Is the practice of yoga associated with positive outcomes? The role of passion

Abstract

Using the dualistic model of passion [Vallerand, R.J., Blanchard, C.M., Mageau, G.A., Koestner, R., Ratelle, C.F., Léonard, M., … Marsolais, J. (2003). Les passions de l’âme: On obsessive and harmonious passion. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 85, 756–767], this research represents an initial attempt to examine whether an activity that is generally recognized to have widespread benefits, namely yoga, can still relate differently to outcomes as a function of the type of activity involvement (i.e., passion). Vallerand et al. (2003) distinguish two types of passion: harmonious passion, characterized by a volitional engagement in a beloved activity, and obsessive passion, which entails an uncontrollable urge to partake in the activity. Study 1 (n = 75) revealed that harmonious passion for yoga was more positively associated with positive psychological outcomes than obsessive passion. In Study 2 (n = 89), these findings were replicated and extended using a 3-month prospective design. Although preliminary, the results of this research suggest that the type of passion one has for a ‘positive’ activity makes a difference for one's psychological and physical well-being.

Keywords:

• passion
• yoga
• emotions
• state anxiety
• physical symptoms

Acknowledgments

The research was facilitated by grants from the Social Science and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) and by the Fonds de Recherche sur la Société et la Culture (FQRSC) to the second author and by a SSHRC Fellowship to the first author.