“If only we’d stop trying to be happy we’d have a pretty good time.”
Edith Wharton
Past studies suggest that while 50% of happiness is due to situational factors like health, relationships, and career, the other 50% is due to genes.
Although there is much debate about genetic “set points” for happiness, we can significantly change and maintain different happiness levels. For example, Ed Diener and his colleagues analyzed data from a 15 year study on marriage transitions and life satisfaction ((Lucus, R., et al. (2003). Reexamining adaptation and the setpointof happiness: Reactions to changes in marital status. Journalof Personality and Social Psychology, 84, 527-539)). On average, most people moved toward their baseline level of happiness but interestingly a large number remained at their baseline and others stayed below it.
In our own research on happiness with individuals with the auto-immune disease multiple sclerosis (MS) we have seen significant changes in work and life satisfaction ((Giesser, B., Coleman, L., Fisher, S., Guttry, M., Herlihy, E., Nonoguch, S., Nowack, D., Roberts, C. & Nowack, K. (2007). Living Well with Multiple Sclerosis: Lessons Learned from a 12-Week Community Based Quality of Life Program. Paper presented at 17  & Science of Conference, March, 2007, San Francisco, CA)).   We have explored how a comprehensive 12-week “MS Living Well” program that meets for 4 hours over 12 consecutive weeks can modify well-being using our own stress and health risk assessment called StressScan. We use one scale in particular which is called “Psychological Well-Being” and is a global measure of life satisfaction or happiness (it includes aspects of positive affect, engagement and meaning).
This “MS Living Well” program is designed to teach specific coping and stress management skills (as well as other educational, spiritual and physical activiity components) to those clients with MS to facilitate an overall sense of control, physical health and psychological well-being. We can’t say for certain just how long “happiness” increases but we can say without reservation that participation in this program leads to sharp and statistically meaningful changes.
Well, can entire countries become happier?
According to national survey research from 1981 to 2007 by Ronald Inglehart and his colleagues, happiness levels rose in 45 of the 52 contries ((Ingelhart, R., Foa, R.,Peterson, C. & Welzel, C. (2008). Development, Freedom and Rising Happiness. Perspectives on PsychologicalScience, 3, 264-285)). It appears that since 1981, democratization, increasing social tolerance and economic development have increased the extent to which people believe they have more free choice. This, in turn, seems to lead to higher levels of perceived happiness. Even the United States shows an upward trend in happiness which is similar to 87% of the countries for which substantial time series data was available.
The research is part of the World Database of Happiness which has surveyed about 350,000 individuals during the last 26 years ((Veenhoven, R., World Database of Happiness, Erasmus University Rotterdam)). Together with individualal research on well-being, it appears that people can adapt to changes in their own lives and within their country and likely fluctuate around stable setpoints. Indeed, our individualand collective happiness appears to be greatly influenced by our beliefs and social systems.
Call me crazy, but I think the happiest people I know all seem to be called “strange” by a lot of us…As Mark Twain said, “Sanity and happiness are an impossible combination”….Be well…..
[tags]emotional optimism, stress, coping, immune suppression, pessimism, hardiness, Envisia learning, Envisia, happiness, multiple sclerosis, psychological well-being, kenneth nowack, ken nowack, nowack[/tags]
Ken Nowack
Kenneth Nowack, Ph.D. is a licensed psychologist (PSY13758) and President & Chief Research Officer/Co-Founder of Envisia Learning, is a member of the Consortium for Research on Emotional Intelligence in Organizations. Ken also serves as the Associate Editor of Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice and Research. His recent book Clueless: Coaching People Who Just Don’t Get It is available for free for a limited time by signing up for free blog updates (Learn more at our website)
