1. Happiness

2. The extent of happiness
What percent of US adults consider themselves happy most or all of the time?
80% happy most of the time.
80% consider themselves optimists.
How accurate do you think these statistics are?

3. Some People Are Skeptical
Pessimists are better judges of reality.
Don’t look at the world through rose colored glasses.
Must be willing to keep an open mind.
Nurture optimism in ourselves and others.

4. Elements of Subjective Well-Being
1. Happiness:
--an emotional state.
--how you feel about yourself and the world.
2. Satisfaction with Life:
--more global judgment about your acceptance with your life.
--more of a cognitive assessment.

5. How Happy Are We? Time magazine poll (12/2014)
“Would you say that so far you have lived?”
--the best possible life you could have
--a very good life
--a good life
--a fair life
--a poor life

6. How Happy Are We? Results.
Time magazine poll (12/2014)
“Would you say that so far you have lived?”
--the best possible life %
--a very good life %
--a good life %
--a fair life %
--a poor life %
Good + very good + best possible = 83%

7. Last element of SWB 3. Emotional stability:
--low level of neuroticism.
--lack of serious personality flaws.
Neurosis: “poor ability to adapt to one's environment, an inability to change one's life patterns, and the inability to develop a richer, more complex, more satisfying personality." (Boeree, 2012)

8. How Do We Measure SWB? Most widely used scale developed by Ed Diener
“Dr. Happiness”

9. DIENER SWB SCALE SURVEY

10. What do numbers represent?
Not at all Moderately Absolutely
true true true
Rank ordered scale (ordinal data)
“real numbers” like height and weight (ratio data).
But, after all, this is called subjective well-being.
Even IQ is really a subjective construct.

11. Scoring the Diener SWB 31-35 Extremely satisfied 26-30 Very satisfied
Slightly satisfied
Neutral point
Slightly dissatisfied
Dissatisfied
Extremely dissatisfied

13. Can We Trust Self Report?
Is person telling the truth
Or giving socially acceptable answer?
Diener found high correlation between self report and reports of family and friends of subject.
Also agreement with overt behavior of subject (actions and expressions).

14. Is SWB Stable over time? All have mood swings.
Some days better than others.
Get good or bad news.
Solution: Event sampling.
Csikszentmihalyi gave subjects pagers.
When pager beeps, have to enter mood and activity into a journal or mini computer.
SWB small changes but quite stable.

15. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi is a Hungarian psychologist. He created the psychological concept of flow, a highly focused mental state.
He is the Distinguished Professor of Psychology and Management at Claremont Graduate University.

16. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
"The best moments in our lives are not the passive, receptive, relaxing times… The best moments usually occur if a person’s body or mind is stretched to its limits in a voluntary effort to accomplish something difficult and worthwhile." 

17. Changes in SWB Life crisis will cause a dip.
Celebration will cause a rise.
But SWB quite consistent.
A few long term studies.

18. Aging with Grace David Snowdon Longitudinal study
Essays written when take their vows.
Those who expressed positive themes had high SWB at advanced age.
Low level of Alzheimer’s.

19. Yearbook Pictures Harker and Kettner (2001)
Compared college yearbook photos with SWB 30 years later.
Looking for Duchenne smile.
Duchenne did first studies on facial expressions (1862) in France.

22. Varieties of smile
Pan American smile
Duchenne smile

23. Varieties of smile Duchenne vs. Pan American smiles
Correlates of Duchenne smile
Greater enjoyment
Broad smile that you can read in the eyes.
Seen in lower photo.

24. Smiles and SWB Women with Duchenne smiles in college yearbook photos.
30 years later:
Had happier marriages
Felt less stress
Had higher SWB scores.
Conclusion SWB stable over time.
Related to psychological wellness.

25. Psychological components of SWB
Ed Diener and David Myers
1. High self esteem
Most important predictor of SWB
Western cultures value individual achievement and success
Eastern cultures value group success.
Self esteem tied to group membership.

26. Psychological components #2
2. Sense of perceived control.
Belief some measure of control over life events (in cases where possible).
Rutter: Locus of Control
Internal locus best.
Newer term: personal control: belief that you can effect outcomes.

27. Not always in control Some occasions may turn over control.
Relinquish perceived control.
Hurricane, floods, acts of God.
Events outside your control.
Wisdom to know when to depend on this belief.

28. Psychological components #3
3. Extroversion
Higher SWB in people who are interested in things outside themselves.
Extroverts generally have higher SWB.
Seek and enjoy company of others.
Doesn’t mean that all introverts are unhappy.
Introverts prefer join a few close friends.

29. Psychological components #4
3. Optimism
“a tendency to expect the best possible outcome; to dwell on the most hopeful aspect of a situation.”
Look to the future with hope and positive expectations.
Optimistic explanatory style

30. Explanatory Style Example
Professor doesn’t return my phone call about writing a recommendation.
Negative:
professor hates me; he is ignoring me.
Positive:
out of town, will respond when he returns.
Make another call in a week.

31. Psychological components #5
5. Positive social relationships
High correlations of SWB with satisfaction with family and friends.
Social support and emotional intimacy.
Important for physical and psychological health.
Strongest external source of SWB.
Social contact better predictor than wealth, education or career.

32. Importance of Family
Rare person who, as his life draws to a close, wishes he had spent more time with at work.

33. Psychological components #6
6. Sense of meaning and purpose.
Defined as spirituality by some.
Doesn’t have to be religious.
Belief that your life is connected to a greater good.
Your life will make a difference.

34. Man’s Search for Meaning
Viktor Frankl
Concentration camp survivor.
Belief that you can find a purpose in life even in terrible conditions.
“To give up hope is to give up the will to live.”