Findings & Conclusions

Age

• There’s no real difference

• Inglehart found that the mean score of satisfaction with life was 80% in 17,000 people from different countries

Gender

• Generally, no difference

• Inglehart found that 80& of both men & women said they were at least ‘fairly satisfied with life’

Culture

• Large differences found

• 10% of Portuguese people were very happy

• 40& of people from netherlands were very happy

Money

• Moderate positive correlations

• 75% of American college students said that ‘being very well off financially was a very important life goal

• Diener found that Forbes rich list were 37% less happy than average Americans

Traits of happy people

• Costa et al found that people who reported being happy in 1973 tended to be happy ones a decade later

• High self-esteem

• Optimism

• Extraversion

• Personal control

Relationships

• Burt found that people who could name several close friends were happier & healthier

Work-flow

• People with greater work satisfaction have better life satisfaction

Faith

• Polama & Pendleton found that in North America & Europe, religious people reported higher levels of happiness