This study examines how gender and age effect how individuals select what they deem as happiness. Genders are affected by society’s roles they grouped into and how this changes their point of view on different predictors of happiness. This study also examines how social structural variables affect happiness, for example, marital status, and income. The study breaks down the participants into subgroups – gender and age under 25 and over to try and understand why individuals select specific events as happy moments in their lives.
This study hypothesizes that the predictors of happiness differ between males and females and changes with age. The researchers of this study are trying to demonstrate a difference in the predictors of happiness for males and female and how the predictors of happiness evolve over the aging process. An important aspect of Happiness or well-being is that it fluctuates for individuals. Researchers have been studying the different aspects of what they feel stimulates changes in happiness. There is important research that demonstrates the significance of gender and age on happiness. Underlying factors, such as personality may affect an individual’s perspective of being happy. When researching happiness there are two dimensions that were found to have different correlates. This in turn means the argument that positive and negative affect are distinct dimensions of well-being and the balance between them serves as the index of happiness (Ryff, 1989, p. 1070).
Classic studies on happiness have assumed that sociodemographic and social structural variables, like age, gender, marital status, and income played a principal part in individual’s differences in happiness (Mroczek & Kolarz, 1998, p.13...
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...Wood, Rhodes, & Whelan, 1989 in their research have shown the women are the emotional experts and are driven to be supportive and take a higher value in maintaining a relationship. This study also notes that women usually experience more happiness from focusing on an intimate relationship then men.
Overall, what makes individuals happy is effected by many factors, for example, their personality, self-esteem, age and gender. At the time when events occur these moments may seem like the happiest moments, though down the road this may be replaced with something more significant. Pressures from Society also effect what makes someone happy or unhappy in a given situation. Future studies should investigate how personality effects happiness and how individuals deal with affective disorders. How do these illnesses effect what the individuals deems as happiness.
... are in an unpleasant situation while women do not (Crawford and Unger). As men tend to be more uncomfortable, they prefer to simply reduce their physical reactions by not wanting to deal with problems. Thus, the responsibility of keeping a healthy relationship may fall under a woman’s duty.
Stephen M. Schuller and Acacia C. Parks research shows that circumstantial factors do not adequately explain different level of happiness. Positive reactions will contribute to everyone’s happiness just as well as negative reactions do. I agree with Schuller and Parks when it comes down to where your happiness comes from. I believe your happiness comes from how you react to every situation in your life and how you let it affect your happiness. Therefore, I do not agree with Newman and Larsen due to him believing your happiness is out of your control. Newman and Larsen state that most of what influences your long-term happiness is not in your control. Most circumstances that happen in your
Ryan, Richard M., and Edward L. Deci. "On Happiness and Human Potentials: A Review of
Happiness is a feeling that everyone tries to accomplish, yet some people sometimes only capture portions of it. In Brian Doyle essay, “Irreconcilable Dissonance,” he explains that divorce is becoming common among many couples today. Most couples are putting less effort into making a relationship/marriage work. There are many couples who get married, and most of them know that if the marriage does not work that divorce is always an option. With divorce in their back of their mind they lack the true meaning of having a happy marriage. In Eduardo Porter essay, “What Is Happiness,” Porter states that happiness is determined by people’s qualities in their life. People who experience a positive viewpoint on life and about others are overall to
A powerful influence over happiness is how people perceive situations and how they choose to engage with others. Life may change within an instant and have a spiraling spin of high and low points, but the positive state of mind and the value of social relationships determine the
One reason described to be a cause of happiness is income. Don Peck and Ross Douthat indicate how, “National income appears to be one of the best single predictors of overall well-being, explaining perhaps 40 percent of the difference in contentment among nations” (352). With this statement, comes the explanation of how income can influence happiness in adults who strive to earn a living. Research illustrates how, “For individual countries, with few exceptions, self-reported happiness has increased as incomes have risen” (Douthat 352). While these two statements provide sufficient evidence for the reason of income bringing happiness, income itself is not relevant.
However, happiness also takes into account a wide range of other aspects of our lives, including our thoughts and actions, and even genetics. Therefore, happiness should be defined as the amalgamation of how we think and act, and how we interpret our experiences as positive or negative. What this means is that in order to become happier, we must simply force ourselves to become more optimistic. This is easier said than done, however. In order to have a noticeable increase in happiness, people must be willing to make lifestyle changes in addition to changing their mindset. However, the difference between optimism and delusion is a fine line, so people must be cautious to not exaggerate the positive parts of an experience or become overly optimistic. If we practice seeking out the positive views of our circumstances, with time we will find ourselves happier than
Utilizing a pie chart, she illustrates the crux of her research; 10% of our happiness is increased or decreased by our circumstances. 50% of our happiness is increased or decreased by genetic predisposition, 40% is within our ability to control. We have “opportunities to increase or decrease our happiness levels through what we do and how we think” (22). She provides 12 specific happiness enhancing activities. She implores us to commit time, resources and energy to this “intentional activity”. Promoting these changes in our lives to accommodate being happier, which will benefit everyone in the end.
Pinquart, Martin, and Silvia Sörensen. "Influences Of Socioeconomic Status, Social Network, And Competence On Subjective Well-being In Later Life: A Meta-analysis.." Psychology and Aging 15.2 (2000): 187-224. American Psychological Association. Web. 8 Apr. 2014.
An individual 's happiness is vital to their overall wellbeing and is affected by numerous factors, all to varying extents.
Happiness according scientific studies happiness comes from dopamine taking chemicals around the brain, which is a transmitter in the brain that controls the nervous system. These chemicals in the brain make us happy and sad. Happiness means different things to different people, so say Happiness comes from peace and other happiness comes from your expectations from being fulfilled. Happiness is like being sad or angry, it?s an emotion. Some people can get happiness from the simplest things such as reading your favorite book; other people are more complicated they see happiness as some thing that doesn?t really happen to them, but that?s not true because very person is different some people are happy all the time or at least most of the time, while some people say that there not happy are really just happy for a short period of time, weather it means just laughing at a joke, your happy for that couple of seconds.
Achieving long-term personal happiness is possible with hard work and perseverance by using several methods. Understanding and following various steps to have fulfillment can change your life. By consistently following an assortment of important steps, you will develop a life pattern that is generally happy. Many people throughout history have attempted to find ways to become happier, and share the information with others. While there are occasionally things that should make a person unhappy, it is important to not allow unhappiness to become a lifelong pattern that destroys you mentally and physically. In addition, happy people tend to have more friends and success because they are fun to associate with.
Haller, Max and Hadler, Markus. "How Social Relations and Structures Can Produce Happiness and Unhappiness: An International Comparative Analysis" Social Indicators Research, Vol. 75, No. 2 (Jan., 2006), pp. 169-216. J Store.Web.06 Nov 2013.
Happiness is a feeling that humans naturally desire. Without it, one feels incomplete. In this generation, happiness has taken on a definition by how we are presented to one another. It is measured by how much money we have, how famous we are, or the things we possess. When in reality, none of these things guarantee a happy life. Happiness is something that cannot be bought with money, but rather, it must be found, earned, sought after. Each and every one of us has our own list of things that we consider to make us happy. However, happiness shines brightest through the relationships we create, and the goals we make for ourselves to strive after. Along with these two essential sources, we then can mix and match those things in life that we enjoy to create our own unique formula for happiness.
Throughout history, philosophers and scientists of various kinds have been trying to define happiness, identify its causes and the obstacles to reaching it. According to Jon Gertner, psychologist Gilbert and economist Loewenstein have succeeded in pointing out several reasons why people are unhappy (pp: 444-6). It is important to note that according to Gilbert, it is not that people cannot g...