Happiness

Abstract

This cross-cultural study explored the perceptions of people about what can make a person happy. A total of 215 students answered one of three open-ended questions: from Canada, French-speakers (n = 57) and English-speakers (n = 54), from El Salvador (n = 42), and from the United States (n = 62). Content and correspondence analyses revealed that factors contributing to happiness were perceived similarly across the four groups. The most stated factors overall were the importance of family relationships, of pursuing and reaching valued goals, and of a positive attitude toward self. On the other hand, whereas the Salvadoran participants referred specifically to religious values and sociopolitical conditions, the North American samples referred more to hedonistic factors (enjoying activities and life's little pleasures) and personal sources of power on their happiness (positive attitude toward life, personal strengths). Cross-cultural differences are discussed in relation to collectivism and individualism.

Folk Theories of Happiness: A Cross-Cultural Comparison of Conceptions of Happiness in Germany and South Africa

“…Based on a correspondence analysis of the answers, it was found that in comparison with the respondents from El Salvador, the respondents from the North American samples placed more emphasis on pleasure and personal sources of power. According to Chiasson et al (1996), this concurs with findings linking hedonism and self-direction to individualism.…”

“…A qualitative content analysis of the data indicated that, in line with the individualism/collectivism distinction, the Taiwanese placed greater emphasis on interpersonal evaluation and satisfaction than on intrapersonal assessment. In a similar vein, Chiasson et al (1996) asked participants from the USA, French and English-speaking Canada, and El Salvador three open-ended questions about happiness (''What makes you happy? '', ''What does a person need to be happy?''…”

“…For example, cross-cultural psychologists have emphasized the importance of public meanings and practices, such as folk theories and daily routines and scripts, for happiness . It is argued that although happiness as a state of mind is universal, its meaning takes culture-specific forms (Bagozzi et al 1999;Chiasson et al 1996;Diener and Diener 1995;Duncan and Grazzani-Gavazzi 2004;Kwan et al 1997;Lu and Gilmour 2004;Lu et al 2001a;Suh et al 1998;Uchida et al 2001). However, it is important to note that efforts to understand the interplay between culture and happiness are still in a nascent state.…”

Children’s and Adolescents’ Conceptions of Happiness

“…One of the first studies on lay conceptions of happiness showed that Taiwanese adults emphasized harmony in their social relationships or being praised and respected by others more than their achievement at work (Lu & Shih, 1997). Another study showed that participants from the USA and Canada, compared to those from El Salvador, placed more emphasis on pleasure and sources of power (Chiasson, Dubé, & Blondin, 1996). Although these two studies highlighted significant cultural differences, the results were difficult to generalize due to small samples.…”

Znamo Li Što Nas Čini Sretnima? Važnost Laičkih Uvjerenja O Uzrocima Sreće I Vrijednosti Za Doživljaj Sreće

“…Iako različite laičke definicije sreće nisu međusobno usuglašene, one se mogu dovesti u vezu s implicitnim teorijama, odnosno laičkim uvjerenjima o uzrocima sreće koja se odnose na razmišljanja pojedinaca o činiteljima koji uzrokuju sreću. Slično kao kod definicija sreće, laici često među uzrocima sreće spominju međuljudske odnose, osobna postignuća i autonomiju, kao i dodatne činitelje vezane uz sigurnost, životni standard ili zdravlje (Chiasson, Dube, & Blondin, 1996;Sotgiu, Galati, Manzano, & Rognoni, 2011). Furnham i Cheng (2000) detaljnije su ispitali strukturu laičkih uvjerenja o uzrocima sreće na uzorku britanskih učenika i studenata te izdvojili nekolicinu različitih uzroka sreće koji uključuju: snažnu samokontrolu i izraženost poželjnih osobina ličnosti, posjedovanje privlačnih tjelesnih atributa i završeno visoko obrazovanje, slobodu odlučivanja o vlastitom životu, ostvarivanje bliskih veza s drugima, visoke razine samopoštovanja, materijalnu sigurnost i optimističan stav prema životu.…”