Showing papers on "Happiness published in 1986"

The Psychology of Happiness

Abstract: Introduction. How to measure and study happiness. Joy and other positive emotions. Satisfaction. Humour and laughter. Social relationships. Work and employment. Leisure. Money, class and education. Personality, age and gender. Religion. National differences in happiness. Happiness enhancement. The effects of positive moods and happiness. Conclusions.

Children and Marital Happiness Why the Negative Correlation

Abstract: This study examines the causal processes that lead to the widely observed negative association between presence of children and marital happiness. Using a nationwide panel of 1535 married individuals, we find support for two primary causal mechanisms. First, the presence of children is associated with differences in marital structure (lower interaction, more dissatisfaction with finances and the division of labor, and more traditionalism of the division of labor) that are, in turn, associated with lower marital happiness. We also find, however, that the relationship between marital happiness and children is partially spurious. The presence of preschoolers and especially the birth of a first child serve to reduce the likelihood that unhappily married people will divorce within a three-year period. As a result, a larger proportion of unhappily married people is retained temporarily in the parent population and thus contributes to the observed negative relation between presence of children and marital happiness.

Emotional experiences in everyday life: A survey approach

Abstract: As part of a telephone survey, respondents were asked to report the most recent situation that evoked strong emotional feelings in them and to describe the pattern of their reactions. The majority of the situations reported had evoked negative emotions. Most of the emotion-antecedent events are connected to relationships with family and friends or to work-related situations. Only happiness and anger are reported as relatively pure feeling states; most others are emotion blends, with anger/sadness and sadness/fear occurring most frequently. Facial expression changes as well as heart and muscle symptoms are reported as the most frequent reactions across all emotions, whereas other nonverbal and physiological reactions are more specific for particular emotions. By the use of factor analysis, response patterns across various components of emotional state, including affect control, are explored.

Value Systems Across Cultures: Australia and China

Abstract: The Rokeach Value Survey was administered to a sample of 140 students at Flinders University in Adelaide, South Australia. and, in translated form, to a sample of 68 students at Shaanxi Teachers University in Xi'an, China the Australian students ranked the following values as significantly higher in importance compared with the Chinese students: an exciting life, a world at peace, family security, happiness, inner harmony, being cheerful, being forgiving, being helpful, being honest, being loving, and being responsible. The Chinese students assigned significantly higher importance than the Australian sample to a world of beauty, national security, pleasure, social recognition, wisdom, being ambitious, being capable, being courageous, being imaginative, being intellectual, being logical, and being self-controlled. The se results are related to other evidence about the two cultures. Implications are discussed, specifically in regard to the dimension of individualism-collectivism and more generally ...

From an Attributional Theory of Emotion to Developmental Psychology: A Round-Trip Ticket?

Abstract: Attribution theory has proved to be a useful conceptual framework for the study of emotional development. In this paper, we review a program of research on children's developing understanding of emotion from an attributional perspective. A number of prevalent human emotions are examined in this conception, including happiness, sadness, anger, pity, guilt, pride, and gratitude. The implications of a developmental perspective for an “adult” theory of emotion are discussed.

An application of multiple discrepancies theory (MDT) to seniors

Abstract: MDT posits that satisfaction and happiness are functions of 7 perceived discrepancies, viz., between what one has and wants, relevant others have, needs, deserves, has had in the past, expected to have and expects to have. The theory and its historic antecedents are explained. The theory was applied to a sample of 450 seniors from 4 areas of Ontario. Briefly, MDT accounted for about a third of the variance in reported life satisfaction for the whole group and both sexes separately, and about a quarter of the variance in happiness.

"Happy are they who are happy . . ." a test between two causal models of relationships between happiness and its correlates.

Abstract: The intention of the study was to test between two causal models of relationships between happiness and five of its correlates (i.e., housing satisfaction, financial satisfaction, perceived health, locus of control, and activity level). In Model 1, happiness was identified as a propensity variable that is a source of influence on the lower order correlates. Model 2 is a traditional formulation whereby levels of happiness are determined by its correlates. The models were tested by causal modeling procedures, using 18-month longitudinal data from 408 elderly subjects. The findings support Model 1 over Model 2 for 17/18 predictions that differentiated the models. The status of happiness as a trait was discussed with reference to: (a) the type of items included in the happiness scale; and (b) relationships with variables not included in the research.

Parental Discord vs. Family Structure: Effects of Divorce on the Self-Esteem of Daughters.

Abstract: This study investigated the effects of family structure (parents together or not) and parental discord (ratings of the happiness of the marriage of biological parents) on the self-esteem of 199 female undergraduates. Family structure and happiness ratings were substantially related, with those separated rated as less happy. Self-esteem was significantly related to parental happiness, even with family structure controlled, but not to family structure with parental happiness controlled. With the sample divided into three groups (happy-together, unhappy-together, and separated) ANOVA showed a significant effect for group, with the unhappy-together group showing significantly lower self-esteem than the happy-together group, and the separated group intermediate. Parental discord thus appears to lower the selfesteem of daughters, whereas separation of parents does not. These findings support Heatherington's idea that children may be better off in a stable family where parents are divorced than in an intact family with much parental discord.

The Psychap inventory : A multi-scale test to measure happiness and its concomitants

Abstract: The measurement of personal happiness in past research is examined. Although a plethora of valid instruments are available to assess the felt, affective components of happiness, none go beyond this to encompass the many personality, behavioral, and situational attributes long associated with it — except for the Psychap Inventory (PHI). A decade of ongoing research on the PHI is reviewed. The Inventory provides subscale measures of the achieved happiness, personality, attitude and value, and life-style domains of happiness as they have come to be defined in the literature. The PHI comes in two sets of equivalent forms and seems remarkably reliable and valid, reasonably free of response bias, and quite consistent across a long history of time and sampling. PHI interpretations not only hold great interest for examinees, researchers, and clinicians — they also prescribe a specific program for happiness self-improvement.

Physical Performance and Self-Efficacy Under Happy and Sad Moods

Abstract: Previous research has established that happy and sad moods can affect persistence and success on a cognitive task, with happiness leading to higher performance and self-efficacy. Two experiments examined whether happiness also produces increased performance on a physical task and tested whether self-efficacy mediated the results. When mood inductions covered the full range from happy to sad, mood did influence physical performance. However, evidence regarding self-efficacy was equivocal. Efficacy for the performed task was unaffected by mood, although it remained a good predictor of performance. Since mood did alter efficacy for a nonperformed but more familiar task, inconsistent efficacy results could reflect task differences. The findings offer prospects for the use of mood inductions in practical sporting situations.

Happiness is: iron

Abstract: Iron deficiency in childhood is common even in socially advantaged populations; it is even more common in the socially deprived.' A recent report from Bradford has again drawn attention to its frequency in preschool children from both the white endogenous population and families of Asian origin.2 Anaemia (Hb <110 g/l) was found in 12% of white children and 28% of Asian children admitted to hospital between the ages of 6 months and 4 years. Low serum ferritin concentrations (<10 [tg/l) were found in 23% of white and 45% of Asian children. Does iron deficiency on this scale matter? How should iron deficiency be detected and investigated, and what needs to be done about the problem? The ill effects of chronic anaemia are well recognised, but the metabolic importance of iron extends far beyond the red cell, and recent attention has focused on the non-haematological effects of lack of iron.34 Studies on animals have shown that, irrespective of anaemia, iron deficiency produced metabolic and functional defects in muscle and impaired function of white cells.6 Functional abnormalities of both lymphocytes and neutrophils have been shown in anaemic children.7 A recent study in California found iron deficiency to be more common in 1 year old infants who had a history of recurrent mild infections.8 Whether the infections preceded or followed the iron deficiency is not clear. Most importantly, there is now substantial evidence that iron deficiency has an adverse effect on brain function. In rats iron deficiency leads to disturbed enzyme function in the brain affecting cerebral serotonin metabolism9 and learning ability.'0 Pica in children has long been recognised as a concomitant of iron deficiency, and the eating of excessive quantities of ice (pagophagia) has been described in the United States.4 Several studies have shown that iron deficiency in children, with or without anaemia, is associated with abnormalities of behaviour and mental performance which improve with treatment with iron. 12-15 Oski and Honig studied 24 iron deficient anaemic children aged 9 to 26 months.'2 Twelve were given intramuscular iron and 12 placebo, and tests of mental development and of behaviour were administered before the injection and five to eight days later. Improvements were found at the second testing in those who had been given iron but not in the placebo group. In particular, the treated children tended to become more

Happiness and activities as propensities.

Abstract: The research proceeded in two stages. The intention at the first stage was to develop a comprehensive activities inventory (i.e., the Memorial University of Newfoundland Activities Inventory, or MUNAI) that reflected recurrent content themes in interview data obtained from elderly adults. The intention at the second stage was to test a reactivity model and a propensity model of happiness-activity relationships in an 18-month longitudinal design. The reactivity model asserts that happiness, in part, is determined by activity levels. The claim of the propensity model is that both happiness and activity indices are reflections of different underlying propensities. The results supported the propensity model in that (a) activity structure retained stability over the longitudinal interval, (b) the relative standing of individuals on both happiness and the structural activity indices retained stability and, (c) the happiness-activities relationship was of a limited order.

Education and the Quality of Life in Korea and the United States: A Cross-Cultural Perspective

Abstract: The search reported in this article analyzed two sets of national sample survey data recently collected from the United States and the Republic of Korea, and sought to compare the influence of educational attainment on the perception of life quality in these two countries. Results of this comparison indicate that education contributes a lot more to the psychological quality of life in Korea than in America. Two explanations were offered for the different roles which educational attainment plays in the two countries. Doh C. Shinn is a Professor of Political Studies and Public Affairs at Sangamon State University in Illinois. His research on the quality of life was supported by a postdoctoral research grant from the Social Science Research Council and a travel grant from the Association for Asian Studies. The data used in this article were made available by the Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research, University of Michigan, and the Institute of Social Sciences, Seoul National University. For their valuable advice at all stages of his work on life quality, the author thanks Professors Ahn Chung-Si, Chey Myung, Chung se-koo, Khil Seung-Hem, Kim Kyong-Dong, and Lee Hongkoo at Seoul National University, Dr. Conrad Rutkowski at Fordham University, and Professors Craig Brown and Jack Van Der Slik at Sangamon State University. He also gratefully acknowledges the helpful comments and suggestions of the three anonymous reviewers on an earlier version of this article and the assistance of Jackie Wright in preparing tables, figures, and text. Public Opinion Quarterly Vol. 50:360-370 ? 1986 by the American Association for Public Opinion Research Published by The University of Chicago Press 0033-362X/86/0050-360/$2.50 This content downloaded from 157.55.39.112 on Wed, 07 Sep 2016 05:07:10 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms EDUCATION IN KOREA AND THE USA 361 been confined to advanced industrialized societies in Western Europe and North America; very little systematic research has been conducted to compare the effects of education on psychological well-being across culturally and economically divergent types of societies. The present study seeks to fill this void in the psychological study of life quality by analyzing two sets of national sample survey data recently collected from the Republic of Korea and the United States. Unquestionably, America represents one of the most affluent and educationally advanced countries in the West. Korea, on the other hand, is one of the most rapidly developing, nonwestern countries of the Third World. More important, Korean and American societies have long been shaped by different cultures, Confucianism and Christianity. These differences in their economic wealth, educational attainment, and cultural heritage provide an interesting opportunity to explore the dynamics of education in the psychological world of human well-being. Does more education help people in America and Korea to live happier, more pleasant, more satisfying, and more successful lives? Or does educational attainment increase aspirations and expectations so much that it makes it more difficult to experience life as "better"? In which of these two countries does education have stronger and more pervasive effects on psychological well-being, and why? Conceptualization and Measurement The concept of quality of life has been defined and measured in many different ways. McCall (1975), for example, viewed it as a life of happiness (see also Shinn and Johnson, 1976). Other scholars have equated life quality with a sense of satisfaction (Atkinson, 1978; Campbell et al., 1976). Still others have related it to the extent to which life goals are accomplished (Hankiss, 1980; Milbrath, 1982). Undoubtedly, such unidimensional approaches to the concept of life quality portray a partial picture of the quality of life perceived by people themselves. This study measures quality of life in terms of four widely known elements of the good life: happiness, enjoyment, satisfaction, and accomplishment (von Wright, 1972). Happiness and enjoyment represent the hedonic dimension of the good of man, while satisfaction and accomplishment constitute its welfare dimension. By considering at least these two dimensions of life quality, we are attempting to make a more comprehensive and balanced analysis of education's effects on it. In measuring educational attainment, the present study focuses on learning experience in public and private schools. Unquestionably, there are important differences in what Korean and American schools teach and how they teach their students. Yet, these differences are This content downloaded from 157.55.39.112 on Wed, 07 Sep 2016 05:07:10 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms

Older Adult Happiness

Abstract: Activity theory suggests that happiness in later years is contingent upon high levels of activity to replace roles lost in the aging process. The number of activities, however, may be less important than the meaning of activities and the level of commitment on the part of the participating older adult. In an examination of this concept, 120 adults 55 years of age and older were interviewed to determine the effects of activity repertoire and/or commitment upon their life happiness. Results indicate that happiness was strongly related to intesity of commitment in small number of activities. Happiness was not strongly related to the number of activities pursues. Further, activities with work-like qualities were more satisfying than any other activities.

Mental health in marriage: the roles of need for affiliation, sensitivity to rejection, and other factors.

Abstract: This study reports on the associations between a number of personality factors and spouse mental health, happiness, and communication (N = 78). Lower Affiliative Drive and higher Sensitivity to Rejection emerge in this sample as being associated in wives (but not husbands) with increased psychological morbidity. Wives had higher levels of both Need for Affiliation and Sensitivity to Rejection than husbands, which possibly may lead to higher internal conflict for them. Although causality cannot necessarily be assumed, these results are consistent with the hypothesis that wives' mental health is more "relationship related" than that of husbands.

A Model of Marital Functioning Based on an Attraction Paradigm and Social-Penetration Dimensions

Abstract: Editor's note: In a departure from the typical sequence of events, which necessitates publishing comments and replies long after an article appears, the debate over the following article occurred during the review process. This made it possible to present the critic's feedback and the author's reply along with the article itself. The difference in the two approaches to structural equation modeling is an important topic in family research. Honeycutt and Godwin have sharpened and advanced the issue in their exchange. A structural equation model of maritalfunctioning based on an attraction paradigm and social-penetration variables was tested. The attraction paradigm has traditionally focused on factors related to attraction (e.g., perceived attitudinal similarity, proximity, and homogeneity), while social-penetration theory has stressed the importance of communication in developing relationships. The model posited that the attraction paradigm factors of being satisfied with marital issues and of perceived attitudinal similarity would have an impact upon marital happiness as well as perceived partner understanding, which would also affect marital happiness. The model also posited that social-penetration variables, operationally defined in terms of openness, attentiveness, flexibility, and expressiveness, would reflect communication effectiveness, which would lead to partner understanding as well as marital happiness. The model provided a good fit to the data. A further test of a nonrecursive model provided additional support for the model. Partner understanding mediated between attraction and social-penetration variables and marital happiness. The results are discussed in terms of the causal impact of theoretical variables and the use of more causal modeling for research in marital and relational communication. It has become fashionable to say that good communication is indicative of a healthy marriage. However, a closer look at the evidence shows that things are not as straightforward as they seem, and questions persist concerning the effect of such things as perceived attitudinal similarity and satisfaction with marital issues on general marital happiness. We do not know the effect of these variables when they are assessed holistically in a model of marital functioning. This report is about testing the relationship between communication variables, which are a central focus of social

Assessing Influences on One's Own Judgments: Is There Greater Accuracy for Either Subjectively Important or Objectively Influential Variables?

Abstract: This research examined whether people have privileged knowledge of influences on their own judgments and whether either the subjective importance or the objective strength of these influences affects the accuracy of people's self-reports. Forty "actor" subjects rated people they knew on ten life-situation variables and then judged each person's happiness. Actors then assessed the relationship between each variable and their happiness judgments. Subjective importance was manipulated by yoking pairs of actors so that both worked with the same variables, which one actor had previously chosen as subjectively important and the other actor had not. To examine whether actors' self-reports were more accurate for influential than noninfluential variables, we used a new accuracy measure that allowed us to look at within-subject relationships between each variable's influence and the actor's accuracy for that variable. Neither the subjective importance nor the objective influence of the variables affected the accuracy of actors' self-reports. A control group of 24 "observers" received a brief description of the actors' task and then guessed how actors would think their judgments were related to each variable. Actor-observer comparisons, in conjunction with other analyses we performed, indicated that actors based their self-reports at least partly on private information and that this information did in fact cause their reports to be more accurate than those of observers.

Longitudinal variation in domain indicators of happiness

Abstract: This paper examines changes in the mean levels of domain indicators of happiness, as well as happiness itself, using a longitudinal design. Results show that for a large sample of the elderly, mean levels of subjective domain indicators of happiness (excluding subjective health), as well as happiness itself, did not change over the 18-month period of the study. Physically related objective domain indicators, on the other hand, did change during the same time period.

Happiness is: iron: Author's reply

Abstract: 2 Spodick DH. The randomized controlled clinical trial: Scientific and ethical bases. AmJMed 1982;73:420-5. 3 Spodick DH. Revascularization of the heart-numerators in search of denominators. Am HearzJ 1971;81:149-57. 4 DeWood MA, Spores J, Notske RN, et al. Medical and surgical management of myocardial infarction. Am3' Cardiol 1979;44: 1356-64. 5 DeWood MA, Heit J, Spores J, et al. Anterior transmural myocardial infarction: effects of surgical coronary reperfusion on global and regional left ventricular function. Journal of the American College ofCardiology. 1983;1: 1223-34. 6 DeWood MA. Reply to Spodick DH. Joumal of the American College ofCardiology. 1983;2:1240-1. 7 Spodick DH. Randomize the first patient: scientific, ethical and behavioral bases. AmJf Cardiol 1983;51:916-7.

Effect of context on perception of emotion among psychiatric patients

Abstract: The purpose of this research was to examine the extent to which verbal statements of context influence psychiatric patients' perception of photographs of emotion (fear, anger, sadness, and happiness). The major findings showed that, when photographs were paired congruently with context statements, there were significant changes in agreement among subjects on two of the four emotion stimuli. There was significantly less agreement on the meaning of facial expressions when the stimuli for fear, anger, and happiness were accompanied by incongruent verbal statements than when they were viewed alone. These data appear to have implications for practitioners working with this population.

Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics

Abstract: Our understanding of the moral philosophy of Aristotle is hampered by a number of modern assumptions we make about the subject. For a start, we are accustomed to thinking about ethics or moral philosophy as being concerned with theoretical questions about actions—what makes an action right or wrong? Modern moral philosophy gives two different sorts of answers to this question. One is in terms of a substantial ethical theory—what makes an action right or wrong is whether it promotes the greatest happiness, or whether it is in accordance with or violates a moral rule, or whether it promotes or violates a moral right. The other sort gives a meta-ethical answer—rightness and wrongness are not really properties of actions, but in describing actions as right or wrong we commend or object to them, express our approval or disapproval or our emotions concerning them. But the ancient Greeks start with a totally different question. Ethics is supposed to answer, for each one of us, the question ‘How am I to live well?’ What this question means calls for some discussion.