Happiness (Subjective Well-Being) - Michael Hoerger幸福（幸福）-迈克尔hoerger

Happiness(Subjective Well-being)Michael HoergerIntroductionWhat is happiness?Subjective well-being:Participants report on own positive and negative feelingsHigh positive affect:happiness,pleasure,excitement,contentment,meaningLow negative affect:anxiety,sadness,worthlessness,restlessness,dejectionCompare ourselves to our reference groupCultureAverage personal income matters up to$10,000,but not much after thatEgalitarianism=more happinessFreedom to choose=more happinessInstability=unhappinessIn the U.S.:lower happiness for African Americans than whitesU.S.A.Northern EuropeRussiaPersonalityHappiness is relatively consistent across lifespanTemperament+SocializationLow neuroticism,high extraversionAssertivenessSelf-regulation Personal ControlPsychopathologyGenderWomen:anxiety,depression,and mood disordersMen:anger and aggressionSmaller differences forAmerican minoritiesDeveloping countriesAmishAgeCorrelates r=.10 with happinessLarger for malesSmaller or negative for females!Retrospective accounts show college years to be the happiestHappier people live longerPursuit of HappinessWhat choices can we make to maximize happiness?“Whether its the thing that matters or the thing that doesnt,both of them matter less than you think they will”GilbertReference points and copingMany factors NOT important for happiness,but a few areHealthCorrelates r=.30 with happinessHealth causes happiness and vice versaMild long-term impact for stable disabilitiesHarder to adapt to progressive diseasesMild benefits of attractiveness and cosmetic surgery for women;height for menWorkPeople who work are happierHappier people work more effectivelyUnemployed are much less happyBoredom,worse physical and psychological health,lower income,lower educationWorse impact among high SESReverse finding for retired peopleIncomeMatters more to poor countries/peopleIncome correlates r=.17 with happiness in the U.S.After about$10,000/year,personal income does little to affect happiness“Comparison income”more important than“actual income”Big r Little r No r EducationGreater effects in less-educated countriesCorrelates r=.10 with happiness,mainly by increasing income and job opportunitiesr=.10 between IQ and happinessSocioeconomic status(combination of education,income,and occupation)correlates r=.30 with happiness in the U.S.RelationshipsRanked most to least happy:Married,single,widowed,divorced/separatedChildren?Provides social supportDifficulty of bereavementMoneyLoveHappinessImportanceLeisure ActivitiesParticipating in valued activitiesWorking toward personal goals“Happy people know what they want to do and are doing it”Brickman and CoatesCsikszentmihalyis(chick-sent-me-high)idea of“flow”Behavioral activationSocial benefitsReligionReligiousness correlates r=.10 with happinessMainly due to third variables,such as social support,marriage,class,personality“Does religion cause happiness or vice versa?There is little clear evidence on this point”Social PolicyNational happiness registry?Promote psychological and physical health,and leisure activitiesFocus on extremes:Progressive diseases,low income,unemployed,bereavement and divorceQuotesNature has placed mankind under the governance of two sovereign masters,pain and pleasure.It is for them alone to point out what we ought to do,as well as to determine what we shall do.They govern us in all we do,in all we say,in all we shall think.-Jeremy BenthamHuman felicity is produced not so much by great pieces of good fortune that seldom happen as by little advantages that occur every day.-Benjamin FranklinWhen one door of happiness closes,another opens;but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us.-Helen KellerThat is happiness;to be dissolved in something complete and great.-Willa CatherHappiness is a habit-cultivate it.-Elbert HubbardHow to gain,how to keep,how to recover happiness is in fact for most men at all times the secret motive of all they do,and of all they are willing to endure.-William JamesPuritanism-the haunting fear that someone,somewhere,may be happy.-H.L.MenckenModern Americans travel light,with little philosophical baggage other than a fervent belief in their right to the pursuit of happiness.-George WillTo be happy,we must not be too concerned with others.-Albert CamusHappiness resides not in possessions and not in gold,the feeling of happiness dwells in the soul.-DemocritusMichael HoergerTo cite this lecture:Hoerger,M.(2007,April 23).Happiness and Subjective Well-Being.Presented at a PSY 220 lecture at Central Michigan University.