1. Happiness is influenced by both genetic and environmental factors, with about 50% due to genetics and 40% influenced by individual choices and behaviors. 2. While wealth and high social status do not necessarily correlate with happiness, factors like strong social relationships, generosity, gratitude, and focusing on present moments rather than future goals are consistently linked to greater well-being. 3. Societal factors like income equality, a functioning democracy, and a culture that prioritizes community and spiritual fulfillment over productivity can contribute to higher average life satisfaction at the national level.

1. An Integrative Look at
Happiness

2. Happiness
• Common beliefs about what contributes to
happiness (i.e. money!) are not confirmed
by psychological research
• People get used to originally happy
situations so the happiness wears off
• Lyubomirsky (2001):
– Inborn genetic set-point for happiness probably
accounts for 50% of our happiness
– Circumstances affect 10% of our happiness
– Individuals can influence the other 40%

3. Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832)
• Defined happiness: the sum of positive
emotions minus the sum of negative
emotions
• Believed any action that promoted
happiness was morally right
– Actions promoting happiness defined as
pleasure and the absence of pain

4. Rich Doesn’t = Happy
• Two explanations:
– People compare themselves to others
• Based on Leon Festinger’s social comparison theory
• People assess themselves in comparison with others;
they aren’t as happy if they compare themselves to
people who have more/as much
– People link happiness to reaching goals, but
continue to set higher ones
• Based on Julian Rotter’s level of aspiration theory
• People formulate general expectancy
• Only happy for a short time (if at all) once they reach
their goal

5. Myers and Dieners (1995)
• Found discrepancy between wealth and
happiness
• Buying power of average American had
tripled since 1950
• Proportion of Americans who described
themselves as “very happy” remained at
about 1/3
• Shows no direct link between increase in
wealth and increase in happiness!

6. Hagerty (2003)
• Happiness was positively correlated with
equality of distribution of wealth in the
country
• As inequality of income decreased, average
level of life satisfaction increased
• Could be explained by social comparison
theory
– We often tend to compare ourselves to those
who are more fortunate (upward comparison)
which leads to dissatisfaction

7. Goals & Happiness
• People who link happiness to specific goals
are less likely to be happy
• When they reach their goals and do not find
themselves to be any happier they set new
ones!
• The media portrays wealthy consumers as
happy and the public believes it!

8. Johnson and Kruger (2006)
• Satisfaction with one’s own salary is a better
indicator of happiness
• Dissatisfaction when people think they
should earn more or feel others deserve less
than they earn
– Less happy, more greedy, because they compare
themselves to others

9. Conway, di Fazio, and Mayman (1999)
• Judge emotional reactions of high-status
people (with money) and low-status people
(without money)
• Widespread false belief (illusory correlation)
that richer = happier, less angry, less
depressed, less afraid
• Did not believe the status made a difference
in love

10. Dalai Lama
• Dalai Lama thinks the key to happiness is in
our hands
• Compassion is an important part of spiritual
development
– State of mind which is non-aggressive and rests
on the desire to help other people
– Acknowledging all people’s right to happiness
• Base happiness on connectedness to other
people—not wealth
– Empathy is an important factor

11. Sociocultural Influences: Bhutan
• Bhutan is very poor, but people are very happy
• Spiritual and meditative people; happy with idle
time, contemplation, and the pursuit of wisdom
• Government is not focused on
productivity, efficiency, and money
• Government considers the unique nature of
Bhutanese culture valuable
• King of Bhutan introduced the gross national
happiness to measure happiness
– The king is a Buddhist and thinks the purpose of life
is inner happiness

12. Sociocultural Influences
• The Danes are the happiest people on Earth
– Over 2/3 are “very satisfied” with their lives
– Climate does not seem a positive happy force
– Welfare state and highest level of income
equality
– Prosperous economy and well-functioning
democracy
– Do not have particularly high expectations about
the future—more realistic

13. Adrian White’s Map of World Happiness
• Created with a meta-analysis of 100
different worldwide studies
• Happiest: Denmark, Switzerland
• Unhappiest: Democratic Republic of the
Congo, Zimbabwe, Burundi

14. National Happiness
• 81% of population think the government
should focus on making citizens happier
rather than wealthier
• .62 correlation between nation’s happiness
and health
• .52 correlation between nation’s happiness
and wealth
• .51 correlation between nation’s happiness
and provision of education

15. Positive Psychology
• Term coined by Martin Seligman
• One main goal: conduct research that
promotes human happiness and well-being
• People can learn to think positively
• Positive emotions help mentally and
physically
• However, most happiness research is only
applicable to Western civilizations

16. Biological Factors in Happiness
• Habituation: People tend to adapt to their
environment
• Inherited ability to adapt to both negative
and positive situations
– Evolutionarily: our ancestors passed on genes
such as the ability to notice changes/adapt
• Humans seem to have an inner voice of
dissatisfaction that prompts them to strive
for more
– Our ancestors were the same way

17. Genetics & Happiness
• David Lykken thinks we have an innate
baseline (or set-point) of happiness
• Happiness Twin Study (Lykken 1996) to
compare happiness scores of identical and
fraternal twins
– Identical twins were very similar in happiness
scores
– Fraternal twins were not similar at all

18. Happiness
• 50% of happiness is due to genetics
• 10% due to situational factors
– i.e. rich, poor, healthy, unhealthy, married, sing
• 40% within one’s own control
– According to Sonja Lyubomirsky
– Actions and thoughts can affect happiness

19. Characteristics of Happy People
• Devote a lot of time to family and friends
• Easily express gratitude
• First to offer a helping hand
• Optimistic outlook on future
• Enjoy pleasures of life; live in the present
• Spend time doing physical exercise
• Committed to lifelong goals and ambitions
• Cope well in times of crisis

20. Lyubomirky Suggests…
• Express gratitude
• Investigate social connections
• Practice acts of kindness
• Avoid overthinking
• Avoid social comparison

21. Volunteering & Happiness
• Swartz et al. (1999)
• Volunteer work resulted in dramatic
changes in their lives
– Thinking of other people’s problems
– More tolerant and open
– Confidence in coping abilities
– Participated in more social activities
– Fewer episodes of depression
• Small sample; not large enough to
generalize