L. .
Source: Psychosomatic Medicine, 2021 Jul-Aug 01; 83(6), p. 592-601.
PMID: 34213861
Related Citations

Same-day, cross-day, and upward spiral relations between positive affect and positive health behaviours.
Authors: Fredrickson B.L. , Arizmendi C. , Van Cappellen P. .
Source: Psychology & Health, 2021 04; 36(4), p. 444-460.
EPub date: 2020-06-13 00:00:00.0.
PMID: 32538212
Related Citations

Specifying exogeneity and bilinear effects in data-driven model searches.
Authors: Arizmendi C. , Gates K. , Fredrickson B. , Wright A. .
Source: Behavior Research Methods, 2020-10-09 00:00:00.0; , .
EPub date: 2020-10-09 00:00:00.0.
PMID: 33037600
Related Citations

A Square-Root Second-Order Extended Kalman Filtering Approach for Estimating Smoothly Time-Varying Parameters.
Authors: Fisher Z.F. , Chow S.M. , Molenaar P.C.M. , Fredrickson B.L. , Pipiras V. , Gates K.M. .
Source: Multivariate Behavioral Research, 2020-10-07 00:00:00.0; , p. 1-19.
EPub date: 2020-10-07 00:00:00.0.
PMID: 33025834
Related Citations

Perceived social integration predicts future physical activity through positive affect and spontaneous thoughts.
Authors: Rice E.L. , Adair K.C. , Tepper S.J. , Fredrickson B.L. .
Source: Emotion (washington, D.c.), 2020 Sep; 20(6), p. 1074-1083.
EPub date: 2019-07-01 00:00:00.0.
PMID: 31259591
Related Citations

Well-Being Correlates of Perceived Positivity Resonance: Evidence From Trait and Episode-Level Assessments.
Authors: Major B.C. , Le Nguyen K.D. , Lundberg K.B. , Fredrickson B.L. .
Source: Personality & Social Psychology Bulletin, 2018-05-01 00:00:00.0; , p. 146167218771324.
EPub date: 2018-05-01 00:00:00.0.
PMID: 29756547
Related Citations

Reflections on Positive Emotions and Upward Spirals.
Authors: Fredrickson B.L. , Joiner T. .
Source: Perspectives On Psychological Science : A Journal Of The Association For Psychological Science, 2018 Mar; 13(2), p. 194-199.
PMID: 29592643
Related Citations

Evidence for the Upward Spiral Stands Steady: A Response to Nickerson (2018).
Authors: Fredrickson B.L. , Kok B.E. .
Source: Psychological Science, 2018-01-01 00:00:00.0; , p. 956797617707319.
EPub date: 2018-01-01 00:00:00.0.
PMID: 29364775
Related Citations

Positive Emotion Correlates of Meditation Practice: A Comparison of Mindfulness Meditation and Loving-kindness Meditation.
Authors: Fredrickson B.L. , Boulton A.J. , Firestine A.M. , Van Cappellen P. , Algoe S.B. , Brantley M.M. , Kim S.L. , Brantley J. , Salzberg S. .
Source: Mindfulness, 2017 Dec; 8(6), p. 1623-1633.
EPub date: 2017-05-29 00:00:00.0.
PMID: 29201247
Related Citations

Being present and enjoying it: Dispositional mindfulness and savoring the moment are distinct, interactive predictors of positive emotions and psychological health.
Authors: Kiken L.G. , Lundberg K.B. , Fredrickson B.L. .
Source: Mindfulness, 2017 Oct; 8(5), p. 1280-1290.
EPub date: 2017-03-29 00:00:00.0.
PMID: 29312472
Related Citations

Of passions and positive spontaneous thoughts.
Authors: Rice E.L. , Fredrickson B.L. .
Source: Cognitive Therapy And Research, 2017 Jun; 41(3), p. 350-361.
EPub date: 2016-02-03 00:00:00.0.
PMID: 35655861
Related Citations

Positive affective processes underlie positive health behaviour change.
Authors: Van Cappellen P. , Rice E.L. , Catalino L.I. , Fredrickson B.L. .
Source: Psychology & Health, 2017-05-12 00:00:00.0; , p. 1-21.
EPub date: 2017-05-12 00:00:00.0.
PMID: 28498722
Related Citations

Do Positive Spontaneous Thoughts Function As Incentive Salience?
Authors: Rice E.L. , Fredrickson B.L. .
Source: Emotion (washington, D.c.), 2017-02-16 00:00:00.0; , .
PMID: 28206793
Related Citations

Common Variant In Oxtr Predicts Growth In Positive Emotions From Loving-kindness Training
Authors: Isgett S.F. , Algoe S.B. , Boulton A.J. , Way B.M. , Fredrickson B.L. .
Source: Psychoneuroendocrinology, 2016 Nov; 73, p. 244-251.
PMID: 27543885
Related Citations

Beyond emotional benefits: physical activity and sedentary behaviour affect psychosocial resources through emotions.
Authors: Hogan C.L. , Catalino L.I. , Mata J. , Fredrickson B.L. .
Source: Psychology & Health, 2015; 30(3), p. 354-69.
PMID: 25307453
Related Citations

Prioritizing positivity: an effective approach to pursuing happiness?
Authors: Catalino L.I. , Algoe S.B. , Fredrickson B.L. .
Source: Emotion (washington, D.c.), 2014 Dec; 14(6), p. 1155-61.
PMID: 25401290
Related Citations

Updated thinking on positivity ratios.
Authors: Fredrickson B.L. .
Source: The American Psychologist, 2013 Dec; 68(9), p. 814-22.
PMID: 23855895
Related Citations