Political Scientists Say Gender Equity Is Key to Happiness
The science is clear: Electing more women makes everyone happier.
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happiness
The timing of help: Receiving help toward the end (vs. beginning) undermines psychological ownership and subjective well-being.
Giving help is a generous act, but it can cause psychological distress for the recipients by inducing feelings of dependency, incompetence, or indebtedness. The current research identifies a novel factor—the timing of help in the course of an activity—that modulates the negative effect of help on the recipient’s subjective well-being. Across nine studies, we show that people experience less happiness and satisfaction when they receive help in a later (vs. earlier) stage of an activity. We attribute this timing effect to the recipient’s loss of psychological ownership of the activity; help causes a temporary, perceived shift of ownership from the recipient to the helper, and the recipient perceives a greater loss of ownership after receiving help in a later (vs. earlier) stage. We also identify two theoretical moderators: The effect holds when the activity is pursued for intrinsic reasons (e.g., for enjoyment) but not when the activity is pursued for extrinsic reasons (e.g., out of obligation), and the effect holds when help is dependency-oriented (e.g., providing full solutions) but not when help is autonomy-oriented (e.g., providing tools). Our findings advance the current understanding of how the provision of help can hurt a recipient’s well-being and offer practical insight into when help should be given to minimize such harmful effects. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)
A meta-analysis of the dark side of the American dream: Evidence for the universal wellness costs of prioritizing extrinsic over intrinsic goals.
Self-determination theory holds that the intrinsic and extrinsic content of people’s aspirations differentially affect their wellness. An evidence base spanning nearly 30 years indicates that focusing on intrinsic goals (such as for growth, relationships, community giving, and health) promotes well-being, whereas a focus on extrinsic goals (such as for wealth, fame, and beauty) deters well-being. Yet, the evidence base contains exceptions, and some authors have argued that focusing on extrinsic goals may not be universally detrimental. We conducted a systematic review and used multilevel meta-analytic structural equation modeling to evaluate the links between intrinsic and extrinsic aspirations with indices of well-being and ill-being. Across 92 reports (105 studies), 1,808 effects, and a total sample of N = 70,110, we found that intrinsic aspirations were linked positively with well-being, r = 0.24 [95% CI 0.22, 0.27], and negatively with ill-being, r = −0.11 [−0.14, −0.08]. When the variety of extrinsic aspiration scoring methods were combined, the link with well-being was not statistically significant, r = 0.02 [−0.02, 0.06]. However, when extrinsic aspirations were evaluated in terms of their predominance in the overall pattern of aspiring the effect was universally detrimental, linking negatively to well-being, r = −0.22 [−0.32, −0.11], and positively to ill-being, r = 0.23 [0.17, 0.30]. Meta-analytic conclusions about the associations between goal types and wellness are important because they inform how individuals could shape aspirations to support their own happiness and how groups and institutions can frame goals such that their pursuit is for the common good. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)
8 Essentials to Keep Your Relationship Vibrant and Healthy
The health of our relationships is the best predictor of happiness. But, how to keep our relationships in good standing?
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Can money buy happiness? Scientists say it can
Research proposes that happiness continues to rise with income even in the high range of incomes.
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Happy? Want to learn how to be?
Arthur C. Brooks launched a course four years ago to teach his students not only how to increase their happiness, but how to make those around them happier as well. Now, he’s looking to spread the word to everyone, everywhere. …
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Few People Seem to Find Real Joy in JOMO
People who enjoy experiencing JOMO, the “joy of missing out”, tend to have higher levels of social anxiety, a new study reports. Disclaimer: The content of this article has not been checked or verified. Proceed at your own risk.
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Living Happiness (3)
Living Happiness Christian Jonathan Haverkampf, M.D. Happiness is a positive state and for many people a goal they try to reach in life. The feeling can reach from contentment to intense joy. Although the experience of happiness is influenced by genetic make-up and external factors, humans do have significant control over whether to experience this
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The Bliss of Communication
Communication can be bliss. We fulfill our needs through communicating with others, and it helps if our way of communicating with others is aligned with our needs, values and aspirations. However, too often we do not pay much attention to communication. We might see that something is not working on the job or in a
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Living Hope
Hope is something we feel we need when we don’t have it. Most of the time, we would not even think about it. But the fact that we feel a desperate need for it when fortune seems to have turned against us, shows that it has a powerful role to play psychologically. And, it is
