tag:theconversation.com,2011:/ca-fr/topics/happiness-75/articlesHappiness – La Conversation2024-03-27T17:16:39Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2265212024-03-27T17:16:39Z2024-03-27T17:16:39ZFinland is the happiest country in the world – but our research suggests the rankings are wealth and status-oriented<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/584492/original/file-20240326-24-oun0n8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C10%2C7040%2C4668&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption"></span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/handsome-unshaven-young-darkskinned-male-laughing-640011838">Cast Of Thousands/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Finland steadily ranks as the happiest country in the world. In March 2024 the country was, for the seventh year in a row, ranked as the happiness champion. The ranking is based on one simple question, using a ladder metaphor, that is asked to people across <a href="https://www.gallup.com/178667/gallup-world-poll-work.aspx">nearly every country</a> in the world. But my team’s <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-52939-y/metrics">new experimental study</a> suggests that the ladder metaphor makes people think about power and wealth. </p>
<p>Since 2005, the Gallup analytics organisation has worked to measure happiness across the entire planet. The mission is particularly important as more and more governments say they are prioritising the wellbeing of their people. </p>
<p>For example, all OECD countries now measure <a href="https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/docserver/4e180f51-en.pdf?expires=1711448500&id=id&accname=guest&checksum=BAB0C9F199AFC965F0D16D60F6C3CD1B">the happiness</a> of their people <a href="https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/wellbeing/articles/ukmeasuresofnationalwellbeing/dashboard">including the UK</a>. More than a decade ago, Bhutan declared that the primary goal of their government was <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4581665">“gross national happiness”</a>, not gross domestic product. </p>
<p>The world ranking is based on one simple but powerful question, called the Cantril Ladder: </p>
<p><em>Please imagine a ladder with steps numbered from zero at the bottom to ten at the top. The top of the ladder represents the best possible life for you and the bottom of the ladder represents the worst possible life for you. On which step of the ladder would you say you personally feel you stand at this time?</em></p>
<p>As you read the question, what does the top of the ladder metaphor make you think of and what does it represent to you? Is it love, money, your family – or something else? </p>
<p>I recently led a group of researchers from Sweden, the US and the UK. We investigated these questions in a study on 1,600 UK adults, and published our results in <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-52939-y/metrics">Nature Scientific Reports</a>. We carried out an experiment with five independent groups.</p>
<p>One group was asked what the top of the ladder represented to them. Another group was asked the exact same question, but this time the ladder metaphor, including the picture of the ladder, was removed and the term “ladder” replaced with “scale”. </p>
<p>Our study found that the ladder metaphor made people think more of power and wealth and less about family, friends and mental health. When the ladder metaphor was removed, people still thought of money, but more in terms of “financial security” rather than terms like “wealth”, “rich” or “upper class”. </p>
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<img alt="Man punching the air as cash notes float in the air." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/584494/original/file-20240326-30-9rhaoq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/584494/original/file-20240326-30-9rhaoq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/584494/original/file-20240326-30-9rhaoq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/584494/original/file-20240326-30-9rhaoq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/584494/original/file-20240326-30-9rhaoq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/584494/original/file-20240326-30-9rhaoq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/584494/original/file-20240326-30-9rhaoq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Money isn’t always the same thing as happiness.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/portrait-very-happy-young-man-rain-148789697">Minerva Studio/Shutterstock</a></span>
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<p>In a third group, people interpreted a question where the ladder metaphor as well as the top v bottom description in the question were removed. In a fourth and fifth independent group, in addition to the above changes, the phrase “best possible life” was substituted with “happiest possible life” and “most harmonious life,” respectively. </p>
<p>People in the happiness and harmony groups thought less about power and wealth and more about broader forms of wellbeing such as relationships, work-life balance and mental health, compared to the other groups.</p>
<h2>People don’t want the top of the ladder</h2>
<p><strong>My</strong> research team also asked people where they wanted to be on the scale of the different questions. Researchers often assume that people want the best possible life but, to our knowledge, no one had tested this. The results showed that in none of the groups did more than half the participants want a ten, the best possible life. The typical desire was a nine. </p>
<p>Except for the group with the ladder analogy. They typically wanted an eight. The ladder metaphor made people think more of power and wealth at the expense of relationships, mental health and work-life balance – and made people want a lower score.</p>
<p>What does this say about the happiness rankings where Finland are frequently the champions? Well, there is a risk that the ranking is based on a narrow, wealth and power-oriented form of happiness, rather than a broader definition. This does not mean that Finns are unhappy, but the type of happiness they excel at may be power and wealth-focused.</p>
<p><strong>Our</strong> study findings raises the question of what type of happiness we want to measure. A person’s idea of happiness can’t be determined by a researcher. That is why researchers must ask people about their concept of happiness. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00030/full#h4">Research has shown</a> that when people define happiness, they only mention wealth and status to a small degree. It is well established that money <a href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.2208661120">relates to wellbeing</a> but the money effect is weaker than many other happiness factors, where good quality social relationships have the <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277953616300478">strongest effect</a>.</p>
<p>Recent research from <a href="https://pubsonline.informs.org/doi/full/10.1287/mnsc.2023.4766">the University of Oxford</a> shows happiness actually causes people to be more productive and the most important factor for happiness at work is belongingness. Salary, on the other hand, is believed to be the most important driver for happiness at work, but it turns out to be a much weaker driver of happiness at work <a href="https://dpuk71x9wlmkf.cloudfront.net/assets/2020/03/16144229/Indeed-Work-Happiness-in-America-2020.pdf">than belongingness</a>. This aligns with the general message from the happiness science that relationships are the most important factor for happiness.</p>
<h2>What type of happiness do we want to measure?</h2>
<p><a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0223221">Previous research</a> has shown that the Cantril Ladder reflects people’s income levels and social status to a larger degree than other <a href="https://www.aeaweb.org/articles?id=10.1257/jep.22.2.53">wellbeing metrics</a>. The current study adds more evidence that perhaps the simple but powerful question could be supplemented with extra questions in the future, to clarify what people mean by happiness.</p>
<p>Our study was conducted solely in the UK, so of course this research should be performed in other countries too, given the global nature of this topic. However, our results indicate that we aren’t necessarily measuring happiness and wellbeing in a way that is in line with how we actually define those concepts in our lives.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/226521/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>August Nilsson does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Much is written about the world happiness rankings. But it seems not everyone interprets the survey question the same way.August Nilsson, PhD Candidante in Organizational Psychology, Lund UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2262802024-03-25T18:23:58Z2024-03-25T18:23:58ZWhat we learned from teaching a course on the science of happiness<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/584034/original/file-20240325-22-w4hm2x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=35%2C47%2C7899%2C5222&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/black-woman-on-road-enjoying-window-2281799399">PeopleImages.com - Yuri A/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>When you deliver a university course that makes students happier, everybody wants to know what the secret is. What are your tips? What are your top ten recommendations? These are the most asked questions, as if there is some quick, surefire path to happiness.</p>
<p>The problem is that there are no life-transforming discoveries, because most of what works has already been talked about. Social connection, mindfulness, gratitude letters, acts of kindness, going for a walk in nature, sleep hygiene, limiting social media use. These are some of the 80 or so <a href="https://ggia.berkeley.edu/">psychological interventions</a> which have been shown to work to improve our wellbeing (to a lesser or greater extent).</p>
<p>But if we already know so much about what works, then why are we still fielding requests for top happiness tips?</p>
<p>The data tells us that students and young people today are increasingly unhappy, with national surveys finding wellbeing is lowest among the young <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9403847/">in the UK</a> <a href="https://www.hepi.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/SAES_2021_FINAL.pdf">and the US</a> compared to other age groups.</p>
<p>It was for this reason we began teaching the science of happiness course at the University of Bristol in 2019 – to counter some worrying downward trends. During the course, we teach lessons from <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-so-serious-the-untapped-value-of-positive-psychology-61766">positive psychology</a> and create opportunities for students to put these lessons into practice. </p>
<h2>Learning the science of happiness</h2>
<p>We award credit based on engagement — an important component of not only education, but also getting the most out of life — rather than graded assessments. It would be ironic to talk about the problems of performance anxiety and student perfectionism only to then give our students a <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1469787418819728?journalCode=alha">graded exam</a>. </p>
<p>Course credit without examination? That must be a breeze you might say. However, for many students, turning up on time to over 80% of lectures and tutorials, completing journal entries on a weekly basis and submitting a final group project turned out to be more of a challenge than they predicted. </p>
<p>Around 5% of students fail to meet the course demands each year, and have to complete a reassessment in the summer. Creating consistent positive habits in the face of all of life’s other demands is not a trivial request.</p>
<p>Nevertheless, the science of happiness course is extraordinarily popular. It also appears to be effective. Every year we find increases of around 10-15% on measures of students’ mental wellbeing at the end of the course, compared to a <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2055102921999291">waiting-list control group</a>. </p>
<p>However, we recently published the findings from <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10734-024-01202-4">a study</a> that followed up with students one to two years after they had taken the science of happiness course, before they graduated. When we looked at the overall trends, students’ initially elevated scores of happiness had largely returned to their original levels.</p>
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<img alt="Two women hold each other with happy expression on their faces" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/584035/original/file-20240325-28-yk1ma4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/584035/original/file-20240325-28-yk1ma4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/584035/original/file-20240325-28-yk1ma4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/584035/original/file-20240325-28-yk1ma4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/584035/original/file-20240325-28-yk1ma4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/584035/original/file-20240325-28-yk1ma4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/584035/original/file-20240325-28-yk1ma4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">It’s not easy to maintain this level of happiness.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/happy-friends-holding-each-other-1038614926">Rawpixel.com/Shutterstock</a></span>
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<p>We were not dejected, though. One of the mechanisms we teach on the course is <a href="https://www.verywellmind.com/hedonic-adaptation-4156926">hedonic adaptation</a>: we get used to both good and bad things. Since humans have a brain wired to pay extra <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1037/1089-2680.5.4.323?journalCode=rgpa">attention to problems</a>, it comes as no surprise that the initial wellbeing boost we created in the course disappeared as students returned to focusing on life’s hassles.</p>
<p>However, we observed that not all students followed this pattern. Approximately half the cohort reported that they continued to regularly practice some of the things they had learnt, such as gratitude or mindfulness, many months or years after completing the course. </p>
<p>Although the students who no longer practised the activities returned to their happiness baselines, on average, those who did keep up with at least some of the recommended activities showed no such drop. They maintained their elevated levels of wellbeing up to two years later.</p>
<p>In many ways, mental health is no different from physical health. Few people expect to see long-lasting muscle gains after one trip to the gym. For the most part, we are begrudgingly aware that there are no shortcuts if you want to remain fit and healthy. You have to stick with the program. </p>
<h2>New habits</h2>
<p>The same applies to our happiness. Unless we keep working at it, the improvements are temporary. Indeed, if we did have to focus on just one top tip it might be to learn how to harness lessons from psychology to <a href="https://jamesclear.com/atomic-habits">build the better habits</a> we need for lasting change. For example, aiming for small incremental changes rather than an unsustainable overhaul of your whole life.</p>
<p>One thing we question is whether the self-care industry may be sending out the wrong message by telling people happiness is all about making yourself feel better. One of us, Bruce Hood, writes <a href="https://www.simonandschuster.co.uk/books/The-Science-of-Happiness/Bruce-Hood/9781398526372">in his new book</a>, that becoming a happier person in the long term is less to do with focusing on ourselves, and much more to do with focusing on others. </p>
<p>Self-care may bring some short term benefits, but enriching the lives of others can offer wellbeing effects that are less susceptible to adaptation over time.</p>
<p>Ultimately, whatever methods or activities we choose to improve our wellbeing, we would do well to remember that happiness is always a work in progress.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/226280/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sarah Jelbert receives funding from the Elizabeth Blackwell Institute </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Bruce Hood does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>We followed up students years after they took our course to find out whether they still reported better wellbeing.Sarah Jelbert, Lecturer in Psychology, University of BristolBruce Hood, Professor of Developmental Psychology in Society, University of BristolLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2220202024-02-14T16:56:03Z2024-02-14T16:56:03ZFinding joy in the little things really can benefit your wellbeing – a scientist explains<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/575327/original/file-20240213-20-lilmse.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C7%2C4969%2C3218&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Finding joy in the little things can be an investment in your long-term wellbeing.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/senior-woman-drinking-coffee-looking-through-555829774">Suzana Marinkovic/ Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Find joy in the little things. This piece of folk advice has been around for aeons, and is one that many of us try to live by. But is there actually any real benefit to this practice? </p>
<p>According to research, yes, there is indeed some benefit to savouring fleeting moments of joy – also known as “<a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/709567/microjoys-by-cyndie-spiegel/">micro-joys</a>”. Whether that’s relishing a cup of coffee, performing an act of kindness or enjoying a funny video, finding joy in the little things not only has many temporary benefits, but research shows it can also be an investment in <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2000-03082-001">long-term wellbeing</a>.</p>
<p>On a physiological level, engaging in micro-joys can improve our <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301051110002516?casa_token=He3Viq5dECAAAAAA:1gxJgvBTVUatQwIqmsLB8s1Xs74dlga7Gp1DJBnoY_4GGlf6HXDMXfTrJ_D0v-ZyG7E9Ha8E">vagal tone</a>. This is important, as the vagus nerve is responsible for our body’s autopilot system, which regulates the processes we don’t have to think about – such as our heart rate, digestion and breathing. The vagus nerve is also linked to <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5859128/">mood and anxiety disorders, and regulating stress</a>, so the more stimulated it is the better off you may be.</p>
<p>On a social level, positive emotions can improve relationships and potentially lead to <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0146167218771324?casa_token=XDVaoG_HIBMAAAAA%3AUWojYZzqvyOykckVs1bKNIzUY6-Ym_p_dJcPnh-kEuIwdfwd726V2Uezha41Ot-Wl_ICwHetIm8">positivity resonance</a> – a momentary connection between people that enhances <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35099204/">health, increases life-span</a> and <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2023-46821-001">meaning in life</a>. </p>
<p>Experiencing positive emotions not only boosts momentary happiness, but it also helps us to <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3122271/">develop qualities</a> such as optimism and resilience, which can help protect against distress and poor mental health in the future. </p>
<p>The critical question then arises of how many micro-joys we need to experience daily in order to see these kinds of benefits. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5898419/">Some studies</a> suggest a magic number: five positive emotions to one negative emotion for optimal wellbeing. So for every one negative emotion you experience in a day (such as sadness, anger and frustration), you would need to have five positive emotions (such as joy, hope or optimism) to balance things out and live a good life.</p>
<p>However, not all experts agree with this ratio – with some <a href="https://europepmc.org/article/med/23855896">criticising the algorithm</a> used to develop it. Nevertheless, most research seems to agree that the <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23855895/">more positive emotions</a> you experience per day, the better. </p>
<p>So, embracing micro-joys may indeed serve as a foundational strategy for improving overall wellbeing. Even engaging in just a few daily micro-joys can not only contribute to momentary happiness, it also helps develop our <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2000-03444-003">self-regulation</a>. This is our ability to manage impulses in order to achieve a goal or establish a habit. </p>
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<img alt="A group of business people laugh around a table." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/575330/original/file-20240213-24-sv68rd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/575330/original/file-20240213-24-sv68rd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/575330/original/file-20240213-24-sv68rd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/575330/original/file-20240213-24-sv68rd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/575330/original/file-20240213-24-sv68rd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/575330/original/file-20240213-24-sv68rd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/575330/original/file-20240213-24-sv68rd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Don’t be afraid to celebrate even fleeting moments of joy.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/indian-woman-laughing-funny-joke-eating-1206996136">fizkes/ Shutterstock</a></span>
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<p>Better self-regulation has a ripple effect on <a href="https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/0-306-47149-3_9">various aspects of our lives</a> – such as preventing addiction or self-defeating behaviours (including procrastination, blame and perfectionism). Making time to do even just small, personal tasks such as making lists, tracking daily budgets and even working on your posture each day can help <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1111/j.1467-8721.2007.00534.x">strengthen your self-regulation</a> and ward off against failures.</p>
<h2>Finding micro-joy</h2>
<p>If you’re keen to see whether practising micro-joys will benefit you, there are a few key things to know.</p>
<p>First, research suggests that some people’s genetics may make them more likely to benefit from micro-joys than others. Studies show that people who are highly sensitive to their environment may <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/jopy.12218?casa_token=iSQUHKyZM5wAAAAA%3ADXwoFYHT1GM8Yn7bOQMNIE1DJ9kKAKtm1D3-pDlerj7BsLEREhReBtkpfCMx-wO3S7xA1b0ZQWeY_Q4">disproportionately benefit</a> from engaging in positive activities, such as micro-joys. So if you’re someone who tends to be acutely aware of the subtleties around you or find you become deeply emotional when engaging with art or music, you may find micro-joys to be highly effective for your wellbeing. </p>
<p>Another key aspect of micro-joys is the fact that they centre on cultivating moments of pure joy – not happiness. This is important, as studies have found that the pursuit of happiness can be counterproductive, potentially leading to <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3160511/">diminished wellbeing</a> and <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21910542/">heightened loneliness</a>. While happiness is a state that people aim to achieve, joy encompasses the processes that may result in happiness. </p>
<p>Celebrating fleeting moments of joy can be so good for us because these moments champion the journey of infusing our lives with greater enjoyment and focus on <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5533095/">prioritising positivity</a> – rather than focusing on whether we’re happy or not. </p>
<p>Here are a few ways you can practice finding joy in the little things: </p>
<ol>
<li><p><strong>Change your routine.</strong> Trying adding a 10-minute burst of joy into your normal morning, afternoon or evening routine which can give you a moment of delight to look forward to. For example, savouring a cup of tea. </p></li>
<li><p><strong>Look out for moments of humour.</strong> Humour can be a great way to find joy each day. But if you find it hard to see joy in your day, try to imagine how your favourite comedian might hilariously interpret the events of your day.</p></li>
<li><p><strong>Be spontaneous.</strong> Challenge your routine by introducing spontaneity into your day – even if you’re typically a meticulous planner. Embrace the unexpected – even if just for a rejuvenating, five-minute break to call a friend you haven’t spoken with in a while.</p></li>
<li><p><strong>Pursue moments of connection</strong> and shared laughter with strangers, neighbour or acquaintances. Strengthening these social bonds can add a joy to your day.</p></li>
<li><p><strong>Pause and appreciate.</strong> Taking regular breaks to savour the simple act of being alive throughout your day can bring a renewed sense of mindfulness and gratitude that result in joy. For example, listen to the birds singing, or allow yourself to laugh out loud when someone says something funny. </p></li>
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<p>Engaging in small moments of joy daily holds the potential to elevate both short- and long-term wellbeing for many – though for some the impact of these activities will be more subtle than for others.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/222020/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jolanta Burke does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Enjoying a cup of coffee or performing an act of kindness are some examples of the everyday ‘micro-joys’ that can boost your wellbeing.Jolanta Burke, Senior Lecturer, Centre for Positive Health Sciences, RCSI University of Medicine and Health SciencesLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2196172023-12-26T20:29:23Z2023-12-26T20:29:23ZNZ report card 2023: near the top of the class in some areas, room for improvement elsewhere<p>End-of-year results aren’t only for school and university students. Countries, too, can be measured for their progress – or lack of it – across numerous categories and subject areas. </p>
<p>This report card provides a snapshot of how New Zealand has fared in 2023. Given the change of government, it will be a useful benchmark for future progress reports. (Somewhat appropriately, the coalition seems keen on standardised testing in education.)</p>
<p>It’s important to remember that this exercise is for fun and debate. International and domestic indices and rankings should be read with a degree of caution – measurements, metrics and numbers from 2023 tell us only so much. </p>
<p>Nevertheless, it’s still possible to trace the nation’s ups and downs. As the year draws to an end, we can use these statistics and rankings to decide whether New Zealand really is the best country in the world – or whether we need to make some additional new year’s resolutions.</p>
<h2>International pass marks</h2>
<p>Overall, the country held its own internationally when it came to democratic values, freedoms and standards. But there was a little slippage.</p>
<p>Despite falling a spot, Transparency International ranked New Zealand <a href="https://www.transparency.org/en/cpi/2022">second-equal</a> (next to Finland) for being relatively corruption-free. </p>
<p>In the Global Peace Index, New Zealand dropped two places, now <a href="https://www.visionofhumanity.org/maps/">fourth-best</a> for safety and security, low domestic and international conflict, and degree of militarisation.</p>
<p>The country held its ground in two categories. Freedom House underlined New Zealand’s near-perfect score of <a href="https://freedomhouse.org/countries/freedom-world/scores">99 out of 100</a> for political and civil liberties – but three Scandinavian countries scored a perfect 100. The <a href="https://www.weforum.org/publications/global-gender-gap-report-2023/">Global Gender Gap Report</a> recorded New Zealand as steady, the fourth-most-gender-equal country. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/is-winston-peters-right-to-call-state-funded-journalism-bribery-or-is-there-a-bigger-threat-to-democracy-218782">Is Winston Peters right to call state-funded journalism ‘bribery’ – or is there a bigger threat to democracy?</a>
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<p>Supplementary work by the United Nations Development Programme shows New Zealand making impressive strides in breaking down <a href="https://www.undp.org/sites/g/files/zskgke326/files/2023-06/gsni202302pdf_0.pdf">gender bias</a>.</p>
<p>The Index for Economic Freedom, which covers everything from property rights to financial freedom, again placed New Zealand <a href="https://www.heritage.org/index/">fifth</a>, but our grade average is falling. We also dropped a place in the World Justice Project’s <a href="https://worldjusticeproject.org/rule-of-law-index/">Rule of Law Index</a> to eighth.</p>
<p>New Zealanders are about as happy as they were last year, still the tenth-most-cheery nation, according to the <a href="https://worldhappiness.report/">World Happiness Report</a>.</p>
<p>The Human Development Index did not report this year (New Zealand was 13th in 2022). But the <a href="https://www.prosperity.com/rankings">Legatum Prosperity Index</a>, another broad measure covering everything from social capital to living conditions, put New Zealand tenth overall – reflecting a slow decline from seventh in 2011.</p>
<p>The Economist’s <a href="https://www.eiu.com/n/campaigns/global-liveability-index-2023/">Global Liveability Index</a> has Auckland at equal tenth, with Wellington racing up the charts to 23rd. (Hamilton, my home, is yet to register.)</p>
<p>While New Zealand registered a gradual slide in the Reporters Without Borders <a href="https://rsf.org/en/index">Press Freedom Index</a>, at 13th position it still ranks highly by comparison with other nations.</p>
<h2>Could do better</h2>
<p>New Zealand has seen some progress around assessment of terror risk. While the national terror threat level has remained at “<a href="https://www.dpmc.govt.nz/our-programmes/national-security/counter-terrorism#:%7E:text=New%2520Zealand's%2520current%2520national%2520terrorism,Zealanders%2520both%2520here%2520and%2520overseas.">low</a>”, the <a href="https://www.visionofhumanity.org/maps/global-terrorism-index/#/">Global Terrorism Index</a> ranked the country 46th – lower than the US, UK and Russia, but higher than Australia at 69th.</p>
<p>The country’s previous drop to 31st in the <a href="https://www.imd.org/centers/wcc/world-competitiveness-center/rankings/world-competitiveness-ranking/">Global Competitiveness Report</a> has stabilised, staying the same in 2023. </p>
<p>On the <a href="https://www.globalinnovationindex.org/Home">Global Innovation Index</a>, we came in 27th out of 132 economies – three spots worse than last year. <a href="https://kof.ethz.ch/en/news-and-events/media/press-releases/2022/12/globalisation-index.html#:%7E:text=The%2520KOF%2520Globalisation%2520Index%2520measures,a%2520long%2520period%2520of%2520time.">The Globalisation Index</a>, which looks at economic, social and political contexts, ranks New Zealand only 42nd.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/cop28-the-climate-summits-first-health-day-points-to-what-needs-to-change-in-nz-218809">COP28: the climate summit’s first Health Day points to what needs to change in NZ</a>
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<p>But the country’s response to climate change is still considered “highly insufficient” by the <a href="https://climateactiontracker.org/">Climate Action Tracker</a>, which measures progress on meeting agreed global warming targets. The <a href="https://ccpi.org/">Climate Change Performance Index</a> is a little more generous, pegging New Zealand at 34th, still down one spot on last year.</p>
<p>New Zealand’s overseas development assistance – low as a percentage of GDP compared to other <a href="https://www.oecd.org/dac/financing-sustainable-development/development-finance-standards/official-development-assistance.htm">OECD countries</a> – had mixed reviews. </p>
<p>The <a href="https://odi.org/en/insights/principled-aid-index-2023-in-a-weaponised-world-smart-development-power-is-not-dead/">Principled Aid Index</a> – which looks at the purposes of aid for global co-operation, public spiritedness and addressing critical development goals – ranks New Zealand a lowly 22 out of 29. </p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.cgdev.org/cdi#/">Commitment to Development Index</a>, which measures aid as well as other policies (from health to trade) of 40 of the world’s most powerful countries, has New Zealand in 19th place.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/nicola-willis-warns-of-fiscal-snakes-and-snails-her-first-mini-budget-will-be-a-test-of-nzs-no-surprises-finance-rules-218920">Nicola Willis warns of fiscal ‘snakes and snails’ – her first mini-budget will be a test of NZ’s no-surprises finance rules</a>
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<h2>Decent economic grades</h2>
<p>The economic numbers at home still tell a generally encouraging story:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>unemployment <a href="https://www.stats.govt.nz/indicators/unemployment-rate/">remains low at 3.9%</a>, still below the <a href="https://www.oecd.org/newsroom/unemployment-rates-oecd-updated-november-2023.htm#:%7E:text=14%2520Nov%25202023%2520%252D%2520The%2520OECD,Figure%25202%2520and%2520Table%25201">OECD average of 4.8%.</a></p></li>
<li><p>median weekly earnings from wages and salaries <a href="https://www.stats.govt.nz/news/income-growth-for-wage-and-salary-earners-remains-strong/">continued to rise</a>, by NZ$84 (7.1%) to $1,273 in the year to June</p></li>
<li><p>inflation is rising, but the rate is slowing, <a href="https://www.stats.govt.nz/news/annual-inflation-at-5-6-percent/#:%7E:text=New%2520Zealand's%2520consumers%2520price%2520index,to%2520the%2520June%25202023%2520quarter.">falling to 5.6%</a> in the 12 months to September</p></li>
<li><p>and good or bad news according to one’s perspective, annual house price growth appears to be slowly recovering, with the <a href="https://www.qv.co.nz/price-index/">average price now $907,387</a> – still considerably down from the peak at the turn of 2022.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>It’s worth noting, too, that record net migration gain is boosting economic measurements. In the year to October 2023, 245,600 people arrived, with 116,700 departing, for an <a href="https://www.stats.govt.nz/information-releases/international-migration-october-2023/">annual net gain</a> of 128,900 people.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-government-hopes-private-investors-will-fund-social-services-the-evidence-isnt-so-optimistic-218512">The government hopes private investors will fund social services – the evidence isn't so optimistic</a>
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<h2>Room for social improvement</h2>
<p>In the year to June, <a href="https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2023/10/new-zealand-s-suicide-rate-increases-for-first-time-in-years.html">recorded suicides increased</a> to 565, or 10.6 people per 100,000. While an increase from 10.2 in 2022, this is still lower than the average rate over the past 14 years.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.corrections.govt.nz/resources/statistics/quarterly_prison_statistics/prison_stats_september_2023">Incarceration rates</a> began to rise again, climbing to 8,893 by the end of September, moving back towards the 10,000 figure from 2020.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/maori-suicide-rates-remain-too-high-involving-whanau-more-in-coronial-inquiries-should-be-a-priority-217254">Māori suicide rates remain too high – involving whānau more in coronial inquiries should be a priority</a>
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<p>Child poverty appears to be <a href="https://www.stats.govt.nz/news/child-poverty-statistics-show-no-annual-change-in-the-year-ended-june-2022/">stabilising</a>, with some reports suggesting improvements in longer-term trends. While commendable, this needs to be seen in perspective: one in ten children still live in households experiencing material hardship.</p>
<p>The stock of <a href="https://www.hud.govt.nz/stats-and-insights/the-government-housing-dashboard/public-homes/">public housing</a> continues to increase. As of October, there were 80,211 public houses, an increase of 3,940 from June 2022.</p>
<p>In short, New Zealand retains some bragging rights in important areas and is making modest progress in others, but that’s far from the whole picture. The final verdict has to be: a satisfactory to good effort, but considerable room for improvement.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/219617/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Alexander Gillespie does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>New Zealand was mostly stable in key international rankings and domestic socio-economic measures. But there are signs of slippage in some areas and not enough progress in others.Alexander Gillespie, Professor of Law, University of WaikatoLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2171732023-12-18T13:23:10Z2023-12-18T13:23:10ZTeaching positive psychology skills at school may be one way to help student mental health and happiness<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/563023/original/file-20231201-23-9z02ez.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C14%2C4896%2C3232&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Gratitude, kindness and optimistic thinking can help kids feel a bit better.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/individuality-unique-happy-and-enjoy-stand-out-from-royalty-free-image/1414874178">Wipada Wipawin/iStock via Getty Images Plus</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Youth mental health has worsened significantly over the past decade, but new interventions that teach positive psychology concepts in school may help.</p>
<p>American young people are reporting <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/data/yrbs/pdf/YRBS_Data-Summary-Trends_Report2023_508.pdf">historically high levels</a> of hopelessness, sadness and loneliness. According to the most recent data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/data/yrbs/pdf/YRBS_Data-Summary-Trends_Report2023_508.pdf">20% of adolescents</a> have seriously considered suicide – and suicide is the <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/suicide/facts/index.html">second-leading cause of death for children</a> ages 10-14.</p>
<p>Perhaps even more alarming than the prevalence of youth mental health problems is the <a href="https://www.mhanational.org/research-reports/2022-state-mental-health-america-report">inaccessibility of mental health support</a> <a href="https://theconversation.com/as-the-mental-health-crisis-in-children-and-teens-worsens-the-dire-shortage-of-mental-health-providers-is-preventing-young-people-from-getting-the-help-they-need-207476">for the many children who need it</a>. About <a href="https://www.mhanational.org/research-reports/2022-state-mental-health-america-report">60% of depressed adolescents</a> do not receive any treatment – and around <a href="https://www.mhanational.org/research-reports/2022-state-mental-health-america-report">950,000 children do not have health insurance</a> that covers mental health services. </p>
<p>One solution is to provide mental health care in schools, where kids are. This is <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10488-020-01080-9">already happening</a>. School counselors, psychologists and social workers provide support, teach coping strategies and work with caregivers to help students overcome mental health challenges. Such vital care is essential, but clearly more help is needed. </p>
<p>Research shows that students who have a positive outlook regarding their lives <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsp.2016.05.003">outperform other students</a> academically and emotionally. You might wonder, can positive thinking be taught?</p>
<p>I study school-based positive psychology interventions. My colleagues have found that students who’ve been <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/02796015.2017.12087610">introduced to science-based ideas about happiness</a> feel more satisfied with life, experience more positive than negative emotions and have fewer emotional and behavioral problems. </p>
<h2>Science of happiness</h2>
<p>Psychologists began to study the science of happiness <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.55.1.5">in the late 1990s</a>. Prior to that time, most psychology researchers studied misery. </p>
<p>Psychologist Martin Seligman was such a scientist, having pioneered the concept of “<a href="https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.me.23.020172.002203">learned helplessness</a>.” But a conversation with his young daughter, in which she demanded to know why he couldn’t “<a href="https://www.verywellmind.com/martin-seligman-biography-2795527">stop being such a grouch</a>,” inspired him to <a href="https://www.pushkin.fm/podcasts/the-happiness-lab-with-dr-laurie-santos/the-man-who-invented-happiness-science-marty-seligman">start studying what makes people happy</a> instead. </p>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.55.1.5">Initial studies</a> were conceptual in nature. But before long, researchers started to identify <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/1089-2680.9.2.111">what makes people happy</a>, the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.131.6.803">benefits of happiness</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2020.1818807">interventions to improve happiness</a>. </p>
<p>Scientists identified three main predictors of happiness – <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/1089-2680.9.2.111">genetics, life circumstances and purposeful activities</a> – and potentially others, depending on one’s culture. Of the big three, the first two are often out of an individual’s control. But science has shown that <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2019.1689421">people can adopt strategies to feel happier</a>. </p>
<p>Achieving a state of <a href="https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Flourish/Martin-E-P-Seligman/9781439190760">flourishing</a> – or feeling good and doing good – is the goal of positive psychology interventions. It can evoke positive feelings, increase engagement with life, strengthen positive relationships, move people toward purpose and help people achieve meaningful goals. </p>
<h2>Positive psychology in schools</h2>
<p>Positive psychology is now taught in some <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.14408">schools around the world</a>, including in the U.S., Australia, Denmark, Israel, New Zealand, China and South Africa. Most interventions educate students about mindfulness and positive psychology concepts such as gratitude, kindness, optimistic thinking, utilizing <a href="https://www.viacharacter.org/character-strengths">character strengths</a> and hope. The idea is not just to teach students about positive psychology as a school subject but help them practice the skills that research suggests will help them flourish.</p>
<p>In typical programs, students first learn positive psychology concepts, then practice using them in real life with the help of trusted adults. For example, students discuss what gratitude means to them, then practice writing down three things they are thankful for every night before bed with the help of their caregivers. After a week, students discuss with adults at school how practicing gratitude affected their level of happiness. </p>
<p>A 2020 review of 57 school-based positive psychology programs showed <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.14408">more than half resulted in positive outcomes</a>, including less stress, lower depression, less anxiety, fewer behavioral issues, better self-image, higher life satisfaction and stronger social functioning.</p>
<h2>‘Nice inside’</h2>
<p>One intervention currently being studied by the <a href="https://ies.ed.gov/funding/grantsearch/details.asp?ID=4451">U.S. Department of Education</a> is a 10-week, small-group intervention aimed at helping middle schoolers. I coach the mental health providers implementing this program. </p>
<p>Like other programs of its kind, it teaches youth about positive concepts, including gratitude, kindness, character strengths, optimism and hope. Early findings, presented at the 2023 <a href="https://www.nasponline.org/professional-development/nasp-2024-annual-convention/convention-program">National Association of School Psychology</a> conference, show the program is being well received both by students and providers. </p>
<p>We’ve found students tend to favor activities that fit with their culture or values. For example, one student shared that performing acts of kindness was their favorite program-based activity, because it helped them spend more time with family and pets – the two most important things in their life. Another student said being able to share the strategies with their mother helped them both feel happier. This student was also proud to be able to help their family. </p>
<p>We also found that some students believed the program helped them build positive relationships with others. One student shared, “It’s really fun to see how others react when I’m being nice, such as giving a compliment,” and that doing so helped them feel “nice inside.” Another student agreed, saying making others feel good helped them feel happier. </p>
<p>Positive psychology training is only one piece of the solution for improving youth mental health. Children with severe issues need comprehensive treatment, which can include mental health counseling and medication. </p>
<p>Even though many important factors are out of a person’s control, everyone has room for growth in happiness. My colleagues and I hope teaching positive psychology in schools will become a common practice in the future.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/217173/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>I was a post-doctoral research fellow under Dr. Shannon Suldo (author of the Well-Being Promotion Program; WBPP). Currently, I am contracted to coach school mental health providers who are providing the WBPP through an IES-funded grant. </span></em></p>Positive psychology focuses on science-based ideas about how to increase your happiness and live a satisfying life. Studies are following how school-based interventions affect students.Kai Zhuang Shum, Assistant Professor of School Psychology, University of TennesseeLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2095402023-11-30T14:22:55Z2023-11-30T14:22:55ZDoes having children make you happier? Here’s what the research suggests<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/562686/original/file-20231130-25-e817x7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C5898%2C4327&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The happiness and fulfilment you feel with the decision will depend on many different factors.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/child-childfree-checkbox-on-white-paper-2335691323">CeltStudio/ Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-011-9865-y">prevailing belief</a> in many parts of the world is that having children is key to happiness – and that people who don’t have children are unfulfilled in their lives.</p>
<p>But is this really the case? The answer to this question is both simple and complex – and the fulfilment you feel in your life, whether you decide to have kids or not, depends on many complex factors.</p>
<p>Let’s look first at the simple answer – which is no, you don’t need to have children to be <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1066480720911611">happy and fulfilled</a>.</p>
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<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/topics/should-i-have-children-148388?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=InArticleTop&utm_campaign=Parenting2023">Should I have children?</a> The pieces in this series will help you answer this tough question – exploring fertility, climate change, the cost of living and social pressure.</em></p>
<p><em>We’ll keep the discussion going at a live event in London on November 30. <a href="https://www.waterstones.com/events/the-conversation-should-i-have-children/london-tottenham-court-road">Click here</a> for more information and tickets.</em></p>
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<p>Studies in women who are child-free by choice show most feel they have a <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277539514001824?via%3Dihub">good sense of identity and individuality</a>. They don’t feel defined by their role within the family, and feel they have <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0891243202238982">more freedom</a> and control over their bodies, life and future. Child-free women also report greater <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0192513X07303879">financial stability</a> – although higher <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/353143?origin=crossref">socioeconomic status</a> isn’t necessary to be satisfied with the decision to be child-free. </p>
<p>Women and men who are child-free are also <a href="https://doi.org/10.1207/S15374424JCCP2904_13">less stressed</a> on average, and report <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0165032721013926?via%3Dihub">greater satisfaction</a> in their marriages.</p>
<p>There’s limited research on single men and their experience of being child-free – and even less on the <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/15240657.2019.1559515">transgender or queer experience of being child-free</a>. But one study of men who were child-free by choice reported most were satisfied with their decision and happy to have more freedom in their life. Only a small number expressed regrets about their decision – largely because they wouldn’t <a href="https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/chosen-lives-of-childfree-men-9780897895989/">have a legacy</a>.</p>
<p>However, there’s a risk that child-free men may experience a <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0192513X07303879">reduction in overall life satisfaction</a> in older age if they <a href="https://academic.oup.com/esr/article-abstract/26/1/1/538246?redirectedFrom=fulltext">lack social support</a>.</p>
<h2>The parenthood paradox</h2>
<p>Things get a little more complicated when we look at the decision to have children.</p>
<p>While parents can certainly be happy and fulfilled in life, the satisfaction they feel with this decision typically unfolds over time – and can also depend on many factors they can’t control. </p>
<p>Initially, many parents actually experience a <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2010-13310-011">temporary decrease in wellbeing</a> after having a child – a phenomenon known as the “<a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2013-21502-002">parenthood paradox</a>”. This is because a new baby can come in the way of many basic needs – such as sleep, eating well and seeing friends. This can be a recipe for discontentment. </p>
<p>Straight women also <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-3737.2003.00574.x">report more unhappiness</a> when they become parents compared with men. This may be because the burden of care tends to fall disproportionately on women.</p>
<p>But having good <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5222535/">family and social support</a>, an <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6294450/">active and equally involved co-parent</a>, and living in an area that has <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/social-policy-and-society/article/abs/introduction-parenting-support-in-the-nordic-countries-is-there-a-specific-nordic-model/18BFF0AB8EACD27F826AEDB573AEB237">work-family supportive policies</a> can all offset the <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11205-011-9865-y">stresses and costs of parenting</a>. </p>
<p>This probably explains why women in Norway <a href="https://link.springer.com/referenceworkentry/10.1007/978-3-319-69909-7_3710-2">don’t report</a> a <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1053535705001733?via%3Dihub">loss of happiness</a> when they have children, as Norway has many family-friendly policies which make it possible for both parents to <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0959353505051730">raise children and have careers</a>.</p>
<p>While parenting can be tough, that doesn’t mean it can’t still lead to happiness, joy and <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0956797612447798">greater meaning in life</a>. The parenting experience can even lead to a profound form of wellbeing called eudaimonic wellbeing. This is the feeling you have lived a life worth living, which is distinct from short-term happiness.</p>
<p>Both men and women can experience <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11482-021-10020-0">positive eudaimonic wellbeing</a> when they <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0192513X18758344">become parents</a>. But for women, the boost in <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/journals/bul/140/3/846">eudaimonic wellbeing</a> they experience also depends on how balanced the parenting duties are with their partner. </p>
<h2>Facing regret</h2>
<p>Another major thing people worry about is whether they’ll regret not having children.</p>
<p>Reassuringly, research in child-free <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1066480720911611">older adults</a> shows many report <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.2190/8PTL-P745-58U1-3330">high life satisfaction</a> and <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11205-015-1177-1">resiliency</a> against poor mental health.</p>
<p>It seems the biggest key in being happy with <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/1066480716648676">your decision</a> to have or not have children depends on whether you <a href="https://doi.org/10.2190/J08N-VBVG-6PXM-0T">felt in control</a> of that decision. When we feel we’ve chosen our path, we tend to accept our decisions and be happier about them.</p>
<p>Yet what if that choice has been taken away from you – and you wanted a child but were unable to have one? Can you be happy then? Our research shows the answer is a resounding yes. </p>
<p>We investigated the <a href="https://iacp.ie/files/UserFiles/00981%20IJCP%20Q1-23%20-%20Full_1.pdf">impact of childlessness</a> on 161 UK-based women who wanted to have children but couldn’t for various reasons – such as not being able to find a partner or infertility. Participants were aged between 25 and 75.</p>
<p>We found that on average, the participants’ wellbeing was no different to that of the general public. While 12% languished (meaning their lives felt aimless), 24% were flourishing psychologically – meaning they reported the highest level of mental health. The remainder experienced moderate levels of wellbeing.</p>
<p>Interestingly, for some, the struggle to have a child resulted in <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2468749920300764">post-traumatic growth</a>. This refers to positive psychological changes that happen after a traumatic event. Women with the highest levels of wellbeing said being able to focus on new possibilities in their lives, outside of being a parent, helped them improve their wellbeing. </p>
<p>Studies in men who have been unable to have children due to infertility show many <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02646838.2010.544294">experienced sadness</a> as a result – though this sadness did reduce as they got older. But similar to women who are involuntarily childless, finding ways of re-framing their identify and role in society <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1177/1097184X99002001002">outside of fatherhood</a> helped many find meaning and satisfaction in their life. </p>
<p>So, does parenthood make us happier? Does childlessness make us miserable? The answer to these questions isn’t as simple as it seems. The happiness or fulfilment we experience depends on so many factors, many of which are out of our control. While the way you choose to make meaning in your life is indeed a key factor, so too is the social support you have to become a parent, and the political climate you live in.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/209540/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Our own study resoundingly finds that you can still be happy even if you want to have a child but are unable to.Trudy Meehan, Lecturer, Centre for Positive Psychology and Health, RCSI University of Medicine and Health SciencesJolanta Burke, Senior Lecturer, Centre for Positive Health Sciences, RCSI University of Medicine and Health SciencesLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2151472023-11-05T19:13:05Z2023-11-05T19:13:05ZHomeowners often feel better about life than renters, but not always – whether you are mortgaged matters<p>Homeownership has long been thought of as the <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-08-23/why-australians-are-obsessed-with-owning-property/8830976">great Australian dream</a>. For individuals, it’s seen as the path to adulthood and prosperity. For the nation, it’s seen as a cornerstone of economic and social policy.</p>
<p>Implicit in this is the assumption that owning a home rather than renting one makes people better off.</p>
<p>It’s an assumption we are now able to examine using data from the government-funded <a href="https://melbourneinstitute.unimelb.edu.au/hilda">Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia</a> (HILDA) survey, which for two decades has asked questions both about homeownership and satisfaction with life.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://melbourneinstitute.unimelb.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0007/4694137/ContinuingPersonQuestionnaireW23M.pdf">overarching question</a> asks</p>
<blockquote>
<p>all things considered, how satisfied are you with your life? Pick a number between 0 and 10 to indicate how satisfied you are</p>
</blockquote>
<p>We also looked at people’s satisfaction with their financial situation, their home and the neighbourhood in which they live.</p>
<p>In a study published in the journal <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/00420980231190479">Urban Studies</a>, we linked those answers to home ownership and characteristics including age and income.</p>
<p>As expected, we found homeowners were generally more satisfied with their lives than renters. But we also find the extent to which they were more satisfied depended on whether or not they were still paying off a mortgage.</p>
<h2>Mortgaged homeowners about as satisfied as renters</h2>
<p>Outright home owners were 1.5 times as likely to report high overall satisfaction as renters. But home owners still paying off a mortgage were only a little more likely to feel high overall satisfaction. </p>
<p>Similarly, outright owners were 2.3 times as likely to report high financial satisfaction as renters – but mortgaged owners were only 1.1 times as likely.</p>
<p>When it comes to satisfaction with their home and neighbourhood, the differences were less extreme. </p>
<p>Outright home owners were 3.1 times as likely to report high satisfaction with their home as renters, while mortgaged owners were 2.8 times as likely. </p>
<p>Outright owners were 1.6 times as likely to report high satisfaction with their neighbourhood as renters, and mortgaged owners 1.4 times as likely.</p>
<p>The results also varied with age and income.</p>
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<p>As shown in the graph above, outright owners were more likely to report high financial satisfaction than renters across almost the entire age range.</p>
<p>But mortgaged owners only showed a demonstrably greater financial satisfaction than renters between the ages of 25 and 50. </p>
<p>Beyond age 50, the existence of a mortgage debt burden appeared to cancel out any boost to financial satisfaction from homeownership. This potentially reflects the growing financial stress of making mortgage payments as retirement approaches.</p>
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<hr>
<p>By income, mortgaged owners reported experiencing more financial satisfaction compared to renters the more they earned between A$80,000 and A$240,000. Outright owners experienced more financial satisfaction than renters up to A$320,000. </p>
<p>Beyond these income levels, owners did not have greater financial satisfaction than renters, perhaps because high-earning renters have other sources of financial satisfaction.</p>
<h2>How satisfied people feel beyond 60</h2>
<p>In other respects, outright owners and mortgaged homeowners showed similar patterns, becoming more satisfied with their homes relative to renters the more they age up – until the age of 60. That’s when their satisfaction relative to renters declined, as illustrated below. </p>
<p>This decline might reflect the growing physical burden of maintaining an owned home as people age.</p>
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<hr>
<p>Our study has important implications. One is that age matters.</p>
<p>Although older people consistently express a desire to <a href="https://www.ahuri.edu.au/analysis/brief/whats-needed-make-ageing-place-work-older-australians">age in place</a>, we found satisfaction among those who owned vs rented their home declined beyond age 60. This suggests better integration between housing and care is critical to support people ageing in place. </p>
<p>Another implication is that as low-income owners are more reliant on their homes as a source of relative financial satisfaction than high earners, they are <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-social-policy/article/housing-equity-withdrawal-perceptions-of-obstacles-among-older-australian-home-owners-and-associated-service-providers/268F54A8EAA1E9ECA118E243505AA9FD">more exposed</a> in times of crisis. They may face the risk of being forced to sell suddenly with little time to consider the consequences.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-housing-wealth-gap-between-older-and-younger-australians-has-widened-alarmingly-in-the-past-30-years-heres-why-197027">The housing wealth gap between older and younger Australians has widened alarmingly in the past 30 years. Here's why</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>And another implication is as the relative financial satisfaction of mortgage holders disappears after the age of 50, and as more of us approach retirement with mortgages intact, more of us will either <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/00420980211026578">postpone retirement</a> or become dissatisfied.</p>
<p>Our findings suggest the extension of mortgage debt into later life should be discouraged if the benefits of the Australian dream are to be preserved.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/215147/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Rachel Ong ViforJ is the recipient of an Australian Research Council Future Fellowship (project FT200100422). </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Hiroaki Suenaga and Ryan Brierty do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>We found people who own their home outright were 1.5 times as likely to be highly satisfied with life as renters. But it can be a different story if you have a mortgage – especially if you’re 50-plus.Rachel Ong ViforJ, ARC Future Fellow & Professor of Economics, Curtin UniversityHiroaki Suenaga, Senior Lecturer School of Accounting, Economics and Finance, Curtin UniversityRyan Brierty, PhD candidate, School of Accounting, Economics and Finance, Curtin UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2092992023-09-12T12:27:32Z2023-09-12T12:27:32ZLooking for your ‘calling’? What people get wrong when chasing meaningful work<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/547020/original/file-20230907-17-3r28po.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=3%2C0%2C2114%2C1409&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Searching for your 'calling' can be a source of joy -- but also stress and distraction.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/young-latin-start-up-person-working-on-an-royalty-free-image/656316264?phrase=instrument+craft&adppopup=true">Tom Werner/Stone via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>As a professor, I’m fortunate to teach a course called World Religions for Healthcare Professionals that prepares students for the spiritual and ethical issues they may encounter in their careers. But the class often boils down to life’s big questions: What makes <a href="https://www.lifeworthlivingbook.com/">life worth living</a>, and <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/624476/the-good-life-method-by-meghan-sullivan-and-paul-blaschko/">how should we live</a>? How do you find your “calling”?</p>
<p>In particular, one thought-provoking paradox captures students’ attention. They live in a society where the idea of a professional “calling” is frequently talked about as a quest for personal fulfillment and achievement or satisfaction with one’s work. The problem is that the more you aim for success, “the more you are going to miss it,” as psychiatrist and Holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl wrote in his influential book “<a href="http://www.beacon.org/Mans-Search-for-Meaning-P602.aspx">Man’s Search for Meaning</a>.” </p>
<p>In Frankl’s view, success and happiness come only from dedicating oneself to a greater cause, or to another person. But his perspective – echoed by my students – contrasts with the prevailing way many Americans talk about a “calling” today. As <a href="https://www.usf.edu/arts-sciences/departments/religious-studies/people/faculty/garrett-potts.aspx">a professor of religious studies</a>, I study <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-022-05067-4">how society portrays callings and meaningful work</a> and how that has shifted over the past few decades.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/546093/original/file-20230904-215919-g9n9fp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A yellow sign with an arrow says 'find your place,' with five plastic human figurines posed above it." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/546093/original/file-20230904-215919-g9n9fp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/546093/original/file-20230904-215919-g9n9fp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/546093/original/file-20230904-215919-g9n9fp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/546093/original/file-20230904-215919-g9n9fp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/546093/original/file-20230904-215919-g9n9fp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/546093/original/file-20230904-215919-g9n9fp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/546093/original/file-20230904-215919-g9n9fp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">College students’ final-semester fear: What am I supposed to do with my life?</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/find-your-place-yellow-directional-sign-and-royalty-free-image/1481376496?phrase=meaningful+work&adppopup=true">tumsasedgars/iStock via Getty Images Plus</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Redeeming work</h2>
<p>Understanding work as a calling traces back to the German theologian Martin Luther, who famously <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-lasting-impact-of-luthers-reformation-4-essential-reads-105953">ushered in the Protestant Reformation</a>. Luther challenged the prevailing notion that nonreligious or nonpolitical work was drudgery and a punishment from the gods – a view that came from Greco-Roman times. The story of Pandora’s box, for example, tells of a woman cursed by the gods who accidentally unleashes all forms of evil, <a href="https://www.worldhistory.org/Pandora/">including the toils of labor</a>, on humanity.</p>
<p>Luther saw this bias against most forms of work as a reflection of a glaringly unequal society. Every task – even dirty work – held <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/307223/every-good-endeavor-by-timothy-keller-with-katherine-leary-alsdorf/">sacred significance</a>, Luther believed. After all, he maintained, God was not above laboring in the dirt <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=genesis+1&version=KJV">to create the universe</a> and human beings in his likeness. God created work not as a punishment but instead as an invitation to participate in his creation. </p>
<p>Therefore, in the same way that one might be called to religious or political life, <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/files/418/418-h/418-h.htm">Luther believed</a> one might be called to glorify God, grow as an individual and benefit others through the work of their hands.</p>
<h2>Jobs, careers and callings</h2>
<p>Religious understandings of being “called” to a vocation have continued ever since, often recast in secular terms. A particularly influential book about modern ideas of work is “<a href="https://www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520254190/habits-of-the-heart-with-a-new-preface">Habits of the Heart</a>,” written by Robert Bellah and other sociologists in 1985.</p>
<p>These authors described <a href="https://www.routledge.com/Work-as-a-Calling-From-Meaningful-Work-to-Good-Work/Potts/p/book/9780367724399">three different orientations toward work</a>: work as a job, work as a career and work as a calling. The “job” orientation is focused on financial or material gains, while someone who thinks of their work as a “career” aims for social advancement. Someone who senses a “calling,” meanwhile, is inspired to produce excellent products or services while growing as an individual and contributing to the common good. In this view, meaningful work ensues through commitments to other people and causes.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/546092/original/file-20230904-250257-hoxpl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Two women in short-sleeve shirts smile, seated, while shaking hands with a man across a desk." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/546092/original/file-20230904-250257-hoxpl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/546092/original/file-20230904-250257-hoxpl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=387&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/546092/original/file-20230904-250257-hoxpl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=387&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/546092/original/file-20230904-250257-hoxpl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=387&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/546092/original/file-20230904-250257-hoxpl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=486&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/546092/original/file-20230904-250257-hoxpl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=486&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/546092/original/file-20230904-250257-hoxpl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=486&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">It’s not just the type of work that can make for a meaningful ‘calling’ – the way employees think about their work matters, too.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/energize-your-team-by-giving-meaningful-compliments-royalty-free-image/648803868?phrase=meaningful+work&adppopup=true">mapodile/E+ via Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>However, the authors argued that American society <a href="https://www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520254190/habits-of-the-heart-with-a-new-preface">was emphasizing individualism more and more</a>, making this conception of calling “harder and harder to understand.” For many Americans, it was “difficult to see work as a contribution to the whole and easier to view it as a segmental, self-interested activity.” </p>
<h2>The search for significance</h2>
<p>Today, employee engagement numbers are startlingly low. <a href="https://www.gallup.com/workplace/349484/state-of-the-global-workplace-2022-report.aspx">Recent research from Gallup</a> indicates that only 1 in 4 employees around the globe feel engaged at work, and workers’ stress is at a record high.</p>
<p>Perhaps that’s why many fields, like management and psychology, are highlighting the existential need <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-6570.2011.01234.x">to find meaning at work</a>. Because participation in religious congregations, clubs and other civic organizations that once provided meaningful connection have <a href="https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Bowling-Alone-Revised-and-Updated/Robert-D-Putnam/9780743219037">been in decline</a> in recent decades, work has now become the dominant way that many Americans participate in public life and hope to feel significant. Approaching work as a calling will <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/melodywilding/2018/04/23/do-you-have-a-job-career-or-calling-the-difference-matters/?sh=1c181dbc632a">leave you happier</a> and more satisfied, <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/career-transitions/201206/job-career-calling-key-happiness-and-meaning-work#:%7E:text=Research%20conducted%20by%20Wrzesniewski%20and%20colleagues%20finds%20that,in%20general%20with%20their%20work%20and%20their%20lives.">columnists advise</a>.</p>
<p>In recent decades, researchers studying the notion of callings have focused on work that helps people <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2010.11.002">learn about themselves</a> and experience fulfillment, especially in terms of ego needs like <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/job.301">individual success</a> <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780195335446.013.0011">and achievement</a>. Today, the archetype for meaningful work seems to center on how it makes the employee feel.</p>
<h2>Rethinking success</h2>
<p>What I and some other scholars have argued, however, is that <a href="https://www.routledge.com/Work-as-a-Calling-From-Meaningful-Work-to-Good-Work/Potts/p/book/9780367724399">finding meaning at work</a> is more contingent on what motivates you than on the feeling of personal fulfillment.</p>
<p>For example, in a 2011 analysis of 407 undergraduates, those “whose sense of calling seems to be primarily driven in … self-centered” ways were found to be <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2010.11.002">much more susceptible to “negative views about themselves</a>.” Those who focused on the “intrinsic” or “prosocial” purpose of work possessed lower rates of insecurity and higher overall rates of personal satisfaction. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/546091/original/file-20230904-19-cht2lt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A woman with curly black hair sits looking thoughtful as she reads something on a laptop." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/546091/original/file-20230904-19-cht2lt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/546091/original/file-20230904-19-cht2lt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/546091/original/file-20230904-19-cht2lt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/546091/original/file-20230904-19-cht2lt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/546091/original/file-20230904-19-cht2lt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/546091/original/file-20230904-19-cht2lt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/546091/original/file-20230904-19-cht2lt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Are we looking for meaning in the wrong places?</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/it-takes-deep-concentration-to-make-meaningful-royalty-free-image/1307720748?phrase=meaningful+work&adppopup=true">LaylaBird/E+ via Getty Images</a></span>
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<p>More recently, <a href="https://sloanreview.mit.edu/article/what-makes-work-meaningful-or-meaningless/">an analysis of 135 workers</a> from 10 occupations revealed that “individuals tended to experience their work as meaningful when [they realized how] it mattered to others more than just to themselves.” In one case, “an academic described how she found her work meaningful when she saw her students graduate at the commencement ceremony, a tangible sign of how her own hard work had helped others succeed.” </p>
<p>As it turns out, the way that people think about the meaning of work matters. Pursuing meaning in terms of individual success and achievement makes the goal post of happiness become elusive. Just ask Rainn Wilson, who played Dwight in the hit NBC comedy series, “<a href="https://www.nbc.com/the-office/about">The Office</a>.” </p>
<p>“When I was in ‘The Office,’ I spent several years really mostly unhappy because it wasn’t enough. ‘Why am I not a movie star?’ ‘Why am I not the next Jack Black or the next Will Ferrell?’” <a href="https://people.com/rainn-wilson-was-mostly-unhappy-during-the-office-run-7558618">he told Bill Maher in a podcast interview</a>. </p>
<p>However, his latest project, “<a href="https://www.peacocktv.com/stream-tv/rainn-wilson-and-the-geography-of-bliss">The Geography of Bliss</a>,” left <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/apple-news-in-conversation/id1577591053?i=1000619600260">Wilson believing that</a> happiness finds us “when we turn from being self-centered to other-centered, when we’re of service to others.” Meaning finds us, in other words, when we’re not so focused on looking for it.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/209299/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>I am connected to the authors of the Life Worth Living book. They have generously supported my pedagogical efforts in the classroom. I am not directly funded by them, however they did fund a post-doc in our department to aide me in teaching courses that would build upon the class I mention in this article. </span></em></p>The idea of a ‘calling’ has stretched far beyond its religious roots. But the way US society talks about meaningful work isn’t always helpful.Garrett Potts, Assistant Professor of Religious Studies, University of South FloridaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2061512023-09-01T14:24:12Z2023-09-01T14:24:12ZWomen are less happy than men – a psychologist on why and four things you can do about it<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/544784/original/file-20230825-29-eolc04.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=451%2C0%2C4335%2C3401&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Carve out time for yourself to avoid getting overwhelmed.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.pexels.com/photo/faceless-unhappy-woman-covering-face-6383282/">pexels/liza summer</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span></figcaption></figure><iframe id="noa-web-audio-player" style="border: none" src="https://embed-player.newsoveraudio.com/v4?key=x84olp&id=https://theconversation.com/women-are-less-happy-than-men-a-psychologist-on-why-and-four-things-you-can-do-about-it-206151&bgColor=F5F5F5&color=D8352A&playColor=D8352A" width="100%" height="110px"></iframe>
<p>Something strange is going on in women’s happiness research. Because despite having more freedom and employment opportunities than ever before, women have <a href="https://www.aeaweb.org/articles?id=10.1257/pol.1.2.190">higher levels of</a> <a href="https://www.nber.org/papers/w29893">anxiety and more mental health challenges</a>, such as depression, anger, loneliness and more restless sleep. And these results are seen across many countries and different age groups. </p>
<p>A recent survey conducted by the American Psychological Association may hold some clues as to why. The results found that most US women are <a href="https://www.apa.org/monitor/2022/03/numbers-women-society">unhappy with how society treats them</a>. </p>
<p>Many women are still the main caregivers for children and elderly relatives. Most also have the double burden of <a href="https://idl-bnc-idrc.dspacedirect.org/bitstream/handle/10625/56506/IDL-56506.pdf">managing the home and family arrangements</a> on top of paid work responsibilities. And within the workplace three in five women have experienced bullying, <a href="https://www.tuc.org.uk/news/new-tuc-poll-2-3-young-women-have-experienced-sexual-harassment-bullying-or-verbal-abuse-work#:%7E:text=Three%20in%20five%20(58%25),poll%20published%20today%20(Friday)">sexual harassment or verbal abuse</a>.</p>
<p>The gender gap in wellbeing was notably documented during the pandemic, as many women took on more domestic and caregiving responsibilities <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00737-020-01092-2">on top of work</a>. But it was also noted that although women took a bigger hit to their wellbeing they were quicker to recover, <a href="https://www.nber.org/system/files/working_papers/w29893/w29893.pdf">which seems to indicate that</a><a href="https://www.nber.org/system/files/working_papers/w29893/w29893.pdf">women are more emotionally resilient</a> than men.</p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/542294/original/file-20230811-4652-hn8w80.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/542294/original/file-20230811-4652-hn8w80.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/542294/original/file-20230811-4652-hn8w80.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/542294/original/file-20230811-4652-hn8w80.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/542294/original/file-20230811-4652-hn8w80.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/542294/original/file-20230811-4652-hn8w80.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/542294/original/file-20230811-4652-hn8w80.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<p><em>This article is part of <a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/topics/womens-health-matters-143335">Women’s Health Matters</a>, a series about the health and wellbeing of women and girls around the world. From menopause to miscarriage, pleasure to pain the articles in this series will delve into the full spectrum of women’s health issues to provide valuable information, insights and resources for women of all ages.</em></p>
<p><em>You may be interested in:</em></p>
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<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/dirty-red-how-periods-have-been-stigmatised-through-history-to-the-modern-day-206967">‘Dirty red’: how periods have been stigmatised through history to the modern day</a></em></p>
<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/how-tracking-menopause-symptoms-can-give-women-more-control-over-their-health-209004">How tracking menopause symptoms can give women more control over their health</a></em></p>
<hr>
<p>One of the factors that may contribute towards women’s resilience is social connection. In one 2019 study, researchers found that women scored higher than men for positive relationships with others as well as <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/16/19/3531">capacity for personal growth</a>. In essence, women tend to be better than men at getting support. They ask for help sooner and so are more likely to overcome adversity quicker.</p>
<p>Women have also been found to place greater value on social connections than men. Studies have found that <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40750-020-00155-z">women’s friendships are more intimate</a> – women favour face-to-face interactions that enable more self-disclosure and emotional support. Whereas men’s friendships tend to be more <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11199-011-0109-z">side by side, pursuing shared activities</a>. Think catching up watching a football match versus catching up over coffee. Again this may explain the buffer to women’s mental health. </p>
<h2>Happiness versus purpose</h2>
<p>Although women may not be as happy in the moment as men and face greater social inequality, <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0022167818777658?casa_token=OaqZQu3c9NQAAAAA%3AfQsOc1SccjHMqHDsTTpeDAT60kS2zgY_dXlSm5csM0g_zOOa0LVi7Kopxg7-weQiAhKT1uHp-jA9">a recent study suggests</a> that women report having more purpose in their lives. And having meaning and purpose in life is associated with better health and living longer.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Two women, old and young spending time together." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/544782/original/file-20230825-24-pzte95.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/544782/original/file-20230825-24-pzte95.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/544782/original/file-20230825-24-pzte95.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/544782/original/file-20230825-24-pzte95.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/544782/original/file-20230825-24-pzte95.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/544782/original/file-20230825-24-pzte95.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/544782/original/file-20230825-24-pzte95.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Women are more likely to take on caregiving roles as well as volunteer to help other people.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.pexels.com/photo/joyful-adult-daughter-greeting-happy-surprised-senior-mother-in-garden-3768131/">pexels/andrea piacquadio</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
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<p>The study found that women tend to engage in more altruistic endeavours, such as supporting others and charity volunteering which leads to a greater sense of meaning and purpose. </p>
<p>However, the researchers also point out that this is likely linked to cultural norms of women being encouraged to put the needs of others first. While putting others first does not necessarily make you happier, having a sense of meaning in life definitely contributes towards happiness.</p>
<p>Given all this, women need to make time for themselves to protect their wellbeing. Here are four evidence-based ways to help you do this:</p>
<h2>1. Try therapy</h2>
<p>Having a place just for you, where you can talk about how you feel and express your emotions is important for your psychological wellbeing. Art-based therapies are <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17454832.2017.1317004?casa_token=JZ3JZDeTtK4AAAAA%3A-RN84vcWUDDDHTuPsjWtTFafCiBbdRfYV6Y765r1lm2AubXRL4fBvGcrFoxuwM-pXv-aj9vobUUa2Q">particularly beneficial for women</a> as are <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/jocn.12168?casa_token=hhEGS5Y90tIAAAAA%3APZbZLIiFuYydiPbBDhgrfp5qnzDJCXXHZaLlF1ecZ4NcjlWPzdCs8X2J-0NeouCL5q7-oZ1kmVaCD1c">group-based interventions</a> that allow women to speak openly with other women – which can <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/jocn.12168?casa_token=A5uR9LrmsvEAAAAA:062vY0B6NXh1yoJ84C35T5_SHNcIrkuIWXbiKGAGaRCZX1zfsESoLBbeKJhlXQwOfL_q96gepabjook">reduce feelings of stigma and shame</a>.</p>
<h2>2. Connect with nature</h2>
<p>Spending time outdoors in natural settings can be very comforting. <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02508281.2021.1917892?casa_token=n1rYt4Je7RQAAAAA%3AkBm1mtyqLaL1AUoUUEgHhqs1n2CFFCDYRByd23CVTHa9tgffKEJLACsh7yGXdflZ1_rLj7lP0zMu">A recent study</a> found that nature-based interventions are particularly healing for women who have experienced trauma or illness . Indeed, as women, our biology and values often <a href="https://rupture.ie/articles/women-and-nature">align with the natural world</a>. The term “Mother Earth” reflects the feminine tendency to be life-giving and nurturing. </p>
<p>So make sure you factor some time outside in nature into your daily or weekly plans. A walk on the beach, a run through the woods or reading a book in the park, it all helps.</p>
<h2>3. Move yourself</h2>
<p>Studies show that when women engage in regular physical activity it increases <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211266923000142">self-acceptance and personal growth</a>. Aerobic exercise is particularly helpful for <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-the-international-neuropsychological-society/article/longterm-effects-of-resistance-exercise-training-on-cognition-and-brain-volume-in-older-women-results-from-a-randomized-controlled-trial/EE3CD46849DB34FAFCC6E00D8FC3E8F7">cognitive health as women age</a>. High impact, weight-bearing exercise such as jumping and running improve <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/2/846">bone health for women in middle age</a> and regular moderate exercise, such as walking has been shown to <a href="https://journals.lww.com/menopausejournal/abstract/2020/08000/can_walking_exercise_programs_improve_health_for.17.aspx">improve symptoms of the menopause</a>.</p>
<h2>4. Cut down on alcohol</h2>
<p>Women face gender-specific risks related to alcohol, including a greater risk of being a <a href="https://movendi.ngo/news/2019/05/28/who-alcohol-major-factor-in-violence-against-women/">victim of violence</a> and more health-related issues such as <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/fact-sheets/womens-health.htm">heart disease and breast cancer</a>. Women also become intoxicated quicker than men which can make them <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6502688/">more vulnerable</a>. </p>
<p>Given that women are twice as likely as men to experience anxiety, reducing or eliminating alcohol may be sensible. Indeed, research shows quitting alcohol can significantly <a href="https://www.psychiatry.org/news-room/apa-blogs/for-women-quitting-alcohol-can-improve-well-being">improve women’s health and happiness</a>.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/206151/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Lowri Dowthwaite-Walsh does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Women’s wellbeing paradox: unhappier than men but more social, with higher levels of emotional resilience.Lowri Dowthwaite-Walsh, Senior Lecturer in Psychological Interventions, University of Central LancashireLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2085372023-07-14T12:46:55Z2023-07-14T12:46:55ZDonors who feel upbeat are more likely to give to charity – new research<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/536690/original/file-20230710-23-liq0z3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=114%2C26%2C5774%2C3831&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Feeling generous?</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/hispanic-tattoo-woman-with-smartphone-in-bedroom-royalty-free-image/1443546298?adppopup=true">Vera Vita/Moment via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p><em>The <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/topics/research-brief-83231">Research Brief</a> is a short take about interesting academic work.</em></p>
<h2>The big idea</h2>
<p>When people feel happier, they’re more likely to donate to charity. That’s what we, <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=4l0VNcUAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">two economists</a> <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=LKP05dcAAAAJ">who study what motivates</a> environmentally conscientious consumption and support for free services, found in a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/ej/uead041">new study</a> published in The Economic Journal. </p>
<p>To conduct this research, we analyzed tweets from over 20,000 Twitter users who used the hashtag “#iloveWikipedia.” That slogan is part of a template that Wikipedia suggests to anyone who has just completed a donation on its online platform, so it helped us identify people who have given money to the free online encyclopedia edited by volunteers. Those donations funded the <a href="https://wikimediafoundation.org/">Wikimedia Foundation</a>, the nonprofit that hosts Wikipedia.</p>
<p>We evaluated the donors’ moods by using <a href="https://www.ibm.com/topics/natural-language-processing">natural language processing</a> tools. These tools assigned a score to each tweet to indicate how positive or negative the mood was for each tweet.</p>
<p>For example, a tweet that says “Woohoo! Awesome Pete!” would get a positive sentiment score, while one that says “THIS MADE ME CRY OUT OF ANGER AND SADNESS AND FRUSTRATION.” would get a negative one. We used four different scoring systems, all of which allowed us to gauge how strongly positive or negative a Twitter user’s mood was. We could adjust these sentiment scores by comparing them to a user’s other tweets.</p>
<p>We found that donors’ sentiments became more upbeat up to an hour before they made a gift to support Wikipedia and then declined, becoming more neutral pretty quickly after that. Donors tended to be in especially good moods before making their gifts, but they regressed quickly to their more typical mood afterward.</p>
<p>We can’t be sure why people were feeling happier before they donated than they did afterward, but our findings suggest that feeling good could make you more likely to give to charity. We call this the “preheating effect.” Our observation about donor behavior contrasts with an economic theory that people may give to charity because it makes them feel good about doing the right thing. This feeling is known as a “<a href="https://thedecisionlab.com/reference-guide/psychology/warm-glow-giving">warm glow</a>.” </p>
<h2>Why it matters</h2>
<p>Scholars of philanthropy have long known that <a href="https://www.routledge.com/The-Science-of-Giving-Experimental-Approaches-to-the-Study-of-Charity/Oppenheimer-Olivola/p/book/9781138981430">giving to charity is tied to happiness</a>. What’s less clear is whether being charitable makes people happier, or whether happier people are more charitable. Our study offers new evidence that feeling happy before they’re asked to make a donation makes people more likely to give. </p>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/h0033366">Previous studies</a> have sought to make research participants feel happy or sad and then analyzed how those moods may affect their inclination to behave in helpful ways. However, we were able to capture the donors’ real-world moods, which is more relevant to fundraising in terms of determining what might make someone more likely to make a charitable donation.</p>
<h2>What still isn’t known</h2>
<p>Based on the evidence we scraped from tweets, it’s not possible to tell whether being in a good mood makes people more likely to give to charity, or if feeling happy simply makes donors more likely to tweet about their gifts.</p>
<p>Also, our study looked at the apparent emotional state of Twitter users, and not everyone actively uses that social media platform. Because of that limitation, we can’t know whether everyone experiences this same preheating effect. </p>
<p>We also didn’t figure out whether preheating varies across age, gender, race or class lines.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/208537/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Donors’ sentiments expressed on Twitter became more cheerful before they made a gift to support Wikipedia, researchers found.Nathan W. Chan, Associate Professor of Resource Economics, UMass AmherstCasey Wichman, Assistant Professor of Economics, Georgia Institute of TechnologyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2053582023-05-10T21:10:19Z2023-05-10T21:10:19ZCould public health guidelines help stop loneliness? 7 tips that show how crucial social connection is to well-being<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/525492/original/file-20230510-29-c980oo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=7%2C100%2C5152%2C3181&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Similarly to the nutrition, exercise and alcohol use guidelines promoted by many national governments, social connection guidelines have the potential to improve our health and happiness by helping us prioritize social connections in our daily lives.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>United States Surgeon General Vivek Murthy recently called <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/loneliness-surgeon-general-epidemic-covid/">loneliness an epidemic</a> and issued a <a href="https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/surgeon-general-social-connection-advisory.pdf">public health advisory</a> on the healing effects of social connection and community. </p>
<p>The report warned of the considerable adverse effects of loneliness and social isolation — comparing it to <a href="https://doi.org/10.2105/ajph.2013.301261">other leading risk factors</a> for premature death such as smoking, obesity, elevated blood pressure and high cholesterol. </p>
<h2>Loneliness and social isolation can be harmful</h2>
<p>In my work as a social and behavioural epidemiologist, I have studied how social and community connectedness shapes health outcomes, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-017-1939-7">ranging from HIV</a> to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/13691058.2018.1439186">substance use</a>. </p>
<p>For example, my colleagues and I have previously shown that social isolation is associated with a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-020-03000-2">48 per cent increase</a> in odds for premature death, and that lonely people have <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/jech-2019-213566">71 per cent higher odds</a> of reporting fair or poor health. </p>
<p>Other researchers have also documented the havoc that loneliness wreaks on individuals, showing that lonely and isolated people have <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/abm/kaaa029">poorer immune function</a>, experience <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbi.2019.08.189">higher levels of inflammation</a>, and are at greater risk for <a href="https://doi.org/10.1136/heartjnl-2015-308790">heart disease</a>, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/ncponc1134">cancer</a> <a href="https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-017-4948-6">and diabetes</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A group of young people at a table taking a selfie" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/525493/original/file-20230510-16752-1wvk1l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/525493/original/file-20230510-16752-1wvk1l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=363&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525493/original/file-20230510-16752-1wvk1l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=363&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525493/original/file-20230510-16752-1wvk1l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=363&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525493/original/file-20230510-16752-1wvk1l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=456&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525493/original/file-20230510-16752-1wvk1l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=456&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525493/original/file-20230510-16752-1wvk1l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=456&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">While everybody’s vulnerability to loneliness and social isolation differs, we all need social connection.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Perhaps just as importantly, <a href="https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/the-secret-to-happiness-heres-some-advice-from-the-longest-running-study-on-happiness-2017100512543#:%7E:text=The%20Harvard%20Study%20has%20found%20a%20strong%20association,isolation%20is%20a%20mood%20buster%2C%E2%80%9D%20says%20Dr.%20Waldinger.">Harvard research</a> from the longest-running cohort study ever conducted suggests that warm social relationships are the most important predictor of happiness across the life course. </p>
<p>In other words, people who are disconnected lead sicker, sadder and shorter lives. </p>
<h2>Public health guidelines</h2>
<p>In response to this epidemic of loneliness, my team at <a href="https://casch.org/guidelines">the Canadian Alliance for Social Connection and Health </a> has <a href="https://www.universityaffairs.ca/news/news-article/university-researchers-are-helping-to-create-a-canadian-guide-for-social-connection/">engaged experts from across Canada</a> and globally to develop the world’s first public health guidelines for social connection. </p>
<p>Similar to the <a href="https://food-guide.canada.ca/en/">nutrition</a>, <a href="https://www.participaction.com/">exercise</a> and <a href="https://ccsa.ca/canadas-guidance-alcohol-and-health">alcohol use</a> guidelines promoted by many national governments, social connection guidelines have the potential to improve our health and happiness by helping us all prioritize social connections in our daily lives. </p>
<p>They can also raise awareness among health-care providers and policymakers to ensure these experts are taking actions consistent with the latest evidence highlighting the importance of social health.</p>
<h2>Promising guidelines for better social health</h2>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A group of middle-aged adults around a table at an art class" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/525494/original/file-20230510-18700-bteavf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/525494/original/file-20230510-18700-bteavf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=267&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525494/original/file-20230510-18700-bteavf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=267&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525494/original/file-20230510-18700-bteavf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=267&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525494/original/file-20230510-18700-bteavf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=336&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525494/original/file-20230510-18700-bteavf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=336&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525494/original/file-20230510-18700-bteavf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=336&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Regardless of levels of introversion or extroversion, insufficient social connection is associated with poorer well-being.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>While everybody’s vulnerability to loneliness and social isolation differs, we all need social connection. Yet, people generally <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2022.02.007">underestimate the benefits of connecting</a> with others and overestimate the costs, which include the emotional labour and mental energy needed to manage relationships and your self-presentation.</p>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1027/1614-0001/a000048">Regardless of levels</a> of introversion or extroversion, insufficient social connection is associated with poorer well-being. </p>
<p>This is because social connection is a biological imperative. We evolved in <a href="https://theconversation.com/dunbars-number-why-my-theory-that-humans-can-only-maintain-150-friendships-has-withstood-30-years-of-scrutiny-160676">close-knit communities</a>. For ancient humans, social exclusion was a death sentence. Loneliness is our body’s way of <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/02699931.2013.837379">keeping us connected</a>, but sometimes <a href="https://casch.org/theory">we get trapped</a> by it. </p>
<p>Public health guidelines can help raise awareness of the importance of social connection and provide us with a road map for better social health. But what should these guidelines look like? </p>
<p>This is exactly what <a href="https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/from-social-distancing-to-social-connection-the-genwell-project-s-nationwide-survey-reinforces-the-importance-of-human-connection-as-canada-transitions-to-post-pandemic-recovery-822887144.html">my team has set out to understand</a> as part of a multi-phased, mixed-method study funded by and conducted in partnership with the Canadian government. So far, we have identified a few promising approaches that each of us can act on right now:</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A family on a sofa looking at a tablet." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/525495/original/file-20230510-17-ng6lfz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/525495/original/file-20230510-17-ng6lfz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525495/original/file-20230510-17-ng6lfz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525495/original/file-20230510-17-ng6lfz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525495/original/file-20230510-17-ng6lfz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525495/original/file-20230510-17-ng6lfz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525495/original/file-20230510-17-ng6lfz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Close relationships fulfil our most important relational needs: to feel loved, acknowledged and validated.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<ol>
<li><p><strong>Make sure to have <a href="https://static1.squarespace.com/static/60283c2e174c122f8ebe0f39/t/645a88655583045704102e40/1683654757592/CSCG_Evidence+Brief_Number+of+Friends.pdf">three to five close friendships</a> to call on when you’re in need</strong>. Research has shown that individuals who have at least three to five close friends experience the lowest levels of loneliness, anxiety, depression and a range of other adverse health outcomes. Having too many friends can sacrifice quality for quantity. Having too few can leave you alone in a time of need.</p></li>
<li><p><strong>Get <a href="https://static1.squarespace.com/static/60283c2e174c122f8ebe0f39/t/640e0384b9ce9e602bf93c77/1678640005938/CSCG_Evidence+Brief_Social+Time.pdf">one to three hours of social interaction per day</a></strong>. That’s between seven and 21 hours of social time per week — far more than the average of <a href="https://www.bls.gov/news.release/atus.nr0.htm">34 minutes of socializing most of us get each day</a>. This value aligns with the approximate <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Robin-Dunbar/publication/235356868_Theory_of_mind_and_the_evolution_of_language/links/53dfc58b0cf2a768e49bddbd/Theory-of-mind-and-the-evolution-of-language.pdf">24 hours per week</a> that tribal and pastoral societies have historically enjoyed. While this may seem like a daunting jump in social hours for some, social interactions can include a wide variety of activities: chit chat with your barista, a phone call to a friend, conversation over dinner.</p></li>
<li><p><strong><a href="https://static1.squarespace.com/static/60283c2e174c122f8ebe0f39/t/640e03a10c9c9c5dbec35801/1678640034544/CSCG_Evidence+Brief_Network+Composition.pdf">Prioritize spending time with those closest to you</a></strong>. We’ve found that individuals need to socialize with both “strong” and “weak” ties, but that the balance of your social energy should be spent on close friends and family with whom you have warm relationships. This is because close relationships fulfil our most important <a href="https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00901">relational needs</a>: to feel loved, acknowledged and validated. Building these <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0265407518761225">strong ties takes time</a>.</p></li>
<li><p><strong>Diversity in your social network is important too.</strong> <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167214529799">So-called “weak ties” — those you don’t have a close relationship with — also matter</a>. In fact, studies have shown that <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/geroni/igaa009">talking to neighbours</a> can build a sense of community; <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/15555240.2018.1436444">making friends at work</a> can reduce job stress; and even <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2022.104356">talking to strangers</a> can create a sense of safety and provide a meaningful source of connection. Different relationships provide different types of support. </p></li>
<li><p><strong>Recognize the risks of <a href="https://static1.squarespace.com/static/60283c2e174c122f8ebe0f39/t/63e67385a6ab9322c8125ea6/1676047237951/CSCG_Evidence+Brief_Living+alone.pdf">living alone</a>.</strong> People who live alone are at increased risk of loneliness and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eclinm.2022.101677">studies have shown</a> that living alone, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/nutrit/nuv024">particularly for men</a>, is hazardous to your health. That means that if you live alone, prioritizing social relationships may be especially important to you. </p></li>
<li><p><strong><a href="https://static1.squarespace.com/static/60283c2e174c122f8ebe0f39/t/6410a513a2173037c04a2141/1678812436160/CSCG_Evidence+Brief_Old+Friends.pdf">Reach out to old friends</a> and don’t be afraid to <a href="https://static1.squarespace.com/static/60283c2e174c122f8ebe0f39/t/640e03cb6924ff0526a018e9/1678640075343/CSCG_Evidence+Brief_New+Connections.pdf">make new ones</a>.</strong> Keeping and maintaining relationships can be hard — especially in today’s fast-paced world. Renewing old friendships can be an easy way to keep your social calendar full, but keeping a healthy level of engagement with new people will make sure your friendship well doesn’t run dry.</p></li>
<li><p><strong>Don’t forget the importance of solitude.</strong> Just as time with others is important, it’s also important to have time alone. It is perfectly good, and even healthy, to spend time alone. We call this “<a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118427378">solitude</a>.” In fact, for some, time with others may even <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-023-00661-3">exacerbate feelings of loneliness</a>. Time alone provides an opportunity to restore your social reserves and meet your own personal needs.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Following these and other strategies can improve your health and well-being. However, addressing loneliness, like many of the big problems we face today, will require a whole-of-society response. Public health guidelines for social connection can provide the foundation for such an approach.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/205358/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kiffer George Card receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, The Canadian Institutes of Health Research, and the Health Research BC. He is affiliated with the Faculty of Health Sciences at Simon Fraser University, The Pacific Institute on Pathogens, Pandemics, and Society, The Canadian Alliance for Social Connection and Health, and the GenWell Project. </span></em></p>People who are lonely lead sicker and shorter lives. Just like the guidelines for food and exercise, public health guidelines for social connection can help us all live happier and healthier lives.Kiffer George Card, Assistant Professor in Health Sciences, Simon Fraser UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2030842023-04-06T14:31:06Z2023-04-06T14:31:06ZHaving low expectations probably won’t make us happier – here’s what psychology research says<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/519630/original/file-20230405-26-mecz8a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C6036%2C4035&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/young-woman-curly-hair-laughing-while-1687578475">mavo/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Finland was recently named <a href="https://worldhappiness.report/ed/2023/">the happiest country</a> in the world for the sixth year running. A range of theories have been put forward to explain why the Nordic nation continues to rank at the top of the table for happiness, from <a href="https://www.euronews.com/next/2023/03/23/why-do-people-in-nordic-countries-consistently-rank-as-the-happiest-and-what-can-we-learn-">greater income equality</a> to <a href="https://www.pulse.ng/lifestyle/food-travel/why-finland-is-the-happiest-country-on-earth/mhhsw8c">time spent in nature</a>.</p>
<p>But one <a href="https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2021/04/finland-happiness-lagom-hygge.html">Finnish sociology professor</a> credited the country’s position to “a cultural orientation that sets realistic limits to one’s expectations for a good life”. That is, he seems to believe Finnish people are happy because they don’t set their expectations too high. </p>
<p>So should we all lower our expectations to be happier? I would argue psychology research suggests the opposite.</p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/why-finland-is-the-happiest-country-in-the-world-an-expert-explains-203016">Why Finland is the happiest country in the world – an expert explains</a>
</strong>
</em>
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<p>High expectations are important because they allow us to dream and create goals to work towards. Through a process called <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0146167213492428?journalCode=pspc">mental contrasting</a>, we create judgements about our expectations of the future and decide which dreams are realistic to pursue and which ones we should let go.</p>
<p>For example, you may imagine yourself living a life with many friends around you. If you’re sitting alone at home dreaming about this and feeling sad about the reality of being lonely, mental contrasting helps you identify your dream, anticipate potential obstacles, plan to take action to overcome them and pursue a goal that will help you make friends, such as joining a club. So high expectations, when realistic, can serve as a motivating force to make a change.</p>
<p>High expectations also keep us optimistic, so that we keep going in the face of adversity. When a bad thing happens to someone and they develop an expectation that everything will work out well – despite the adversity and even if it seems unrealistic at the time – this can lead them to take <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/325113585_Optimism_Agency_and_Success">positive steps forward</a>. </p>
<p>For example, your expectation of finding a lifelong partner may diminish when your relationship breaks up. However, if you continue to have high expectations that you’ll meet the right person, you’re more likely to join a dating site and seek opportunities to meet new people.</p>
<h2>On the other hand …</h2>
<p>Low expectations limit our capacity to develop and grow. Having low expectations that we’ll accomplish what we hope to is not a good way to adapt to changes in life, and can lead to feelings of <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0140197197900889">helplessness and despair</a>.</p>
<p>When we have low expectations of success following adversity, we’re more likely to give up, for example not bother trying a dating app. Even when our chances of success are objectively high, we will forego opportunities – perhaps to meet new people – due to our low expectations that things will work out well for us. </p>
<p>So, having high expectations can help us adapt to changing circumstances and keep going. It’s a sign of <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.0737-1209.2005.220303.x">resilience, adaptability and wellbeing</a>.</p>
<h2>Expectations of others</h2>
<p>While it’s useful to set high expectations for ourselves, we also tend to perform better when other people have high expectations of us. This is called the <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780120644551500051">Pygmalion effect</a>. </p>
<p>Our belief that others see us as capable and believe that we can accomplish more than we think we can pushes us to perform better. Likewise, when others have low expectations of us, we generally perform worse.</p>
<p>The Pygmalion effect has been tested extensively in the <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1548051820980428">workplace</a> and <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0361476X18300729">education</a>, showing similar results.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="People in the city of Helsinki, Finland." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/519631/original/file-20230405-16-ch4ycw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/519631/original/file-20230405-16-ch4ycw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519631/original/file-20230405-16-ch4ycw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519631/original/file-20230405-16-ch4ycw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519631/original/file-20230405-16-ch4ycw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519631/original/file-20230405-16-ch4ycw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519631/original/file-20230405-16-ch4ycw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Finland was named the happiest country in the world for the sixth year running.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/helsinki-finland-august-30-unidentified-people-1170571312">astudio/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>When can high expectations be bad?</h2>
<p>Setting expectations too high can have negative effects. Imagine you overestimated your skills and challenged yourself too much. Perhaps you started to play Candy Crush on your partner’s phone and their level is way ahead of yours. The mismatch of your skills and this challenge may lead to <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8943660/">frustration and even anxiety</a>.</p>
<p>To neutralise this, all you need to do is go back to a level better matched to your skill level – which you find challenging but at which you’re capable of achieving high scores to progress in the game. We tend to do the same in real life to keep the equilibrium. </p>
<p>For example, say you’re organising a dinner party for your friends. If you commit to cooking a sophisticated meal that’s too challenging, your anxiety may reach such high levels that you can’t enjoy your own dinner party. Instead, you could lower your expectations and prepare a meal that doesn’t require as much skill, but still challenges you (and that your friends will no doubt still enjoy).</p>
<h2>Managing expectations</h2>
<p>We all have <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0092656609000440">longings</a>, a desire for an ideal version of our lives. Some of our longings become goals (for example, becoming a parent), and others become a lifelong desire that will likely never come true (for example, winning the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_X_Factor">X Factor</a>).</p>
<p>One of the reasons people may not want to have high expectations is because they want to protect themselves from disappointment when their hopes are not realised, which is a valid concern. However, learning to manage our emotions when sadness and frustration kick in helps us cope more effectively with adversity. </p>
<p>The pros of high expectations in motivating us to set and achieve goals outweigh the cons, and any “protection” we might get from low expectations. Considering all this, I think it’s too simplistic to believe Finns are happier for this reason.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/203084/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jolanta Burke does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>After Finland was recently named the happiest country in the world for the sixth year in a row, it was suggested that positivity among the Finnish is related to their expectations.Jolanta Burke, Senior Lecturer, Centre for Positive Health Sciences, RCSI University of Medicine and Health SciencesLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2030162023-04-05T16:06:29Z2023-04-05T16:06:29ZWhy Finland is the happiest country in the world – an expert explains<p>Finland has been the happiest country on earth for <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/world-happiest-countries-2023-wellness/index.html">the past six years</a>, according to the <a href="https://worldhappiness.report/ed/2023/world-happiness-trust-and-social-connections-in-times-of-crisis/#ranking-of-happiness-2020-2022">World Happiness Survey</a>. This survey relies on the <a href="https://news.gallup.com/poll/122453/understanding-gallup-uses-cantril-scale.aspx">Cantril ladder life evaluation</a> question:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Please imagine a ladder with steps numbered from zero at the bottom to 10 at the top. The top of the ladder represents the best possible life for you and the bottom of the ladder represents the worst possible life for you. On which step of the ladder would you say you personally feel you stand at this time?</p>
</blockquote>
<p><a href="https://newint.org/features/2020/12/07/long-read-finntopia">Finland comes out top</a>, followed by Denmark and Iceland. Just why Finns are happier than others comes down to a <a href="https://worldhappiness.report/ed/2023/world-happiness-trust-and-social-connections-in-times-of-crisis/#ranking-of-happiness-2020-2022">number of factors</a> including lower income inequality (most importantly, the difference between the highest paid and the lowest paid), high social support, freedom to make decisions, and low levels of corruption. </p>
<p>The graph below shows all 44 counties for which there is both happiness data and income inequality data, each as a coloured dot. The vertical scale shows average happiness, the horizontal scale income inequality.</p>
<p><strong>Average levels of happiness and inequality by country</strong></p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/518511/original/file-20230330-28-wcc5fm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Forty four countries each shown as a dot on the graph" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/518511/original/file-20230330-28-wcc5fm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/518511/original/file-20230330-28-wcc5fm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=717&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/518511/original/file-20230330-28-wcc5fm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=717&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/518511/original/file-20230330-28-wcc5fm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=717&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/518511/original/file-20230330-28-wcc5fm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=901&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/518511/original/file-20230330-28-wcc5fm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=901&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/518511/original/file-20230330-28-wcc5fm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=901&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Average levels of happiness (vertical scale) and income inequality (horizontal scale).</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">World Happiness Survey and OECD income inequality statistics</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The measure of income inequality used here is the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corrado_Gini">Gini coefficient</a> of income inequality, as <a href="https://data.oecd.org/inequality/income-inequality.htm">reported by the OECD</a>. It is the highest rate recorded in each county in any year after 2010 up to the most recent year for which there is data. The graph shows the close relationship between these two measures. In general, <a href="https://academic.oup.com/pnasnexus/article/1/5/pgac224/6754154">when income inequality is larger</a>, money matters more and people are less happy. </p>
<p>Finland also has other attributes that may help people feel happier. It has a <a href="https://www.stat.fi/tup/satavuotias-suomi/suomi-maailman-karjessa_en.html">highly decentralised</a> publicly funded healthcare system and only a very small private health sector. This is far more effective and efficient than some <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/653bbb26-8a22-4db3-b43d-c34a0b774303">alternatives</a> used in other countries. Public transport is <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2014/jul/10/helsinki-shared-public-transport-plan-car-ownership-pointless">reliable and affordable</a>, and Helsinki airport is ranked as the <a href="https://www.helsinkitimes.fi/finland/finland-news/domestic/21756-helsinki-airport-receives-an-esteemed-airport-industry-award-best-airport-in-northern-europe.html">best in northern Europe</a>.</p>
<p>There is a <a href="https://www.dannydorling.org/?page_id=8303">Finnish proverb</a> that seems relevant here: <em>Onnellisuus on se paikka puuttuvaisuuden ja yltäkylläisyyden välillä</em> (Happiness is a place between too little and too much). </p>
<h2>How Finland compares</h2>
<p>Finland, Norway and Hungary report similar levels of income inequality, yet people in Finland are, on average, happier. Why is this?</p>
<p>According to the <a href="https://wid.world/country/finland/">World Inequality Database</a>, the highest-paid tenth of people in Finland take home a third of all income (33%). That contrasts with the same group taking 36% in <a href="https://wid.world/country/united-kingdom/">the UK</a> and 46% in <a href="https://wid.world/country/usa/">the US</a>. These differences may not appear great, but they have a huge effect on overall happiness because so much less is left for the rest in the more unequal countries – and the rich <a href="https://www.dannydorling.org/books/onepercent/">become more fearful</a>. When a small number of people become much richer, this is an understandable fear.</p>
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<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-to-ditch-fomo-and-foster-jomo-the-joy-of-missing-out-200400">How to ditch 'fomo' and foster 'jomo' – the joy of missing out</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
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<p>In 2021, <a href="https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2021/04/finland-happiness-lagom-hygge.html">it was suggested</a> by a sociology professor that simply by having more reasonable expectations, people in Nordic countries appeared to be happier. However, that cannot explain <a href="https://newint.org/features/2020/12/07/long-read-finntopia">why Finland is so very different</a> from Norway on the happiness scale.</p>
<p>All kinds of explanations are possible, including <a href="https://helda.helsinki.fi/bitstream/handle/10138/338664/Language_and_Happiness_MANUSCRIPT_REVISED.pdf?sequence=1">slight nuances of language</a> as well as culture. There is now even the question of whether this global survey is beginning to introduce its own bias, as Finns now know why they are being asked the question (they moved even further ahead of <a href="https://www.thelocal.dk/20230320/worlds-second-happiest-country-denmark-loses-out-to-finland-again/">Denmark</a>in the most recent survey).</p>
<p>However, it is very likely that Finland having more <a href="https://www.dannydorling.org/finntopia/figures_files/page0-1016-full.html">equitable schools</a>, where you are likely to get a good education whichever you choose, as well as a fairer school policy than Norway (almost all Finns go to their nearest school) might actually matter too. So too, a better housing policy with a wide <a href="https://www.dannydorling.org/?p=8977">variety of social housing</a> and <a href="https://world-habitat.org/news/our-blog/helsinki-is-still-leading-the-way-in-ending-homelessness-but-how-are-they-doing-it/">lower homelessness</a>, a health service with waiting times that are the envy of the world – sometimes just being a matter of days (even during the <a href="https://yle.fi/a/3-12496673">worst years of the pandemic</a>) – and numerous other accolades. </p>
<p>Finland <a href="https://www.dannydorling.org/finntopia/contents_files/Finland.pdf">ranks first, second or third in over 100 global measures</a> of economic and social success – better than Norway does. And it has less money overall (and hardly any oil). You could excuse the Finns a little smugness (<a href="https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/omahyv%C3%A4isyys"><em>omahyväisyys</em></a>).</p>
<p>Why does Hungary do so badly despite the income gap between its people being hardly any wider than in Finland and Norway? One could argue that this is to do with its divided politics. In 2022, the European parliament suggested that “Hungary can no longer be considered <a href="https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/press-room/20220909IPR40137/meps-hungary-can-no-longer-be-considered-a-full-democracy">a full democracy</a>”.</p>
<p>Freedom matters to people greatly, as well as freedom from fear, and that could explain also why <a href="https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/news/polarisation-misinformation-and-fear-insights-turkish-media">Turkey</a> and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/mar/19/bulldozer-politics-modi-demolition-drive-fuels-muslims-fears-in-kashmir">India</a> have lower levels of happiness than their levels of economic inequality might predict.</p>
<p>In contrast, <a href="https://www.goodthingsguy.com/lifestyle/south-africa-is-happier-than-ever-against-all-odds-2023-world-happiness-report/">South Africa</a> and <a href="https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202303/1288231.shtml">China</a> may be a little happier than their levels of inequality would suggest. South Africa became a democracy in 1994 shortly after <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AgcTvoWjZJU">Nelson Mandela was freed</a>, and many people will remember the previous period. People in China are not as fearful as they are often <a href="http://cgss.ruc.edu.cn/English/Home.htm">portrayed in the west</a>.</p>
<h2>Inequality is a factor</h2>
<p>Most countries exhibit happiness levels (<a href="https://www.dannydorling.org/books/economicinequality/figures-and-tables/figure-5-1.html">and much else</a>) that are very predictable from their inequality levels. The UK is spot on in the middle of what you would expect for one of Europe’s most economically unequal countries.</p>
<p>The graph above also shows that (almost as unequal) Israel is a little happier than it ought to be – although it is not clear that the sample taken there included all groups that currently live under that state. Also, that sample was taken in 2022, before the recent <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israeli-governments-judicial-overhaul-plan-reaction-2023-03-27/">widespread protests in Israel</a>. </p>
<p>The other outlier shown in the graph is Costa Rica, where the president said in 2019:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Seventy years ago, Costa Rica did away with the army. This allows for many things. Eight per cent of our GDP is invested in education because we don’t have to spend on the army. So our strength is human talent, <a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/01/sun-sea-and-stable-democracy-what-s-the-secret-to-costa-rica-s-success/">human wellbeing</a>.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>So what can the people of a country do if they want to be happier? The most important thing is to <a href="https://www.euronews.com/2023/03/27/everything-you-need-to-know-about-finlands-general-election">elect governments</a> that will ensure the country becomes more equal by income. After that, ensuring your social services – school, housing and healthcare – are <a href="https://newint.org/features/2020/12/07/long-read-finntopia">efficient and equitable</a> matters most. And finally, consider your degree of freedom, whether you are actually including everyone in your surveys, and how fearful your population is.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/203016/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Danny Dorling does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Finns have good schools, public transport, and the difference between the highest- and lowest-paid is quite small. These are factors in high levels of happiness.Danny Dorling, Halford Mackinder Professor of Geography, University of OxfordLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2013422023-03-30T15:18:03Z2023-03-30T15:18:03ZHappy songs: these are the musical elements that make us feel good<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/514002/original/file-20230307-14-g0510v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=172%2C35%2C4620%2C3154&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The music we listen to can have a profound impact on our mood. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/cool-skater-girl-dancing-street-508069501">Merla/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Music has a unique power <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Daniel-Vaestfjaell/publication/258173113_Emotion_Induction_through_Music_A_Review_of_the_Musical_Mood_Induction_Procedure/links/02e7e527c81174366e000000/Emotion-Induction-through-Music-A-Review-of-the-Musical-Mood-Induction-Procedure.pdf">to affect the way people feel</a> and many people use music to enhance or change their mood, channel emotions and for psychological support. </p>
<p>The strong emotional impact of music is derived from its profound physical and psychological effects. For example, listening to relaxing music often has a positive impact on the <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1959222/">autonomic nervous system</a> (which regulates many key bodily functions), by slowing breathing, regulating heart rate, lowering blood pressure and reducing muscle tension.</p>
<p>Listening to music also affects us at a deep physiological level, as it has a strong impact on the <a href="http://www.downloads.imune.net/medicalbooks/Neurochemistry%20of%20music.pdf">endocrine system</a>, which is responsible for hormone production. </p>
<p>Music can stimulate the release of the neurotransmitters which affect experiences of pleasure by increasing the production of dopamine (the reward hormone), reducing levels of cortisol (the stress hormone) and increasing salivary immunoglobulin A – an antibody responsible for strengthening the immune system.</p>
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<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/apBWI6xrbLY?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Good Vibrations by the Beach Boys creates a strong emotional uplift.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Of course, these benefits are only experienced if we listen to music that we enjoy. <a href="http://www.brainvitge.org/papers/Science-2013-Salimpoor-216-9.pdf">Familiarity</a> also affects enjoyment, but even new music can stimulate positive physical and psychological responses if it is similar to other music that we like.</p>
<p>Music we don’t like can have a strong adverse effect upon mood and wellbeing. Individual differences mean emotional <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0305735618754688?journalCode=poma">reactions to songs differ</a> depending on the participant’s preferences and associations they might have with the music. If we don’t like the song (or it brings back negative memories), it won’t make us happy, regardless of the quality.</p>
<h2>Creating a personal soundscape</h2>
<p>Portable listening devices and music streaming platforms have made it possible to choose from an unprecedented selection of musical styles. People can now listen to their favourite music any time, anywhere. </p>
<p>This means music can be used to create a personal soundscape. This is common when using public transport, for example, as many passengers use headphones to create an individualised sonic environment as a distraction from the less pleasant aspects of travelling on crowded and noisy transport systems.</p>
<p>In a <a href="https://www.prnewsblog.com/news/health-wellbeing/15034/music-psychologist-reveals-the-formula-for-the-happiest-song-ever/">recent survey</a>, 71% of 2,000 participants reported that music was the strongest influence on their mood and almost 75% regularly listened to music to cheer themselves up. In response to these findings, I conducted a review of published research, to find out which musical features tend to be present in “happy” songs.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A young man in a green jacket listens to music on headphones while travelling on the London Underground." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/514005/original/file-20230307-172-ep55u9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/514005/original/file-20230307-172-ep55u9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/514005/original/file-20230307-172-ep55u9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/514005/original/file-20230307-172-ep55u9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/514005/original/file-20230307-172-ep55u9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/514005/original/file-20230307-172-ep55u9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/514005/original/file-20230307-172-ep55u9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Listening to music on your commute can create a ‘personal soundscape’.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/london-uk-october-2017-people-commuting-742307254">Paolo Paradiso/Shutterstock</a></span>
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<p>It should be remembered that musical preferences and expectations are culture dependent. For example, some Asian cultures have different associations between positive/negative emotions and major/minor chords, so <a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.170952">western “happy songs” may not be globally interpreted as such.</a></p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-your-culture-informs-the-emotions-you-feel-when-listening-to-music-171248">How your culture informs the emotions you feel when listening to music</a>
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</em>
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<p>Within western cultures, there are certain components of popular music which are commonly linked with positive emotions. Music that is perceived as “happy” is usually written in a major key with a bright tone, featuring instruments with a bright timbre, such as trumpets or electric guitars.</p>
<p>“Happy” music usually adds <a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.170952">the seventh note of the scale</a> to the main three notes in the chord. This creates a brief feeling of tension – or pleasurable expectation – followed by relief or resolution when the harmonic progression proceeds as our previous listening experience predicts.</p>
<p>For many people, listening to music becomes an immersive <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00906/full">flow experience</a> which can distract from everyday concerns. Active musical participation through dancing or singing along brings additional enjoyment. </p>
<p>A simple, consistent rhythm based on two or four beats in a bar increases a song’s “<a href="https://mashable.com/ad/feature/science-of-pop-music">danceability</a>”, while a binary structure – verse-chorus-verse-chorus – helps to establish familiarity so the song quickly becomes “<a href="https://www.york.ac.uk/news-and-events/features/pop-science/">sing-alongable</a>”.</p>
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<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HgzGwKwLmgM?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Songs people have said they use to improve their mood include Queen’s Don’t Stop Me Now.</span></figcaption>
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<p>People generally <a href="https://mashable.com/ad/feature/science-of-pop-music">prefer familiar music</a>, or music which quickly becomes memorable. The most enjoyable songs are likely to be those which strike a satisfying <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960982219312588">balance between predictability and surprise</a>, providing an experience familiar enough to be pleasurable while avoiding being too simplistic or formulaic.</p>
<p>Unexpected changes can intensify emotional responses. Listeners often derive the most pleasure from music when they are fairly sure about what will happen next but then an unexpected chord progression or key change provides a surprise.</p>
<p>Based on previous experiences, listeners develop expectations about a piece of music. While familiar music tends to give the most pleasure, it also needs to contain enough “surprise” elements to retain enough interest to create a state of flow. This explains the use of a bridge or the middle eight (a section which is different from the verse and chorus) in many songs.</p>
<p>Although “happy songs” are usually written in a <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/301724912_Beyond_Happiness_and_Sadness_Affective_Associations_of_Lyrics_with_Modality_and_Dynamics">major key</a>, they sometimes include a section in a minor key to add interest. </p>
<p>Good Vibrations by the Beach Boys begins with a verse in a minor key and then creates a strong emotional uplift as it switches into a bright major key for the chorus.</p>
<h2>The speed of happiness</h2>
<p>Faster music tends to induce more positive emotions than slower music. Research suggests that music that is perceived as happy is usually performed at a tempo between <a href="https://mymodernmet.com/10-happy-songs/">140 and 150 beats per minute (BPM)</a>. Songs people have said they use to <a href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7k00dawKjXgBBuq2nZyHmO">improve their mood</a> include Queen’s Don’t Stop Me Now at 156 BPM.</p>
<p>Tempo is a confounding variable because <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0305735618754688?journalCode=poma">faster music increases arousal/excitement</a>, but this may not always be associated with happiness. There may also be <a href="https://www.anderson.ucla.edu/documents/areas/fac/marketing/mogilner/Mogilner_Shifting_Meaning_of_Happiness_SPPS_2011.pdf">age-related differences</a> in interpretation. </p>
<p>What is certain is that music can have a profound effect on our sense of wellbeing. Just stick on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTdihu-mp90">James Brown’s I Got You</a> (or whatever might tempt you to do a happy dance) and start to feel good.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/201342/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Michael Bonshor does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>‘Happy’ music is usually written in a major key with a bright tone, featuring instruments with a bright timbre, such as trumpets or electric guitars.Michael Bonshor, Course Director, Music Psychology in Education, Performance and Wellbeing, University of SheffieldLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2013492023-03-17T13:15:30Z2023-03-17T13:15:30ZSeven tips for finding happiness at work<p>Work, it’s something most of us do though it isn’t always enjoyable. Whether it’s long hours, gruelling tasks or just the repetitive nature of a day-to-day routine, work can sometimes be something we have to do rather than something we want to do.</p>
<p>But given that the average person will spend <a href="https://www.forbes.com/2010/03/04/happiness-work-resilience-forbes-woman-well-being-satisfaction.html?sh=4521c887126a">90,000 hours at work</a> over a lifetime it makes sense to try and enjoy it if you can. So what can you do to be happier at work and reduce stress? </p>
<p>I was the lead scientist in a <a href="https://www.wiley.com/en-gb/Mental+Capital+and+Wellbeing-p-9781405185912">government project</a> that looked at how our wellbeing and emotional resilience can change over a lifetime. </p>
<p>As part of this project, the team, with help from think-tank the <a href="https://neweconomics.org/">New Economics Foundation</a>, identified several things that can reduce stress and enhance wellbeing and happiness – all of which can be applied to the workplace. So what helps?</p>
<h2>1. Be active</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/13/4817/htm">Exercise and other physical activities</a> won’t make your problems or stress disappear, but they will reduce their emotional intensity and give you mental space to sort out problems – as well as keep you physically fit. </p>
<p><a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10902-018-9976-0?platform=hootsuite&error=cookies_not_supported&code=a592bab8-77e7-45db-8299-6661718e8da4">Research</a> shows time and time again the positive benefits of exercise, so why not bookend your working day with some <a href="https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/exercise/exercise-guidelines/physical-activity-guidelines-for-adults-aged-19-to-64/">physical activity</a>. </p>
<p>Walking to and from work is a great way to create separation from the working day. If that’s not possible you could get off the bus a stop early, make your lunchtimes active or maybe find an exercise class to do before you start work for the day.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Woman does plank pose at a yoga class." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/515176/original/file-20230314-22-6v996v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/515176/original/file-20230314-22-6v996v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/515176/original/file-20230314-22-6v996v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/515176/original/file-20230314-22-6v996v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/515176/original/file-20230314-22-6v996v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/515176/original/file-20230314-22-6v996v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/515176/original/file-20230314-22-6v996v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Try a lunchtime exercise class for a change of scenery.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.pexels.com/photo/woman-in-black-tank-top-and-black-leggings-doing-push-ups-8436690/">Pexels/Yan Krukau</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>2. Connect with people</h2>
<p>If you examine most of the <a href="https://www.pursuit-of-happiness.org/science-of-happiness/measuring-happiness/">happiness scales</a>, <a href="http://ghwbpr-2019.s3.amazonaws.com/UAE/GH19_Ch6.pdf">relationships</a> with others come near the top of these lists. </p>
<p>During the pandemic, many people found their wellbeing suffered due to a lack of social contact. Indeed, a good support network of <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0956797619898826?journalCode=pssa">friends and family</a> can minimise your work troubles and help you see things differently.</p>
<p>It’s also worth getting to know your colleagues. The more you invest in your relationships at work, the <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0033354919878434">more enjoyable</a> you may find your day. </p>
<p>Helping work colleagues and others in your life, can also enhance your <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0140197117300507">self-esteem</a> and give you a sense of purpose, which is essential to your <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0956797619849666?casa_token=zHOv_GeDvXkAAAAA%3Ah-vgfibn2aME4gV0QakcXFN0_Oa5xns5X6ZGG9IhrsriAjGmqHEkxOQ9PwZCNqatYFxZvs4z8A&journalCode=pssa">wellbeing and contentment</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Three women walking at work." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/515177/original/file-20230314-3349-mnk1jl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/515177/original/file-20230314-3349-mnk1jl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/515177/original/file-20230314-3349-mnk1jl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/515177/original/file-20230314-3349-mnk1jl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/515177/original/file-20230314-3349-mnk1jl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/515177/original/file-20230314-3349-mnk1jl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/515177/original/file-20230314-3349-mnk1jl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Get to know your colleagues, you might discover you enjoy spending time together.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.pexels.com/photo/diverse-successful-businesswomen-smiling-and-walking-together-in-modern-workplace-6457562/">Pexels/Alexander Suhorucov</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>3. Learn new skills</h2>
<p>Keeping “<a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/physical-and-mental-exercises-keep-you-smart/">cognitively active</a>” is critical to your psychological and mental wellbeing and can provide you with new opportunities in terms of your career development. So try to keep learning – take a course, develop some new skills or learn a new hobby, it all adds up.</p>
<p>Having things going on in your life outside of work is also important for your emotional and mental wellbeing. In the UK we work some of the <a href="https://www.tuc.org.uk/news/british-workers-putting-longest-hours-eu-tuc-analysis-finds">longest hours in Europe</a>, meaning we often don’t spend enough time doing the things we really enjoy. Don’t work excessive hours. And ensure you make time for socialising, exercise, along with activities you find fun.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Woman hanging flowers in shop" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/515178/original/file-20230314-2482-v7ut18.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/515178/original/file-20230314-2482-v7ut18.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/515178/original/file-20230314-2482-v7ut18.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/515178/original/file-20230314-2482-v7ut18.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/515178/original/file-20230314-2482-v7ut18.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/515178/original/file-20230314-2482-v7ut18.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/515178/original/file-20230314-2482-v7ut18.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Your new hobby could even lead you down a new career path.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.pexels.com/photo/through-glass-of-cheerful-florists-creating-cozy-counter-in-floristry-store-5414337/">Pexels/Amina Filkins</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>4. Stay present</h2>
<p>This is all about “being in the moment” rather than in the past or looking too far forward. Enjoy the present and you will <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/17439760.2019.1651888?casa_token=BgnPI1MYoM4AAAAA%3AHqFldsOEsSQ7sb35iz9R3sGXiwItSEJGCW69yuw3-nbIty80lMCWkmUEdZ4y4JpIkntvj8zTcw&journalCode=rpos20">appreciate</a> it more. Indeed, there is plenty of <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0191332">research</a> on the positive aspects of <a href="https://theconversation.com/mindfulness-is-not-a-waste-of-time-it-can-help-treat-depression-59100">mindfulness</a> and how it can help with mental health.</p>
<p>You don’t have to sit down for hours meditating either. Being in the moment is more about bringing your brain back to the now. A more <a href="https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/self-help/tips-and-support/mindfulness/">mindful approach</a> to life is something you can practice at any time of the day, it’s just about being aware, noticing your surroundings – the sights, sounds, smells. You can do this while you’re walking, in a meeting or making a cup of tea.</p>
<h2>5. Recognise the positives</h2>
<p>Staying present also helps you to recognise the positives <a href="https://ggsc.berkeley.edu/images/uploads/GGSC-JTF_White_Paper-Gratitude-FINAL.pdf?_ga=2.245695623.2060952378.1676481192-1952323121.1676481192">in your life</a> – allowing you to be a <a href="https://www.health.harvard.edu/healthbeat/giving-thanks-can-make-you-happier">glass half full</a> rather than a glass half empty person. </p>
<p>Accept there are things at work or in life you can’t change and concentrate on the things you have control over. Remind yourself to feel grateful for the <a href="https://baycrest.echoontario.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Positive-Psychology-Progress-Empirical-Validation-of-Interventions.pdf">positives in your life</a>. </p>
<h2>6. Avoid unhealthy habits</h2>
<p>Given what we know about their long-term consequences, using excessive alcohol or coffee consumption or smoking as a coping strategy for work stress is ultimately likely to have <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3621324/">a negative impact</a> on your happiness, even if they seem to provide a quick pick-me-up.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Man working from home on a laptop." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/515180/original/file-20230314-3872-7cur6o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/515180/original/file-20230314-3872-7cur6o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/515180/original/file-20230314-3872-7cur6o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/515180/original/file-20230314-3872-7cur6o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/515180/original/file-20230314-3872-7cur6o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/515180/original/file-20230314-3872-7cur6o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/515180/original/file-20230314-3872-7cur6o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Finding the positive in things could help you to enjoy time spent on Zoom meetings rather than resent it.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.pexels.com/photo/man-using-a-laptop-5198239/">Pexels/Tima Miroshnichenko</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>7. Work smarter, not longer</h2>
<p>Prioritise your <a href="https://hbswk.hbs.edu/archive/productivity-means-working-smarter-not-longer">workload during working hours</a> and you will have more disposable time to do the things you enjoy. Accept that your in-tray will always be full, so concentrate on the important things first. </p>
<p>The more you take control of your work life and get the balance you need, the more likely you will be happier at work. Indeed, given that in the UK stress-related illness accounts for nearly 60% of all <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/1133968/causes-of-long-term-absence-in-the-uk/">long-term sickness</a> you must prioritise your wellbeing and try to reduce work stress where possible.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/201349/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Cary Cooper does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The average person will spend 90,000 hours at work over a lifetime, so you might as well try and enjoy it.Cary Cooper, Professor of Organisational Psychology and Health, University of ManchesterLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1997982023-03-02T12:39:09Z2023-03-02T12:39:09ZPositive affirmations: how talking to yourself can let the light in<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/510552/original/file-20230216-457-mga8u0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/children-running-on-meadow-sunset-249658780">ESB Professional/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Despite being a source of constant bad news, the internet is also awash with attempts at countering negativity. A quick search for “inspirational” content yields heaps of speeches, songs and sayings intended to make sense of tough times. </p>
<p>Lists of the latter will typically include things like “Imagination is more important than knowledge”, attributed to Albert Einstein, or the Nicki Minaj lyric, “Everybody dies, but not everybody lives.” Self-help <a href="https://www.louisehay.com/affirmations/">specialists</a>, talk-show <a href="https://www.the-benefits-of-positive-thinking.com/oprah-positive-quotes.html">hosts</a>, Instagram <a href="https://www.instagram.com/morganharpernichols/">influencers</a>, and even former <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2022/11/16/michelle-obama-the-light-we-carry-quotes.html">US first ladies</a> have been known to pen positive affirmations. </p>
<p>One such list published on the <a href="https://www.oprahdaily.com/life/relationships-love/g25629970/positive-affirmations/?slide=3">Oprah Daily</a> website during the darker days of the pandemic, featured a quote by the author Maya Angelou, which reminds us that “Nothing can dim the light that shines from within”. Angelou wrote compellingly about her experiences of racism and trauma. What she wrote then can resonate with us even now, wherever we are in the world. </p>
<hr>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/511424/original/file-20230221-18-jj7oqg.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/511424/original/file-20230221-18-jj7oqg.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/511424/original/file-20230221-18-jj7oqg.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/511424/original/file-20230221-18-jj7oqg.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/511424/original/file-20230221-18-jj7oqg.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/511424/original/file-20230221-18-jj7oqg.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/511424/original/file-20230221-18-jj7oqg.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<p><em>This is an article from <a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/topics/the-joy-of-133450?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=UK+YP2023+The+Joy+Of&utm_content=InArticleTop">The Joy Of*</a>, a series to help those of us in our 20s and 30s find moments of happiness in the everyday. When rents are rising, fun with friends is more infrequent and we’re struggling with work-life balance, daily life can seem hard. But joy doesn’t have to be something saved for big occasions, like weddings or birthdays. These articles from <a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/topics/quarter-life-117947?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=UK+YP2023+The+Joy+Of&utm_content=InArticleTop">Quarter Life</a> are aimed to help you find joy in the smallest things.</em></p>
<p><em>You may be interested in:</em></p>
<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/ive-spent-years-studying-happiness-heres-what-actually-makes-for-a-happier-life-197580">I’ve spent years studying happiness – here’s what actually makes for a happier life</a></em></p>
<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/the-japanese-concept-of-ikigai-why-purpose-might-be-a-better-goal-than-happiness-88709">The Japanese concept of ikigai: why purpose might be a better goal than happiness</a></em></p>
<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/documenting-three-good-things-could-improve-your-mental-well-being-in-work-82808">Documenting three good things could improve your mental well-being in work</a></em></p>
<hr>
<p>Hearing or seeing this kind of brief and memorable phrase can help us to get into a more positive mindset. Whether a call to action or a reminder of the values that we hold dear, affirmations can act as a counterbalance to what psychologists refer to as <a href="https://theconversation.com/rumination-and-remedy-five-ways-to-improve-your-outlook-19527">ruminations</a> (repetitive patterns of negative thinking). They do so by getting us to focus on what matters in our lives.</p>
<h2>How to tap into positive feelings</h2>
<p>Positive emotions can be extremely powerful. Research shows that when we are <a href="https://pages.vassar.edu/tugade/files/2017/10/01_Conway-Tugade-Catalino-Fredrickson-2012-BroadenBuild_Form-FunctionMechanisms.pdf">primed</a> to feel joy, curiosity, gratitude, and other types of positive feelings, we have what psychologists term “<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3156609/">broader thought-action repertoires</a>”. This means that we can imagine new possibilities and try out new things. We become more creative and better at solving problems. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A girl in jean shorts and a white tee rollerskating outdoors." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/510563/original/file-20230216-14-mqhv1g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/510563/original/file-20230216-14-mqhv1g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/510563/original/file-20230216-14-mqhv1g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/510563/original/file-20230216-14-mqhv1g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/510563/original/file-20230216-14-mqhv1g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/510563/original/file-20230216-14-mqhv1g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/510563/original/file-20230216-14-mqhv1g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Joy makes us more inventive.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/young-black-woman-on-roller-skates-1027178536">Javi_indy/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In 2011, US psychologist Martin Seligman came up with what he called the <a href="https://ppc.sas.upenn.edu/sites/default/files/permawellbeing.pdf">Perma model of wellbeing</a>. It emphasises five main elements: positive emotion, engagement, relationships, meaning, and achievement. </p>
<p>This model is a helpful tool for understanding the various ways in which we can trigger more positive ways of thinking. These run the gamut from experiencing a positive emotion to being fully absorbed in a challenging task, creating a more loving connection with someone, trying to make sense of a difficult situation, or even simply ticking off jobs on a to-do list. </p>
<p>Positive affirmations have the potential to tap into these various elements of our wellbeing. They can be empowering when we are able to identify with the content of the message, when it has a moral, and when it is memorable. </p>
<p>Some can prompt us to be <a href="https://theconversation.com/hope-from-despair-how-young-people-are-taking-action-to-make-things-better-184859">hopeful</a> and focus on the here-and-now. A common saying in Alcoholics Anonymous addiction recovery circles is “One day at a time”. </p>
<p>Others urge us to become absorbed in an important task (“You’re more likely to act yourself into feeling than feel yourself into action”, from American psychologist Jerome Bruner). Others still can focus on developing positive relationships (“People who are truly strong lift others up. People who are truly powerful bring others together,” from Michelle Obama). </p>
<p>In this way, positive affirmations function like the secular version of religious or spiritual prayer. Research shows that when spoken out loud, <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00520-012-1690-6">prayers</a> can be uplifting, comforting, and create a hopeful attitude. Likewise, speaking or singing an insightful quote or lyric to yourself can be extremely empowering. </p>
<p>Affirmations are often used to help us <a href="https://www.inc.com/amy-morin/9-mantras-that-will-keep-you-mentally-strong-in-tough-times.html">make sense</a> of disappointments and stresses and keep striving to <a href="https://rhythmsofplay.com/why-i-turn-my-goals-into-affirmations/">reach our goals</a> – like a pep talk, only, not from a coach but to ourselves. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A smiling dog on a yellow background." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/510548/original/file-20230216-18-99mz94.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/510548/original/file-20230216-18-99mz94.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=272&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/510548/original/file-20230216-18-99mz94.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=272&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/510548/original/file-20230216-18-99mz94.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=272&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/510548/original/file-20230216-18-99mz94.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=341&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/510548/original/file-20230216-18-99mz94.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=341&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/510548/original/file-20230216-18-99mz94.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=341&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Positive affirmation.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/happy-puppy-dog-smiling-on-isolated-1799966587">Smrm1977/Shutterstock</a></span>
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<p>Research has shown that people who regularly use encouraging self-talk are <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/2329488417731861">more likely</a> to perform better, to be satisfied in their jobs, and to want to stay in their positions. This process can be vital for endurance athletes in <a href="https://marjon.repository.guildhe.ac.uk/id/eprint/17377/1/Self-talk%20and%20endurance%20performance_McCormick.pdf">maintaining stamina</a>. </p>
<p>Ultimately it is an intentional state of mind, which can be helpful in balancing out the challenges we face with these positives we’re acknowledging. Whether we are fighting for social justice, or simply struggling to make ends meet, there are often small glimpses of joy to be found in life’s simple moments. As Aretha Franklin once sang: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>You got to spread joy up to the maximum</p>
<p>Bring gloom down to the minimum</p>
<p>And have faith, or pandemonium</p>
<p>Liable to walk upon the scene</p>
</blockquote>
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<p>So look for quotes and lyrics that inspire you. Store them in a place you can regularly access – on your bedroom wall, in a notebook you keep in your bag. And dig into them when you’re experiencing tough times or when you need prompts for thinking about the bigger picture, the purpose for your life.</p>
<p>Share them with others, either through social media or in person. Take pleasure in being part of a connected and inspired community. </p>
<p>And have a go at reading them out loud. You might be surprised at how it can make you feel more energised or hopeful. It can be exciting to know speaking words of hope and encouragement can help you – and those around you – on your journey.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/199798/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Glenn Williams has received funding from the Economic and Social Research Council, Derbyshire Arts Development Group, Derbyshire County Council, and Warwickshire County Council with projects studying psychological wellbeing and mental health. Views expressed here are his own and not those of these funding bodies.</span></em></p>By getting us to focus on what matters to our lives, affirmations can act as a counterbalance to spiralling negative thoughts.Glenn Williams, Principal Lecturer in Psychology, Nottingham Trent UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1982762023-03-01T17:13:05Z2023-03-01T17:13:05ZJoy is good for your body and your mind – three ways to feel it more often<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/507343/original/file-20230131-22-5v923v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C7139%2C4767&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">There are many things you can do every day to get a bit more joy in your life.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/five-friends-cheerfully-cooking-upcoming-party-598470878">Ground Picture/ Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Joy is an emotion experienced by many but understood by few. It’s usually mistaken for happiness, yet is unique in its impact on both our mind and body.</p>
<hr>
<iframe id="noa-web-audio-player" style="border: none" src="https://embed-player.newsoveraudio.com/v4?key=x84olp&id=https://theconversation.com/joy-is-good-for-your-body-and-your-mind-three-ways-to-feel-it-more-often-198276 &bgColor=F5F5F5&color=D8352A&playColor=D8352A" width="100%" height="110px"></iframe>
<p><em>You can listen to more articles from The Conversation, narrated by Noa, <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/topics/audio-narrated-99682">here</a>.</em></p>
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<p>Joy is not just a mere fleeting emotion – it triggers a host of significant physiological and psychological changes that can improve our physical and mental health. And, luckily for us, there are many easy things we can do each day in order to boost the amount we feel. </p>
<p>Joy is very different from our other emotions. It relates to accomplishing something we’ve wanted for a long time – the outcome of which exceeds our expectations.</p>
<p>Joy often refers to a broad sense of being satisfied with life that appears after experiencing a sense of awe or wonder. Many of us might better associate it with <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/17439760.2017.1414298?journalCode=rpos20">feeling “blessed”</a>. While joy is experienced naturally, <a href="https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-oxford-handbook-of-the-positive-humanities-9780190064570?cc=ie&lang=en&#">happiness is often pursued</a>.</p>
<p>Even the way we <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2014-01063-004">express joy</a> is different from our other emotions. The smile it produces is different from how we might smile when we’re happy.</p>
<p>Joy creates what’s known as a <a href="https://www.newscientist.com/definition/duchenne-smile/">Duchenne smile</a> – an involuntary, genuine smile that reaches our eyes. This type of smile is associated with a <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/17437199.2022.2052740">range of benefits</a>, such as improvements in physical health, better recovery after illness, and stronger bonds with others.</p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/511424/original/file-20230221-18-jj7oqg.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/511424/original/file-20230221-18-jj7oqg.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/511424/original/file-20230221-18-jj7oqg.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/511424/original/file-20230221-18-jj7oqg.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/511424/original/file-20230221-18-jj7oqg.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/511424/original/file-20230221-18-jj7oqg.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/511424/original/file-20230221-18-jj7oqg.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<p><em>This is an article from <a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/topics/the-joy-of-133450?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=UK+YP2023+The+Joy+Of&utm_content=InArticleTop">The Joy Of*</a>, a series to help those of us in our 20s and 30s find moments of happiness in the everyday. When rents are rising, fun with friends is more infrequent and we’re struggling with work-life balance, daily life can seem hard. But joy doesn’t have to be something saved for big occasions, like weddings or birthdays. These articles from <a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/topics/quarter-life-117947?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=UK+YP2023+The+Joy+Of&utm_content=InArticleTop">Quarter Life</a> are aimed to help you find joy in the smallest things.</em></p>
<hr>
<p>Joy also triggers a series of changes in our body.</p>
<p><a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2014-01063-004">When joyous</a>, our breathing becomes faster, our heartbeat increases, and our chest and entire body feel warmer. These sensations are caused by the release of adrenaline that makes our body prepared for engagement and movement, making us feel more mentally prepared to take on <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2014-01063-004">life’s challenges</a>. These physiological changes are also associated with <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0269881108099956">improved mood</a>.</p>
<p>In the brain, joy triggers activity in several <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3008658/pdf/nihms257673.pdf">pleasure-related hot spots</a> that are distributed throughout the brain. The sensation of joy is then spread to other parts of the central nervous system through <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnhum.2016.00571/full">chemical messengers called neurotransmitters</a>. </p>
<p>There are many different types of neurotransmitter – but usually the neurotransmitters dopamine (which is associated with pleasure), serotonin, noradrenaline and endorphins (the body’s natural opiates) are released when we feel joy.</p>
<p>Interestingly, joy is both a <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/17439760.2017.1414298">trait and a state</a>. This means that while some of us only experience it as a result of a joyful situation, others have a capacity for it – meaning they’re able to experience joy regardless of whether they’ve encountered something joyful. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A young man in his 20s or 30s gives a big, joyful smile." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/507348/original/file-20230131-131-3t784x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/507348/original/file-20230131-131-3t784x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/507348/original/file-20230131-131-3t784x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/507348/original/file-20230131-131-3t784x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/507348/original/file-20230131-131-3t784x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/507348/original/file-20230131-131-3t784x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/507348/original/file-20230131-131-3t784x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Joy triggers this kind of big smile, known as the Duchenne smile.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/man-excellent-mood-genuinely-laughs-on-1641340828">Look Studio/ Shutterstock</a></span>
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<p>Some research suggests that this capacity is genetic, with estimates that approximately <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8584340/">30% of people</a> have what’s known as “genetic plasticity”. This means they’re disproportionately <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23025924/">influenced by their external environment</a> – and, after learning techniques to induce joy, may find it easier to experience it. As such, their genetic predisposition for positive experiences can result in more joy. </p>
<p>But just because some people may find it easier to experience joy, that doesn’t mean there aren’t easy things we can all do to help boost our experience of it. </p>
<h2>1. Food</h2>
<p>Sharing food with others can help us <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/mar.21396">experience more joy</a> – and this isn’t just because being in the <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17439760.2019.1685581">company of others</a> boosts our experience of joy. The very act of sharing food can also spark it. This is why research shows that eating with others can enhance what’s known as <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4802060/00">psychological flourishing</a> – the highest level of wellbeing. </p>
<p>Preparing food with friends and family can also <a href="https://trialsjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13063-016-1508-9">stimulate joy</a>. So if you’re looking to add a bit more to your daily life, perhaps go out for dinner with friends – or better yet, arrange a dinner party where you all prep the meal together.</p>
<h2>2. Physical activity</h2>
<p>Whether or not we actually experience joy while exercising depends a lot on the circumstances surrounding the physical activity, rather than the activity itself. </p>
<p>For example, when running with others, we tend to <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02614367.2019.1698647">experience more joy</a> than when running on our own. </p>
<p>Research also shows that accomplishing an exercise-related goal we never thought we were capable of can <a href="https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1038/s41598-022-13844-4.pdf">lead to joy</a>. </p>
<p>If you want to use exercise to get more joy in your life, try to set yourself a challenge you want to achieve – and team up with friends on your journey to achieving it. </p>
<h2>3. Writing</h2>
<p>Another simple way you can boost feelings of joy is by writing down how you feel.</p>
<p>In one experiment, participants who spent 20 minutes a day writing about <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2004-11540-004">intense positive experiences</a> – such as the joy of seeing a family member returning home, or watching your child walk for the first time – for three months experienced better moods compared with participants who wrote about different topics. Those who wrote about their positive experiences also made fewer visits to their doctor in the three-month period.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/ive-spent-years-studying-happiness-heres-what-actually-makes-for-a-happier-life-197580">I've spent years studying happiness – here's what actually makes for a happier life</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Although the original experiment aimed to re-experience intense positive emotions (such as awe, inspiration or love), you can choose instead to focus solely on feelings of joy. </p>
<p>However, while joy is wonderful to experience, it isn’t the only emotion we’ll encounter in our life. It’s important to try and embrace all the emotions we experience – be that sadness, anger, happiness or joy. </p>
<hr>
<p><em><strong><a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/topics/quarter-life-117947?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=UK+YP2023+The+Joy+Of&utm_content=InArticleTop">Quarter Life</a></strong> is a series about issues affecting those of us in our 20s and 30s.</em></p>
<hr><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/198276/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Joy is very different from our other emotions.Jolanta Burke, Senior Lecturer, Centre for Positive Psychology and Health, RCSI University of Medicine and Health SciencesPadraic J. Dunne, Lecturer, Centre of Positive Psychology and Health, RCSI University of Medicine and Health SciencesLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1976382023-02-28T13:10:58Z2023-02-28T13:10:58Z‘Do the little things’: why St David’s advice is good for your mental health<p><em>Gwnewch y pethau bychain</em> or “do the little things” is a saying attributed to <a href="https://theconversation.com/st-davids-day-how-the-sixth-century-monk-inspired-centuries-of-devoted-followers-and-poets-198924">St David</a>, the patron saint of Wales. But what relevance does the advice of a sixth century monk hold in 2023? </p>
<p>In modern times, doing the little things certainly is important when we consider our mental health. It can make a difference in preventing ill health and sustaining a <a href="https://theconversation.com/ive-spent-years-studying-happiness-heres-what-actually-makes-for-a-happier-life-197580">sense of happiness</a>, as well as in treating mental illness. </p>
<p>A small thing may not have a decisive effect alone, but when many are put together, they can make an overall difference. Avoiding daily alcohol is an example. Having a drink may make you feel relaxed but, over time, regular alcohol will drag down your mood. </p>
<p>Excessive <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/gps.1357">gambling</a> and <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09595230600944461">recreational drugs</a> are also to be avoided. In contrast, regular exercise and making time for relaxation have a positive effect on our mental health. </p>
<p>Doing the small things has a role to play in treating mental illness too. Medication and therapies such as <a href="https://theconversation.com/cbt-is-wrong-in-how-it-understands-mental-illness-175943">cognitive behavioural therapy</a> have roles to play in helping people to recover from mental illness. However, they are not so effective that they are always enough on their own. They are likely to work best when they happen in the context of a trusting relationship with a doctor.</p>
<p>When patients are surveyed about what they value in a doctor, <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9823053/">human qualities consistently outrank technical abilities</a>. Research supports the idea that <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/327575093_Trust_and_Communication_in_a_Doctor-_Patient_Relationship_A_Literature_Review">relationship factors</a> are important in medicine. This applies across the whole of health care, to <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27503082/">medication</a> and <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30265840/">physiotherapy</a> as much as it does to psychotherapy. </p>
<p>Human interaction may seem a small thing but it can make a difference to how well a treatment works. Placebo effects are powerful and they are not just due to fooling yourself that dummy tablets work. The effects of a placebo can be due to all of the helpful aspects of a <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17401033/">therapeutic relationship</a>.</p>
<h2>Suicide</h2>
<p>Suicide is a devastating event, which, in the setting of the UK, is often related to <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0004867414555419">mental illness</a>. However, while it is important to treat people with mental illness to avoid preventable deaths, there are limitations to how effective this can be in reducing the total number of suicides. </p>
<p>Sadly, mental health treatment does not always stop people from taking their own lives. In any case, many suicidal deaths occur without the person ever receiving help. And a proportion of people who take their own life are <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0165032719306202?via%3Dihub">not mentally ill</a> at all. </p>
<p>Nonetheless, suicide prevention is possible. Actions such as making it harder for people to access the means of taking their own life have repeatedly been shown to <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(12)60521-2/fulltext">reduce suicides</a>. When restrictions were introduced to the number of paracetamol tablets that could be purchased, there was a <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23393081/">measurable impact on deaths</a>. </p>
<p>Changes in the rate of unemployment, especially among men, have a <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpsy/article/PIIS2215-0366(14)00118-7/fulltext">predictable effect on suicide rates</a>. When unemployment rises, there is an increase in suicides. When times are better and fewer people are living in poverty, suicide rates drop. </p>
<p>It is not necessary to completely remove access to paracetamol, nor does unemployment have to be abolished. By putting together packages of smaller measures, each of which is known to have a definite but limited effect, major improvements can be achieved. Lives can be saved without seeking one perfect but unrealistic solution.</p>
<h2>Breakthroughs</h2>
<p>Having worked in mental health for 42 years, I have seen the announcement of many breakthroughs in treatment. New medications, genetic advances and novel approaches like <a href="https://theconversation.com/treating-mental-illness-with-electricity-marries-old-ideas-with-modern-tech-and-understanding-of-the-brain-podcast-195071">transcranial magnetic stimulation</a> have all been subject to extravagant claims. None of them has delivered the promised transformation of mental health care. </p>
<p>Approaches that have definite usefulness have been hyped to the point where they crowd out other treatments. That leads to cynicism when they turn out to have limitations. The most recent example is mindfulness. It has a definite role, but <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5353526/">it is not for everyone, nor is it for every problem</a>.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-problem-with-mindfulness-115648">The problem with mindfulness</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>The trouble with looking too hard for the one extraordinary breakthrough is that it takes attention away from properly implementing what we already know works. Those imperfect smaller approaches that have been shown to be beneficial, which, when taken together, can transform people’s lives. </p>
<p>Many of these lie outside the domain of psychiatrists or psychologists. They involve social contact, a meaningful role, places to go and things to do, where people with mental illnesses are not stigmatised or separated from everybody else. </p>
<p>The ordinary actions in life matter. So let’s heed the advice of St David and “do the little things”.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/197638/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Rob Poole is a member of the Royal College of Psychiatrists Wales. He receives funding from UKRI, Health Care and Research Wales and Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board. He is a member of the Labour Party </span></em></p>Doing the little things has a role to play in maintaining our sense of happiness as well as in treating mental illness.Rob Poole, Professor of Social Psychiatry, Bangor UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1986622023-02-22T19:04:45Z2023-02-22T19:04:45ZThe wellbeing ‘pandemic’ – how the global drive for wellness might be making us sick<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/509323/original/file-20230210-16-8fvnpz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C8179%2C5457&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Getty Images</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Are we in the midst of a wellbeing pandemic? The question may seem curious, even contradictory. But look around, the concept is everywhere and spreading: in the media, in government institutions and transnational organisations, in schools, in workplaces and in the marketplace. </p>
<p>To be clear, it’s not just wellbeing’s infectiousness in public discourse that makes it pandemic-like. It’s also the genuine malaise that can be caused by the term’s misuse and exploitation.</p>
<p>Do you sense, for example, that your wellbeing is increasingly being scrutinised by peers, managers and insurance companies? Are you noticing an increasing number of advertisements offering products and services that promise enhanced wellbeing through consumption? If so, you’re not alone. </p>
<p>But we also need to ask whether this obsession with wellbeing is having the opposite to the desired effect. To understand why, it’s important to look at the origins, politics and complexities of wellbeing, including its strategic deployment in the process of what we call “<a href="https://otagouni-my.sharepoint.com/personal/jacst99p_registry_otago_ac_nz/Documents/Documents/SJ-Wellness/SJ-Conversation-Wellbeing/Jackson-Sam-Dawson-Porter-Frontiers-Sociology-Wellbeing-2022.pdf">wellbeing washing</a>”.</p>
<h2>The halo effect</h2>
<p>While concerns about wellbeing can be traced to antiquity, the term has emerged as a central feature of contemporary social life. One explanation is that it is often conflated with concepts as diverse as happiness, quality of life, life satisfaction, human flourishing, mindfulness and “wellness”. </p>
<p>Wellbeing is flexible, in the sense that it can be easily inserted into a diverse range of contexts. But it’s also surrounded by a kind of halo, automatically bestowed with a positive meaning, similar to concepts such as motherhood, democracy, freedom and liberty. </p>
<p>To contest the value and importance of such things is to risk being labelled a troublemaker, a non-believer, unpatriotic or worse.</p>
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<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/wellbeing-needs-a-rethink-and-a-global-outlook-is-the-way-to-start-147776">Wellbeing needs a rethink – and a global outlook is the way to start</a>
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<p>These days, there are two main concepts of wellbeing. The first – subjective wellbeing – emphasises a <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fsoc.2022.950557/full#B21">holistic measure</a> of an individual’s mental, physical and spiritual health. This perspective is perhaps best reflected in the World Health Organization’s <a href="https://www.corc.uk.net/outcome-experience-measures/the-world-health-organisation-five-well-being-index-who-5/">WHO-5 Index</a>, designed in 1998 to measure people’s subjective wellbeing according to five states: cheerfulness, calmness, vigour, restfulness and fulfilment.</p>
<p>Translated into more than 30 languages, the overall influence of the WHO-5 Index should not be underestimated; both governments and corporations have embraced it and implemented policy based on it. </p>
<p>But the validity of the index, and others like it, has been questioned. They’re prone to oversimplification and a tendency to marginalise alternative perspectives, including Indigenous approaches to physical and mental health.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1615605128332967937"}"></div></p>
<h2>Individual responsibility</h2>
<p>The second perspective – objective wellbeing – was a response to rising social inequality. It focuses on offering an <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fsoc.2022.950557/full#B60">alternative to GDP</a> as a measure of overall national prosperity. </p>
<p>One example of this is New Zealand’s <a href="https://www.treasury.govt.nz/information-and-services/nz-economy/higher-living-standards/our-living-standards-framework">Living Standards Framework</a>, which is guided by four operating principles: distribution, resilience, productivity and sustainability. These new and purportedly more progressive measures of national economic and social outcomes signal societal change, optimism and hope.</p>
<p>The trouble with such initiatives, however, is that they remain rooted within a particular neoliberal paradigm in which individual behaviour is the linchpin for change, rather than the wider political and economic structures around us. </p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/beyond-gdp-changing-how-we-measure-progress-is-key-to-tackling-a-world-in-crisis-three-leading-experts-186488">Beyond GDP: changing how we measure progress is key to tackling a world in crisis – three leading experts</a>
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<p>Arguably, this translates into more monitoring and “disciplining” of personal actions and activities. Intentionally or not, many organisations interpret and use
wellbeing principles and policies to reinforce existing structures and hierarchies. </p>
<p>Consider how the wellbeing agenda is playing out in your organisation or workplace, for example. Chances are you have seen the growth of new departments, work units or committees, policies and programs, wellness workshops – all supposedly linked to health and wellbeing. </p>
<p>You may even have noticed the creation of new roles: wellbeing coaches, teams or “champions”. If not, then “lurk with intent” and be on the lookout for the emergence of yoga and meditation offerings, nature walks and a range of other “funtivities” to support your wellbeing. </p>
<h2>Wellbeing washing</h2>
<p>The danger is that such initiatives now constitute another semi-obligatory work task, to the extent that non-participation could lead to stigmatisation. This only adds to stress and, indeed, unwellness. </p>
<p>Deployed poorly or cynically, such schemes represent aspects of “wellbeing washing”. It’s a strategic attempt to use language, imagery, policies and practices as part of an organisation’s “culture” to connote something positive and virtuous. </p>
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<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/pilates-fruit-and-amazons-zen-booths-why-workplace-wellbeing-efforts-can-fall-short-162143">Pilates, fruit and Amazon's zen booths: why workplace wellbeing efforts can fall short</a>
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<p>In reality, it could also be designed to enhance productivity and reduce costs, minimise and manage reputational risk, and promote <a href="https://otagouni-my.sharepoint.com/personal/jacst99p_registry_otago_ac_nz/Documents/Documents/SJ-Wellness/SJ-Conversation-Wellbeing/Jackson-Sam-Dawson-Porter-Frontiers-Sociology-Wellbeing-2022.pdf">conformity, control and surveillance</a>. </p>
<p>Ultimately, we argue that wellbeing now constitutes a “field of power”; not a neutral territory, but a place where parties advance their own interests, often at the expense of others. As such, it’s essential that scholars, policymakers and citizens explore, as one author <a href="https://www.google.com.au/books/edition/Measuring_Wellbeing/lWBXjk1nocIC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%E2%80%9Cwhat+and+whose+values+are+represented,+which+accounts+dominate,+what+is+their+impact+and+on+whom%E2%80%9D&pg=PA4&printsec=frontcover">put it</a>, “what and whose values are represented, which accounts dominate, what is their impact and on whom”. </p>
<p>Because if wellbeing is becoming a pandemic, we may well need the “vaccine” of critical reflection.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/198662/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The concept of ‘wellbeing’ has been embraced everywhere. But there’s a downside to the obsession with ‘wellness’ that we need to examine.Steven James Jackson, Professor and Co-Director, New Zealand Centre for Sport Policy & Politics, University of OtagoMarcelle Dawson, Associate Professor of Sociology, Gender Studies and Criminology, University of OtagoMichael Sam, Associate Professor of Physical Education, Sport and Exercise Sciences, University of OtagoLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1973262023-02-21T06:10:49Z2023-02-21T06:10:49ZFour habits of happy people – as recommended by a psychologist<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/509005/original/file-20230208-27-3jttof.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=98%2C8%2C5037%2C3604&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Happy habits = happy people.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.pexels.com/photo/woman-in-blue-spaghetti-strap-top-posing-for-photo-944762/">Pexels/Godisable jacob</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>What makes you happy? Maybe it’s getting up early to see the sunrise, hanging out with family and friends on a weekend, or going for a dip in the sea. But what does science say about the things happy people do?</p>
<p>We know that <a href="http://ghwbpr-2019.s3.amazonaws.com/UAE/GH19_Ch6.pdf">happy people</a> tend to have strong relationships, good physical health and contribute regularly to their communities. </p>
<p>I have experimented over the past seven years with a number of happiness and wellbeing interventions in a bid to improve my own mental health and to understand how to best help others. Some strategies have stuck while others haven’t worked for me. But here’s what I’ve learnt along the way. </p>
<p>The reality is that there’ll be times we manage to engage with happiness habits and feel positive. Then there’ll be occasions when life throws a curve ball and our happiness is affected. But the good news is that we can all improve our levels of happiness with daily practice. </p>
<h2>1. Move your body</h2>
<p>My body needs to move regularly throughout the day. Sitting for long periods of time does not make my body or mind happy. At the very least I will walk briskly for an hour every day. I also like to swim, dance and do yoga. </p>
<p>Regular physical activity and exercise are high on the list for happiness as studies consistently demonstrate a link between being <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10902-018-9976-0?platform=hootsuite&error=cookies_not_supported&code=a592bab8-77e7-45db-8299-6661718e8da4">physically active</a> and increased subjective wellbeing, aka happiness.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Woman stretching" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/508999/original/file-20230208-19-ec6nuj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/508999/original/file-20230208-19-ec6nuj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/508999/original/file-20230208-19-ec6nuj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/508999/original/file-20230208-19-ec6nuj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/508999/original/file-20230208-19-ec6nuj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/508999/original/file-20230208-19-ec6nuj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/508999/original/file-20230208-19-ec6nuj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Prioritise exercise, your body (and brain) will thank you for it.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.pexels.com/photo/woman-stretching-on-ground-3076509/">Pexels/Jonathan Borba</a></span>
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<p>Research shows that walking for 30 minutes a day can improve your health. But <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/13/4817/htm">studies on happiness</a> show that people benefit more when they engage in moderate and high-intensity exercise, which increases the heart rate. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/exercise/exercise-guidelines/physical-activity-guidelines-for-adults-aged-19-to-64/">Moderate exercise</a> is anything that makes you slightly out of breath – you can still talk but probably couldn’t sing a song. </p>
<h2>2. Prioritise connection</h2>
<p>The most recent <a href="http://ghwbpr-2019.s3.amazonaws.com/UAE/GH19_Ch6.pdf">happiness research</a> shows that our social connections are important in terms of overall <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0956797619898826?journalCode=pssa">wellbeing and life satisfaction</a>. Indeed, making time to talk, listen, share and have fun with friends and family is a habit I try to prioritise. </p>
<p>But a recent study has found that we generally engage more with friends and family when we feel unhappy and <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0956797619849666?casa_token=zHOv_GeDvXkAAAAA:h-vgfibn2aME4gV0QakcXFN0_Oa5xns5X6ZGG9IhrsriAjGmqHEkxOQ9PwZCNqatYFxZvs4z8A">less so when we are happy</a>. This may be because we naturally seek out comfort and support to feel happier and pursue other activities when our happiness is stable. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Group of people laughing" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/509001/original/file-20230208-15-9j5bzp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/509001/original/file-20230208-15-9j5bzp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=423&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/509001/original/file-20230208-15-9j5bzp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=423&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/509001/original/file-20230208-15-9j5bzp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=423&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/509001/original/file-20230208-15-9j5bzp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=532&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/509001/original/file-20230208-15-9j5bzp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=532&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/509001/original/file-20230208-15-9j5bzp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=532&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Look after your friendships and they’ll look after you.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.pexels.com/photo/men-s-white-button-up-dress-shirt-708440/">Pexels/Helena Lopes</a></span>
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<p>It seems to come down to a question of balance, too much time alone can lead to negative emotions and so seeking out others is a natural way to alleviate this and boost our mood. </p>
<p>On the flip side when we feel positive and happier we are more inclined to support others and provide a shoulder to cry on. Nonetheless spending time in the company of friends and family provides both <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0956797619849666?casa_token=zHOv_GeDvXkAAAAA:h-vgfibn2aME4gV0QakcXFN0_Oa5xns5X6ZGG9IhrsriAjGmqHEkxOQ9PwZCNqatYFxZvs4z8A">short-term and long-term happiness gains</a>.</p>
<h2>3. Practice gratitude</h2>
<p>Our outlook on life and how we evaluate things also plays a huge part in our happiness levels. Studies have found that having a more <a href="https://ggsc.berkeley.edu/images/uploads/GGSC-JTF_White_Paper-Gratitude-FINAL.pdf?_ga=2.245695623.2060952378.1676481192-1952323121.1676481192">optimistic mindset</a> and practising a sense of gratitude can buffer against negative emotions and increase happiness.</p>
<p>Practising daily gratitude, such as counting my blessings or listing things throughout the day I am grateful for, helps me think more positively and feel happier. You can do this in a number of ways, for example, a daily gratitude journal, which can be handwritten or kept on your phone. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.ucl.ac.uk/human-resources/health-wellbeing/being-well-ucl/three-good-things#:%7E:text=Three%20Good%20Things%20is%20a,to%20them%20during%20the%20day.">The three good things intervention</a> is a quick and easy habit to <a href="https://baycrest.echoontario.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Positive-Psychology-Progress-Empirical-Validation-of-Interventions.pdf">adopt for increasing optimism</a>. You simply write down three things that went well every day and reflect on what was good about these. </p>
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<img alt="Thank you sign." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/509002/original/file-20230208-13-wxql12.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/509002/original/file-20230208-13-wxql12.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/509002/original/file-20230208-13-wxql12.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/509002/original/file-20230208-13-wxql12.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/509002/original/file-20230208-13-wxql12.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/509002/original/file-20230208-13-wxql12.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/509002/original/file-20230208-13-wxql12.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Give thanks, it might just lead to a happier life.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.pexels.com/photo/light-sign-typography-lighting-519/">Pexels/Gratisography</a></span>
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<p>There are many apps now that can prompt you and keep track of your gratitude. Other apps allow you to create vision boards and positive affirmations for your days. Although some may seem gimmicky it’s all about that gentle nudging towards positivity, <a href="https://www.health.harvard.edu/healthbeat/giving-thanks-can-make-you-happier">which the science supports</a>. Or in other words, practising and cultivating an attitude of gratitude and appreciation generally works, and helps you to feel more positive about your life. Gratitude also helps you to see the bigger picture and become more resilient in the face of adversity.</p>
<p>You can also practice gratitude more naturally by giving thanks – telling someone what you are grateful for that day or sending thank-you messages. Indeed, it might sound trite but this is important as <a href="https://www.umgc.edu/blog/the-science-of-gratitude">research</a> shows daily feelings of gratitude are associated with higher levels of positive emotions and better <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/17439760.2019.1651888?casa_token=BgnPI1MYoM4AAAAA:HqFldsOEsSQ7sb35iz9R3sGXiwItSEJGCW69yuw3-nbIty80lMCWkmUEdZ4y4JpIkntvj8zTcw">social wellbeing</a>.</p>
<h2>4. Spending time with pets helps too</h2>
<p>My pets are part and parcel of our family routine and also support me in my daily happiness. I find going for walks easier to do because of my dogs. Research shows that dogs motivate their human companions to be more active and in turn, both dog and human have a shared pleasurable experience that <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/14/8/936">boosts their happiness</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Man and woman with dog on sofa." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/509003/original/file-20230208-15-4yg7gq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/509003/original/file-20230208-15-4yg7gq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/509003/original/file-20230208-15-4yg7gq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/509003/original/file-20230208-15-4yg7gq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/509003/original/file-20230208-15-4yg7gq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/509003/original/file-20230208-15-4yg7gq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/509003/original/file-20230208-15-4yg7gq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Pets are the best.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.pexels.com/photo/a-woman-holding-her-pet-dog-4560123/">Pexels/leeloo thefirst</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>I also enjoy sitting with my cats while drinking tea and reading a book. Studies have found that family pets provide many benefits towards health and happiness, as they not only provide companionship but also reduce incidents of depression and anxiety while helping to boost our <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/08927936.2020.1694313?casa_token=lcDeGjXwQW0AAAAA:s06pG_CePTZI1S0l4r95TXNxSKd66Ps_Ayff-mf4T5DOJfNmVTTYn3wj9OwStqLPT98iDDtmqw">happiness and self-esteem levels</a>.</p>
<p>The main ingredients for happiness and what the research boils down to are social connections and activity – of both the mind and body. And finding a flow to life through our daily habits and intentions can lead to happier, more fulfilling lives.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/197326/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Lowri Dowthwaite-Walsh does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The good news is that we can all improve our happiness levels with daily practice.Lowri Dowthwaite-Walsh, Senior Lecturer in Psychological Interventions, University of Central LancashireLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1982002023-02-06T12:19:56Z2023-02-06T12:19:56ZCurious Kids: why do I feel happier when the sun is out?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/507644/original/file-20230201-10491-cnbcpu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=19%2C13%2C4341%2C2890&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/happy-child-outdoors-spring-sunflower-field-173333366">Sunny studio/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p><strong>Why do I feel happier when the sun is out? – Mabli, aged 13, Barry, Wales</strong></p>
<p>That is exactly the same question I asked many years ago when I was sitting on a nice sunny beach, far away on a lovely warm island. I remember thinking, “Oh gosh, tomorrow I need to fly back to rainy London where the weather is horrible. I don’t want to go; the weather will make me unhappy.”</p>
<p>I actually <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/manc.12126">did some research</a> into whether sunshine does make us happier. I’m a professor of economics, and I wanted to look at whether higher temperatures, more sunshine and less rainfall on a given day makes people happier. Happiness matters to economists because it is an important way of measuring quality of life. Did you know that the Office of National Statistics has been collecting <a href="https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/wellbeing/articles/measuresofnationalwellbeingdashboardqualityoflifeintheuk/2022-08-12">happiness data</a> for more than 10 years?</p>
<p>My own <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/manc.12126">research</a> has shown that while sunshine matters as a seasonal factor, it doesn’t matter much whether it’s sunny on any given day here in the UK. The sunlight you get over the course of a season is what’s important. You may generally feel a bit unhappier in the winter, but it won’t matter much whether it’s a sunny or a cloudy winter’s day. </p>
<p>Medically, exposure to sunlight causes your brain to produce the hormone <a href="https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/22572-serotonin">serotonin</a> inside your body. Hormones are complex chemicals that play an important role in regulating many of your body functions. </p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/282267/original/file-20190702-126345-1np1y7m.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/282267/original/file-20190702-126345-1np1y7m.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=293&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/282267/original/file-20190702-126345-1np1y7m.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=293&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/282267/original/file-20190702-126345-1np1y7m.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=293&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/282267/original/file-20190702-126345-1np1y7m.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=368&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/282267/original/file-20190702-126345-1np1y7m.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=368&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/282267/original/file-20190702-126345-1np1y7m.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=368&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/curious-kids-36782">Curious Kids</a> is a series by <a href="https://theconversation.com/uk">The Conversation</a> that gives children the chance to have their questions about the world answered by experts. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to <a href="mailto:curiouskids@theconversation.com">curiouskids@theconversation.com</a> and make sure you include the asker’s first name, age and town or city. We won’t be able to answer every question, but we’ll do our very best.</em></p>
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<p>Two functions that are affected by serotonin are your mood and your sleep quality. When you’re exposed to sunlight your body will make more serotonin, which can boost your mood and make you feel better. High levels of serotonin will make you a feeling positive and full of energy.</p>
<p>At night, when it is dark, your body produces another hormone called <a href="https://www.nhs.uk/medicines/melatonin/">melatonin</a>. Melatonin helps your body relax and will make you feel tired. It’s a chemical produced by your body to prepare you for a good night’s sleep. A good balance between these two chemicals is very important in regulating your energy levels, giving you a good night’s rest and making you feel well during the day.</p>
<h2>Not enough sunshine</h2>
<p>However, for many people it is hard to balance sunlight with darkness. People who work indoors a lot, or live in parts of the world where it gets dark for a long time – like countries near the North Pole in the winter – may not get enough sunlight. </p>
<p>There is <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0140673698010150?casa_token=s-i479aPLeAAAAAA:n3sPnD68j0wxaXpKJSHxqW3ltORsZ6Bc70CGdkmiu-bDgq6FF_5hYVY6kF8Imrg8cryFIbpR">typically 100 times less light</a> in a house and 25 times less light in an office when compared to a nice sunny day outside. This is why getting outside in the sun is a great way to get some exercise, enjoy the fresh air, and boost your mood all at the same time. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Three girls outside in warm clothes" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/507659/original/file-20230201-13415-orsgzp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/507659/original/file-20230201-13415-orsgzp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/507659/original/file-20230201-13415-orsgzp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/507659/original/file-20230201-13415-orsgzp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/507659/original/file-20230201-13415-orsgzp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/507659/original/file-20230201-13415-orsgzp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/507659/original/file-20230201-13415-orsgzp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">It’s important to spend time outside, all year round.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/trio-pretty-multiethnic-cheerful-teen-girls-1828137389">Prostock-studio/Shutterstock</a></span>
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<p>People who live in places where there is less daylight are more likely to suffer from <a href="https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/conditions/seasonal-affective-disorder-sad/overview/">seasonal affective disorder</a> (Sad). Sad is a type of depression that often occurs in the autumn and winter. </p>
<p>People with Sad may experience symptoms such as low energy, sadness, sleep problems, and a decreased interest in activities they normally enjoy. The most common treatment for Sad is light therapy where you sit underneath bright artificial lights for some time. This mimics sunshine and will trick your body into creating serotonin. </p>
<h2>We need the light</h2>
<p>However, there is more to sunlight than just hormones. Your skin produces Vitamin D from sunlight and this is important for strong bones and being healthy. From April to September most people in the UK make <a href="https://www.britishskinfoundation.org.uk/sunlight-and-vitamin-d">enough Vitamin D from sunshine alone</a>. In the winter, though, you won’t get enough from sunshine, which is why <a href="https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vitamins-and-minerals/vitamin-d/">the UK government recommends</a> that everyone should consider taking vitamin D supplements in the autumn and winter. </p>
<p>There is also an evolutionary component. Human eyesight is designed for daylight. We don’t have good night vision like cats. A long time ago in the past, when we didn’t have streetlamps, long periods of darkness might have made our ancestors nervous, fearful, and therefore unhappy. And while you don’t have to worry about being eaten by a lion at night any more, you may still have some of that fear from <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02699931.2022.2029358?needAccess=true">your ancestors 5,000 years ago</a>.</p>
<p>Please remember that while sunlight can have many positive effects on your mood and health, it’s also important to be safe in the sun. This means wearing sunscreen, wearing a hat and sunglasses, and avoiding being in direct sunlight for too long. And never look at the sun directly. That’s super dangerous.</p>
<p><em>This article has been updated to better represent government advice on taking Vitamin D.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/198200/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Franz Buscha does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Day to day, sunshine might not affect our mood – but light and dark seasons do.Franz Buscha, Professor of Economics, University of WestminsterLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1975802023-02-01T06:12:05Z2023-02-01T06:12:05ZI’ve spent years studying happiness – here’s what actually makes for a happier life<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/506104/original/file-20230124-12-si7r66.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=100%2C60%2C6609%2C4406&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.pexels.com/search/happy%20people/">Pexels/ajay donga</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>It’s one thing to know what makes people happy, but quite another to live a happy life oneself. I didn’t get a true taste of happiness until I quit my decade-long career as a happiness academic, packed all I’d need for many months onto a bicycle, and began <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-i-quit-my-day-job-researching-happiness-and-started-cycling-to-bhutan-105531">meandering my way around the world</a> to Bhutan.</p>
<p>For those unfamiliar with Bhutan, it’s a small Himalayan kingdom, famed for basing <a href="https://weall.org/resource/bhutan-gross-national-happiness-index">all its national policy decisions on happiness</a>.</p>
<p>Quite the destination, quite the journey.</p>
<p>And I would learn more about happiness than I did as an academic. That’s not to dismiss knowledge acquired through books and letters. Yet there’s a lot to be said for actually getting direct experience in life. </p>
<p>Below are <a href="https://journeyforhappiness.co.uk/shop/">some of the important things</a> I learned on a journey for happiness.</p>
<h2>For sustained happiness, go deep</h2>
<p>When people talk about happiness <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/frank-furedi-be-afraid-here-come-the-happiness-police-5329919.html">some dismiss it</a> as a viable societal goal because happiness policy can be misconstrued as being about people smiling and laughing all the time.</p>
<p>Yet pleasant as smiling and laughing are, doing them all the time is neither realistic nor desirable. Difficult emotions are a natural part of life. These days I love a cry – it’s <a href="https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/is-crying-good-for-you-2021030122020#:%7E:text=Researchers%20have%20established%20that%20crying,both%20physical%20and%20emotional%20pain.">an important release</a>. And anxiety, which I’m prone to, is something I’ll be open and curious about rather than hide from.</p>
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<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="Quarter life, a series by The Conversation" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<p><em><strong><a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/topics/quarter-life-117947?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=UK+YP2022&utm_content=InArticleTop">This article is part of Quarter Life</a></strong>, a series about issues affecting those of us in our twenties and thirties. From the challenges of beginning a career and taking care of our mental health, to the excitement of starting a family, adopting a pet or just making friends as an adult. The articles in this series explore the questions and bring answers as we navigate this turbulent period of life.</em></p>
<p><em>You may be interested in:</em></p>
<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/houseplants-dont-just-look-nice-they-can-also-give-your-mental-health-a-boost-186982">Houseplants don’t just look nice – they can also give your mental health a boost</a></em></p>
<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/how-the-philosophy-behind-the-japanese-art-form-of-kintsugi-can-help-us-navigate-failure-193487?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=UK+YP2022&utm_content=InArticleTop">How the philosophy behind the Japanese art form of kintsugi can help us navigate failure</a></em></p>
<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/how-to-spend-time-wisely-what-young-people-can-learn-from-retirees-189340">How to spend time wisely – what young people can learn from retirees</a></em></p>
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<p>The kind of <a href="https://people.acciona.com/organizational-culture/human-flourishing/?_adin=02021864894">happiness I value is deeper</a> – grounded in connection, purpose and hope, yet has room for sadness and anxiety too. Indeed, it’s this kind of happiness that a country like <a href="https://ophi.org.uk/policy/gross-national-happiness-index/">Bhutan aspires to</a>, and I think more countries (and people) should, too.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Woman with dog." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/506101/original/file-20230124-20-u3basp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/506101/original/file-20230124-20-u3basp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/506101/original/file-20230124-20-u3basp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/506101/original/file-20230124-20-u3basp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/506101/original/file-20230124-20-u3basp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/506101/original/file-20230124-20-u3basp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/506101/original/file-20230124-20-u3basp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Happiness can be found in the everyday.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.pexels.com/photo/photo-of-smiling-woman-petting-black-dog-2124882/">Pexels/Gabriela Cheloni</a></span>
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</figure>
<h2>Have goals but prepare to let them go</h2>
<p>Goals can be helpful. They give direction in our day-to-day lives. But it’s easy to get wrapped up in attaining an outcome, believing our happiness depends on it. </p>
<p>Rather than being in what psychologists call <a href="https://www.headspace.com/articles/flow-state">flow</a> – an immersive, in-the-moment state of being – we might doggedly push on towards a goal. Even though achieving our goals <a href="https://www.fastcompany.com/90318268/why-reaching-your-goals-wont-make-you-happier">won’t always bring us happiness</a>.</p>
<p>When I was cycling to Bhutan, I let go of the idea of ever reaching Bhutan many times, and through doing so I ensured my journey remained purposeful and enjoyable. And, when I did arrive, beautiful as Bhutan was, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2cHuUflGZg">exhaustion and homesickness dominated</a>. If we’re not happy along the way, then we ought to question whether it’s worth going at all.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/506096/original/file-20230124-21-ecnl5r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Bridge covered in flags with hills in the background." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/506096/original/file-20230124-21-ecnl5r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/506096/original/file-20230124-21-ecnl5r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=370&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/506096/original/file-20230124-21-ecnl5r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=370&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/506096/original/file-20230124-21-ecnl5r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=370&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/506096/original/file-20230124-21-ecnl5r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=465&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/506096/original/file-20230124-21-ecnl5r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=465&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/506096/original/file-20230124-21-ecnl5r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=465&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Iron Chain Bridge of Tamchog Lhakhang Monastery, Paro River, Bhutan.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/iron-chain-bridge-tamchog-lhakhang-monastery-667317535">Shutterstock/Sabine Hortebusch</a></span>
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</figure>
<h2>Don’t be misled by stories</h2>
<p>There are many stories about what a happy life entails, but they’re not always backed up by reliable evidence. An example would be the “when I achieve this, I will be happy” story described above. Another popular story is that money buys happiness. I spent much of my research career examining <a href="https://theconversation.com/however-you-spend-it-money-isnt-the-key-to-happiness-25289">this</a> (and travelling humbly for 18 months).</p>
<p>What is clear is that having more money (beyond the point of meeting basic needs) is inconsequential when compared with having good quality relationships, looking after our mental and physical health, and living meaningfully in line with our beliefs and values. Yet, sadly, these things often get sacrificed in pursuit of more. </p>
<p>These stories persist because they support an economic system that is designed to <a href="https://journeyforhappiness.co.uk/2021/06/03/does-money-buy-happiness-thats-a-question-of-ideological-belief-rather-than-science/">increase GDP</a> rather than improve the wellbeing of people and the planet.</p>
<h2>Allow others to give</h2>
<p>Warm and loving relationships are <a href="https://hms.harvard.edu/magazine/sleep/good-life">essential for living a happy life</a>. Yet that doesn’t mean these are easy to come by.</p>
<p>As an academic, I saw how important relationships were for happiness in the data. But like many, I had a difficult time realising them in my own life. We’re not taught that way and often think people will only love us when we meet certain criteria, rather than unconditionally for who we are.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="People dancing on rooftop." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/506098/original/file-20230124-25-zjsp4h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/506098/original/file-20230124-25-zjsp4h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/506098/original/file-20230124-25-zjsp4h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/506098/original/file-20230124-25-zjsp4h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/506098/original/file-20230124-25-zjsp4h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/506098/original/file-20230124-25-zjsp4h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/506098/original/file-20230124-25-zjsp4h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Enjoy your time with others and let them be there for you.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.pexels.com/photo/people-dancing-on-the-street-7502601/">Pexels/Rodnae Productions</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>What shocked me most on my cycle journey was people’s kindness and generosity. People would invite me into their lives, offering me food or a place to stay, even when they owned little. When I set off, I was either suspicious of this generosity or racing too quickly onwards to consider stopping. But with time, I learned to let people in, and this led to deeper connections and more happiness.</p>
<h2>You can get through a crisis</h2>
<p>I wouldn’t have been able to reach Bhutan on a bicycle without facing a crisis or two. We will all face a crisis at some point. We might lick our wounds and get back in the saddle, but to find our way through a crisis psychologically, we need support from others. We also need to give ourselves time to make sense of what has happened and to ensure we move forward purposefully. These are all essential for resilience, and what helped me on my journey. </p>
<h2>You can’t beat the million-star hotel</h2>
<p>Nothing beats lying under the stars after a full day’s cycle through the mountains. Humans are of nature, yet we spend so much of our time indoors in built-up, often contrived, social spaces that do not meet fundamental needs. <a href="https://www.local.gov.uk/thriving-nature-people-and-planet">Nature is essential for our wellbeing</a> – not just to feel calm and peaceful in the moment, but to sustain human life for generations to come.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/197580/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Christopher Boyce is affiliated with BiGGAR Economics, an independent economics consultancy, and Health in Mind, a mental health charity. </span></em></p>What I’ve learned on the journey to happiness.Christopher Boyce, Honorary Research Associate at the Behavioural Science Centre, University of StirlingLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1983792023-01-25T22:41:55Z2023-01-25T22:41:55ZCanada’s new drinking guidelines don’t consider the social benefits of alcohol. But should they?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/506504/original/file-20230125-24-54hefc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=74%2C14%2C1793%2C1224&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Many studies on alcohol and health do not consider the social context of drinking.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Pixabay)</span></span></figcaption></figure><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/canada-s-new-drinking-guidelines-don-t-consider-the-social-benefits-of-alcohol--but-should-they" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>This month, the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction issued <a href="https://ccsa.ca/canadas-guidance-alcohol-and-health">revised recommendations</a> for lower-risk alcohol consumption. The <a href="https://ccsa.ca/canadas-guidance-alcohol-and-health">new guidelines</a> state that no amount of alcohol is “safe” and that individuals should drink no more than two standard drinks per week in order to minimize their risk for chronic diseases, such as cancer. </p>
<p><a href="https://ccsa.ca/sites/default/files/2023-01/CCSA_Canadas_Guidance_on_Alcohol_and_Health_Final_Report_en.pdf">The report</a> also acknowledges the reality that 40 per cent of Canadians, aged 15 and older, drink more than six standard drinks per week – meaning that many of us exceed the new recommendations for low-risk alcohol consumption. </p>
<p>Given <a href="https://amp.theguardian.com/society/2018/sep/01/social-drinking-moderation-health-risks">the role that alcohol plays</a> in many of our lives, it’s of little surprise that people are reacting to these new recommendations with a fair <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/london/ccsa-alcohol-guidelines-1.6716722">degree of skepticism</a>. At the heart of the <a href="https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/low-risk-alcohol-guidance-sparks-debate-as-drinkers-start-examining-habits-evidence-1.6242625">emerging debate</a> are two contradictory truths: </p>
<ol>
<li>The more alcohol you drink the greater risk you subject yourself to; and,</li>
<li>You can still have good reasons for drinking more than public health officials say you should.</li>
</ol>
<h2>Risk-taking isn’t always about risk</h2>
<p>As a social and behavioural epidemiologist, I have worked extensively to understand how people perceive risk, the factors that shape whether individuals engage in so-called “risky” behaviours, and how assessments of risk can create stigma for individuals who flout social norms. Much of my work has been focused on sexual and gender minorities, youth who use drugs and other marginalized populations. </p>
<p>I have learned that many of the behaviours that you or I might think of as “risky” are actually adaptive responses that help individuals meet their fundamental needs as human beings. </p>
<p>For example, people who engage in risky sexual behaviours describe <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3376348/">feelings of intimacy and connection with their sexual partners</a>. Those who drink alcohol or use other drugs report that these substances help them unwind — making it easier to come out of their shell and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/add.15798">connect with friends and family</a>. </p>
<p>In other words, people derive benefit from these <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/13669877.2017.1351465">stigmatized activities</a>.</p>
<h2>Considering the social benefits of alcohol</h2>
<p>For thousands of years, our ancestors have derived benefits from alcohol — whether those benefits be the added nutrition from being able to eat and metabolize <a href="https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1404167111">fermenting fruit from the forest floor</a> or its <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780198842460.001.0001">benefits</a> as a so-called “<a href="https://openprairie.sdstate.edu/discoursejournal/vol2/iss1/10/">social lubricant</a>.”</p>
<p>However, the authors of the new guidelines and the studies that underlie them <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-one-of-the-sociologists-behind-the-new-drinking-guidelines-explains/">often ignore these benefits</a> arguing that they are inconsequential to health. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/506506/original/file-20230125-16-pxtm4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A large group of people around a table with food and drinks" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/506506/original/file-20230125-16-pxtm4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/506506/original/file-20230125-16-pxtm4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/506506/original/file-20230125-16-pxtm4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/506506/original/file-20230125-16-pxtm4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/506506/original/file-20230125-16-pxtm4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/506506/original/file-20230125-16-pxtm4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/506506/original/file-20230125-16-pxtm4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Poor social health can be just as harmful as smoking, drinking, being obese, sedentary living and exposure to poor air quality.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Unsplash/Priscilla du Preez)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>However, as the lead researcher on a <a href="https://casch.org/guidelines">national study</a> aiming to develop <a href="https://www.universityaffairs.ca/news/news-article/university-researchers-are-helping-to-create-a-canadian-guide-for-social-connection/">Canadian Social Connection Guidelines</a>, I would argue that the social benefits of alcohol use are fundamentally important to the development of public health guidelines for alcohol consumption. </p>
<p>Just as <a href="https://doi.org/10.17269%2Fs41997-020-00320-7">most people</a> do not know that alcohol increases your risk for cancer, <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29274614/">most of us also don’t realize</a> that <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24028260/">poor social health is just as, if not more, harmful than smoking, drinking, being obese, sedentary living and exposure to poor air quality</a>. </p>
<p>In fact, the list of diseases and conditions that have been <a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1000316">linked to social disconnection is expansive</a> and includes <a href="https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-018-1736-5">depression and anxiety</a>, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-018-1482-5">psychotic disorders</a>, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1136/heartjnl-2015-308790">cardiovascular disease</a>, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/ncponc1134">cancer</a>, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-017-4948-6">diabetes</a>, <a href="https://doi.org/10.3233/jad-180439">neurocognitive impairments</a>, <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32415849/">poorer immune response</a>, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.02.002">inflammation</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/13607863.2018.1488942">poor metabolism</a>. </p>
<p>While decades of research have warned about the dangers of loneliness and social isolation, public health bodies have not fully embraced the need to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMp2208029">prioritize social connection</a>. </p>
<h2>Reconciling harms and benefits</h2>
<p>Reconciling <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6713002/">the benefits and consequences of alcohol is certainly a challenge</a>. This is especially difficult given that many studies on alcohol risk fail to capture meaningful dimensions of social life. </p>
<p>For example, studies rarely account for <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0963721420969406">the social context of drinking</a> when measuring the impact of alcohol on poor health. Similarly, the fact that many <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016%2Fj.drugalcdep.2012.05.022">drinkers may have been exposed to high levels of second-hand smoke</a> has not been fully accounted for in estimating its health consequences. </p>
<p>Measuring these <a href="https://nationalpost.com/opinion/sabrina-maddeaux-two-drinks-a-week-new-guidelines-are-unsupported-and-puritanical-kill-joys">potential confounders</a> is especially important given that even if alcohol doubles or triples your risk for a given cancer, <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/alcohol-risks-cancer-questions-1.6723092">the risk in the first place may have been extremely low</a>. Measuring very small changes in risk is hard. More and better studies are still needed.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A man playing solitaire on a computer screen" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/506507/original/file-20230125-24-ewgljl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/506507/original/file-20230125-24-ewgljl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/506507/original/file-20230125-24-ewgljl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/506507/original/file-20230125-24-ewgljl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/506507/original/file-20230125-24-ewgljl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/506507/original/file-20230125-24-ewgljl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/506507/original/file-20230125-24-ewgljl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Our society also needs to do better in supporting campaigns that teach people the importance of social health and help them develop social skills, so they don’t need to rely on alcohol as a social lubricant.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Unsplash/Romina Mosquera)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>These future studies must also account for the benefits of alcohol use. Within the context of the new guidelines, the report suggests that the potential harm from consuming even 14 drinks per week (which is well above the new two drinks per week threshold for low-risk alcohol use) appears to be very modest: less than a year of lost life expectancy, on average. </p>
<p>This is similar to the estimate calculated from <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(18)30134-X">a synthesis of 83 studies</a>, which found that those who drank seven to 14 drinks (100 to 200 grams) per week had shorter life expectancy by just six months, compared to those who drank zero to seven drinks (zero to 100 grams) per week. </p>
<p>Many of us may be willing to make these trade-offs in order to live a happier life overall. </p>
<p>Meanwhile, studies on the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s40750-016-0058-4">functional benefits of alcohol on social health</a> have reported <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/emo0000451">benefits from moderate drinking</a>. These benefits are likely due to alcohol’s promotion of <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/srep25267">endorphins</a> — which play a key role in social bonding. </p>
<p>Considered along with a growing body of research that <a href="https://www.adultdevelopmentstudy.org/">emphasizes meaningful social connections as the most important determinant of happiness and well-being</a>, these studies suggest that we (at least those of us who feel a little more social after a drink or two) might benefit more from drinking alcohol than abstaining from it.</p>
<p>Of course, we certainly should find ways to reduce our alcohol consumption, perhaps by finding alternative social lubricants, including <a href="https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02466">cannabis</a>. Our society also needs to do better in <a href="https://genwellproject.org/">supporting campaigns</a> that teach people the importance of social health and help them develop social skills, so they don’t need to rely on alcohol when a <a href="https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/humor-2015-0021/pdf">well-timed joke</a> might do just as much to break the ice.</p>
<h2>Moderation in all things</h2>
<p>In summary, I agree with the authors of the new alcohol guidelines that alcohol risk is best represented along a continuum: drinking two or fewer drinks per week creates negligible-to-low risk, drinking three to six drinks is moderately risky, and drinking more than six drinks puts you at higher risk for poor health. </p>
<p>However, these estimates must be considered alongside the other important determinants of our health and happiness. Truly, none of us can lead risk-free lives and most of us probably don’t want to anyway.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/198379/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kiffer George Card receives funding from Michael Smith Health Research BC, The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. He is affiliated with the Faculty of Health Sciences at Simon Fraser University, The GenWell Project, and The Canadian Alliance for Social Connection and Health.</span></em></p>Loneliness and social isolation are some of the strongest predictors of poor health. But many studies informing Canada’s new alcohol guidelines don’t consider social connection at all.Kiffer George Card, Assistant Professor in Health Sciences, Simon Fraser UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1929372023-01-24T19:19:06Z2023-01-24T19:19:06ZKids cause suffering (at least for parents) but do they make you unhappy?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/496409/original/file-20221121-12-t76xyi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=131%2C24%2C5332%2C3612&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Some influential studies show that the decision to have kids leads to greater suffering — at least for parents. A <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/abs/10.1126/science.1103572">famous study</a> by Nobel prize-winning psychologist Daniel Kahneman and collaborators showed that working women experienced more negative, and less positive, emotions while caring for kids than while engaged in almost any other activity (except cleaning the bathroom). </p>
<p><a href="https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5rp9034f">Subsequent research</a> has shown that the effect is mediated by factors such as wealth and social support, but the central point remains. Even in the most favourable circumstances, having kids is a less than optimal way to maximise the overall amount of pleasure and enjoyment in your life.</p>
<p>Such findings have been interpreted in popular and scholarly discussions as implying that kids are not a great source of happiness. In his New York Times bestselling book, <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56627.Stumbling_on_Happiness?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=4GLzhbsLBc&rank=1">Stumbling on Happiness</a>, leading Harvard psychologist Daniel Gilbert claims findings like Kahneman’s reveal that the idea that “children bring happiness” is a false “super-replicator”: a cultural myth designed to keep unsuspecting parents passing on their genes, even though it makes them miserable. The tagline on Gilbert’s book reads “Think you know what makes you happy?” Well, think again.</p>
<figure class="align-left zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/496407/original/file-20221121-22-khmdrq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/496407/original/file-20221121-22-khmdrq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/496407/original/file-20221121-22-khmdrq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=925&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/496407/original/file-20221121-22-khmdrq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=925&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/496407/original/file-20221121-22-khmdrq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=925&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/496407/original/file-20221121-22-khmdrq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1163&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/496407/original/file-20221121-22-khmdrq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1163&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/496407/original/file-20221121-22-khmdrq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1163&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Gilbert’s book is full of interesting and important insights about pleasure and enjoyment and the “mistakes” we systematically make while (supposedly) seeking to maximise them. But is maximising pleasure and enjoyment really our ultimate aim? And is it really what most people mean by “happiness”?</p>
<p>Suppose that having kids fails to maximise overall pleasure over the life course and may even sometimes be net unpleasant. (Having lived through more tantrums and overflowing nappies than sleep deprivation permits me to count, I don’t disagree.) Does it follow that having kids makes you unhappy? Are studies like this really measuring happiness, or happiness of a kind that matters?</p>
<p>To be clear, we should note that such studies are measuring pleasure (positive and negative affect) in a broad sense. We are not talking just about superficial fleeting bodily sensations which are obviously peripheral to happiness in the long-term sense, but psychologically deep and pervasive emotions and moods like the ratio of joy and engagement to stress and boredom.</p>
<p>Still, does it really come as a surprise that kids are frequently exhausting and unpleasant? Or that a few particularly memorable moments of joy are, in some sense, outweighed by many fortunately less memorable moments of anxiety, fatigue, boredom, and frustration.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/496405/original/file-20221121-14-d1ok33.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A child knocks over a potplant." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/496405/original/file-20221121-14-d1ok33.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/496405/original/file-20221121-14-d1ok33.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/496405/original/file-20221121-14-d1ok33.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/496405/original/file-20221121-14-d1ok33.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/496405/original/file-20221121-14-d1ok33.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/496405/original/file-20221121-14-d1ok33.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/496405/original/file-20221121-14-d1ok33.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Does it really come as a surprise that kids are frequently exhausting and unpleasant?</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/five-life-affirming-words-we-should-bring-back-into-use-174848">Five life-affirming words we should bring back into use</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Higher pleasure</h2>
<p>The fact that many of us know this, and still treat kids as a source of happiness, suggests that (at least as many use the term) happiness is not simply to be identified with a favourable balance of enjoyment over suffering. (As books on pleasure and enjoyment don’t sell nearly so well as books on happiness, the temptation to relabel is understandable.)</p>
<p>Moreover, the idea that happiness can be reduced to pleasure and enjoyment has historical precedent, albeit recent. Formed from the middle-English “hap”, “happiness” originally meant “fortunate” or “lucky” and referred to how well things were really going for a person, not simply to their (possibly deluded) state of mind. </p>
<figure class="align-left zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/495808/original/file-20221117-20-nfl881.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/495808/original/file-20221117-20-nfl881.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/495808/original/file-20221117-20-nfl881.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=815&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/495808/original/file-20221117-20-nfl881.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=815&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/495808/original/file-20221117-20-nfl881.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=815&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/495808/original/file-20221117-20-nfl881.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1024&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/495808/original/file-20221117-20-nfl881.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1024&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/495808/original/file-20221117-20-nfl881.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1024&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Portrait of Jeremy Bentham by Henry William Pickersgill.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Wikimedia Commons</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>By the late 1700s, however, a new uniquely feeling-based way of thinking about happiness had emerged, especially in England, reinforced if not initiated by the work of influential thinkers such as Jeremy Bentham.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.earlymoderntexts.com/assets/pdfs/bentham1780.pdf">Bentham</a> famously put happiness front and centre of his philosophy of how to live, proclaiming “greatest happiness” to be the sole end of conduct and “the foundation of morals and legislation”. He took pains to clarify that by “happiness” he did not mean what <a href="https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/aristotle-ethics/#HumaGoodFuncArgu">Aristotle</a> meant (virtuous activity), but nothing more than a felt sensation.</p>
<p>John Stuart <a href="https://www.google.com.au/books/edition/Utilitarianism/hm4IAQAAIAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&printsec=frontcover">Mill</a>, followed in his godfather (Bentham’s) footsteps, but departed from him by insisting that pleasures and pains could and should be distinguished by their quality as well as quantity of felt experience. The “higher,” qualitatively superior pleasures make a greater contribution to happiness.</p>
<p>Mill’s view sounds objectionably elitist, but it is not. The test of whether one type of pleasure is “higher” than another is simply whether someone who has experienced both types of pleasure would prefer it, when considering it just as a feeling (apart from its usefulness). </p>
<p>Just as two glasses of wine may differ in their quality (as well as quantity), so Mill thought that one pleasant experience (e.g., the “flow” experienced by a musician absorbed in playing a challenging piece or a bushwalker immersed in nature) may be better quality than another (watching Netflix).</p>
<p>Might having kids be, or at least lead to, higher pleasure? Possibly, though Mill, himself childless, never directly considers it.</p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/495809/original/file-20221117-25-f1hxj8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/495809/original/file-20221117-25-f1hxj8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/495809/original/file-20221117-25-f1hxj8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=695&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/495809/original/file-20221117-25-f1hxj8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=695&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/495809/original/file-20221117-25-f1hxj8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=695&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/495809/original/file-20221117-25-f1hxj8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=873&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/495809/original/file-20221117-25-f1hxj8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=873&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/495809/original/file-20221117-25-f1hxj8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=873&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">John Stuart Mill.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Wikimedia Commons</span></span>
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</figure>
<p>While Mill distinguished certain pleasures as superior in felt quality, pleasure itself — and so happiness — remained a wholly inner subjective experience. But there is a more <a href="http://classics.mit.edu/Aristotle/nicomachaen.html">ancient tradition</a> of thought that takes happiness — or at any rate the kind of happiness most worth pursuing — to depend on its sources, as well as how it feels. </p>
<p>Pleasure taken in the wrong sources — say, from a bottle, or which results from wilful blindness or delusional thinking — is not authentic happiness, and contrasts with genuine pleasures of actual relationships and achievements. </p>
<p>Think of the denizens of Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World with their never-ending free supply of Soma. Are they really happy? Or are they living in a fool’s paradise?</p>
<h2>More than pleasant feelings</h2>
<p>There is <a href="https://academic.oup.com/book/32638/chapter-abstract/270544639?redirectedFrom=fulltext">evidence</a> that our assessments of happiness are sensitive not just to how someone feels, but also to the sources of these feelings; and hence that happiness, as ordinary people sometimes use this term, does not simply refer to pleasant feelings. </p>
<p>Be that as it may, the kind of happiness (if it is) that comes out of a syringe is not the kind of happiness that most of us value most highly — otherwise denizens of Brave New World would be living the good life, but hardly anyone on reflection agrees with this.</p>
<p>“Happiness” sometimes refers simply to a bunch of pleasant feelings, but it can refer to more than just feelings. While we care about feeling good, we often care about other things more. Creation, growth, a sense of achievement, and connection — even when things are difficult, challenging or downright unpleasant.</p>
<p>So, while we may agree that children are far from an unmitigated bundle of joy, we may want to resist the move to saying that they are not a great source of happiness — or, more generally, to identifying happiness simply with feeling good. There are other, perhaps more important, kinds of happiness.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/192937/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Caroline West does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Tantrums and overflowing nappies are no fun. But happiness is more than a bunch of pleasant feelings, as influential philosophers have argued.Caroline West, Senior Lecturer in Philosophy, University of SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1946262022-12-20T17:30:05Z2022-12-20T17:30:05ZNZ report card 2022: some foreign bragging rights but room for improvement at home<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/498871/original/file-20221205-73820-8y8uz9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=16%2C0%2C5321%2C3545&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Getty Images</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>It’s that time of year when school and university students eagerly (or nervously) await their end-of-year results – but also an opportunity to see where the country in general might have passed or failed.</p>
<p>Although international and domestic indices and rankings should be read with a degree of caution – measurements and metrics only tell us so much, after all – it’s still possible to trace the nation’s ups and downs relative to past years.</p>
<h2>Good global rankings</h2>
<p>Overall, the country held its own internationally when it came to democratic values and standards. <a href="https://www.transparency.org/en/cpi/2021">Transparency International</a> ranked us top, equal with Denmark and Finland, for being relatively corruption-free.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.visionofhumanity.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/GPI-2022-web.pdf">Global Peace Index</a> placed New Zealand second best in the world for safety and security, low domestic and international conflict, and degree of militarisation. And human rights and civil liberties watchdog Freedom House again <a href="https://freedomhouse.org/country/new-zealand/freedom-world/2022">scored New Zealand</a> 99 out of 100 – three Scandinavian countries scored a perfect 100.</p>
<p>On the <a href="https://www.elmundofinanciero.com/adjuntos/98982/WIMF-2022.pdf">Index of Moral Freedom</a> (a libertarian think tank that benchmarks countries’ levels of “individual
freedom regarding ethics and morality”), New Zealand moved to 14th, up five places on 2020.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_GGGR_2022.pdf">Global Gender Gap Report</a> recorded New Zealand holding its position as the fourth-most-gender-equal country. New Zealand stayed in seventh place in the World Justice Project’s <a href="https://worldjusticeproject.org/rule-of-law-index/country/2022/New%20Zealand">Rule of Law Index</a>. We went up one spot to 13th on the <a href="https://hdr.undp.org/data-center/country-insights#/ranks">Human Development Index</a> of life expectancy, education and income.</p>
<p>New Zealand also remained sixth best for internet affordability, availability, readiness and relevance, according to the <a href="https://impact.economist.com/projects/inclusive-internet-index/2022">Economist Intelligence Unit</a>. And on the <a href="https://www.wipo.int/edocs/pubdocs/en/wipo-pub-2000-2022-section3-en-gii-2022-results-global-innovation-index-2022-15th-edition.pdf">Global Innovation Index</a>, we came in at 24th out of 132 economies – two spots better than last year.</p>
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<h2>Freedom and happiness</h2>
<p>On the other side of the ledger, New Zealand’s rankings fell in a variety of political, economic and health indices.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.heritage.org/index/">Index for Economic Freedom</a>, for instance, which covers everything from property rights to financial freedom, placed us fifth, three spots below last year. And we fell three places to 11th in the Reporters Without Borders <a href="https://rsf.org/en/index">Press Freedom Index</a>.</p>
<p>New Zealanders, it seems, aren’t as happy as they were. We fell a place in the <a href="https://worldhappiness.report/ed/2022/happiness-benevolence-and-trust-during-covid-19-and-beyond/#ranking-of-happiness-2019-2021">World Happiness Report</a> to tenth-cheeriest place – although we’re still a bit happier than Australia. The <a href="https://www.socialprogress.org/global-index-2022-results">Social Progress Index</a> had us fall from 12th to 15th position, and we dropped 11 spots in the 2022 <a href="https://www.imd.org/centers/world-competitiveness-center/rankings/world-competitiveness/">Global Competitiveness Report</a>, down to 31.</p>
<p>A little surprisingly, New Zealand placed 41st on the <a href="https://www.visionofhumanity.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/GTI-2022-web-04112022.pdf">Global Terrorism Index</a>, apparently worse than Russia at 44. Although New Zealand recently reduced its <a href="https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/479798/new-zealand-drops-terror-threat-level-to-low">terror threat level</a> from medium to low, the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/sep/03/man-shot-dead-in-new-zealand-after-injuring-people-in-supermarket-police-say">2021 supermarket attack</a> in Auckland and the ongoing fallout from the Christchurch attacks will have affected our ranking.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/with-a-covid-variant-soup-looming-new-zealand-urgently-needs-another-round-of-vaccine-boosters-193616">With a COVID 'variant soup' looming, New Zealand urgently needs another round of vaccine boosters</a>
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<p>Also maybe surprisingly, Bloomberg’s <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/covid-resilience-ranking/?leadSource=uverify%20wall">COVID resilience index</a>, which ranks the “best and worst places to be as the world enters the next COVID phase”, placed New Zealand at 35. This was possibly due to the Omicron wave and increase in deaths since reopening borders, rather than a verdict on the country’s overall response.</p>
<p>And New Zealand continues to struggle environmentally, falling from 19th to 26th on the 2022 <a href="https://epi.yale.edu/epi-results/2022/country/nzl">Yale Environmental Performance Index</a>, which measures environmental health and ecosystem vitality.</p>
<p>While our overall assessment on the <a href="https://climateactiontracker.org/countries/new-zealand/">Climate Action Tracker</a> (which measures progress on meeting agreed global warming targets) hasn’t changed, it’s still categorised as “highly insufficient”. The <a href="https://ccpi.org/country/nzl/">Climate Change Performance Index</a> is a little more generous, pegging New Zealand at 33rd, up two spots on last year.</p>
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<h2>Mixed news on the home front</h2>
<p>Domestically, New Zealand recorded better-than-expected results on four fronts:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>unemployment hit a <a href="https://www.stats.govt.nz/information-releases/labour-market-statistics-september-2022-quarter/">very low 3.3%</a> in September, <a href="https://www.oecd.org/newsroom/unemployment-rates-oecd-updated-november-2022.htm">better than most comparable</a> OECD countries.</p></li>
<li><p>median weekly earnings from wages and salaries rose <a href="https://www.stats.govt.nz/news/weekly-earnings-rise-as-more-in-full-time-employment/">by 8.8% to NZ$1,189</a>, the largest increase recorded since records began in 1998</p></li>
<li><p><a href="https://coronialservices.justice.govt.nz/assets/Documents/Publications/Media-release-Deputy-Chief-Coroner-251022.pdf">suicides decreased</a> in the year to June to 538, down from 607 the year before and significantly lower than the average rate over the past 13 years</p></li>
<li><p>incarceration rates continued to fall, with a prisoner population of <a href="https://www.corrections.govt.nz/resources/statistics/quarterly_prison_statistics/prison_stats_june_2022">7,728</a> (as of June), well down on the near 10,000 figure from 2020.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>On the other hand, inflation is rising. While lower than <a href="https://www.oecd.org/newsroom/consumer-prices-oecd-updated-4-october-2022.htm">October’s OECD average</a>, an <a href="https://www.stats.govt.nz/indicators/consumers-price-index-cpi/">annual rate of 7.2%</a> is still high by recent standards. Related to this, and either good or bad news according to your perspective, annual average house price growth <a href="https://content.knightfrank.com/research/84/documents/en/global-house-price-index-q2-2022-9334.pdf">slowed to 5.5%</a> in the year to June. Real prices are expected to <a href="https://www.reuters.com/markets/new-zealand-house-prices-down-75-year-reinz-2022-11-14/">drop considerably</a> from their 2021 peak, however.</p>
<p>Those falls don’t necessarily make houses affordable for many people, although the stock of public housing continues to increase by over 500 dwellings each year to a recent total of <a href="https://www.hud.govt.nz/stats-and-insight/the-government-housing-dashboard/housing-dashboard-at-a-glance/">76,834</a>. Even so, <a href="https://www.salvationarmy.org.nz/research-policy/social-policy-parliamentary-unit/state-nation-2022/housing">demand for social housing</a> is still growing. Recent <a href="https://orangesky.org.nz/lets-talk-about-it/">research suggests</a> one in six New Zealanders have been homeless, and about 41,000 don’t have adequate access to housing.</p>
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<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/coalitions-kingmakers-and-a-rugby-world-cup-the-calculations-already-influencing-next-years-nz-election-195010">Coalitions, kingmakers and a Rugby World Cup: the calculations already influencing next year’s NZ election</a>
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<h2>Rich and poor</h2>
<p>New Zealand’s poverty rate compares poorly with <a href="https://data.oecd.org/inequality/poverty-rate.htm">other OECD countries,</a> and <a href="https://www.msd.govt.nz/documents/about-msd-and-our-work/publications-resources/research/child-poverty-in-nz/2022-child-poverty-report-overview-and-selected-findings.pdf">child poverty</a> remains a critical challenge. However, in the year to June 2021, the <a href="https://www.stats.govt.nz/news/child-poverty-statistics-show-all-measures-trending-downwards-over-the-last-three-years">percentage of children</a> living in poor households had declined since 2018. </p>
<p>At the other end of the scale, the wealthy continue to hold the <a href="https://www.stats.govt.nz/news/distribution-of-wealth-across-new-zealand-households-remains-unchanged-between-2015-and-2021">lion’s share of assets</a>. The top 10% of households hold about 50% of the nation’s total household net worth (the value of a household’s assets, such as real estate, retirement savings and shares, less its debts). Conversely, the lowest 20% hold just 1% of total household assets, but 11% of total liabilities.</p>
<p>In short, while New Zealand can claim some bragging rights in many important areas and is making modest progress in others, that’s far from the whole picture. Any progress we make should not be taken for granted.</p>
<p>The final verdict has to be: a good effort, but room for improvement.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/194626/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Alexander Gillespie does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>As the year ends, how has New Zealand fared on global and domestic measurements, from social and economic freedoms to tackling poverty and homelessness?Alexander Gillespie, Professor of Law, University of WaikatoLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.