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More on 'happy': Studies say genes may hold the key
By Tseng Tan |
February 25, 2009, Wednesday
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THIS is in response to Wang Yong's report titled "Peasants bribed to be 'happy'," published in Shanghai Daily on February 17.
It was reported that in Qidong, a city about 50 kilometers from Shanghai, 94.8 percent of the people surveyed expressed "complete happiness" in a poll conducted by provincial statisticians.
It was later revealed that the villagers were told to lie and say they were happy as their per capita annual income was 8,500 yuan (US$1,243).
I do not know how that index of happiness was derived, but a measure based solely on per capita annual income might not provide the true picture.
So if I were to win a Singapore lottery worth S$10 million (US$6.5 million), would I be happier today?
According to growing social psychology research, my spirits would rise for a while (and I would be unlikely to be writing this essay to you as I would be doing something else) but in a year or so, I would likely return to my previous level of happiness.
The reason, according to social scientists, is partly genetic. That is, people have a predetermined set point for happiness or pre-derived level of mood.
Various circumstances can temporarily raise or depress our mood, and eventually we return to reality - our general level of happiness.
Investigations conducted on identical twins, raised and living in difference circumstances, showed that there is little difference in their ratings of happiness.
A 1996 research indicated that salary, education and marital status have only minor influence on happiness.
In one survey, the income from 1946 to 1989 showed substantial increase, but the level of happiness in the general US population has remained stable over this 40-year period.
Life events do affect our level of happiness.
A loss of job (a common occurrence these days), a break in a close relationship or a death in the family can depress an individual temporarily.
A promotion, new contracts signed, or just getting married can elevate mood.
But that glow we enjoy following an achievement is likely to fade and we return to our characteristic level of happiness.
In cultures that place a premium on wealth and financial success, many people believe that acquiring money, material possessions, and status is the secret of happiness.
But there is a negative implication in this pursuit of material wealth for its own sake.
According to studies in United States and Russia, people who are basically motivated to get rich have poorer psychological adjustment and lower well-being than people whose primary values are self-acceptance, social affiliation with others, or even just wanting to make the world a better place to live, such as journalists writing and commenting on social events.
(The author is a consultant based in Singapore. He can be reached via this e-mail: teesstan@starhub.net.sg)
It was reported that in Qidong, a city about 50 kilometers from Shanghai, 94.8 percent of the people surveyed expressed "complete happiness" in a poll conducted by provincial statisticians.
It was later revealed that the villagers were told to lie and say they were happy as their per capita annual income was 8,500 yuan (US$1,243).
I do not know how that index of happiness was derived, but a measure based solely on per capita annual income might not provide the true picture.
So if I were to win a Singapore lottery worth S$10 million (US$6.5 million), would I be happier today?
According to growing social psychology research, my spirits would rise for a while (and I would be unlikely to be writing this essay to you as I would be doing something else) but in a year or so, I would likely return to my previous level of happiness.
The reason, according to social scientists, is partly genetic. That is, people have a predetermined set point for happiness or pre-derived level of mood.
Various circumstances can temporarily raise or depress our mood, and eventually we return to reality - our general level of happiness.
Investigations conducted on identical twins, raised and living in difference circumstances, showed that there is little difference in their ratings of happiness.
A 1996 research indicated that salary, education and marital status have only minor influence on happiness.
In one survey, the income from 1946 to 1989 showed substantial increase, but the level of happiness in the general US population has remained stable over this 40-year period.
Life events do affect our level of happiness.
A loss of job (a common occurrence these days), a break in a close relationship or a death in the family can depress an individual temporarily.
A promotion, new contracts signed, or just getting married can elevate mood.
But that glow we enjoy following an achievement is likely to fade and we return to our characteristic level of happiness.
In cultures that place a premium on wealth and financial success, many people believe that acquiring money, material possessions, and status is the secret of happiness.
But there is a negative implication in this pursuit of material wealth for its own sake.
According to studies in United States and Russia, people who are basically motivated to get rich have poorer psychological adjustment and lower well-being than people whose primary values are self-acceptance, social affiliation with others, or even just wanting to make the world a better place to live, such as journalists writing and commenting on social events.
(The author is a consultant based in Singapore. He can be reached via this e-mail: teesstan@starhub.net.sg)
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