Nonordinary states of consciousness induced by mind-body practices are increasingly studied for their potential to support self-transcendence and psychological well-being. According to the Self-centered/Selflessness Happiness Model (SSHM), sustained well-being may arise from a shift away from self-centered mental processes toward a more decentered, and interconnected sense of self. This study explored how a volitional altered state of consciousness (auto-induced cognitive trance-AICT) impacts different dimensions of self-experience and their relationship to well-being. Using a mixed-methods design, trained practitioners (N = 17) recalled two contrasting experiences: an ordinary waking state (a recent mealtime) and a self-induced trance. In each condition, they described their subjective experience, with a focus on various dimensions of self-consciousness such as self-concept, agency, bodily boundaries, self-location, and temporal awareness. Subjective well-being was also assessed using the Authentic Happiness Scale. Results showed that, compared to ordinary consciousness, the AICT state induced profound alterations in both narrative and minimal self-experience, including reduced self-referential thought, a more diffuse and decentered self-location, diminished sense of agency, attenuated bodily boundaries, and heightened feelings of oneness. These experiential changes were accompanied by increased subjective well-being, particularly in the form of inner peace. Correlational analyses yielded preliminary findings consistent with the hypothesis that these emotional benefits may be primarily associated with transformations in minimal self-related processes, though replication with larger samples is needed to confirm this pattern. These implications are discussed.

This study offers an empirical investigation of selflessness conceptualized across three core dimensions (connectedness, impermanence, and disidentification) within the framework of the SelfCenteredness/Selflessness Happiness Model (SSHM; Dambrun & Ricard, 2011). We examined whether these dimension predicts non-attachment, which in turn predicts authentic happiness, and explored alternative sequencing among the components. A sample of 214 regular meditation practitioners completed validated self-report measures, and five structural equation models were tested. Two models met acceptable fit criteria and were retained for interpretation. Across retained models, all three selflessness dimensions were associated with non-attachment, which consistently emerged as a strong proximal predictor of authentic happiness. Model comparisons further indicated that positioning disidentification as an intermediary process linking impermanence (and to a lesser extent connectedness) to non-attachment provided the most coherent representation of the data. An alternative configuration also supported an indirect pathway from disidentification to authentic happiness through impermanence and non-attachment, whereas the corresponding pathway through connectedness did not reach statistical significance. Taken together, these findings support the SSHM and suggest that selflessness-related dimensions may be hierarchically organized, with disidentification operating as a key process linking self-related insights to non-attachment and well-being. These results contribute to a more nuanced understanding of the mechanisms underlying authentic happiness and have implications for meditationbased and therapeutic approaches targeting selflessness

Health is increasingly conceptualized as a multidimensional construct encompassing both individual and interpersonal components, yet the interpersonal level remains underexplored. Drawing on the Self-centeredness/Selflessness Happiness Model (SSHM), this study examines how two modes of self-functioning (i.e. selflessness and self-centeredness) relate to relationship quality at both intra- and interpersonal levels. Across two dyadic studies (Study 1: N = 293 pairs; Study 2: N = 266 pairs), participants reported their levels of selflessness, self-centeredness, and multiple indicators of relationship quality (trust, satisfaction, commitment, and conflict). Actor-Partner Interdependence Models were used to test interpersonal effects. Results revealed consistent between-partner similarities across variables, suggesting affiliation processes or shared influences. Self-centeredness was reliably associated with lower relationship quality at both intra- and interpersonal levels, including lower partner-perceived trust in honesty across both studies. In contrast, selflessness showed limited intrapersonal associations but demonstrated positive interpersonal relations in Study 2, particularly with partner-perceived benevolence. Additional multigroup analyses indicated that these associations were largely invariant across relationship types, samples, and contact frequency. Overall, findings support the extension of SSHM to interpersonal domains and highlight distinct patterns of association between self-functioning and interpersonal health indicators.

Conceptualized as distinct psychological functionings respectively linked to authentic-durable and fluctuating happiness, selflessness and self-centeredness have recently been the subject of instrument development to evaluate their manifestations at the trait-level. Along the lines of this work, the goal of the current research was to adapt the psychometric instrument at the day-level: the Selflessness/Self-centeredness Inventory – Day-level (SSI-D). Consistent with the trait-version, both exploratory analysis (Study 1, N = 853) and confirmatory analysis (Study 2, N = 265) indicated that the SSI-D measured seven factors organized into two latent variables (i.e. selflessness divided into four components, self-centeredness divided into three dimensions). Correlational analysis (Study 3, N = 1409) provided initial evidence that day-level selflessness and self-centeredness can be differentiated psychometrically and showed theoretically meaningful patterns of association with mental health, interpersonal health, and pro-environmental outcomes. Invariance analyses were satisfactory, and preliminary validity evidence was generally consistent with theoretical expectations, although further validation using more comprehensive and jointly administered criterion measures is needed.

Research has typically examined how self-location in the head or heart is associated with traits and behavior, yet its link to relationality—specifically the felt sense of connection—remains underexplored. This study investigated how dispositional self-location predicts the embodied experience of being relationally linked to others and the world. We initially developed the Dispositional Self-Location Questionnaire (DSLQ), an association-based instrument designed to minimize potential subjective bias in participant reporting of self-location. Using this measure, we categorized a U.S. sample of 218 adults who had reported a strong experience of connection as head-locators or heart-locators and assessed them on self-construal, self-expansiveness, connectedness, and perceived qualities of connection. Head-locators reported firmer self-boundaries, emphasizing independence, rationality, and decision-making. In contrast, Heart-locators scored significantly higher on connectedness to both self and world, and on metapersonal self-construal, describing their connections as close, warm, caring, and authentic. These findings suggest that self-location functions as a somatic attentional stance that anticipates the experiential boundary between self and other: the head favors separation and autonomy, while the heart favors openness and expanded belonging.

Extensive research evaluated the protective role of psychological resources (PRs, e.g. optimism, hope, gratitude and wisdom). However, few studies have explored their differential contributions when measured together. This study evaluated the longitudinal relationships between (and among) eight psychological resources, psychological distress (depression and anxiety symptomatology) and well-being (hedonic, eudaimonic, social, and inner well-being), over the first year of the COVID pandemic. Participants (N = 481) reported their levels of PRs, psychological distress, and well-being on two occasions (T0: April 2020; T1: June 2021). Cross-lagged panel analysis of the one-year associations revealed that 1) PRs positively, but differentially, predicted well-being and psychological distress; 2) PRs positively reinforced each other; and 3) well-being and low psychological distress also reinforced PRs, but to a lesser degree. In particular, psychological flexibility appeared to be the most predictive variable in all domains. This study highlights the need to include multiple psychological resources in future research.

This study examined passage-of-time judgments in patients with Parkinson’s disease, compared to age-matched healthy controls. The aim was to determine whether these temporal judgments are influenced by affects or by psychological representations of the self, which may differ between these populations. The self has indeed been identified as a potential factor shaping time cognition, either through the minimal self, rooted in emotional and bodily sensations, or through cognitive self-representations. We used self-reported scales to measure participants’ passage-of-time judgments across two distinct dimensions: (1) for distant life periods (e.g., now compared to 5 years ago), and (2) for shorter and more recent time periods (e.g., day, week). Participants also completed questionnaires assessing emotional states (e.g., perceived health, well-being, happiness). To more specifically explore self-representation, we measured levels of self-transcendence, defined as the pursuit of meaning that extends beyond oneself and one’s own needs or interests, to examine whether individuals viewed themselves in a self-centered way or held a more open and interconnected sense of self. The results did not show that Parkinson’s disease alter passage-of-time judgments, whether related to recent or distant past periods. However, the findings confirmed that judgments about the distant past and recent experiences reflect two distinct forms of temporal judgment. The former was associated with self-consciousness and the projection of the self across the lifespan, whereas the latter is more closely linked to emotional and bodily state representations, shaped by perceived health, emotional condition, and overall well-being.

According to the concept of Total Pain proposed by Cicely Saunders (1967), the treatment of pain for patients in need of palliative care requires considering its multidimensional nature, encompassing physical, social, psychological, and spiritual aspects. The aim of this study was to update the concept of Total Pain and explore the resources used by patients with cancer. Fourteen semi-structured interviews were conducted in one oncology center and one oncology rehabilitation center (median age = 70.5, range [55–77]; 8 women). The interview guide explored various dimensions of suffering, including physical (e.g., pain), social (e.g., isolation), psychological (e.g., emotional state), and spiritual (e.g., the role of spirituality in illness experience), as well as connections to nature, and patients’ internal and external resources related to each sphere of suffering. Interpretative Phenomenological Approach (IPA) was employed to analyze the interviews. The findings highlight several important aspects of suffering: the unpredictability of pain (physical sphere), loss of social roles (social sphere), negative affects (psychological sphere), evocation of the end of life (spiritual sphere), and loss of contact with nature. Besides in terms of resources, the study identifies several key coping mechanisms, such as mind-body practices for relieving physical and psychological pain, distraction engaging with the environment, nature as a source of positive emotions, and the search for meaning. Despite experiencing total pain, some patients utilize internal and external protective resources in the face of life-threatening illness. These findings underscore the importance of viewing Total Pain under its multidimensional aspect and as a dynamic process involving the individual’s connection with their community and environment. This study received approval from the Ethical Committee of CPP SUD EST 1 (National number: 2019-A02263-54).

Selflessness and self-centeredness are distinct psychological functionings that respectively favor authentic-durable and fluctuating happiness. As no current measure exists to systematically assess these functionings, the goal of this research was to develop a reliable psychometric instrument to assess them at the trait level: the Selflessness/Self-centeredness Inventory - Trait (SSI-T). Exploratory analysis (Study 1, N = 400) and confirmatory analysis (Study 2, N = 613) indicated that the SSI-T measured seven factors representing the modes of psychological functioning. Selflessness included four components (i.e. connection with humanity, connection with nature, compassion, and decentering), while self-centeredness included three components (i.e. self-focus, self-importance, and hedonic process). Validity analysis (Study 3, N = 250) with happiness, mental health, and transcendence-related indicators supported both construct and incremental validity of the scale.

Objectives Palliative care (PC) professionals confront the suffering and mortality of their patients, adding to the conventional stressors related to work dynamics or personal life. However, the specific stressors inherent in end-of-life (EOL) care and their relation with the mental health of these professionals, remain inadequately explored. This study seeks to examine the respective roles of various stressors encountered by PC professionals and their associations with mental health. Additionally, it aims to elucidate the relationships between specific psychosocial factors (psychological resources or work environment perceptions) and mental health within the context of stress associated with PC.Method An online questionnaire was developed and distributed to PC professionals in France (e.g., doctors, nurses, care assistants, psychologists). The questionnaire contained measures of stress experienced in the last 6 months (personal, professional, or EOL); measures of mental health; and measures of psychosocial factors (perceptions of work environment and psychological resources).Results Three hundred and seventy-nine participants completed the entire questionnaire in November 2022. Among the various stress factors assessed, the accumulation of EOL care emerged as a robustly linked stressor to poorer mental health. In this specific context of EOL care stress, self-compassion and psychological flexibility are significantly related to well-being and mental health, even when other psychosocial factors related to the work environment are statistically controlled.Significance of results This study is the first to highlight the main stressor affecting the well-being of PC professionals - the accumulation of EOL care - along with the key resources - psychological flexibility and self-compassion - that are associated with their well-being.

Palliative care (PC) professionals are constantly exposed to patients' suffering and death-potentially traumatic events (PTEs) that are in addition to everyday work and personal stressors. The long-term mental health effects of these experiences are unclear. Additionally, psychosocial factors such as social support, autonomy, psychological demands, empathy, psychological flexibility, mindfulness, and self-compassion have not been studied over the long term among these professionals. This six-month longitudinal study aimed to chart mental health trajectories in palliative care professionals. An online questionnaire was administered twice-November 2022 (t1) and May 2023 (t2)-to PC professionals in France (e.g. doctors, nurses, care assistants, psychologists). Of the initial 379 participants at t1, 280 completed both surveys, resulting in a 26% attrition rate. Chronic stress from ongoing end-of-life care was the strongest predictor of mental health between t1 and t2. Participants followed one of two trajectories: a resilience trajectory (63.21-68.93%) or a chronic distress trajectory (approximately 31.07-36.79%). Among all psychosocial factors measured, higher psychological flexibility significantly increased the odds of a resilience trajectory, as shown by associations with both burnout and well-being scores. Similarly, mindfulness and self-compassion are resilience factors on anxiety and depression scores.

BACKGROUND:Self-stigmatization is the process by which environmental stigmas are internalized. It leads to a decline in self-esteem, isolation, denial and risk behavior, and impairs quality of life. The aims of our study were to investigate the psychological, social and medical factors, in particular psychological flexibility and its defusion component, that are associated with resilience to self-stigmatization in people living with HIV (PLHIV), and to assess clinicians' perceptions of the condition. METHODS:A multicenter observational study was conducted in France using self-reports from PLHIV consulted between January 15, 2022 and June 15, 2022 and from professionals responsible for their care (study registration number 2021-A01588-33/SI:21.02814.000036). Self-stigmatization was measured by examining four domains: perceived stigma, anticipated stigma, internalized stigma and enacted stigma. RESULTS:Self-reports were collected from 45 hospital wards, 666 from PLHIV, of whom 71% were male with a mean age of 53 +/- 12.6 years, and 131 from health professionals, of whom 72.5% were clinicians. A total of 279 PLHIV (42%) reported items of self-stigmatization. Multivariable analysis showed that self-stigmatization was significantly associated with major depression (OR: 3.59, 95% CI: 1.19 to 10.80, p = 0.02), psychological inflexibility (OR: 1.53, 95% CI: 1.19 to 1.97, p = 0.001), and parental support deficit in childhood (OR parental support: 0.63, 95% CI: 0.40 to 0.98, p = 0.04). Among the dimensions of psychological inflexibility associated with HIV self-stigma, only fusion was positively associated (p<0.01). The proportion of PLHIV experiencing self-stigma was accurately estimated by only 31 (23.7%) health workers. Those health workers who did not minimize the prevalence of self-stigmatization among PLHIV had no particular characteristics. CONCLUSIONS:While the best means to combat self-stigmatization would be a social-ecological approach, it is fundamental to target in parallel individual vulnerability and protective factors accessible to health workers' interventions. Psychiatric care and/or the new cognitive-behavioral therapies could be offered more often as part of personalized care.

The aim of this study was to systematically examine the effect of awe-inducing stimuli on the judgment of time. Three experiments were conducted using temporal bisection tasks in which participants viewed awe-inducing and no awe-inducing images presented for different durations and were asked to judge whether their duration was similar to a short or long anchor duration. Images of panoramic landscapes and images of the faces of well-known and admired people were used in experiments 1 and 2, respectively. In experiment 3, they did not judge the duration of the images, but that of a neutral stimulus occurring during the presentation of images. In each experiment, participants rated the awe-inducing and no-awe-inducing images according to their components: admiration, beauty, awe, emotional valence, arousal, symbolic self-size, and full-body self-size. Results consistently showed significant time distortions when participants viewed the different awe-inducing images compared to the no-awe images, although the effect was weaker for the images of faces than for those of landscapes. Time distortion took the form of temporal lengthening in Experiments 1 and 2 and shortening in Experiment 3. These different temporal distortions are consistent with attention effects due to awe-inducing stimuli which capture attention to the detriment of time processing.

IntroductionThis study examined social perceptions and rejection towards fifteen mental illnesses, as well as a preliminary test of the SUBAR model, that hypothesized perceptions of both vital forces and burden would be negatively and positively related to social rejection, respectively.MethodsUsing an online survey with participants from France (n = 952), social rejection was assessed using a feeling thermometer and a social distance scale, while social perceptions were measured using visual analog scales.ResultsA stigma map for these different disorders is drawn up, revealing the social perceptions and levels of stigmatization specific to certain mental illnesses. Controlling for relevant social perceptions (i.e., danger, warmth, competence), we found that perception of burden was positively and significantly associated to social distance and negative feeling for 73% and 67% of mental illnesses, respectively. The perception of vital force was negatively and significantly related to social distance and negative feeling for 87% and 20% of mental illnesses, respectively. The change in R2 between model 1 (i.e. perception of danger, warmth, competence) and model 2 (i.e. model 1 + perceptions of vital force and burden) significantly improved in 100% of cases for social distance and 67% of cases for negative feeling.ConclusionThese preliminary data provide support for the SUBAR model and call for further investigations to better understand the social rejection of people with mental illnesses.

The study of farmers’ mental health according to their production model (organic vs. conventional) suggests that organic farming was associated with better mental health than conventional farming. However, to our knowledge, no research has been conducted to examine the social psychological factors responsible for these differences. This research aims to investigate the role of job content and values on farmers’ mental health according to their production model. To this end, an online questionnaire study on these dimensions was conducted on a sample of farmers. The results revealed that organic farmers scored significantly lower in anxiety and higher in positive emotions than conventional farmers. Psychological demand and conformity value appeared to be the most important explanatory factors related to the effect of farmers’ production model on mental health. Implications for the response rate and farmers’ mental health were discussed.

Describing the dynamical nature of happiness is crucial for understanding why individuals are constantly running on a hedonic treadmill around set levels of well-being. Based on the self-centeredness branch of the ’self-centeredness/selflessness happiness model’, we present a dynamical model that focuses on unfolding the hedonic dimension of happiness dynamics through the use of the approach–avoidance framework. This numerical model enables us to understand and analyze emerging hedonic cycles caused by hedonic motivation and hedonic adaptation. In particular, hedonic motivation leads people to experience hedonic activities, which result in successes or failures and experiences of pleasure and afflictive affects; whereas hedonic adaptation causes individuals to return to a baseline level of pleasure and afflictive affects, more quickly for the former than the latter. The proposed dynamical model is based on the approach–avoidance framework that considers human behavior in two separate regulatory processes that contribute to homeostasis of individuals’ happiness. We analyze these two processes independently and conjointly in order to highlight their effect on happiness levels. The analysis shows how individual characteristics and their combination may result in hedonic cycles, afflictive affects, (dis-)pleasure, and particular happiness dynamics. We also discuss how such a numerical model enables us to perform a multifactorial analysis which is hardly feasible outside the context of a simulation and how it may help us to narrow and design relevant experimental surveys from these preliminary numerical results.

Context: Palliative care professionals are exposed to significant stressors or Potentially Traumatic Events (PTEs) due to their work with suffering and dying patients, as well as stressors related to work organization and personal life. The long-term impact of these experiences on their mental health remains unclear. Additionally, factors such as social support, autonomy, psychological demands, psychological flexibility, mindfulness, and self-compassion have not been studied over the long term among these professionals. Objectives: This six-month longitudinal study aims to identify the mental health trajectories of palliative care professionals in relation to specific stressors. We hypothesized that dispositional resources such as self-compassion, mindfulness, and psychological flexibility promote resilience, considering participants’ perceptions of their work environment. Method: An online questionnaire was developed and distributed twice at six-month intervals (November 2022, t1, and May 2023, t2) to palliative care professionals in France (e.g., doctors, nurses, care assistants, psychologists). Of the initial 379 participants at t1, 280 completed both waves of the questionnaire, resulting in a 26% attrition rate. Results: Among the various PTEs measured, the chronic stress of accumulating end-of-life care in the last six months at t2 was the most robust predictor of mental health when controlling for the same health variable at t1. Participants followed one of two trajectories between t1 and t2 across our three mental health components: a resilience trajectory (63.21% ≤ size ≤ 68.93%) or a chronic distress trajectory (31.07% ≤ size ≤ 36.79%), consistent with resilience trajectory theory. Psychological flexibility significantly increased the probability of following a trajectory of resilience on the Burnout-CF (OR = 1.08; 95% CI:1.01, 1.15) and well-being components (OR = 1.11; 95% CI:1.03, 1.18).

Background The World Health Organization identifies pharmacists as a key resource in palliative care. However, the roles of these professionals in end-of-life care at home remain poorly understood, and community pharmacists themselves sometimes struggle to recognize their true role in this care. The aim of our study was to analyze community pharmacists’ representations of their roles in palliative care at home in France. Methods The methodology was qualitative and based on semi-structured interviews with community pharmacists ( n = 26). The analysis of the interviews was carried out using a qualitative content approach with thematic and lexical analysis. Results Three main elements of the community pharmacist’s role were identified: drug expertise, care management, and psychosocial support for patients and their families. Conclusions This study highlights a wide variety of roles adopted by French community pharmacists in palliative care at home. Some of these roles, which are in line with WHO recommendations on palliative care, have been little described to date. These roles of community pharmacists in home-based palliative care could be better recognized, and the players better integrated into end-of-life care systems at home, in order to improve such care. Trial registration This work was carried out within the framework of a call for projects from the Fondation de France and has received the approval of the University Clermont Auvergne Research Ethics Committee (no. IRB00011540-2021-60).

This paper proposes a new theoretical model to explain the acceptance/rejection of agents (co-workers) and various social groups (people with mental disorders or disabilities, the elderly, the unemployed/poor, ethnic minorities) in a given social system: the social utility-based acceptance/rejection (SUBAR) Model. Based on a social utility approach, it is proposed that human social cognition evaluates and reacts to agents/groups in a social system on the basis of the perceived strengths and significant contributions they bring to the system (upward forces; e.g., skills, resources, willingness) and the perceived weaknesses that may harm the system (downward forces; e.g., use of social benefits, dependence). While the perception of upward forces for the system (i.e., vital forces) is accompanied by acceptance (positive attitudes and behaviors), the perception of downward forces (i.e., burdens on the system) promotes rejection (negative attitudes and behaviors). The combination of the two indicators predicts that low vital forces/high burden targets will be the most rejected and high vital forces/low burden targets will be the most accepted. The high burden/high vital forces and low vital forces/low burden targets should be evaluated at an intermediate level between the other two. This naive calculation of the forces exerted by agents/groups in a social system is moderated by various variables (scarcity of economic resources, values) and responds to a functional attempt to regulate individual and collective interests, themselves dependent on the efficiency of given systems. Finally, the relationship of the SUBAR model to other relevant theories will also be discussed.