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| What Does and Doesn't Bring Happiness? by Michael F. Mascolo, Ph.D. |
In our last installment of The Happiness Chronicles (January, 2008), we talked about the idea of “the pursuit of happiness”. We talked
about how “happiness” is not a thing our outcome that can be pursued! People who pursue happiness are unlikely become very
happy. Happiness comes from a life well lived. Genuine happiness arises from the way we live our lives. Perhaps we should speak of
the happiness of pursuit rather than the pursuit of happiness.
Social scientists have gone about the task of trying to identify what does and does not bring happiness. Here are some of their
findings.
First of all – believe it or not – most people, all around the world, tend to say that they are generally pretty happy. If we ask people
to rate their “life satisfaction” on a 10 point scale, with 1 being the lowest and 10 being the highest, virtually everyone chooses a
number above “5”. The average around the globe is…”8”! But there are national differences in how happy people say that they are.
The top five: Switzerland, Denmark, Sweden, Ireland and the United States. To lowest five (from higher to lower): India, Hungary,
Romania, Russia, Bulgaria.
Now this survey was taken in the 1990s, after the collapse of the Soviet Union. And so, during this time, Hungary, Romania, Russia
and Bulgaria were in a relatively chaotic state. India is a vast country with great spirituality but much poverty. Let’s keep this in mind
as we move forward.
Here’s another finding: There is a relationship (a weak one, but it’s there) between socio-economic status and reports of “life
satisfaction”. People in professional occupations tend to say that they are happier than people who work in unskilled jobs. But
guess what? This has little or nothing to do with how much money people make! When researchers control (statistically) for how
much money people of different professions make, they find that it is the occupation, not the income, that makes the difference in
reports of “life satisfaction”.
So, what do we have so far? (1) People report the least amount of happiness in countries that are in a state of chaos of some sort;
(2) People in professional and more skilled occupations report being happier than people in low-skilled occupations; (3) Money is not
what makes people happy.
So, what’s going on?
Well, what seems to be common among the folks who are reporting happiness is that they seem to have some degree of control over
their lives. For example, people in higher social classes tend to have more education, be able to choose their occupations, and where
they want to live. They are more able to influence what happens at their work. They tend to have a higher degree of social status.
The same is true for people in economically-developed countries that are not in a period of uncertainty or transition.
It is not money that is important; instead, it is the control that one has over one’s life. It is the capacity to live a meaningful life – a
life filled with interesting work, satisfying relationships, health, and the capacity to make a difference in the lives of others.
Living a meaningful life can be done in countless ways. Having money can make it easier to pursue a meaningful life. But even
here, the pursuit of money or things is not what will make us happy. The person with the most toys at the end is NOT the winner.
Money itself is not a goal that can bring happiness. But money, if used wisely, can be a means to the end of living a meaningful life.
It’s what we do with the money that matters.
It is possible to live a meaningful and happy life without money. Billions of people have done it and will continue to do it. They find
their meaning in many places – in family, in interesting work, in good works, in spirituality, in creativity, and more.
Where do you find your meaning?
Studies described above were taken from Daniel Nettle’s excellent book, Happiness: The science behind your smile. Oxford University Press, 2005.
about how “happiness” is not a thing our outcome that can be pursued! People who pursue happiness are unlikely become very
happy. Happiness comes from a life well lived. Genuine happiness arises from the way we live our lives. Perhaps we should speak of
the happiness of pursuit rather than the pursuit of happiness.
Social scientists have gone about the task of trying to identify what does and does not bring happiness. Here are some of their
findings.
First of all – believe it or not – most people, all around the world, tend to say that they are generally pretty happy. If we ask people
to rate their “life satisfaction” on a 10 point scale, with 1 being the lowest and 10 being the highest, virtually everyone chooses a
number above “5”. The average around the globe is…”8”! But there are national differences in how happy people say that they are.
The top five: Switzerland, Denmark, Sweden, Ireland and the United States. To lowest five (from higher to lower): India, Hungary,
Romania, Russia, Bulgaria.
Now this survey was taken in the 1990s, after the collapse of the Soviet Union. And so, during this time, Hungary, Romania, Russia
and Bulgaria were in a relatively chaotic state. India is a vast country with great spirituality but much poverty. Let’s keep this in mind
as we move forward.
Here’s another finding: There is a relationship (a weak one, but it’s there) between socio-economic status and reports of “life
satisfaction”. People in professional occupations tend to say that they are happier than people who work in unskilled jobs. But
guess what? This has little or nothing to do with how much money people make! When researchers control (statistically) for how
much money people of different professions make, they find that it is the occupation, not the income, that makes the difference in
reports of “life satisfaction”.
So, what do we have so far? (1) People report the least amount of happiness in countries that are in a state of chaos of some sort;
(2) People in professional and more skilled occupations report being happier than people in low-skilled occupations; (3) Money is not
what makes people happy.
So, what’s going on?
Well, what seems to be common among the folks who are reporting happiness is that they seem to have some degree of control over
their lives. For example, people in higher social classes tend to have more education, be able to choose their occupations, and where
they want to live. They are more able to influence what happens at their work. They tend to have a higher degree of social status.
The same is true for people in economically-developed countries that are not in a period of uncertainty or transition.
It is not money that is important; instead, it is the control that one has over one’s life. It is the capacity to live a meaningful life – a
life filled with interesting work, satisfying relationships, health, and the capacity to make a difference in the lives of others.
Living a meaningful life can be done in countless ways. Having money can make it easier to pursue a meaningful life. But even
here, the pursuit of money or things is not what will make us happy. The person with the most toys at the end is NOT the winner.
Money itself is not a goal that can bring happiness. But money, if used wisely, can be a means to the end of living a meaningful life.
It’s what we do with the money that matters.
It is possible to live a meaningful and happy life without money. Billions of people have done it and will continue to do it. They find
their meaning in many places – in family, in interesting work, in good works, in spirituality, in creativity, and more.
Where do you find your meaning?
Studies described above were taken from Daniel Nettle’s excellent book, Happiness: The science behind your smile. Oxford University Press, 2005.