Myers and Diener Flashcards
Name 4 of the 9 factors that Myers and Diener looked at ?
Age , sex ,race and traits .
Findings regarding age
Psychologist did interviews with representative sample of people all ages . No time of life was notably happier .
Inglehart did a survey of 169,776 people across 16 nations . No significant difference in ‘life satisfaction’ across age groups .
Overall no real differences across ages in SWB.
Finding regarding sex
Meta -analysis of 146 studies found gender accounted for less than 1% of people’s global wellbeing.
Inglehart - survey of 16 nations = 80% of men and 80% of women said they were at least ‘fairly satisfied’ with life .
Overall no real difference in subjective well being across sexes
Findings regarding race
Multiple studies ; African - Americans report nearly as much happiness as European -Americans.
Crocker and Major : black and white people score similarly on test of self-esteem.
Overall , no significant difference in SWB across races .
Findings regarding traits
Multiple studies - test of self-esteem , strong links between SWB and self-esteem . Happy people tend to like themselves.
multiple studies - happy people tend to be extraverts , happier both alone and when spending time with others , no matter where they work or occupation .
Overall - certain traits have an impact on subjective well being .
How to answer a exam question about Myers and Diener findings
4 different factors
2 different findings per factor
What is the ‘adaptation’ conclusion of M&D’s theory of happiness?
The effects of positive and negative circumstances are short-lived and therefore it is the individual’s ability to adapt to these circumstances that can determine their SWB.
What is the ‘cultural worldview’ conclusion of M&D’s theory of happiness?
People are predisposed to view life events based on their culture and this can have a significant impact on SWB.
What is the ‘values and goals’ conclusion of M&D’s theory of happiness?
Having non-conflicting goals and making progress towards them are all predictors of SWB. Therefore, things like money are only important if they are relevant to a person’s life goals
Other conclusion
Knowing a person’s age, race, sex and income does not inform us about how
happy a person is. Better clues come from knowing a person’s traits, whether the
person has a strong network of supportive relationships, whether the person’s
culture offers positive interpretations of daily events, whether the person is
engaged in work and leisure, and whether the person has a faith that entails
social support, purpose and hope.
* This new research on psychological well-being is a welcome complement to the
long-standing studies of depression and anxiety, and of physical and material well-being.
