What Might the Happiness and Mental Well-Being of a Society Tell - Coursework Example

What might the happiness and mental well-being of a society tell you about a society? Happiness is a word which describes the feeling of joy of an individual. This word is considered to have a broader meaning than that of only joy. It can not only describe one’s feeling but it can also describe one’s well being and one’s potential to be satisfied with the life he is given. The word has lost its meaning over the centuries and people now have different views about happiness. Some consider money as happiness while some consider power as happiness. However Happiness is a feeling which is governed by different factors and is being given a great significance in the recent years. A society is crippled if happiness does not prevail in it. Similarly happiness is directly linked to the mental well being of an individual and together both of these components found an important part of the society. A society which does not have happiness may be known as partial or without an important component. In order to maintain a society one has to ensure that happiness is prevailing amongst individuals. This article would further describe happiness in relation to a society. It would tell how a society can be judged by the happiness or unhappiness which is prevailing in the society (Nettle 2005). Happiness is being governed by different components of life and all these together amalgamate to form a perfect circle of happiness. The feeling of happiness which one individual has depends on his own personal nature and varies according to his needs. Some people get happy when they are having immense power while some get happy when they are living in a society which supports equality. The factors of happiness can vary according to the experience one individual has to go through or it can be hereditary too (Layard). With the increasing time the factors of happiness have changed through out the world. Even if a person is wealthy it is not necessary that he would be happy and would have a good life. If he is wealthy he may have to go through other problems which would destroy the happiness in his society. In the previous years it is seen the living standard in the western countries has increased and so has the level of wealth. Gradually the level of wealth and living standards has been compared to the level of happiness and research has clearly shown that the level of wealth and living standards does not count to a greater amount of happiness in the world. The amount of wealth does not illustrate an image of the society, however the amount of happiness does. It shows how well a person is leading his life and how the government is working towards the betterment of the society (Gilbertson 1987). In this regard a study conducted by Easterlin gave surprising results. According to his study though wealth did have an impact on a person’s happiness but after a certain increase in a person’s income it no longer left an impact and hence he suggested through his study that though increasing income did have an effect on happiness but only up to a certain extent. Different researches done by different psychologists and economists tell us about the impact of the factors of happiness affecting society. Different surveys conducted by the organization of World Value Surveys show how different factors affect the societies and the happiness levels in them. The method of the research adopted by the organization is to measure the effects of happiness in accordance to their effect. Every factor is compared to the factor of income and the results are derived respectively. Following is a table which shows how the factors affect happiness in the societies respectively Fall in happiness(index) Income Family income down 33% relative to average 1 Work Unemployed (rather than employed) Job insecure (rather than secure) Unemployment rate up 10 percentage points Inflation rate up 10 percentage points 3 1.5 1.5 0.5 Family Divorced (rather than married) Separated (rather than married) Widowed (rather than married) 2.5 4.5 2 Health Subjective health down 1 point (on a 5-point scale) 3 The above table clearly illustrates the effect of the factors of happiness on the society. The factors together contribute towards an unhappy or a happy society. Therefore it can be said that the societies in the world are now dependent on the factors of happiness to remain happy (Di Tella, MaccCuloch, Layard 2002, Heliwell 2002, Branchflower, Oswald 1999). Family relationships play a major role in causing someone to be happy these days. One has to maintain his relationship and has to sacrifice to carry on his relationships. Research shows that one goes through emotional and mental distress when living in a family which is going through problems. The effect of broken families is mostly on the children. And it is concluded by doing a thorough research that children who live in broken families tend to grow up to have more mental disturbances than those who are living in a proper family. Societies which do not or have less family problems tend to show more signs of stableness. Similarly another important factor which affects the level of happiness is the increasing crime. This factor tends to make individuals more careful about their money and further make them worried about their safety and freedom. It makes the wealthier people of the society go through mental stress which further makes the society crippled. The level of trust which the individuals have on each other is also affected by the rate of crime. For e.g. a friend would not trust his friend when money is concerned this is because the increasing crime rate may make him cautious when talking about money. It would greatly decrease the trust level maintained by the individuals. This is also because of different scenarios which are taking place in the world. These scenarios include the snatching of money by a friend or a planned out burglary carried by the individuals own family members. The increase in the rate of crime can be directly linked to the part played by media. The media nowadays portrays such a violent nature that the individuals look up to it for influence. Thus media acts as an influential factor in increasing the rate of crime. The feeling of superiority is directly linked to happiness as some people get happy to feel superior. And here the role of comparison takes place. One might feel uncomfortable in an environment in which he was superior before and is now being out rated by other individuals. This would create a feeling of unhappiness in him and may lead to mental disorders. All these factors are directly linked to the actions taken by the government. The rate of inflation may force the individuals to act in such a way which is undesirable. A society which is healthy and maintained may show all the signs of happiness and well being. It would show how the conditions and circumstances are being managed by the authorities to make the individuals living the society happier (Layard 2005). A healthy society may have people who have an increased level of happiness. However it is also not necessary that the actions of authorities are making the people deprived of their happiness. It is here when the role of culture, psychological and physiological needs come to determine the happiness and stable nature of the society (Eid & Larsen 2008). The culture plays a major role in developing an equitable environment for all the individuals living in the society. This equitable or non-equitable environment also plays an important role in determining the level of happiness in a society. Culture makes the individuals create an environment of equality. The Black Report of 1980 clearly showed the inequalities in the society of the Black. And this has a direct effect on the level of happiness of the society. And thus the lowering of this happiness level made the society look crippled without any stability. The inequality report showed that the Blacks were being treated unfairly because of their complexion and race by their counterparts. And this made the Blacks feel depressed and mentally unstable. The sense of security for these Blacks decreased through out the years as they suffered more from the problems of inequality. Thus the level of happiness amongst the Black society could not be maintained at a higher level even if these blacks were wealthy (Wilkinson 2005). Climate and cultural factors also have an impact on happiness. This result was put forward by a research which was conducted by Schkade and Kahneman by collecting research from students of California and Midwest. Though the results showed the balance in happiness to be same in both the regions but many believed that Californians are happier and climate was counted as the major factor for this consideration (Kahneman, Diener and Schwarz, 1999).Political factors and stability in one’s country also play a role in happiness. Studies were conducted indifferent parts of Switzerland regarding the voting rights of individuals. The research showed that when people had direct access to democracy and they could easily vote, they were more happy and satisfied. Happiness is also directly linked to the psychological factors. One has to be psychologically fit to ensure that his level of happiness is high. And this can only be attained if one is encouraged to achieve more through his strengths rather than discouraging him for his weaknesses. The strengths of an individual should be appreciated by other individuals as this would make the individual realize his importance in the society. It would further cause him to work on his strengths and forget his weaknesses. The level of happiness would get an immense boost as he would not have his morale busted for his weaknesses. The individual should not ponder around his weaknesses as this would discourage him and would not let him progress in the world. All this would increase the level of happiness in one individual and would make him realize his importance in the society. Thus the psychological factor may enhance happiness in the society and the society would be known to be more stable. This could only be achieved if the importance of strengths is considered and the strengths are used effectively by the individual to overcome his weaknesses (Huppert, F.A., Baylis, N., & Keverne, B 2005). The level of happiness is also dependent on the environment which is provided to the individuals by the authorities. The work environment and the nature of work also play an important role on the happiness level of an individual. The environment of work given to the individuals should be of proper nature so that the individuals do not get tired or overloaded. Thus the environment and nature of work should be humane. Similarly the social environment of an individual also has its own role to play in determining happiness of an individual. One has to be given a proper social environment when living in a society. The individuals should be provided with sufficient time to spend adequate time with their relatives and friends. However the friends or relatives which one individual has should be trust worthy as the level of happiness can decrease if the individual does not have a good social circle. The social circle in a society also determines the level of happiness of the society. It shows how stable one society is. Another important factor which contributes to the level of happiness is nurturing and love. Parental love contributes greatly to increase the stance of happiness in an individual. It is shown by thorough research that an infant which is provided with proper parental love exhibits such receptors which help the infant in adulthood to get relief of the stress. This relief of stress makes the level of happiness increase in the adult and makes him a more successful man. It is also showed through thorough research that these people are more active in their future stages of life. They are more engaged to the social life in the future and have greater work successes than the people who are unhappy. These adults are also expected to show positive emotions in the future and are able to tackle the problems of life much more easily. Further research has shown that health and happiness have a direct link with each other. (Science of Well being). It is shown through this research that people who are unhappy and do not show positive emotions in their life die early than those who show positive emotions. Health is a factor which is governed by the level of happiness in an individual’s life. The ability to cope up with the difficulties of life and the mental stresses of life make the happier people more resistant to the diseases. These happier people are able to spend their life much more easily than the unhappy ones. A society which has a greater proportion of happy people may be perfect in all the aspects. It would not only have a stable economy but would have a strong internal structure (Oswald 1997). The mental well being of a society would further tell that the people living in the society are happy (Huppert, Baylis and Keverne). Happiness is directly linked to the well being of a society. Nurturing plays an important role in maintaining the level of happiness in a society. Nurturing should start from the beginning of the life of an individual. One should be given strict directions of nurturing an infant in order to maintain a stable society. Similarly as one grows up one’s strengths should be encouraged to make him realize his importance in the society. This would help him to form an emotional balance and would make him form a good social circle. This social circle would pave his way of happiness in the future. Similarly when one has gone through these phases he would feel positive about his life and would further perform well in his life. Feeling positive can be marked as an important aspect in increasing the level of happiness. The level of happiness in a society tells about the stability of the society. Research studies show that the happiness of a person has great impact on his life that is if a person is happy he works with more efficiency and hence he ends up earning better salaries than others. The health and economy of the society are clearly illustrated by the happiness prevailing in the society. The happiness of people is directly related to the well being of the society. And furthermore the topic of happiness is now being greatly taken to notice by different governments and reforms are being introduced to increase the level of happiness amongst the societies. Bibliography Layard, P. R. G. Happiness: Lessons from a New Science. New York: Penguin Press, 2005. Seligman, Martin E. P. Authentic Happiness: Using the New Positive Psychology to Realize Your Potential for Lasting Fulfillment. New York: Free Press, 2002. Huppert, Felicia A., N. Baylis, and B. Keverne. The Science of Well-Being. Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005. Wilkinson, Richard. The Impact of Inequality: How to Make Sick Societies Healthier. New York: The New Press, 2005. Nettle, Daniel. Happiness: The Science Behind Your Smile. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, 2005. Gilbertson, Stanley F. Happiness Is a Better Society. Boise, Idaho: Research Pub, 1987. Oswald, Andrew J. "Happiness and Economic Performance." The Economic Journal : the Journal of the Royal Economic Society. 107. 445 (1997). Eid, Michael, and Randy J. Larsen. The Science of Subjective Well-Being. New York: Guilford Press, 2008. Kahneman, Daniel, Ed Diener, and Norbert Schwarz. Well-Being: The Foundations of Hedonic Psychology. New York: Russell Sage Foundation, 1999. Helliwell, John F. Hows Life?: Combining Individual and National Variables to Explain Subjective Well-Being. Cambridge, MA.: National Bureau of Economic Research, 2002. David G. Blanchflower, Andrew J. Oswald Well-Being, Insecurity and the Decline of American Job Satisfaction (1999) NBER Working Paper. Di Tella, R., MacCulloch, R.J. and Layard, R. (2002) ‘Income, happiness and inequality as measures of welfare’, Working Paper. Read More