Examining the Well-Being and Ill-Being Correlates of Prioritizing Positivity and Investigating SES As a Moderator

Prioritizing positivity is the tendency to use positive emotions as a key criterion to structure daily life. Research shows that prioritizing positivity is associated with better psychological health. However, none of this research was preregistered and prioritizing positivity's links with ill-being remain understudied. In five preregistered studies (Sample A: n = 388, Sample B: n = 214, Sample C: n = 301, Sample D: n = 290, Sample E: n = 453), we found that prioritizing positivity was associated with more well-being (positive emotions, satisfaction, meaning), less ill-being (negative emotions, depressive symptoms, anxiety), and more hypomania, a mixed construct. We also examined if socioeconomic status (SES) moderated the link between prioritizing positivity and each psychological health indicator and found no support, except for meaning. This paper provides a broader, updated understanding of the psychological health correlates of prioritizing positivity.