Myers and Diener

• Method - a literature review on happiness examining factors correlated with happiness. Secondary source of information as an original observation piece of research. Most studied reviewed carried out between 1985 and 1991 in a wide range of countries. Used evidence from different methods, to assess subjective well-being, observations, self reports etc. Between two variables.
• Subjective well being - a persons opinion of how happy they are.
• Collectivist cultures - culture where the group takes priority over the individual.
• Individualist cultures - cultures where the individual takes priority over the group.
• Flow - so caught up in activity that the mind doesn't wander, oblivious of surroundings and time flies.
• Procedures - (process of a literature review) select a topic, search literature, develop argument, survey literature, develop findings, write up the review.
• Findings - money, yes/no, in poorer countries money relate to happiness but only in as far as it helps afford lifes basic needs. Gender, no, across 16 countries 80% of men and women are fairly satisfied with life. Culture, yes, individualist cultures had a greater subjective wellbeing than collectivist.
• Findings - age, no, a survery of 170,000 people from 16 different countries revealed no time in life is happier than another. Race, no, no difference in happiness based on race, people of different nationalities scored similarly on tests of self-esteem.
• Findings - Personality, yes, consistently happy people possess 4 key personaluty traits, high self-esteem, control, optiminism, extroversion. Relationships, yes, people who can name several friends are happier than people who have few friends. Work and 'flow', yes, if work is challenging and engaging creates a sense of flow and individual feels absorbed. Religion, yes, religious people report higher levels of happiness and life satisfaction.
• Conclusions - knowing a persons age, race, sex and income does not inform us about how happy a person is. Better clues come from knowing what traits a person has friends. By asking who is happy we can help people rethink their priorities and build a world that enhances well-being. The importance of adaptation, any theory of happiness must emphasis the role of adaptation, people have an enormous capacity to adjust and adapt to significant life events. The effects of highs and lows will not alter happiness levels over the long term.
• Conclusions - cultural world view, a persons culture influences how they view the world, some cultures percieve the world as benevolent and controllable whereas the other cultures socialise people to accept anxiety and guilt as normal, your culturally influenced view of the world will affect how you respond to life events and therefore influence your happiness. Values and goals, an important factor in well-being is feeling that you are making progress towards long term goals.
• M+P - p - literature reviews are reliable - high external reliability, literature reviews involved a large sample of ppts, large smaples and cross-cultural.
• M+p - n - literature reviewed = correlational research, cause and effect issues, issues as a culturally biased sample.
• F+C - p - high reliability (external), high population validity, alternative evidence to support myers and diener - relationships are linked to happiness.
• F+c - n - literature reviewed = correlational research cause and effect issues, low population validity - sample culturally biased, alternative evidence to contradict myers and diener - schnika - gene linked to happiness = biological factor.
• E+s implications - p - workplace, to help employers and employees increase 'flow' contribute to wellbeing. Literature reviews are ethical ways of conducting research, ethical issues as no manipulation of ppts, so no lasting psychological harm. Health sector mental health increase in more ideas to increase wellbeing.
• E+S implications - n - could be considered socially sensitive create negative stereotypes.