Happiness

Baumgardner, ch 2

Potential questions
What are the 2 traditions of happiness and what are the causes

Within psychology, this view of well-being is expressed in the study of SWB (Diener, 1984;
Diener et al., 1999). Subjective well-being takes a broad view of happiness, beyond the
pursuit of short-term or physical pleasures defining a narrow hedonism. Subjective well-
being is defined as life satisfaction, the presence of positive affect, and a relative absence of
negative affect
Hedonic and eudaemonic happiness should not be experienced by itself
Causes of happiness:
1. Dispositional happiness from traits- the same experience can be interpreted by
different people. Some people are dispositionaly happy.
2. Genetic- personality traits themselves have a strong genetic basis. Twins reared apart
are interesting to study because their similarities are on the basis of genetics.
Through these studies we find that we have a happiness set point which is 98%
genetically determined
Lyubomirskys work says that up to 40% is genetically determined and only 10 is because
of the circumstances we are in (which we make it to be the biggest determinant) 50 is
because of intentional activity (This means that things we set out to do to make
ourselves more happy, like engaging in charity, working out). There is more in our hands

3. Culture- culture permeates all aspects of our existence so its an important variable in
happiness. Specific cultural and socio-political factors have also been found to play an
important role in determining happiness (Triandis, 2000). In cross-cultural studies
associations have consistently been found between subjective well-being and living in
a stable democracy devoid of political oppression and military conflict. Cultures in
which there is social equality have higher mean levels of subjective well-being.
Subjective well-being is greater in individualist cultures than in collectivist cultures.
Happiness is also associated with important features of government institutions.
Subjective well-being is higher in welfare states; in countries in which public
institutions run efficiently; and in which there are satisfactory relationships between
the citizens and members of the bureaucracy.
4. Relationships- Both men and women reap the same benefits from marriage. There are
two explanations for the link between happiness and marriage. One explanation is that
more happy people get married while more unhappy people do not because happy
people are more attractive as marital partners than unhappy people. We often help
people who are more cheerful, and amicable. marriage becomes the vehicle of having
a social stature, financial stability, acceptability of sex life and having children, thus
mediated through these variables, marriage is something that people find satisfaction.
Another explanation is that marriage confers a range of benefits on people that make
them happy. Marriage provides psychological and physical intimacy, a context within
which to have children and build a home, a social role as a spouse and parent, and a
context within which to affirm identity and create posterity. These relational varaibles
 are also related to happiness. Individualistic culture allow people to express their
agency

However, the effects of unmarried cohabitation on happiness is affected by culture. In

individualistic cultures, cohabiting couples are happier than even married couples, but
in collectivist countries they are more unhappy than married or single people. This
unhappiness may be due to the stresses associated with violating social norms about
cohabiting in collectivist societies. In contrast, separated or widowed people in
collectivist countries are happier than their counterparts in individualist cultures. This
may be because greater social support is available to these single individuals in
collectivist cultures and the additional social support leads to greater happiness.

5. Kinship- there is a reason why people started living in conglomerates, for support.
Evolutionary basis are always about survival. We are likely to survive better in pacts
6. Friendship- the happiest 10 had a very distinctive attribute; a rich and fulfilling social
life.
7. Acquaintances
8. Religion and spirituality

Effects or consequence of happiness

Isen et al found that mild positive emotions has an affect on our cogn function. It was
conducted in a payphone where u have to pay to make a call. Some found coins inside the
payphone while others did not. Finding the coins is a mild state of happiness Compared to
those who didn’t find a coin, those who did were more likely to help someone with carrying
heavy books or picking up papers. Immediate connection between happiness and pro social
behaviour. Our capacity to help others increases when we are in a positive emotional state.

Impact of short burst of happiness on cogn functioning. A control group, a group that had to
read humanistic behaviour in practice? and an affect induction group. The latter received a
small package of candy. Both the groups had to read aloud a book. The latter group had less
inflexible and rigid thinking. Artificially induced happiness leads to important implications for
our cognitive functioning. Positive emotions are worth building on.

Impact on our bodily functioning such as immunity. Palmer et al researched on the common
cold and found that people who are often in positive emotional states are 3 times less likely
to get sick. Has important implication because it strengthens our immunity

1. Longevity- chances of longevity are much higher for the top quarter.
2. Creativity and productivity (pg 16, carr)-

Broaden and build theory

Positive emotions broaden our thought action repertoire (how many solutions can we
think of in a particular situation)

3 conditions, one where people saw a feel good movie (positive affect induction), saw a
sad movie (negative affect induction) and one was a control group

What are the different things we can do now? The P group came up with a lot more
alternative but negative group did not come up with any. When we are in a positive
emotional state, it seems to open us up in certain ways. The negative emotional conditions
tend to shut us down.

Positive experiences broadens our… repertoire, this leads to…(pg 45, Baumgardner)

Pg 45-46 (carr)

Area of application with intervention. find a minimum of 5 intervention studies from the
last 15 years (write a review paper). Focus on the implication and main takeaways. What
does it teach you. (2000 words excluding references) on google class room

Examples

Meditation based on health

Gratitude in workplace/health

Positive thinking intervention based on ageing

Kindness intervention based on education

Wisdom (carr pdf and
Baumgardner)
Models of wisdom: explicit and implicit (carr 158)
1. Eriksons 8 stages of personality development- briefly mention erikson, the other 7
stages (age, dilemma, virtue being developed ). Last stage- despair: all the previous
stages could not be overcome or feeling the negative aspects of all the stages.
Dreading the finality of life. While we all experience despair, we need to look at the
sum total. When we look back, what stands out? The feeling of despair or integrity?
Wisdom is like absolving oneself from the clutches of life
2. Wisdom as the final stage of cognitive development- Riegel (1973) has suggested that in late
adolescence, after people have passed through Piagets 4 stages of cognitive development
( write the stages in brief)