Causes and Actions • Positive (and not negative) emotions • Satisfaction with life • Flourishing (Eudaimonia) • Genes • Personality, mental illness • Actions Causes • Intentional attitudes • Circumstances Genes Actions Circumstances • Money makes us happier, but… • Satisfaction vs positive emotions • The more you earn, the more you “need” • Relative vs. absolute income • Income = 1% of our happiness • Materialistic people • Richer but less happy • Any work is better than none • Good jobs • Secure • Intrinsically motivating (decreased by financial rewards) • Interesting (engaging, flow) • Positively contributes to society • Short/easy commute • Allows for autonomy • Then pay, promotions, & flexible hours • Self-employment • Higher work satisfaction, but same life satisfaction • Social support • Freedom • Trust • People • Institutions • Corruption • Equality? • Mental health • Mental health problems 10-20 years ago predict current happiness better than anything else • There are solutions that work • Physical health • Good health causes happiness • Happiness causes good health • Marriage • Happiness marriage & marriage happiness • Good marriages tend to be between equals • Education, looks, happiness • Children • Bad for happiness, good for meaning • 0-3 and 13-18 are worst • Divorce & Bereavement • Religion • Good in hard times/places • Values • Altruism (up to 4x better than selfishness) • Materialism (need 2x the $$ to be as happy) • Work-life balance • Education • Strengths/savouring/gratitude Social support (10% extra saying yes to ‘people will always help me if I need it’) 4.5 Freedom (10% extra saying yes to ‘satisfied with freedom to choose in my life’) 2.1 Less corruption (10% extra saying no to ‘is corruption widespread in business or government’?) 1.9 Being female (vs. male) 1.5 30% increase in income 1.0 Single (vs. married) -2.2 Widowed (vs. married) -2.9 Separated (vs. married) -4.0 Being unemployed (vs. employed) -6.0 Low satisfaction 8 years earlier (1 std. dev. worse) -10.0 Poor physical health (vs. good physical health, self assessed) -15.0 • • • • • • • • Examine and live by your values Learn and apply your strengths Exercise Foster relationships Meditate Exercise savouring and gratitude Volunteer/donate/random acts of kindness www.growhq.com, www.actionforhappiness.org