Methodology and procedures

• Myers and Diener's research method

  • Literature review
  • Selected existing data from studies into happiness
  • Drew them together across a range of themes
  • Presented existing information in a new way to create a theory of happiness
• Subjective Well-Being (SWB)


  Assessments used to reflect on happiness and life satisfaction
• Components of well-being


  • Presence of positive emotions correlated with absence of negative emotions
  • Overall satisfaction with life
• Themes of the research

  • Myths of Happiness - questions based on age, gender, culture and money
  • Happy People - their traits and relationships, 'flow' and the faith of happy people
• Data collection tools

  • Interviews
  • Self-report surveys
  • Meta-Analyses
  • Cross cultural comparisons
  • Correlations
• How happiness and well-being are measured is also discussed