Psychology of happiness:
Week 1: Where does happiness come from? Ap Dijksterhuis
introduction: what makes us happy?
The happiness formula:
Happiness..
..Provides energy
..Leads to lower blood pressure after a stressful event
..leads to a better immune system
..leads to more tolerance for pain
research: is happiness something that prolongs our lives? Relationship between health and
happiness. Are happy people becoming older? not easy to study. Found the following: 2
nuns were asked to write a small autobiography (1930). We can assess how happy people
are. They all passed away and know how old they become and used the autobiographies. 4
equal groups (very happy- unhappy). Live the same. Very happy group bacme older (7 year
difference). Happiness does prolong your life. It is about health.
But can we influence our own happiness?
part of our happiness in our own hands and we can influence it selves by doing the right
thing.
Augustines: trying to achieve happiness doesn't make sense, serve gods, maybe in our
afterlife we will be happy.
Thomas jefferson: pursuit of happiness is.. We can pursue it.
If you have a clinical problem, how are the odds that your twin brother/sister has it too?
Happiness is also partly genetically dependent. So depression happens in one family
sometimes,
Happiness correlates with intelligence and attractiveness.
Intelligent people are slightly more happy. attractive people are more happy.
The top 20 happiest countries include:
1. finland
2. denmark
3. switzerland
4. iceland
5. norway
6. the netherlands
7. sweden
8. new zealand
9. luxembourg
, 10. austria
11. canada
12. australia
So mostly a small population, western democratic populations.
Correlation between income per capita and happiness per country.
conclusions: happiness is to an extent dependent on money and wealth. Rich countries are
happier than poor countries.
What about circumstances
Why do we think they are so important?
1. Immediate reward or punishment
2. focusing illusion
3. correlation versus causation
If our life circumstances change, we feel happy (e.g. new car). if it is something negative it
feels like punishment. How long does this make you happy? Effects are short lived.
predicting emotion: which emotion?
Overestimate the importance of the circumstances. e.g. holiday: you predict to have a
positive emotion. e.g. dentist: negative emotion but the intensity is harder to predict but we
do this reasonably well. The duration is the problem
Duration?
Prospective students are asked:
1. how happy they are and
2. how happy they would be two months after their relationship ended
When the relationship ends, happiness is lower. after 2 months it does not have any effect
anymore!
,Happiness is like rubber.
We overestimate the duration of the emotion. There is an effect on weather and happiness:
but not for a long time. only lasts for a day or two.
Falifornia dreaming:
focussing illusion: focus on the differences between people rather than similarities.
compared Michigan and california. State with positive and negative association. Asked
people what they thought if people were happier in Michigan or california. then asked how
happy people were. Don't realize where you live doesn't matter. differences are not that
important, circumstances are important. Happiness isn't about having a big car.
Correlation versus causation:
correlation doesn't mean causal.
People who are in a stable relationship are happier than single people. So, I need a stable
relationship? happiness has a bigger effect the other way around. People dont fall in love
with someone with depression. happy people fight more for the relationship .So yes a
relationship and partly causal. People tend to think that circumstances are more important
than they are.
The happinessformula:
Happiness = 40% genes + 10-20% circumstances + 40-50% own choices
But..
Not in an individual level, it is about explained variance
only works stable western democracies
they interact! (it is over simplified)
and more…
What about now? with the corona crisis: formula might not work very well now.
Literature:
Lyubomirsky et al (2015) review of general psychology
Brown en rohrer (2019) journal of happiness studies
Happiness: is really wanting what you already have, 2 different aspects: emotional aspect:
about having more positive emotions than negative emotions. 2. cognitive aspect: life
satisfaction, if you look back how happy are you?
, happiness is not solely pleasure or fun. it is more stable. Looking at things that are
temporarily when looking at scans: moods. Life satisfaction is difficult. The definition of
happiness may differ between countries.
exam: 6 questions: each representing one of the lectures.
What is the relation between money and happiness?
50% money is not related 50% of people think there is a relationship.
People who think money isn’t important. They think love and friends are more important.
happiness isn't only about love and friends. Calcutta: study the effects of poverty on
happiness. poor city. studied 3 different groups and asked how satisfied they are with life.
Satisfaction with life:
homeless score quite low. Extreme poverty is leading to unhappiness? students: you are
rich, and happier. So, strong relation to poverty and unhappiness? Other questions: self-
esteem and social life: yes poverty can lead to unhappiness, but it may not be as bad we all
think. These people are not desperately unhappy.
Satisfaction with life:
Up to a certain income there is a certain relationship, then more money doesn't affect
happiness. measured 4 indicators of happiness: stress, positive emotions, ladder (life
satisfaction), Problem study: highest category 80.000 and over.
Week 1: Where does happiness come from? Ap Dijksterhuis
introduction: what makes us happy?
The happiness formula:
Happiness..
..Provides energy
..Leads to lower blood pressure after a stressful event
..leads to a better immune system
..leads to more tolerance for pain
research: is happiness something that prolongs our lives? Relationship between health and
happiness. Are happy people becoming older? not easy to study. Found the following: 2
nuns were asked to write a small autobiography (1930). We can assess how happy people
are. They all passed away and know how old they become and used the autobiographies. 4
equal groups (very happy- unhappy). Live the same. Very happy group bacme older (7 year
difference). Happiness does prolong your life. It is about health.
But can we influence our own happiness?
part of our happiness in our own hands and we can influence it selves by doing the right
thing.
Augustines: trying to achieve happiness doesn't make sense, serve gods, maybe in our
afterlife we will be happy.
Thomas jefferson: pursuit of happiness is.. We can pursue it.
If you have a clinical problem, how are the odds that your twin brother/sister has it too?
Happiness is also partly genetically dependent. So depression happens in one family
sometimes,
Happiness correlates with intelligence and attractiveness.
Intelligent people are slightly more happy. attractive people are more happy.
The top 20 happiest countries include:
1. finland
2. denmark
3. switzerland
4. iceland
5. norway
6. the netherlands
7. sweden
8. new zealand
9. luxembourg
, 10. austria
11. canada
12. australia
So mostly a small population, western democratic populations.
Correlation between income per capita and happiness per country.
conclusions: happiness is to an extent dependent on money and wealth. Rich countries are
happier than poor countries.
What about circumstances
Why do we think they are so important?
1. Immediate reward or punishment
2. focusing illusion
3. correlation versus causation
If our life circumstances change, we feel happy (e.g. new car). if it is something negative it
feels like punishment. How long does this make you happy? Effects are short lived.
predicting emotion: which emotion?
Overestimate the importance of the circumstances. e.g. holiday: you predict to have a
positive emotion. e.g. dentist: negative emotion but the intensity is harder to predict but we
do this reasonably well. The duration is the problem
Duration?
Prospective students are asked:
1. how happy they are and
2. how happy they would be two months after their relationship ended
When the relationship ends, happiness is lower. after 2 months it does not have any effect
anymore!
,Happiness is like rubber.
We overestimate the duration of the emotion. There is an effect on weather and happiness:
but not for a long time. only lasts for a day or two.
Falifornia dreaming:
focussing illusion: focus on the differences between people rather than similarities.
compared Michigan and california. State with positive and negative association. Asked
people what they thought if people were happier in Michigan or california. then asked how
happy people were. Don't realize where you live doesn't matter. differences are not that
important, circumstances are important. Happiness isn't about having a big car.
Correlation versus causation:
correlation doesn't mean causal.
People who are in a stable relationship are happier than single people. So, I need a stable
relationship? happiness has a bigger effect the other way around. People dont fall in love
with someone with depression. happy people fight more for the relationship .So yes a
relationship and partly causal. People tend to think that circumstances are more important
than they are.
The happinessformula:
Happiness = 40% genes + 10-20% circumstances + 40-50% own choices
But..
Not in an individual level, it is about explained variance
only works stable western democracies
they interact! (it is over simplified)
and more…
What about now? with the corona crisis: formula might not work very well now.
Literature:
Lyubomirsky et al (2015) review of general psychology
Brown en rohrer (2019) journal of happiness studies
Happiness: is really wanting what you already have, 2 different aspects: emotional aspect:
about having more positive emotions than negative emotions. 2. cognitive aspect: life
satisfaction, if you look back how happy are you?
, happiness is not solely pleasure or fun. it is more stable. Looking at things that are
temporarily when looking at scans: moods. Life satisfaction is difficult. The definition of
happiness may differ between countries.
exam: 6 questions: each representing one of the lectures.
What is the relation between money and happiness?
50% money is not related 50% of people think there is a relationship.
People who think money isn’t important. They think love and friends are more important.
happiness isn't only about love and friends. Calcutta: study the effects of poverty on
happiness. poor city. studied 3 different groups and asked how satisfied they are with life.
Satisfaction with life:
homeless score quite low. Extreme poverty is leading to unhappiness? students: you are
rich, and happier. So, strong relation to poverty and unhappiness? Other questions: self-
esteem and social life: yes poverty can lead to unhappiness, but it may not be as bad we all
think. These people are not desperately unhappy.
Satisfaction with life:
Up to a certain income there is a certain relationship, then more money doesn't affect
happiness. measured 4 indicators of happiness: stress, positive emotions, ladder (life
satisfaction), Problem study: highest category 80.000 and over.
