Myers and Dieners: Who is Happy? (Positive Approach)

• What is the Methodology and Procedures?

  It is a literature review therefore, there are no procedures
• What methods did M&D use to investigate factors affecting subjective well-being?

  Interviews and Questionnaires, Observation, Correlation
• What different areas were there for the ‘Myths of Happiness’?

  Age, Gender, Culture and Race, Money
• Age: How many people was the survey done on? (include no. of countries)


  Survey of roughly 170,000 from 16 different countries
• Age: What were the findings?

  No time of life was notable happier than another
• Gender: What were the statistics for who was more happy?

  Both 80% of women and men said that they were ‘fairly satisfied with life’
• Culture and Race: What statistics were used for happiness in Culture

  In Portugal 10% of people reported they were happy, compared to 40% in the Netherlands (even when income inequalities had been evened out)
• Money: What statistics were used for money?


  75% of American students going to college said that ’being very well off financially‘ was a ‘very important’ life goal and was ranked higher than raising a family
• What are the different areas for ‘Happy People’?

  Traits, Relationships, Flow, Faith
• Traits: What are the supposed traits of a happy person?

  Happy people tend to have high self-esteem and are more optimistic and extroverted
• Relationships: Who are more likely to be happier? (romantic and friendship)

  People who can name several friends are healthier and happier than people with few. Married people are more likely to say they are ‘very happy’ opposed to divorced people etc.
• Flow: How does flow make people happier?

  People with work satisfaction have greater life satisfaction. Work should help people reach a flow state (oblivious, time flies)
• Faith: What is the statistic for happiness in religious people?

  Religious people report higher levels of happiness. Surveys show people who are strongly religious are twice as likely to say they are ‘very happy’
• What three elements can be identified in these Conclusions?

  Adaptation, Cultural Worldview, Values and Goals
• Adaptation: What is effect of time on happiness through events? (Type of study)

  Recent longitudinal study found that it is only events in the last three months that have a significant effect on well-being. The response to positive and negative events fade over time
• Cultural Worldview: What conclusions were made on the effect of culture on happiness?

  An individuals culture influences how life events are interpreted which in turn effects well-being
• Values and Goals: What conclusion was made on the importance of having goals?

  Having goals and making progress towards them can predict well-being. Therefore, things like money are only important is they correlate to a persons life goals
• What factors are not correlated with happiness?

  A persons happiness is not predictable from their age, gender or affluence
• Evaluation of Methodologies and Procedures: What are two weaknesses

  Weakness: Culture bias research

  Many of the studies in the literature review have focused on Western cultures and used a Western definition of happiness when designing the questionnaires

  Weakness: Use of self report data

  The studies used relied on individuals to report on their subjective well-being, meaning that their responses are subjective to validity issues like social desirability and demand characteristics
• What psychologist found a lot of the research for the ‘myths of happiness’?

  Inglehart (1990)