Myers and Diener (1995) (Positive) Flashcards
What types of investigation did they use?
Interviews - a persons own sense of happiness (Subjective well being)
Questionnaires
Observation - Recording what they are doing at selected times
Meta-analysis
Is happiness related to age?
No differences - equally as happy
Different factors contribute to happiness
Is happiness related to gender?
80% of both men and women were ‘fairly satisfied’ with life
Women are 2x more vulnerable to depression
Is happiness related to culture?
People in indivulaist cultures (individual needs) report greater SWB than in collectivist cultures
Is happiness related to money?
Not everyone agrees that money buys happiness but most agree that having more money would make them a little happier.
However, the lack of importance of money does not apply to situations where people are poor. In poor countries, people with money report higher SWB than those without money
What are traits of happy people?
High self esteem
Sens of personal control
Optimism
Extraversion
Does happiness come from relationships?
For some, relationships cause more stree, but the benefit of relationships outweigh the strains.
Married are happier than non married
Does work cause happiness?
People who are out of work are less happy than those in work, but it can cause stress
What is ‘flow’?
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi introduced flow; the extent to which we become caught up in an activity so that others matter less
What are the main parts in happiness?
Adaption
Cultural world view
Values and goals
What are the problems with self report strategies?
SWB is subjective
Social desirability
People may think they are happy but are repressing their true feelings
What are the problems with correlations?
We cannot assume that a particular factor is a cause of happiness
Intervening variables
How could this experiment cause psychological harm?
There is a low risk but, people who are unhappy may not welcome being asked about their happiness and in fact may feel more depressed after being asked
