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Geography of Happiness > Exam I > Flashcards

Exam I Flashcards

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1
Q

What are some methodologies to study happiness? (list)

A

Surveys (including self-report)
Stress granules (when cells are under stress)
Observations (smiling, laughing)
Cross-sectional
Longitudinal
Experiments (but not really because of ethics)
Aggregated data and models
Quantitative measures (subjective happiness scale, purist questions, positive and negative affect schedule, Big Five Personality
Interviews (qualitative)
Journaling (qualitative)

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2
Q

Well-being

A

“a life that goes well for you”
well-being is a value, while happiness is a condition. What is good for us?
Happiness is more than just our state of mind (emotional state theory) - grounded in reality

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3
Q

What are the three theories from Haybron about Happiness?

A
  1. Emotional State theory - happiness as a positive emotional condition (a feeling)
  2. Hedonism - happiness as pleasure (a feeling)
  3. Life satisfaction theory - happiness as being satisfied with your life (a judgment)
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4
Q

Attunement

A

When you let your defenses down (tranquility/inner peace), arguably forms the core of happiness.
Anxiety, stress, insecurity can rob us of our ability to engage in the other dimensions.
Can be easy to ignore because it doesn’t command our attention like the other two.

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5
Q

Engagement

A 
Is it worth investing much time and effort in your activities, or should we withdraw and disengage from them?
Includes vitality (states of energy) and flow (when you are fully engaged in an activity)
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6
Q

Endorsements

A

The actual feeling of being happy; signifying that your life is positively good & the most familiar aspect of happiness. i.e. feelings of joy and sadness, success and failure

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7
Q

Three major dimensions of happiness (emotional state theory?)

A
  1. Attunement
  2. Engagement
  3. Endorsements
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8
Q

What are the two forms of engagement?

A
  1. vitality - states of energy

2. the notion of flow (when you are fully engaged in an activity - especially a challenging activity performed well)

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9
Q

Mood propensity

A

the tendency to experience certain moods and emotions rather than others

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10
Q

Hedonism

A

Happiness as pleasure (a feeling); the hedonic treadmill (we repeatedly return to our baseline level of happiness); Hedonists tend to define happiness as a positive balance of pleasant over unpleasant experiences

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11
Q

Davis NYT Article

A

Critiques productivity society & placing responsibility on individuals to be happy; happiness is politicized - why would a business want to push happiness? Productivity

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12
Q

Agarwal NYT Article

A

link between happiness and sustainability (shifting our perspectives so that happiness is linked to sustainability & equality)

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13
Q

Ehrenreich NYT Article

A

most happiness tests conflate happiness with life satisfaction

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14
Q

Lyubomirsky NYT Article

A

happy people are physically healthier (also a connection with the TED talk we watched last class) & happiness is achievable (but we shouldn’t be obsessed)

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15
Q

Examples of global attempts to measure happiness

A

HDI, Environmental Performance Index, OCED well-being, World Happiness Report, and ESRI
ESRI and World Happiness report - subject self-reported well-being
Some reports connected sustainability
Some measures focused on sustainability
Takeaway: there are many different measures of happiness – different countries had different rankings

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16
Q

Percentages of Happiness (& critique)

A

50% genetic
10% circumstance and environment
40% attitude

What about marginalized folks and social structures and inequities?

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17
Q

What are the limits of self-report measures?

A

They are very subjective! how people feel can change on a minute-to-minute basis. People may tend to overestimate. What if someone’s definition of a word is different? Also, survey length can deter people from answering questions/they get distracted)

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18
Q

Cross-sectional methodology

A

Acts as a snapshot of a population
Samples across age groups, genders, etc.
You don’t follow up with people

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19
Q

Longitudinal Studies

A

Example: the Harvard 75 year study
Checking in with the same population at a later date
Probably better than cross-sectional because you get to see change across the same population

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20
Q

Experiments

A

Super hard to do because what about the ethicality? You can’t assign a “happiness” condition easily/ethically

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21
Q

Decisions & benefit when using Aggregated Data & Models

A

Decisions: How much do you value different variables? Any form of modeling also involves weighing (importance)
What variables do you choose to look at? (access to water, women in government, etc.) (this can be difficult to collect data on)
Benefit: allow for comparing between countries

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22
Q

Types of quantitative measures

A

Subjective happiness scale - how happy are you on a scale of 1-7
Purist questions: yes/no
Positive and negative affect schedule: in this moment select all the words that describe your affect (strong, guilty, interested, hostile, distressed)
“The Big Five” Personality test (I think you did this for SHS Leila)

We do our best to counteract biases (but humans are complex, what can we say?)

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23
Q

Types of qualitative measures & the value

A

Observations (who is smiling on the street?)
less-structured interviews
I.e. What is your definition of happiness?
Have people journal and do a text analysis
(Can be valuable because it allows us to unpack complex dimensions of human experience)

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24
Q

Major Critique of Wiking’s Lykke

A

Focuses on European majority-white countries (and cites mostly white men)

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25
Q

Eudaimonia

A

Aristotle’s perception of happiness - the good life is meaningful and purposeful; it is a way to evaluate a life, is based off common experiences and is more objective. Did you serve a larger purpose, based off common beliefs about human nature? It is a complete life of virtuous activity (human excellence)
Fully exercising your human capacities
Nature-fulfillment - what is good for us is to fulfil our natures
It is an external standard (doesn’t depend entirely on what you like or care about)

26
Q

Wiking’s three dimensions of happiness

A
  1. Emotions
  2. Life satisfaction
  3. Eudaimonia
27
Q

Why might religious people be happier?

A

Community, solutions to problems outside yourself, everything happens for a reason, knowing your place in the universe and afterlife, following rules, not being self-centered, having a list of values

28
Q

Critiquing scientific studies of happiness

A
  1. What is the study measuring?
    A self-report measure should have questions assessing all major aspects of emotional well-being
  2. Do the groups being compared tend to answer happiness questions differently?
    Italians vs Americans
  3. If the study claims that some people are happy what’s the evidence?
    Most studies talk about life satisfaction, not happiness in the emotional sense and even if they are we don’t know how happy people must be to qualify as ‘happy’.
29
Q

Are Americans happy?

A

94% of Americans claim to be happy
Disapproves-
Depression and Anxiety (12% of Americans)
Loneliness (1 in 3 Americans)
Stress (1 in 3 Americans rate very high levels of stress)
Positivity bias- we tend to have an overly optimistic view of the world
We lack clear standards on what it means to be happy

30
Q

Adaptation-Level phenomenon-

A

describes our tendency to judge various stimuli in comparison with our past experiences
Happiness is relative to our own experience and yet also relative to others’ success

31
Q

Happy people tend to:

A 
Have high self-esteem (individualist countries) 
Be optimistic, outgoing, and agreeable
Have close friendships 
Have work/leisure that engages skills 
Have an active religious faith 
Sleep well and exercise
32
Q

Hedonic Treadmill/hedonic adaption

A

is a theory positing that people repeatedly return to their baseline level of happiness, regardless of what happens to them.
Happiness set point- our circumstances don’t account for most of our happiness, each person has a happiness set point which refers to one’s genetically determined predisposition for happiness. This set point for happiness is responsible for about 50% of the differences in happiness from person to person
Imply that an effort to increase happiness is pointless

33
Q

Wealth & Happiness

A

Wealth - there is roughly the same amount of happiness as income increases
Goals shifted from meaningful life philosophy to obtaining wealth (in the 70s)
Inequality and wealth disparities influence happiness
Currently, we live in a throwaway society and have easy access to goods (political economy post-WWII economic boom(
Maximizing earning potential will probably not lead to happiness
Easterlin Paradox - As countries grow richer there is not a parallel rise in subject levels of happiness
HOWEVER in some countries increased wealth does produced increased levels of happiness

34
Q

Wealth & Happiness Policy implications

A

Policy implications
We need social welfare/safety nets (like affordable housing)
Healthcare; investing in places that allow people to gather
Work/life balance

35
Q

Satisfaction from life scale

A

(Activity we did in class) on a scale from 1-7

36
Q

Example for Life Satisfaction

A

‘Pop’ Bickham: Louisiana man sentenced to life in prison
Released 37 years later for an unjust conviction
“No regrets” “great experience”
But did he lead an emotionally fulfilling life in prison?
Was satisfied even though he might not have thought his life was going well for him
Ludwig Wittgenstein
Famously tormented philosopher, died at a young age
Said to have had a “wonderful life”
But look at this picture. “Born looking like he’s seen a ghost”

37
Q

Life Satisfaction

A

This view of happiness is very appealing because it takes you to be the authority about your life and ties your happiness to your view of what matters for you
However, it also involves a global judgment about your life: a judgment about whether your life is going, not just well, but well enough for you

38
Q

What does SOARS stand for? and what does it refer to?

A

Sources of happiness (all of which constitute basic, universal human needs)
SECURITY - you feel secure in the possession of what matters
OUTLOOK- covers how we tend to perceive, interpret, explain, evaluate, and respond to things and what we value
AUTONOMY- People who feel able to make their own decisions without being under another’s thumb tend to be significantly happier
RELATIONSHIPS- Of all the things that matter for happiness, relationships are probably the one thing we most need to get right: family, friends, community
SKILLED AND MEANINGFUL ACTIVITY- The two most important facts about human nature from the perspective of happiness are these: we are social creatures and we are agents

39
Q

Security

A

A part of SOARS.
The security that matters the most for happiness is perceived or felt security
Types of Security:
-Material Security (double edged sword)
Social security - (secure in your relationships and community)
Project Security - feeling secure in prospects for success in one’s major projects
Time security - having enough time to do what you need to do (not being stressed)

40
Q

Outlook

A

A part of SOARS.
covers how we tend to perceive, interpret, explain, evaluate, and respond to things and what we value
However it is not something you simply choose, it is a skill that you must cultivate throughout years of effort
Two approaches tend to dominate discussions of outlook
Positivity - focusing on the positives, savouring life’s little pleasures, being optimistic and grateful, counting one’s blessings etc
Acceptance- not getting bent out of shape when things don’t go your way: accepting things as they are, and not demanding that they fit your agenda
Also caring for others and intrinsic motivation

41
Q

Autonomy

A

A part of SOARS.
People who feel able to make their own decisions without being under another’s thumb tend to be significantly happier
Autotomy should not be confused with option freedom

42
Q

Relationships

A

A part of SOARS.
Of all the things that matter for happiness, relationships are probably the one thing we most need to get right: family, friends, community
A strong sense of community not only provides a sense of security; it makes things easier and lessens the need for money

43
Q

Skilled and Meaningful Activity

A

Two most important facts about human nature from the perspective of happiness are these: we are social creatures and we are agents
People are happiest leading active lives
Activities most productive of happiness appear roughly to have two features: they are skilled and meaningful
State of flow is what arise when doing something well and challenging that pushes one skills to the limit

44
Q

What is not included in SOARS that maybe should be?

A

Nature?

Money?

45
Q

Sociology studies…

A

systems and groups of people

46
Q

Social Capital

A

interacting with other people more often from different segments of society leads to increases in social capital.
(idea in both political science and sociology) - references the degree of mutual trust in a society. It is an indicator of how connected a society is
Can be built up when interacting with people from different segments of society
Builds trust and empathy
Built through informal discussions
Increases cohesion, which allows for greater problem solving capacity
There is a relationship between social norms and social capital (what are the perceptions of safety - are people worried about crime?)
If you have trust then you don’t have to worry as much - how do you feel about your fellow human beings?
Context matters! Some aspects of social capital don’t matter in certain regions (and vise versa)
Trust in democratic institutions (historical context matters)
Study example: Rural landholders and invasive species (social capital experiment done by Kleipis)
People arriving in rural areas in New South Wales, Australia
How do they manage the land? (playing vs working on the land)
Measured social capital
Have you attended a local community event?
Primary producers worked with others to manage the land, but there wasn’t a lot of interaction between the two groups (low social capital)

47
Q

List the factors that explain why some people are happier than others (Wiking)

A

Freedom of choice and time
(parental happiness gap, commuting time, work)
Trust (tiger moms, lost wallet, literary fiction)
Equality
Kindness

48
Q

Freedom (of choice and time)

A

One of the ways some people are happier than others (Wiking).

  • Bonus grandparents and communal housing
  • Commuting time (lack of control - people working from home are less anxious)
  • Initiatives
  • work-life balance (meetings, managers, emails all take away time at work - no-talk Thursdays)
  • parental happiness gap
49
Q

Trust

A

One of the ways some people are happier than others (Wiking).

  • trust in others (babies and strollers)
  • caring for the elderly
  • lost wallet experiment (Norway + denmark all wallets returned) vs in general - 50% of wallets returned
  • Tiger vs elephant moms (elephant moms are parents who encourage their children and believe it is super important for children to know they are loved)
  • Reading literary fiction - builds empathy
50
Q

Equality

A

One of the ways some people are happier than others (Wiking).
More economically equal a state is - more trust
air rage
inequality decreases empathy, trust, mental health, and increases violence and crime

51
Q

Kindness

A

One of the ways some people are happier than others (Wiking).

  • brings a sense of purpose
  • “helper’s high” - mild version of morphine high
  • pleasure part of the brain - giving money to charity
  • people who volunteer are happier
  • more crowded a city - usually less help
52
Q

What are the theories of wellbeing?

A

Eudaimonia
Desire
List
Modern Eudaimonia

53
Q

Desire theory of wellbeing

A

What is good for you is what you want

what about explaining mistakes? what about if what people want isn’t good for them?

54
Q

List theories of wellbeing

A

identify well-being with a list of objective goods like knowledge, achievement, friendship and pleasure
Critique: pretty arbitrary

55
Q

~Modern~ Eudaimonia

A

John Stuart Mill: individualized ideal which we call self-fulfillment: living in accordance with who you are- the self
Well-being is part of your individual personality
What’s normal for humans is irrelevant for what’s good for you
Idea of authentic happiness: your happiness must be grounded in your life, and reflect who you truly are

56
Q

The good life

A

It is surprisingly hard to define
For life to have been good for you it has to be substantially better than having not lived (not really that hard to get) - a choice about whether to act well
Wombo compo of well-being and virtue
We should prioritize connecting with people, relaxing, avoiding debt, and making it “come out even”

57
Q

Waldinger Harvard Study

A

724 Harvard men - 75 years
60 men still participating (still alive) in their 90s
Vs poorest neighborhoods
Finding: good relationships are essential
Loneliness kills
The quality of your close relationships matter
Good relationships protect our brains
COVID & relationships
Good life = good health
White man study :(

58
Q

West 1999

A

Capitalism is BAD
Democracy threatened when we do not feel ourselves to be “a citizen among citizens”
Evolved around buying and selling, promoting and advertising
Logic: I want power now. I want pleasure now. I want property now. Your property. Give it to me.
We like nonmarket values

59
Q

2 ways of judging the good life

A
  1. justified aspiration - was it a life worth aspiring to?

2. Justified affirmation - is it a life you would be justifiably satisfied with?

60
Q

Easterlin Paradox

A

As countries grow richer there is not a parallel rise in subject levels of happiness
HOWEVER in some countries increased wealth does produced increased levels of happiness
United States is a good examples of the paradox because GDP rises faster than happiness
Theory: Influence of income inequality
1970/1980 - less income inequality, happier
Countries like Denmark and France, economic growth did not entail increase in income inequality whereas Portugal, wealth was not shared and people were not happier
China example - U-shaped pattern with rural to urban migration (with life satisfaction)

Geography of Happiness (1 decks)

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