Psychology of Happiness
Happiness
• Subjective Well-Being • A Bleak Outlook: Is Happiness Relative? • The Luck Factor • Final Thoughts
Subjective Well-Being
• Satisfaction with Life Scale
– In most ways, my life is close to ideal. – The conditions of my life are excellent. – I am satisfied with my life. – So far, I have gotten the important things I want in life. – If I could live my life over, I would change almost nothing.
National Well Being
National Well-being and Wealth
Happiness and Wealth, U.S. Data
“The country grandpa came from was a stinking hellhole of unspeakable poverty where everyone was always happy.”
A Bleak Outlook: Is Happiness Relative?
• The Paradox of Choice (Schwartz, 2004)
– The Ubiquity of Choice Robs Us of Satisfaction • We live in a time of more choice than ever (e.g.,
products, beauty, identity, education, career, love, worship, where to live)
– More choice leads to more regret • Trade-offs, missed opportunities – We have a difficult time estimating how happy/miserable we once were, or will be
From Stumbling on Happiness by Daniel Gilbert
Maximization Scale
• Whenever I am faced with a choice, I try
to imagine what all the other possibilities are, even ones that aren’t present at the moment. • When I am in the car listening to the radio, I often check other stations to see if something better is playing even if I am satisfied with what I’m listening to.
Maximization Scale
• I treat relationships like clothing: I expect
to try a lot on before finding the perfect fit. • No matter what I do, I have the highest standards for myself.
Is Happiness Relative?
Brickman, Coates, & Janoff-Bulman (1975)
• Surveyed state lottery winners and
paralyzed accident victims about their well-being. Included control group.
– Lottery winners not happier and took less pleasure from mundane events than controls.
– Paraplegics rated their past as happier than controls. Relative to controls, they did not enhance minor pleasures and were somewhat less happy (but felt that they were happy overall).
A Bleak Outlook: Is Happiness Relative?
• Conclusions from The
Paradox of Choice (Schwartz, 2004):
– We would be better off if we embraced certain voluntary constraints on our freedom of choice. – We would be better off seeking what is good enough. – We would be better off if we lowered our expectations about the results of decisions.
A Bleak Outlook: Is Happiness Relative?
• More conclusions from
The Paradox of Choice (Schwartz, 2004):
– We would be better off if the decisions we made were not reversible. – We would be better off if we paid less attention to what others around us were doing.
The Luck Factor (Wiseman, 2003)
• Maximize your chance opportunities
– Lucky people build and maintain a strong “network of luck” – Lucky people are open to new experiences in their life.
My Neighborhood:
UC San Diego:
The Luck Factor (Wiseman, 2003)
• Expect Good Fortune
– Lucky people expect their good luck to continue into the future. – Lucky people expect their interactions with others to be lucky and successful. – Lucky people see the positive side of their bad luck. – Lucky people do not dwell on their ill fortune and take constructive steps.
• Turn your Bad Luck into Good Luck
Traits of Happy People
• Happy people like themselves. • Happy people feel personal control. • Happy people are optimistic. • Happy people are extraverted.
Socializing and Happiness
“Hell is other people.” -Sartre
• Self disclosers are happier (and healthier). • Married people are happier.
Faith of Happy People
• Highly spiritual people 2 times more likely
to say they are very happy. • Slightly less vulnerable to depression. • Greater happiness retained after suffering.