fidnings and conclusions

AGE

• Research shows no major differences in happiness across age groups.

• Large survey of ~170,000 people across 16 countries found no life stage (youth, middle age, retirement) is significantly happier or unhappier.

• Overall, people of all ages reported around 80% life satisfaction (Inglehart, 1990).

GENDER

• Research shows no general difference in happiness between men and women.

• Inglehart’s cross‑national survey (16 countries) found 80% of men and 80% of women reported being “fairly satisfied” with life.

• Suggests gender does not significantly influence overall life satisfaction.

CULTURE

• Happiness varies significantly across cultures.

• Differences remain even when income is controlled.

• Example: Portugal — 10% “very happy” vs Netherlands — 40% “very happy” (Inglehart, 1990).

• Shows that cultural factors, not just wealth, influence happiness levels.

• People in individualist cultures report higher SWB than those in collectivist cultures.

• Individualist cultures prioritise personal needs, so individual happiness matters more.

• Collectivist cultures focus on group needs, which may reduce emphasis on personal happiness.

money

• Being rich does not guarantee higher happiness.

• Diener et al. (1985): survey of Forbes rich list found 37% were less happy than the average American.

• Suggests wealth alone is not a strong predictor of subjective well‑being.

traits of happy peopple

• Some individuals appear to be consistently happier than others, regardless of life changes.

• Costa et al. (1987): people who reported being happy in 1973 were generally still happy 10 years later.

• Suggests happiness may have a stable, dispositional component.

relationships

• For some people, relationships can create stress and unhappiness — reflected in Sartre’s idea that “hell is other people.”

• But for most people, the benefits outweigh the strains.

work flow

• Work can sometimes be unsatisfying or stressful, which is linked to lower happiness.

• Csikszentmihalyi introduced flow — a state where you become fully absorbed in an activity and everything else fades into the background.

• He used beepers to check what people were doing and how happy they felt throughout the day.

• Findings: people were happiest whe

faith

• People with high spiritual commitment are twice as likely to report being very happy.

• Example measure: agreeing with statements like “My religious faith is the most important thing in my life.”

• Gallup (1984) found a strong positive link between religious commitment and reported happiness.