What does being happy mean to you?
Where or how do you find happiness in your life?
Happiness is unique to every individual. But there are many common factors which influence happiness across the human race.
While not all researchers agree on what these factors are, there are two repeated elements which researchers explore regarding the determinants of happiness.
One is external factors, such as relationships, life circumstances, and society and culture. The other is internal factors, such as beliefs and behaviours, genetics, and activities we choose to undertake.
So how can we use knowledge from research to find happiness in our own lives?
The determinants of happiness
Research by Sonja Lyubomirsky, Kennon M. Sheldon, and David Schkade [Universities of California and Missouri]
In a 2005 research paper titled Pursuing Happiness: The Architecture of Sustainable Change, researchers proposed that there are three determinants for happiness, being:
- Biology and genetics (including temperament)
- Intentional activities (what people do and think in their daily lives)
- Circumstances (including a person’s demographic factors and their personal history)
Further to this proposal, they gave an approximate percentage for the extent each of these factors accounts for a person’s wellbeing.
They proposed that 50% of happiness is determined by biology, 40% by intentional activities, and 10% by circumstances.
Research by Ed Diener [University of Illinois]
In 2008, American psychologist, professor, and author Ed Diener identified five factors which contribute to happiness, including:
- Social relationships
- Temperament / adaptation
- Money
- Society and culture
- Positive thinking styles
Diener mentions that after a certain threshold, research showed that there was no correlation between income and happiness. But what had a higher correlation to happiness was social relationships.
Research by Julia Rohrer, David Richter, Martin Brümmer, Gert Wagner, and Stefan Schmukle [Universities and institutes of Germany]
In this 2018 German study, researchers interviewed participants on ideas for how they could improve their own life satisfaction, then asked participants to implement their own ideas into their lives.
One year later, researchers interviewed the same people and found that those who made active pursuits to socialise (such as spending more time with family and friends) reported being more satisfied.
According to Julia Rohrer, participants who came up with strategies that did not explicitly involve others, remained on average, as satisfied as they were one year prior.
Research by Gerard Koe, CatholicCare Victoria Family Counsellor
In Gerard Koe’s 2019 article The pursuit of happiness, Koe states that the key to all-round happiness is to complement Hedonic happiness with the pursuit and cultivation of Eudaimonic wellbeing.
Hedonic happiness relates to what we as humans HAVE. It refers to the notion that “If I have everything that I want, then I can be happy.”
Eudaimonic wellbeing, however, comes from WITHIN oneself.
Koe states that by becoming less reliant on external factors for happiness, and finding contentment and happiness within ourselves, we can develop Eudaimonic Wellbeing for happiness which is eternal.
Let’s take insights from research to improve happiness in our lives
While some researchers state that there are determinants of happiness which we cannot change, research also shows that there are some things we can do to improve our happiness and satisfaction in life.
Some of these include:
- Forming strong connections and relationships with others
- Setting time aside to connect with family and friends
- Using positive thinking strategies and mindsets, and eliminating negative self-talk
- Practicing gratitude
- Reframing problems as opportunities to learn and grow
- Practicing mindfulness and meditation
If you’re struggling with feeling down or struggling to find happiness in your daily life, speaking with a close friend or family member, or speaking with a mental health practitioner can help.
At CatholicCare Victoria, we have counsellors all across the state.
If you’d like to learn more or speak with a counsellor for support, visit our webpage here:
Counselling
Liz Gellel | Marketing Coordinator – Digital Lead
Sources:
- Pursuing Happiness: The Architecture of Sustainable Change, Sonja Lyubomirsky, Kennon M. Sheldon, and David Schkade, 2005
- How Much of Your Happiness Is Under Your Control? Greater Good Magazine, Kira M. Newman, 18 February 2020
- Serious Research on Happiness, Ann Conkle, 1 August 2008
- Pursuit of Happiness, Ed Diener
- Successfully Striving for Happiness: Socially Engaged Pursuits Predict Increases in Life Satisfaction, Rohrer, Richter, Brümmer, Wagner, & Schmukle, 2018
- Social pursuits linked with increased life satisfaction, Association for Psychological Science, 29 May 2018
- The pursuit of happiness, Gerard Koe and Liz Gellel, 2019
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