Here are three new papers on happiness research.
First, German research finds that there’s a strong day of the week effect upon happiness. People are much less happy on Sundays than other days; they side with Billie Holiday rather than Fats Domino.
You might think this is because people dread having to go to work on Monday. Not so. Even the unemployed are less happy on a Sunday than other days. Instead, the Sunday effect seems especially strong for married people, rather than singles - so strong, in fact that the difference in a married person’s happiness between Sunday and other days is over one-third the difference in happiness between the employed and jobless, which is universally found to be huge. Maybe familiarity breeds contempt. Although marriage raises well-being, sustained exposure to one’s partner - or children - does not.
Secondly, other German research (pdf) sheds light upon the finding that happiness is U-shaped in age, bottoming out around one’s 40s.
The authors suggest this is because people’s failed investments become apparent in mid-life. 40-somethings are more likely to be divorced; those who are unemployed suffer more; even quite successful people realize that they’ll not get to the top of their career ladder; children reduce parents’ well-being; and, as Marianne Faithfull sang, we learn that we'll never fulfill our dreams.
Thirdly, Italian researchers think they’ve found an explanation for the Easterlin paradox. It lies in social capital. Nations which have suffered big falls in this - as measured (or proxied?) by membership of voluntary organizations - have seen happiness fall.
There is, I suspect, a common theme here - that people don’t predict what will make them happy at all well. Having children and investing in careers rather than in social networks doesn’t make us happy, and yet we do it in our 20s and 30s, only to be miserable later.
First, German research finds that there’s a strong day of the week effect upon happiness. People are much less happy on Sundays than other days; they side with Billie Holiday rather than Fats Domino.
You might think this is because people dread having to go to work on Monday. Not so. Even the unemployed are less happy on a Sunday than other days. Instead, the Sunday effect seems especially strong for married people, rather than singles - so strong, in fact that the difference in a married person’s happiness between Sunday and other days is over one-third the difference in happiness between the employed and jobless, which is universally found to be huge. Maybe familiarity breeds contempt. Although marriage raises well-being, sustained exposure to one’s partner - or children - does not.
Secondly, other German research (pdf) sheds light upon the finding that happiness is U-shaped in age, bottoming out around one’s 40s.
The authors suggest this is because people’s failed investments become apparent in mid-life. 40-somethings are more likely to be divorced; those who are unemployed suffer more; even quite successful people realize that they’ll not get to the top of their career ladder; children reduce parents’ well-being; and, as Marianne Faithfull sang, we learn that we'll never fulfill our dreams.
Thirdly, Italian researchers think they’ve found an explanation for the Easterlin paradox. It lies in social capital. Nations which have suffered big falls in this - as measured (or proxied?) by membership of voluntary organizations - have seen happiness fall.
There is, I suspect, a common theme here - that people don’t predict what will make them happy at all well. Having children and investing in careers rather than in social networks doesn’t make us happy, and yet we do it in our 20s and 30s, only to be miserable later.
This would be a superior musical illustration of the first point: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NhdOQ5BnBys
Posted by: john b | November 24, 2009 at 03:10 PM
I blame drink.
Posted by: Neil | November 24, 2009 at 03:32 PM
Have you been in Germany on a Sunday?
Posted by: Matthew | November 24, 2009 at 06:19 PM
Getting our essential Human Needs met in a balanced way is the key to happiness. And though income helps there is a lot more. This is explains the weak correlation between happiness and income. This also explains why social connection is so important as this is an essential human need and modern life certainly here in the UK is designed by policy to emasculate it.
Google Human Givens sites or look at my blog.
Posted by: Grumpy Optimist - Andrewe Richardson | November 25, 2009 at 12:29 AM
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Posted by: David | November 25, 2009 at 03:33 PM
I wonder if it has to do with going to church. Maybe people don't like getting up early on Sunday and sitting through a sermon. Maybe married people are more likely to go to church because their partner nags them or they feel like they should do it for their kids.
Posted by: David | November 26, 2009 at 02:13 AM
I really admire this, I mean it really looks interesting! Very nice research. Thanks to the author.
Posted by: Term papers | December 24, 2009 at 10:00 AM
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Posted by: Study in UK | April 16, 2011 at 12:56 PM