Ricerc@Sapienza

In the last decades a vast amount of research supported that positive emotions can be vehicles for individual growth and social connection, as well as antidotes to negative affect (Fredrickson, 1998; Shiota, Keltner & John, 2006). But a limited part of studies have specifically addressed the role the perceived capabilities to preserve one¿s own positive mood, to savor and nurture positive feelings, and to self-generate positive emotions, especially under adverse conditions. Those capabilities are key ingredients of people¿s resiliency when facing challenges and coping with adversities (Folkman & Moskowitz, 2000; Quoidbach, et al. 2011). The present proposal is aimed to address the role of Self-Efficacy Beliefs (SEB) in experiencing and expressing joy and satisfaction; SEB in retrieving positive emotional experiences, and SEB in using humor (Caprara, Di Giunta, et al., 2008; Gerbino et al., 2016).In particular, we are interested in examining the moderator role of those SEB in the relations between negative affectivity and low life satisfaction and bad quality of friendship relations, in young adults from Italy and Spain.
Participants will be young aduts aged 19-25 . they will complete a variety of self-report questionnaires measuring: Positive Affect/Negative Affect. (Watson, et al. 1988); Perceived Self-efficacy in Managing Positive Affect (Gerbino et al., 2016); Perceived Self-efficacy in Expressing Positive Affect (Caprara et al. 2008); Life Satisfaction ( (Diener, et al., 1985); Quality of Friendship ( Bukowski, Hoza, and Boivin ;1994). Findings from this proposal will extend previous limited knowledge concerning Self-Efficacy in dealing with positive affect. Furhermore, in examining whether SEB counteract the association between negative ffect and well-being, findings could clarify if SEB may be considered potential target of interventions aimed to strengthen personal and relational well-being and could suggest furher research lines