Inner Happiness Among Thai Elderly

Abstract

This study, based on data collected in 2005 from Chai Nat province, examines the level of happiness of the Thai elderly population and its relationship to various external and internal factors. It was found that mean happiness was slightly above a feeling of "neutral." According to multiple regression analyses, external factors including economic hardship, living arrangements, functional ability, perceived social environment, and consumerism significantly influence the level of happiness. The strongest predictor of happiness is, however, the internal factor-that is, a feeling of relative poverty when compared to their neighbors. Controlling for demographic and all external factors, the respondents who do not feel poor show the highest level of happiness compared to those who feel as poor as or poorer than their neighbors. This is self-interpreted as a feeling of contentment with what one has, which has been influenced by Thai culture, which is pervaded by Buddhism.

In the choice between health and money, health comes first: an analysis of happiness among rural Chilean elderly

“…In line with the idea proposed by Shams 15 , the results of this study indicate that age is an important predictor of happiness among the rural elderly, but unlike Selim 14 , who posed a negative relationship, our results show that age has a positive influence. Consumerism, as reported by Gray et al 3 , also has a strong influence on seniors' happiness in our model. This could be directly explained by the contribution to the subjective well-being of elderly of the service life associated with each of the goods available in the home, or because "real wealth" is part of the social capital of a person which contributes to happiness as suggested by Theurer & Wister 16 .…”

“…This could be directly explained by the contribution to the subjective well-being of elderly of the service life associated with each of the goods available in the home, or because "real wealth" is part of the social capital of a person which contributes to happiness as suggested by Theurer & Wister 16 . Moreover, in line with what has already been reported by Gray et al 3 , the consumerism of our rural elderly, measured as the number of goods in the home (QGoods), could be included in the relative feeling of not being poor in comparison to one's neighbors (67.3% reported having five or more goods in their home).…”

“…According to results from previous studies, we expected to confirm the relationship between older adults' happiness and health-related variables 3,9,10,13,14,15,20,34 . In addition, considering the relationship between social interaction and food 31 , and happiness and food 32,33 , this study intends to demonstrate that the level of satisfaction with food-related life and having company during meals are related to happiness.…”

“…Happiness and life satisfaction are subjective measurements of subjective well-being. The concepts of life satisfaction and happiness are interrelated but are not exactly the same 3 ; the former is seen more as the outcome of an evaluation process, while the latter as an outcome of positive experiences 4,5 . Happiness can be beneficial in numerous ways; it has positive implications for society as well as individuals, suggesting that the promotion of happiness is a wise investment in social and public health 6 .…”

“…With a sample size of 282 participants, of which the average age at the time of interview was 61 years (range: 49-99), Angner et al 9 concluded that health is one of the most influential predictors of happiness, and that the association between health and happiness depends greatly on the manner in which health status is measured, and that the degree to which disease disrupts daily functioning is inversely associated with happiness. Gray et al 3 examined the level of happiness of the Thai elderly population and its relationship to various external and internal factors. According to multiple regression analyses, external factors including economic hardship (such as debt-paying ability), living arrangements (such as living alone), (very good) functional ability, perceived social environment, and consumerism (measured as a number of household possessions) significantly influence the level of happiness.…”