Who's Happy and Why?

A welcome change from studies focusing on negative emotions, this one examines happiness

The pursuit of the "American Dream" often equates happiness with attaining material wealth. Yet according to a recent research review, happiness is found more in "what you believe" than "what you own." The best clues to whether a person is happy come from knowing about a personÌs traits, close relationships, work satisfaction, and religious faith, the researchers discovered.

Reviewing research in both the U.S. and 15 foreign countries, David Myers of Hope College, Michigan, and Ed Diener of the University of Illinois sought to discover "Who are happy people? Does happiness favor those of a particular age? sex? or race? Does wealth enhance well-being?...certain traits? a particular job? close friends? an active faith?"

"By identifying predictors of happiness and life satisfaction, psychologists and sociologists have exploded some myths," they concluded in their review.

For instance, the myth that aging people are less happy was not supported by these findings. No time of life is notably happier or unhappier than another, studies found. What enhances happiness at different ages does change -- such as health becoming more important later in life. Yet a study of age and well-being of over 160,000 people in 16 nations found the number of persons "satisfied with life" in each age group hovered around 736.

Nor does gender make an overall difference. In an analysis of 146 studies, gender accounted for only a 1% difference in sense of well-being, despite varying challenges. "There are striking gender gaps" in types of problems, the authors noted: "Women are twice as vulnerable as men to disabling depression and anxiety, and men are five times as vulnerable as women to alcoholism and antisocial personality disorder." Yet, overall each gender registers as happy as the other.

Another myth that many Americans believe is that amassing wealth will make them happier. "But once people are able to afford lifeÌs necessities, increasing levels of affluence matter surprisingly little," the researchers discovered. In other words, once our needs are being met comfortably, more and more money does not bring more and more happiness.

So who feels happiest?

In study after study, four inner traits mark happy people: self-esteem, a sense of personal control, optimism, and a tendency to be outgoing, the researchers reported. Happy people like themselves, agreeing with such statements as "I'm fun to be with," and "I have good ideas." They feel empowered rather than helpless, giving them a sense of personal control. In addition to feeling optimistic, they feel relaxed about reaching out to others.

Happy people also have close relationships. "People who can name several intimate friends with whom they can share their intimate concerns freely are healthier, less likely to die prematurely, and happier," the researchers stated. Not surprisingly, those who experienced one of life's closest relationships --married persons-- were happier than those never married or divorced.

Finally, spirituality seems to bring a sense of belonging and purpose in life that contributes to happiness. Highly spiritual people--those who agreed that "my religious faith is the most important influence in my life"-- are twice as likely to say they are "very happy," one study found. Other surveys in the U.S. and 14 Western nations found that happiness and life satisfaction rose with strength of religious commitment and frequency of attending worship services.

"A solid majority of studies that examine the effects of religious commitment on life satisfaction have found the two positively linked," noted psychiatrist Dr. David Larson, president of the National Institute for Healthcare Research (NIHR).

These findings on what contributes to happiness "are a welcome complement to long-standing studies of depression and anxiety, and of physical and material well-being," the researchers stated. "By asking who is happy, and why, we can help people rethink their priorities and better understand how to build a world that enhances human well-being.

Reference: Myers, David G., and Diener, Ed. (1995). "Who is Happy?" Psychological Science 6(1):10-19.