Subjective Well Being - Road to a Happy Life - Research Paper Example

ive Well Being: Road to a Happy Life ive well-being is a term which is often used synonymous to happinessbut there exists a minor difference between the two terms. The simplest way of measuring happiness was to ask the individual direct questions whether he is happy or not and then relating his answers with his behavioral pattern. A theory which is often used to link subjective well-being to the concepts of psychology includes the social construction theory. The other theories such as the bottom up theory are influenced by external factors or events whereas the top down theory is influenced by internal factors and how the individual perceives certain aspects of life. Psychologist then developed four standards which form the base of Subjective well-being and these four standards are the perception of the individual about the past, their perceptions about the future, their aims and social comparison. A number of advantages have been outlined which are essential to live a healthy life and all of these can be attained by being happy and content with what a person has. However, there are also certain disadvantages that have been proved by research which needs to be carefully assessed when discussing the topic of happiness and subjective well-being. Introduction There are certain questions that an individual often ponders upon during different phase of life such as what happiness is and whether there are any ways to increase the level of happiness of a person? Or is happiness actually something that one should give importance to? These questions are researched by professors and researchers for many years and are included in the area of subjective well-being. This subjective well-being is often found associated with a number of things; most of which are often found linked with happiness, satisfaction i.e., satisfaction with one self and satisfaction with life and also a personality trait which is often characterized by negative emotions and is referred to as Neuroticism. In this era, individuals have to go through a number of challenges that often raise questions regarding the thinking of the human nature and the research that are relevant to the development of countries, communities and an individual alone. For example, the rise in the rate of crime may instill fear among the individuals that reside in cities, states or countries. Also, if there is any sort of threat to the environment such as change in climate, a decrease in the reserves of natural resources, financial crisis and economic crisis that may affect a certain household or the entire country. This may in turn affect the subjective well-being of an individual and directly affect his lifestyle. The purpose of this paper is to assess the importance of the subjective well-being in an individual and the various factors that are linked to this subjective well-being. Since happiness has always been a focus of attention for many researchers, it wasn’t a surprise when in the 1950’s the psychologist who mainly conducted researches on the negatives emotion of human being such as depression and anxiety had then focused upon the positive emotions of an individual and the feelings that instilled the sense of well being in a person. It was then that a separate discipline was formed which was relevant to how good a person’s life is, the true meaning of happiness and so this domain further extended in to a separate subject which is now referred to as subjective well-being (this term is commonly abbreviated as SWB). Subjective well-being is a broad term that is often used synonymous to happiness but both the terms are not alike. Subjective well-being is actually a term which covers a broad field that is all about how an individual responds to certain emotions, what satisfies hi, and according to him what is the true meaning of life satisfaction (Hoorn, 2007). The main problem that limited the extent of research on this subject was the measurement of the subject well-being. However, the solution was soon developed and it utilized a straight forward approach which was supported by the definition of happiness given by the subjects who were involved in the research. In other words, the measurement of true happiness or satisfaction only depended upon the person who was being questioned. For some it would be a complete family, for some it would be a nice job whereas some could only define it in terms of having their belly filled with food. Hence, it could be said that the measurement of subjective well-being truly depended on the person himself. The simplest way adapted by the researchers was by asking the person questions such as “Are you happy?” and then asking the level of their happiness. The researchers then further evaluated the answers given by the subjects based on their behavior. It was found that those who answered that they were happier also portrayed signs of happiness and were more content with their life and therefore the researchers decided to just simply ask the subjects and then link their answers to their behavior (Compton & Hoffman, 2013). Sociologists can never know what actually runs in the mind of an individual however, they can still assume based on the research methods that they develop. Some of these researchers often link subjective well-being to cognitive psychology and hence they build up a concept whose foundation lies on the belief of what a good life is and its comparison in a society (Eid & Larsen, 2008). The scientists have linked the concept of subjective well-being to a number of theories. One such theory is known as the Social construction theory according to which, an individual makes sense out of things and hence the human mind creates an image of how it perceives reality using a collection of beliefs as the basic foundation, this is known as social constructionism, According to psychologist, social constructionism is not affected by the innate desires and experience. One method which is often considered in order to check whether this theory is applicable or not is the building up of perspective towards the glass half full; the positive concept of the glass half empty; the negative concept. The positive concept is related to the optimistic aspects of life whereas the negative concepts are relevant to the pessimistic aspects of life. A research conducted by Inglehart (1990) proposed that the ratio of happiness was higher among the citizens of United States as compared to the citizens of France; the reason behind this was that the lifestyle of France was quite tough which was reflected in terms of negative emotions among the people (Eid & Larsen, 2008). Another theory that has become quite popular among researchers is known as the top down and bottom up theory which is a model developed in order to find the causes of subjective well-being. The Bottom up factors are those that influenced by the external forces such as events, circumstances, situations or location and demographics. A research conducted by Veenhovan (2004) indicated that differences in the characteristics of a society such as economy, politics etc. can affect the number of years a person lives happily. This variation was mainly because a less variation resulted in an increase in the level of happiness and vice versa. The bottom up factors affected 63% of the society. On the contrary, the bottom up factors accounted for only 8% of variance in the subjective well-being. Most of the researchers have preferred the bottom up theory because of the considerably less percentage of variance that it causes (Durayappah, 2010). Based on the bottom up theory only people who have positive emotions are considered lucky and this theory mostly includes those people who have seen more good than bad in their lives and those who have harvested the benefits out of everything in their life. These people have a higher chance in being successful at almost everything that they do or plan to do. But, even though this theory sounds more spontaneous and easy to follow, it has not received much support from the literary context. On the contrary, the top down theory is quite opposite the bottom up theory and bases the foundation of happiness of feelings and emotions that often ignite the behavioral or cognitive reaction in a human being. The factors which are considered in the top down theory are often thought to affect the personality of the individual and lastly, alter their perception about the world (Maddux & Tangney, 2010). The determinants of well-being are further divided into two classes; objective and subjective. The difference between the two is that the objective indicators mostly depend upon the observations of other about the individual who are under study. Something that was expected out of this is that the level of satisfaction that the people have is often reflected by certain objective indicators such as the level of income, the quality of life that they are living in etc. However, there are studies that have concluded that the relation that these indicators have with the average life satisfaction is not to a great extent. Such as a study indicated the relation between the income of a person and the satisfaction was scored to only 0.07. Similarly, there are many other researches that indicate the same aforementioned theory. (Olson, Herman & Zanna, 2014). On the other hand, there are certain objective indicators that provide a better level of indication such as the income. A research study indicated that the relationship between income and life satisfaction in an average Canadian had a score of up to 0.27. Meanwhile, another research also linked gender to job satisfaction, in which the female gender were more satisfied with their jobs as compared to men (Olson, Herman & Zanna, 2014). There are various opinions regarding the objective factors and how subjective well-being is dependent on it, but one thing is for sure and that is the variation that the quality of life is rated with is often left unaccountable. This then lead the researchers toward the path of subjective indicators. Researchers then proposed four standards which can be used as a foundation for the evaluation of subjective well-being. These four standards the individuals thinking about the past, future, their goals and how they compare their lives with that of the others. Perception of the past serve as a poos indicator of well-being and same is the case with the future expectation. Goals, which is the third standard serves as the highest predictor of subjective well-being. It was estimated that about 35-41% ratio of variance accounts for difference between where a person currently stands and what he plans to achieve. Further studies were carried out and it was found that the goals of people are usually dependent upon the social comparison. Hence, when an individual sees another person living a better life than him, he makes that lifestyle his goal and when that person fulfills his goals he can then be linked to the concept of subjective well-being (Olson, Herman & Zanna, 2014). One must then ask the question as to why is it important to achieve this self-satisfaction and why do many people emphasize on being happy? Is happiness truly a good thing as many others say? Should others look for happiness in their lives? There are many who say that achieving happiness is actually a negative phenomenon and should be avoided. However, there are numerous studies that have linked happiness and life satisfaction to a healthy and long life which in turn produces likable, friendly, likeable individuals who are much better individuals both at home and for the country alike (Lyubomirsky, King & Diener, 2005). Happier individuals are usually more socially active. The reason behind good health of happy individuals is that these people are not subjects of every day stress and hence the risk of cardiovascular diseases are decreased, Such people also have a healthy immune system and their secret to long life is that they tend to practice habits such as putting on seat belts and following their medication regimen which helps them to live longer. Happy people are socially active, have healthy and stable relationships, these people always look at the brighter side of the picture and hence they are supported by the peers and also help those who need their support. Optimistic people are happy with their lives and work and hence try to achieve maximum productivity at whatever they do. These people do their jobs well; earn well and in return give charity to those who need it, proving that they are good citizens of any country (Diener, n.d.). Now can this happiness be achieved so that one can reach the level of subjective well-being? There are many people who are considered happy to some extent but there are many who always wish for more and they never seem to be satisfied with what they have. The processes that are specially designed to achieve happiness are simplified enough so that each component of happiness can be achieved easily. An individual’s strength might lie in one component of happiness whereas he might be lacking in other. Therefore, the method to achieve happiness might suit the likings of one but may be completely useless for other. However, the human nature is adaptable to a great extent and even after we go through a big event that might change our lives, we return to our original state of happiness, often forgetting that miserable moment. Hence, it is important that we adapt to whatever life throws at us, keep our heads up and a positive thought in our mind; this is the true key to happiness and the easiest way to achieve the state of Subjective well-being (Lyubomirsky, 2013). These were the positives of subjective well-being but one must not forget the down side of this feeling. First and foremost, being happy can make people take decisions which are based on stereotype, such people also take the easy way out and are often careless with their work (Lyubomirsky, King, and Diener, 2005). People who are happier also judge people on their first impression; this means that they are not attentive of their surroundings. A person who is too happy also becomes selfish to some extent; he may not feel empathy towards others and cannot relate to those who are going through a bad phase of their life (Tan & Forgas, 2010). When a person achieves the state of subjective well-being then the next step that ensues is to maintain that level. In order to do this, an individual should maintain an even higher level of well-being even after going through the toughest of times. However, there are certain activities and interventions that one can practice in order to maintain their level of happiness; these activities include nurturing relationships, to go after the goals that fit their character and not follow the footsteps of others, these activities should be carried out on different days and time. Furthermore, a person should only look into the positive emotions on a daily basis and seek the support of friends and family in order to pursue the goals that one has decided upon (Compton & Hoffman, 2013). References Compton, W., & Hoffman, E. (2013). Positive psychology. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning. Diener, E. Happiness: The Science of Subjective Well-Being. Noba. Retrieved 19 October 2015, from http://nobaproject.com/modules/happiness-the-science-of-subjective-well-being Durayappah, A. (2010). The 3P Model: A General Theory of Subjective Well-Being. Journal Of Happiness Studies, 12(4), 681-716. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10902-010-9223-9 Eid, M., & Larsen, R. (2008). The science of subjective well-being. New York: Guilford Press. Hoorn, A. (2007). A Short Introduction to Subjective Well-Being: Its Measurement, Correlates And Policy Uses. Rome: Joint Research Centre of the European Commission and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Retrieved from http://www.oecd.org/site/worldforum06/38331839.pdf Lyubomirsky, S. (2013). The myths of happiness. New York: Penguin Press. Lyubomirsky, S., King, L., & Diener, E. (2005). The Benefits of Frequent Positive Affect: Does Happiness Lead to Success?. Psychological Bulletin, 131(6), 803-855. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.131.6.803 Maddux, J., & Tangney, J. (2010). Social psychological foundations of clinical psychology. New York: Guilford Press. Olson, J., Herman, C., & Zanna, M. (2014). Relative Deprivation and Social Comparison. Hoboken: Taylor and Francis. Tan, H., & Forgas, J. (2010). When happiness makes us selfish, but sadness makes us fair: Affective influences on interpersonal strategies in the dictator game. Journal Of Experimental Social Psychology, 46(3), 571-576. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2010.01.007 Read More