evaluating Myers’s & Diener (1995)

• 1. alternative evidence
• 1a. strength is that findings have been developed further by alternative evidence
• 1a. for example, Howell and Hill investigated the effect of money on happiness
• 1a. found that money could produce happiness but only if it was spent on experiences rather than material goods
• 1a. strength as it demonstrates that the relationship between money and happiness is more complex than previously suggested
• 1b. limitation is that the findings have been contradicted by alternative evidence
• 1b. a study found that individuals with a particular variant of the 5-HTT gene report higher levels of life satisfaction
• 1b. these findings show that happiness may be linked to biological factors such as genetics
• 1b. contradicts the theory of happiness proposed by Myers & Diener and suggests that happiness may be pre-determined
• 2. methodology and procedures
• 2a. limitation is that studies it analysed are based on self-report data
• 2a. research has found that social desirability scores correlate with happiness scores
• 2a. this means that people who represent as happy are more likely to give socially desirable answers
• 2a. the results of the study may lack validity as it does not represent people’s real happiness levels
• 2b. another limitation is that it relied on correlation data
• 2b. biggest issue with this is that we cannot assign causation to the findings
• 2b. just because research finds a relationship between 2 variables this does not mean one has caused the other
• 2b. we need to be careful when drawing conclusions from such research
• 3. ethical issues and social implications
• 3a. ethical strength is that it involved little contact with participants
• 3a. a strength as it means there is very little risk of harm
• 3a. it is possible that unhappy people may have found reflecting on their happiness difficult (psychological harm)
• 3a. could be an ethical issue as it is possible symptoms of disorders such as depression could be made worse as a result of research
• 3b. findings from this study could have positive impact on the economy
• 3b. staff sickness and staff turnover are estimated to cost the UK economy £26 billion per year
• 3b. creating a happy and healthier workforce may help to reduce this cost
• 3b. while there appears to be economic benefits of improving well-being, it is unlikely that employers will invest in such approaches until positive psychology increases its profile