The Science of Well-Being and Societal Quality of Life

Ed Diener University of Illinois and the Gallup Organization American Association for the Advancement of Science San Diego, February 20 th , 2010 (Annual Meeting, February 18-22)

Proposal for National Accounts of Well-Being • • • •

Will complement economic accounts, and social indicators Provides information about which groups are flourishing or floundering in terms of their own subjective evaluations of life Provides information about which activities are rewarding versus punishing Can yield information that is valuable to policy makers and leaders in making better decisions

Examples

• • • • • Cleaner air raises life satisfaction Difficult commutes lower life satisfaction Green space raises life satisfaction Unemployment lowers life satisfaction, even after return to work Trust and social capital raise well-being

But issues:

• Are the measures valid?

• Is “happiness” a personal matter, rather than a societal matter?

• Is “happiness” such a good thing?

Are the Measures Valid?

• Survey measures of life satisfaction and feelings of well-being, “Happiness,” correlate with: – Future suicide – Physiological measures such as cortisol and brain wave activity – Reports of family and friends – Smiling – Experience-sampling measures

Is SWB Just Personal?

• Impact of genes, yes • Impact of personality, yes • Impact of circumstances such as marital quality and personal income, yes

But HUGE Societal Effects

• Nations differ from miserable to quite positive in life evaluations E.G., Denmark vs. Zimbabwe

International Differences in "Ladder" Scores World Countries & "Ladder" Scores 0 to 5 5 to 6 6 to 9 No data

Societal Factors Predicting High SWB

• • • Wealth Democracy and human rights Psychosocial resources Trust, can count on others Learning new things; using one’s talents

BUT is high SWB a good thing?

• • People claim “happiness” makes people act stupid Too much optimism might lead people to not be motivated or careful

Research

• • • Cross-sectional correlations What is high SWB correlated with?

Causal: Longitudinal studies– what happens to “happy” people over time?

Causal: Experimental studies– manipulated moods and emotions, comparison of groups

Outcomes of High SWB

• Health – Longevity – Immune function – Cardiovascular fitness – Wound healing – Health behaviors

Work and Income

• Satisfied workers are better organizational citizens • Happy workers earn more money in future years

Social Relationships

• • Happy people get married, stay married, and have more rewarding marriages Happy people have more friends; people like them more

Citizenship

• • • Happy people volunteer more Happy people have more pro-peace and pro democracy views Happy people are more cooperative in lab experimental games

A Few Caveats

• • Not absence of negative emotions Not elation or euphoria • Might be optimal levels of well-being that are not the maximum

So: We need to measure the SWB of nations to create policies to monitor it Looking at groups and activities • • • • • Old people, caretakers Minority groups Enhancing worklife Unemployment Green cities

Additional References