L22 - Happiness Flashcards
what factors contribute to happiness? Is happiness stable or can we change how happy we are? how do we become happier?
What are the two types of happiness?
Hedonic (feel pleasure)
- feeling good
- enjoyment and fun
- maximizing positive emotion
- minimizing negative emotions
Eudaimonic (feel purpose)
- feeling fulfilled
- pursuit of meaning in life
- engagement
- realizing full potential
What factors contribute to happiness?
Circumstances: 10%
Intentional activities: 40%
Genes: 50%
What is set point theory?
genes
Happiness levels fluctuate around a genetically determined set point
this set point tends to be positive, not neutral
What is the evidence for set point theory?
happiness seems to be stable over time, despite the occurrence of life events
happiness levels of identical twins are strongly positively correlated but happiness levels of fraternal twins show no consistent relationship
extraversion and neuroticism are strong predictors of happiness
- these traits have a strong genetic basis (temperament)
What was the finding of Brickman et al.’s study on lottery winners?
a year after winning the lottery, lottery winners were not any happier than control Ps
What is the Hedonic Treadmill?
desire –> strive –> obtain –> enjoy –> adapt –> desire more –> desire (and so on)
What were the findings of Brickman et al.’s study on lottery winners (1978).
circumstances
patients with spinal cord injuries were significantly less happy a year post-accident than both loterry winners and control
suggests that people adapt differently/less well to different life events
Describe Kettlewell et al.’s study on differential impact of life events (2020).
do different life events impact happiness differently?
method: longitudinal study of about 13000 Australians
reported on 18 common events (9 positive, 9 negative)
reported on:
- hedonic happiness: e.g.,s “feel full of life,” “felt so down in the dumps”
- eudaimonic happiness: e.g., “how satisfied are you with your life, all thing considered?”
Results
- Not all events are created equal
- differences in events in magnitude and duration of effect on happiness
- differences in impact on hedonic and eudaimonic happiness
What are individual differences in adaptation?
although happiness is largely stable, about 25% of people show a significant change in their chronic happiness level
What are individual differences in happiness range?
different people can have the same average happiness point but show different levels of variation around this set point
What is meant by “circumstances” when it comes to happiness?
the things that happen in a person’s life
- important events in life, like winning an award or being in an accident
demographics, like age, gender, or ethnicity
life status variables, like marital status, health, or income
national, geographical, cultural region where a person lives
How does money interact with happiness?
for most people, hedonic happiness increases with more income
past 100,000 USD
- for the happiest people (≥70th percentile), this linear relationship between income and happiness accelerates
- for the lest happy people (15th percentil), happiness plateaus
other studies have shown that eudaimonic happiness also increases with more income
What is the money-happiness paradox?
higher income is associated with more happiness
BUT, having the goal of making more money decreases happiness
- people with stronger financial success goals (“it is very important to be very well off financially”) reported:
– lower life satisfaction
– lower satisfaction with family life
– lower satisfaction with friendships
– lower job satisfaction
suggests that while it is generally good for your happiness to have money, it is detrimental for your happiness to want money too much
What do circumstances imply for happiness?
estimate of life circumstances accounting for only ~10% of happiness may be due to complex and contradcitory effects
- 10% may be an underestimate
research into circumstancial factors suggests that happiness is within our control to some extent and can change
- challenges set point theory
what is the revisited version of the set point theory?
genetics determine possible happiness range
non-genetic factors influence where someone consistently falls within this happiness range
