Raising Happiness by raising
Awareness of how happy you feel Ruut Veenhoven Arnold Bakker, Martijn Burger, Pieter van Haren, Wido Oerlemans Erasmus University Rotterdam Invited address at 5th World congress of Positive Psychology Montreal, Canada, July 13-16 2017
Raising Happiness by raising awareness of how happy you feel • What ‘happiness’? • Theory • Intervention: Happiness Indicator web-site • Effect • Further applications • How you can join the project
Raising happiness by raising awareness What ‘happiness’?
What ‘happiness’? Four qualities of life external
chances
outcomes
internal
What ‘happiness’? Four qualities of life
chances
outcomes
external
internal
Livability
Life-ability
Utility
Satisfaction
What is ‘happiness’? Four kinds of satisfaction Passing
Part
Whole
Enduring
What is ‘happiness’? Four kinds of satisfaction
Part
Whole
Passing
Enduring
Pleasure
Domain satisfaction
Top experience Life satisfaction (Happiness)
What ‘happiness’? Components of happiness OVERALL HAPPINESS Satisfaction with one’s life-as-whole
Hedonic level of affect Balance of pleasant and unpleasant affects
Contentment Perceived realization of wants
Affective component
Cognitive component
What ‘happiness’? Components of happiness OVERALL HAPPINESS Satisfaction with one’s life-as-whole
Hedonic level of affect Balance of pleasant and unpleasant affects
Contentment Perceived realization of wants
Affective component
Cognitive component
Raising happiness by raising awareness Theory
Raising happiness by raising awareness Theory • High happiness in multiple-choice society • Happiness depends much on choice of a life-style that fits you • Need for support in finding a satisfying way of life: Market for positive psychology
Raising happiness by raising awareness Theory Search for a fitting way of life requires: • Awareness of how you do feel • Information on how you could feel – How similar people feel • In the same kind of life • In other ways of life
– …….
Example: should I quit my job?
Raising happiness by raising awareness Theory Information often falls short: • Awareness of how you do feel distorted by: - defensive denial - distortions in affective recall • Peak/end • Framing ……….
Raising happiness by raising awareness Theory Information often falls short: • Information of how other people feel limited by: – Filtered information – Distorted information
Example: Should I have children?
Raising happiness by raising awareness Theory Information often falls short: • Results in ill-informed life-choice • Hence in lower happiness Gilbert: Stumbling on happiness Kahneman: Expected utility ≠ experienced Frey: Mispredicting utility
Raising happiness by raising awareness Intervention
Raising happiness by raising awareness Intervention • Self-help web-site ‘Happiness Indicator’ http://www.happinessindicator.com • ‘Quantified self’ approach • Developed by – Erasmus University Rotterdam – VGZ health insurance company
Raising happiness by raising awareness Intervention Happiness Indicator website • Dutch version: GeluksWijzer – online since February 2011 – 125.000 participants – half regular visitors
• English version since December 2016 • Any language version possible
Raising happiness by raising awareness Effects
Raising happiness by raising awareness Effects • Follow-up of users in the Netherlands – Happiness Comparer at least twice – Happiness Diary at least once
• 5.411 users, 13.320 participations • Average time-intervals – Time between uses: 3 months – Total time-span 7 months
Raising happiness by raising awareness Effects Small rise of happiness following use of.. • Happiness Comparer:
+ 0.08% ns
• Happiness Diary:
+ 0,14% p< .01
Rise in % of 0-10 scale range
Raising happiness by raising awareness Effect of using the Happiness Diary + 0.5 + 0.4 + 0.14 + 0.05 - 0.2
- 0.8 - 1.23
| getting married | having first child | | | frequent use of the Happiness Diary | winning the lottery, occasional use of the Happiness Diary | | injured in a traffic accident | | | | | | becoming unemployed | | | becoming widowed
Raising happiness by raising awareness Effect of using the Happiness Diary • Rise strongest among – Frequent users: 2% rise after 10 or more – Initially least happy
• Causal effect likely • Effect stronger (5%) if decline prevented • Probably most effective for higher educated
Raising happiness by raising awareness Difference with common self-help • Focus on information: – How happy do I really feel? – Could I feel happier?
• Prepare for more informed choice on: – Treatment – Life change
• No soul-searching
Happiness Indicator Further uses of the technique
Happiness Indicator Further uses of the technique • Measurement – of affective experience – affordable follow-up
DRM web technique
• Comparison – using common pool of users (now >100.000) – From which control-groups are selected
Happiness Indicator Further uses of the technique Measurement of quality of work • Focus on affective experience • Avoid top-down distortion Using difference in happiness at work and home
Cheap follow-up, control groups available
Happiness Indicator Further uses of the technique Measurement effects of interventions • Treatment of individuals – Medical – Psychological
• Change in organizations Cheap follow-up, control groups available
Happiness Indicator Further uses of the technique Building an evidence base for coaching and happiness education • On how choices have worked out on happiness – E.g. self-employment – E.g. emigration – ….
• Of particular people – E.g. young academics – E.g. Pensioners
Happiness Indicator How you can join the project
Happiness Indicator How you can join the project • Run a satellite in your country – Same aims: better view, better choice
• Use the site for a specific research purpose – E.g. follow your clients – E.g. follow pupils of a school
Happiness Indicator How you can join the project • Use the system: software & server • Add to the database • Use the common database for comparison
Happiness Indicator How you can join the project Possible sponsors • Health insurance companies • Schools • Work organizations
Happiness Indicator How you can join the project Read prospectus • https://personal.eur.nl/veenhoven/Research/ HappinessIndicator_Prospectus2017.pdf Contact me •
[email protected]