Happiness Happens!

One of my discussion posts next week included the following questions: What factors have been shown to affect subjective well-being? What other factors do you think can affect happiness?

I had great fun researching this subject, because I think everyone has a right to be happy. Here's what I think today ... it could change tomorrow ...

Numerous factors have been shown to affect subjective well-being. In Australia, the Victorian Government Health compiled a list, grouping them into four headings: Healthy conditions and environments, psychosocial, effective health service, healthy lifestyle (Victorian, n.d.) Another source (MacLeod, Coates, & Hetherton, 2008) identified economic, social, personality and cognitive factors as attributes of well-being. No matter how many factors are named, the general consensus is that subjective well-being is the combination of high positive affect, low negative affect and satisfaction with life.

Happy people usually have a positive temperament; they are optimistic and do not meditate on unpleasant events (Diener, et al., 1999). According to Diener, two of the most prominent predictors of happiness are Extraversion and high levels of Emotional Intelligence. This study also showed that gaining pleasure from some aspect of one’s life is an important factor. Another study (Furnham & Christoforou, 2007) showed that religiousness can also be an important “happiness” factor for people who are active in faith-based communities because their faith provides a support community in times of crisis, reasons to look outside of the self, and a sense of purpose and hope. While religiousness is a factor for some, their study also found that religion is not necessary for overall happiness for everyone.

In an informal interview (Jacobs, 2010) with a self-reported happy person, a 51-year-old Chief Warrant Officer in the U.S. Army expressed how he became happy when he ran out of reasons to be angry and began to accept himself. The self-acceptance happened “when I realized I could do more, going out and doing more, and then experiencing success … when I realized I didn’t have to be unhappy, when I realized that people love me.” He went on to report that when you can “pull yourself up by your bootstraps”, apply yourself, you can do it and then help others. He also felt that realistic goals promote happiness, and that when the goal is achieved it is imperative to recognize that achieving the goal is not the end. Rather, it is how you build to the next level. This interview very much supports the findings of MacLeod et al. who reported that goal setting is a major factor in attaining happiness.

When I reflect on this topic, I think happiness is a by-product of what I do because happiness is an emotional reaction to something. Therefore happiness cannot be a goal in and of itself. Happiness happens when a person has the ability to recognize what activities, environments and actions make them happy and when they become self-aware and self-accepting. I find I can be happy most of the time when I consciously practice activities that create happiness. In essence my happiness is a habit. It took and continues to take practice.

For me, my well-being and happiness depend on doing what I love to do and being/working with people I love. It involves experimenting with different thoughts, ideas and experiences so that I grow intellectually and artistically, and march to the beat of my own drum. I alone am responsible for recognizing what I do and do not like—and making a CHOICE. If I am going to be happy I must refrain from doing what I do not like to do—especially when I am free to make that choice. For example: I do not work in a job because “it pays me well", or because "it is a good job.” This is a courageous act when the choice to *give up* the so-called *financial security* must be made, and because society is not kind when choices like these are made. However, in so doing, I learned so much about the nature of happiness and how easy it really is to be happy.

Without knowing the work of Vella-Brodrick & Peterson (2009), my personal observations/experiences are supported. In their studies, they noted that engagement in activity and meaning are more important that the pleasure. Well-being occurs when a person is fully engaged in activity (flow) and that the experiences are meaningful. My experiences tell me this is true.

Happiness happens! Once again: FASCINATING! Don’t you just LOVE psychology!

References
Diener, E., Suh, E. M., Lucas, R. E., & Smith, H. L. (1999). Subjective well-being: Three decades of progress. Psychological Bulletin, 125(2), 276-302. doi:10.1037/0033-2909.125.2.276

Furnham, A., & Christoforou, I. (2007). Personality traits, emotional intelligence and multiple happiness. North American Journal of Psychology, 9(3), 439-462. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.library.capella.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com.library.capella.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=psyh&AN=2007-19659-003&site=ehost-live&scope=site

Jacobs, A. (2010, November 11). Telephone interview.

Lucas, R. E. (2007). Adaptation and the set-point model of subjective well-being: Does happiness change after major life events? Current Directions in Psychological Science, 16(2), 75-79. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8721.2007.00479.x

MacLeod, A. K., Coates, E., & Hetherton, J. (2008). Increasing well-being through teaching goal-setting and planning skills: Results of a brief intervention. Journal of Happiness Studies, 9(2), 185-196. doi:10.1007/s10902-007-9057-2

McGregor, I., & Little, B. R. (1998). Personal projects, happiness, and meaning: On doing well and being yourself. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 74(2), 494-512. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.74.2.494

Strack, F., Schwarz, N., & Gschneidinger, E. (1985). Happiness and reminiscing: The role of time perspective, affect, and mode of thinking. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 49(6), 1460-1469. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.49.6.1460

Vella-Brodrick, D., Park, N., & Peterson, C. (2009). Three ways to be happy: Pleasure, engagement, and meaning—Findings from australian and US samples. Social Indicators Research, 90(2), 165-179. doi:10.1007/s11205-008-9251-6

Victorian Government Health Information. (n.d.) The factors affecting health and wellbeing. Retrieved November 11, 2010 from http://www.health.vic.gov.au/healthpromotion/downloads/factors_hlth_wellbeing.pdf