Hello Fellow Hedonists,
The hustle and bustle of activity that has occured since my haitus is a bit overwhelming, but I am going to do my best to cover it here:
1) Peter Clough (University of Hull), in collaboration with AQR, has shown it is possible to teach kids to be tough (which they claim you can measure using the MTQ48) and that doing so has the beneficial effects you would expect, given other research on the benefits of resilience.
2) Research on hedonic adaptation has shown that “Within a few years, paraplegics wind up only slightly less happy on average than individuals who are not paralyzed.” Recently, researchers have shown that, ironically, functionally impaired patients with diseases such as amytrophic lateral sclerosis might be depressed (and, consequently, decline life sustaining treatment) because they don't realize that having the disease won't nessecarily compromise subjective quality of life (if they accept life sustaining treatment). It was also shown that, unsurprisingly, educated patients adapt to the illness better, from a hedonic point of view (this might be surprising if you buy into the myth of the melancholic genius).
3) Researchers from the University of Texas at Austin have shown that having strong family ties is a much bigger predictor of contentment than income. This research seems to support the jist of the Easterlin Paradox: money matters up to a point (when basic needs are met), then, other things matter more. In the words of Rebecca J. North, one of the researchers,"Our findings underscore the importance of additional policy indicators that can tap the well-being of individuals and families at the psychosocial level to provide a more comprehensive understanding of a nation's well-being." As I have argued in other places, researchers often forget that money is extrinsically valuable. If it has any influence on subjective well-being, it is probably because of how it is used.
4) It has previously been shown old people are as happy as young people. This is puzzling, in part, because old people spend more time alone, which has been shown to cause (and be caused by) depression. In the current issue of Psychology and Ageing, Bill Von Hipple has shown that "older people are just as satisfied with their social lives because they seem to get much more from the few interactions they have." In other words, the old aren't lonely because the elderly simply adapt, hedonically, to being less social than they used to be.
5) Check out this Gallup graph. Apparently, everybody is, in fact, working for the weekend. Yet another reason to pursue a gratifying profession.
6) Previously, I have discussed the link between subjective well-being and health. A new study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences has shown "that positive affective states are related to favourable profiles of functioning in several biological systems and may thereby be relevant to risk of development of physical illness."
7) Read this interesting how-to article on how to maintain a happy marrige (and your health, by extension).
Excelsior!
C.L.Sosis
Hey Sosis,
Interesting stuff you found when I read section 4 of “While I was Gone” in the June 28, 2008 blog. It was stated that research now supports the notion that the elderly tend to be just as happy as the rest of us even though they live more lonely less social lives, leading us to believe then that they must be sadder because of human beings natural need for social interaction. You explained in the small blog brief updating a previous post that this happiness comes out of the importance the elderly put to their smaller amount of interactions with others. This means that you state that although the elderly have fewer interactions and have less chances of being social, that they put more emphasis and remember more each one because of the lack and scarcity. It is almost as if saying they cherish every moment of their interaction because they come few and far apart. I am thinking this might just be a good example of the availability heuristic used by the elderly. What makes people happy? Well, a lot believe it is social interaction because loneliness is a cause for depression. When the elderly think of what has made them happy I believe it is their ability to come up with examples of when people have reached out and socialized with them. It is important to them because it is what they remember most and what really makes their days. In younger society, we are surrounded constantly by social interactions to the point in which we no longer see them as comforting because we do not understand what it is like to miss them. The elderly go time without interaction, and they learn the true meaning of the phrase “you do not really know the value of what you have until you lose it”. They lose a piece of themselves which previously they did not find importance for. So when asked why they are happy they can easily recall an aspect that has gone missing from their lives, bringing about the availability heuristic which allows them to bring front to memory these satisfying experiences. I am not saying that these social interactions are not important because by far they are the most, but I think that it is the lack recognition by the youth to see social interaction as such an important part in our happiness and keeping us in good moods that is the deciding factor. My guess would be that if the youth were to become aware and open there eyes to how social interaction is such a beneficial and positive action that we would once more raise to a higher level of positive attitude than the elderly which is where people tend to believe we are. The elderly keep up with our positive outlooks only because they have gained insight into things we are not able to comprehend until we lose them and are put into the position they now find themselves at
“ We must open our eyes and keep precious the good in life which we take for granted”
Posted by: Guillermo Alvarez | November 18, 2008 at 08:35 AM