Evaluate Myers & Diener for ethical +social (10)

• Ethical issues: psychological harm

  P: one ethical strength of Myers and Diener’s (1995) study is that it poses minimal risk of psychological harm, as it primarily uses self-report methods and secondary data, without manipulating behaviour.

  E: this non-invasive approach means most participants are unlikely to be distressed.

  E: however, asking individuals to reflect on their own happiness may be uncomfortable for those experiencing poor mental health, potentially increasing feelings of sadness or inadequacy. Therefore, researchers must follow ethical guidelines such as those set out by the British Psychological Society, ensuring that participants are debriefed appropriately and referred to Professional support services if they experience emotional distress.

  L: this maintains participant welfare and ensures the study meets ethical standards
• Social implications: socially sensitive research

  P: a major social implication of this study lies in its potentially socially sensitive findings.

  E: Myers and diener report significant cultural changes in happiness, such as Inglehart’s (1990) data showing only 10% of Portuguese reporting happiness compared to 40% in the Netherlands.

  E: while such statistics can inform policy or cultural understanding, they risk reinforcing negative stereotypes - for example, assuming Portuguese people are generally unhappy. Furthermore, these comparisons may lack validity of the samples are not representative or if cultural differences in expressing happiness are not accounted for.

  L: therefore, while the findings can have useful applications, researchers must present such data with caution to avoid unintended stigma.
• Conclusion

  In conclusion, while Myers and Diener’s study is ethically sound in terms of low risk and clear boundaries for researcher responsibility, its broader social implications require careful handling. Researchers must balance the benefits of understanding happiness with the responsibility to avoid reinforcing stereotypes or misrepresenting groups.