This reminds me of an old Joke,
What is the difference between Recession and Depression.?
When you neighbour loses his job, it's Recession,
When you lose your job, it's Depression.!
Date: Mon, 01 May 2006 21:12:57 -0000
Subject: [FairfieldLife] The Happiness Formula
Subject: [FairfieldLife] The Happiness Formula
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/happiness_formula/4783836.stm
The science of happiness
By Mike Rudin
Series producer, The Happiness Formula
A new six-part BBC series, starting this week, looks at the newest
research from around the world to find out what could it be that
makes us happy.
We all want to be happy but the problem has always been that you
can't measure happiness.
Happiness has always been seen as too vague a concept, as Lord
Layard, Professor of Economics at the LSE and author of "Happiness -
lessons from a new science" points out.
"There is a problem with the word happiness.
"When you use the word happy, it often has the sort of context of
balloons floating up into the sky or something frivolous."
Now scientists say they can actually measure happiness.
Neuroscientists are measuring pleasure. They suggest that happiness
is more than a vague concept or mood; it is real.
Measuring happiness
Social scientists measure happiness simply by asking people how
happy they are.
It is argued that what a person says about their own happiness tends
to tally with what friends or even strangers might say about them if
asked the same question.
Most people say they are fairly happy.
The leading American psychologist Professor Ed Diener from the
University of Illinois, told The Happiness Formula that the science
of happiness is based on one straightforward idea:
"It may sound silly but we ask people 'How happy are you 1-7, 1-10?
"And the interesting thing is that produces real answers that are
valid, they're not perfect but they're valid and they predict all
sorts of real things in their lives."
One type of measurement even tries to record people's levels of
happiness throughout the day wherever they are.
Ecological momentary assessment uses hand held computers.
The person being quizzed is bleeped and then taken through a
questionnaire.
"The measures are not perfect yet I think they are in many ways as
good as the measures economists use," said Professor Diener.
It is a remarkable claim. Simply by asking people, we have a measure
of happiness that is as good as the economists' measure of poverty
or growth.
And if true, governments could be judged by how happy they make us.
An adviser to the Prime Minister, David Halpern, told us that within
the next 10 years the government would be measured against how happy
it made everybody.
Power of happiness
Happiness seems to have almost magical properties.
We have not got proof, but the science suggests it leads to long
life, health, resilience and good performance.
Scientists work by comparing people's reported happiness and a host
of other factors such as age, sex, marital status, religion, health,
income, unemployment and so on.
In survey after survey involving huge groups of people, significant
correlations between happiness and some other factors are repeated.
At the moment scientists cannot prove causation, whether for example
people are healthy because they are happy, or whether people are
happy because they are healthy.
However, psychologists have been able to identify some very strong
links.
According to Professor Diener the evidence suggests that happy
people live longer than depressed people.
"In one study, the difference was nine years between the happiest
group and the unhappiest group, so that's a huge effect.
"Cigarette smoking can knock a few years off your life, three years,
if you really smoke a lot, six years.
"So nine years for happiness is a huge effect."
Richer but no happier
Happiness researchers have been monitoring people's life
satisfaction for decades.
Yet despite all the massive increase in our wealth in the last 50
years our levels of happiness have not increased.
"Standard of living has increased dramatically and happiness has
increased not at all, and in some cases has diminished slightly,"
said Professor Daniel Kahneman of the University of Princeton.
"There is a lot of evidence that being richer... isn't making us
happier"
The research suggests that richer countries do tend to be happier
than poor ones, but once you have a home, food and clothes, then
extra money does not seem to make people much happier.
It seems that that level is after average incomes in a country top
about £10,000 a year.
Scientists think they know the reason why we do not feel happier
despite all the extra money and material things we can buy.
First, it is thought we adapt to pleasure. We go for things which
give us short bursts of pleasure whether it is a chocolate bar or
buying a new car.
But it quickly wears off.
Second, its thought that we tend to see our life as judged against
other people.
We compare our lot against others. Richer people do get happier when
they compare themselves against poorer people, but poorer people are
less happy if they compare up.
The good news is that we can choose how much and who we compare
ourselves with and about what, and researchers suggest we adapt less
quickly to more meaningful things such as friendship and life goals.
What makes us happy?
According to psychologist Professor Ed Diener there is no one key to
happiness but a set of ingredients that are vital.
First, family and friends are crucial - the wider and deeper the
relationships with those around you the better.
It is even suggested that friendship can ward off germs. Our brains
control many of the mechanisms in our bodies which are responsible
for disease.
Just as stress can trigger ill health, it is thought that friendship
and happiness can have a protective effect.
According to happiness research, friendship has a much bigger effect
on average on happiness than a typical person's income itself.
One economist, Professor Oswald at Warwick University, has a formula
to work out how much extra cash we would need to make up for not
having friends.
The answer is £50,000.
Marriage also seems to be very important. According to research the
effect of marriage adds an average seven years to the life of a man
and something like four for a woman.
The second vital ingredient is having meaning in life, a belief in
something bigger than yourself - from religion, spirituality or a
philosophy of life.
The third element is having goals embedded in your long term values
that you're working for, but also that you find enjoyable.
Psychologists argue that we need to find fulfilment through having
goals that are interesting to work on and which use our strengths
and abilities.
Unhappiness
However, there are also many things we experience in life that can
produce lasting unhappiness.
Professor Ed Diener identifies two key events which can have lasting
effects.
After the loss of a spouse it can take several years to regain the
previous level of well-being.
The loss of a job can affect a person for years even they are back
to work.
So if you are born grumpy are you always going to be grumpy?
The question of whether we can actually use our knowledge of what
makes us happy to lift our levels of happiness permanently is hotly
debated by psychologists.
According to the positive psychologist Professor Martin Seligman of
the University of Pennsylvania it is possible to lift our biological
set range of happiness, at least to some extent if we work at it.
"The best you can do with positive emotion is you can get people to
live at the top of their set range.
"So I think you've got about 10 to 15% leverage but you can't take a
grouch and make him giggle all the time."
The first episode of The Happiness Formula will be shown on BBC Two
at 1900 BST on Wednesday.
The science of happiness
By Mike Rudin
Series producer, The Happiness Formula
A new six-part BBC series, starting this week, looks at the newest
research from around the world to find out what could it be that
makes us happy.
We all want to be happy but the problem has always been that you
can't measure happiness.
Happiness has always been seen as too vague a concept, as Lord
Layard, Professor of Economics at the LSE and author of "Happiness -
lessons from a new science" points out.
"There is a problem with the word happiness.
"When you use the word happy, it often has the sort of context of
balloons floating up into the sky or something frivolous."
Now scientists say they can actually measure happiness.
Neuroscientists are measuring pleasure. They suggest that happiness
is more than a vague concept or mood; it is real.
Measuring happiness
Social scientists measure happiness simply by asking people how
happy they are.
It is argued that what a person says about their own happiness tends
to tally with what friends or even strangers might say about them if
asked the same question.
Most people say they are fairly happy.
The leading American psychologist Professor Ed Diener from the
University of Illinois, told The Happiness Formula that the science
of happiness is based on one straightforward idea:
"It may sound silly but we ask people 'How happy are you 1-7, 1-10?
"And the interesting thing is that produces real answers that are
valid, they're not perfect but they're valid and they predict all
sorts of real things in their lives."
One type of measurement even tries to record people's levels of
happiness throughout the day wherever they are.
Ecological momentary assessment uses hand held computers.
The person being quizzed is bleeped and then taken through a
questionnaire.
"The measures are not perfect yet I think they are in many ways as
good as the measures economists use," said Professor Diener.
It is a remarkable claim. Simply by asking people, we have a measure
of happiness that is as good as the economists' measure of poverty
or growth.
And if true, governments could be judged by how happy they make us.
An adviser to the Prime Minister, David Halpern, told us that within
the next 10 years the government would be measured against how happy
it made everybody.
Power of happiness
Happiness seems to have almost magical properties.
We have not got proof, but the science suggests it leads to long
life, health, resilience and good performance.
Scientists work by comparing people's reported happiness and a host
of other factors such as age, sex, marital status, religion, health,
income, unemployment and so on.
In survey after survey involving huge groups of people, significant
correlations between happiness and some other factors are repeated.
At the moment scientists cannot prove causation, whether for example
people are healthy because they are happy, or whether people are
happy because they are healthy.
However, psychologists have been able to identify some very strong
links.
According to Professor Diener the evidence suggests that happy
people live longer than depressed people.
"In one study, the difference was nine years between the happiest
group and the unhappiest group, so that's a huge effect.
"Cigarette smoking can knock a few years off your life, three years,
if you really smoke a lot, six years.
"So nine years for happiness is a huge effect."
Richer but no happier
Happiness researchers have been monitoring people's life
satisfaction for decades.
Yet despite all the massive increase in our wealth in the last 50
years our levels of happiness have not increased.
"Standard of living has increased dramatically and happiness has
increased not at all, and in some cases has diminished slightly,"
said Professor Daniel Kahneman of the University of Princeton.
"There is a lot of evidence that being richer... isn't making us
happier"
The research suggests that richer countries do tend to be happier
than poor ones, but once you have a home, food and clothes, then
extra money does not seem to make people much happier.
It seems that that level is after average incomes in a country top
about £10,000 a year.
Scientists think they know the reason why we do not feel happier
despite all the extra money and material things we can buy.
First, it is thought we adapt to pleasure. We go for things which
give us short bursts of pleasure whether it is a chocolate bar or
buying a new car.
But it quickly wears off.
Second, its thought that we tend to see our life as judged against
other people.
We compare our lot against others. Richer people do get happier when
they compare themselves against poorer people, but poorer people are
less happy if they compare up.
The good news is that we can choose how much and who we compare
ourselves with and about what, and researchers suggest we adapt less
quickly to more meaningful things such as friendship and life goals.
What makes us happy?
According to psychologist Professor Ed Diener there is no one key to
happiness but a set of ingredients that are vital.
First, family and friends are crucial - the wider and deeper the
relationships with those around you the better.
It is even suggested that friendship can ward off germs. Our brains
control many of the mechanisms in our bodies which are responsible
for disease.
Just as stress can trigger ill health, it is thought that friendship
and happiness can have a protective effect.
According to happiness research, friendship has a much bigger effect
on average on happiness than a typical person's income itself.
One economist, Professor Oswald at Warwick University, has a formula
to work out how much extra cash we would need to make up for not
having friends.
The answer is £50,000.
Marriage also seems to be very important. According to research the
effect of marriage adds an average seven years to the life of a man
and something like four for a woman.
The second vital ingredient is having meaning in life, a belief in
something bigger than yourself - from religion, spirituality or a
philosophy of life.
The third element is having goals embedded in your long term values
that you're working for, but also that you find enjoyable.
Psychologists argue that we need to find fulfilment through having
goals that are interesting to work on and which use our strengths
and abilities.
Unhappiness
However, there are also many things we experience in life that can
produce lasting unhappiness.
Professor Ed Diener identifies two key events which can have lasting
effects.
After the loss of a spouse it can take several years to regain the
previous level of well-being.
The loss of a job can affect a person for years even they are back
to work.
So if you are born grumpy are you always going to be grumpy?
The question of whether we can actually use our knowledge of what
makes us happy to lift our levels of happiness permanently is hotly
debated by psychologists.
According to the positive psychologist Professor Martin Seligman of
the University of Pennsylvania it is possible to lift our biological
set range of happiness, at least to some extent if we work at it.
"The best you can do with positive emotion is you can get people to
live at the top of their set range.
"So I think you've got about 10 to 15% leverage but you can't take a
grouch and make him giggle all the time."
The first episode of The Happiness Formula will be shown on BBC Two
at 1900 BST on Wednesday.
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