Who is Happy?

For this post I am going to be considering sections of the paper 'Who is Happy?' by Myers and Diener. Download the paper from here.

The paper states that:

Those who describe themselves as happy and satisfied with life seem happy to their friends and to their family members. Their daily mood ratings reveal mostly positive emotions. They recall more positive events and fewer negative events (Seiditz & Diener 1993)'

If we reverse things so instead of 'happy people recall...' we get 'we recall...and so we become happy' it is likely that our happiness would improve. So let's break this down and see how the elements may be achieved:

1. Happy to their friends and family members.

Firstly - how to get friends? You're new to the area - how do you meet people?

Two ideas:

1. Visit here

2. Visit here

If you're in Oxford, visiting this site will enable you to look for meetings, clubs, societies, jobs etc.

2. Recalling more positive and fewer negative events.

This is one of the four activities suggested in Professor Wiseman's experiments.

Here is the short list:

a. Expressing gratitude

b. Smiling

c. Recalling a pleasant event from the day before

d. Carrying out an act of kindness

Now watch these....









Guardian comment

Here are ten 'happiness tips'

1. Meet up with a friend that you haven’t seen for a while.
2. Watch a funny television programme or film.
3. Exercise for about thirty minutes three times a week.
4. Cut your television viewing by half.
5. Distract yourself with a book (personally, I would recommend ‘59 Seconds’!)
6. Create novel challenges by starting a new hobby, joining an organisation, or learning a new skill.
7. Go for a 20 minute walk in the sun.
8. Spend ten minutes listening to relaxing or uplifting music.
9. Stroke a dog.
10. Don’t listen to the news.

Who is Happy?

For this post I am going to be considering sections of the paper 'Who is Happy?' by Myers and Diener. Download the paper from here.

'Social desirability is a substantive characteristics that enhances well-being'.

Between 1924 and 1927 Elton Mayo carried out the Hawthorne Experiment. The conclusions included:

The need for recognition, security and sense of belonging is more important in determining workers' morale and productivity than the physical conditions under which he works.

It is therefore possible that the mere event of being involved in the study, enhanced well-being. the participants felt 'involved' and 'important'. Also their answers are likely to be influenced by this social desirability and the mneed to portray themselves in a positive light. In the paper there seemed to be no consideration of either point.

Many years ago I took part in an experiment at Oxford University. At the beginning of the experiment we were told that we were going to be filmed at the end and asked to talk about something. Then the experiment began testing reactions to statements. At the end I was waiting for the filming and was told that there never was going to be any filming and we were just told that to make us nervous and on-edge. This then would affect our answers to the other questions.

I was actually looking forward to the filming and the 'promise' of celluloid immortality had had a positive, not negative, effect on me.