Module IV : Happiness and its Social Aspects
Descriptors/Topics
Social correlates of Happiness
• social cohesion, particularly in the light of the aging population
• Sense of belongingness for happiness
SOCAIL COORELATES OF
HAPPINESS:
Social correlates could be seen as environmental
factors that affects one’s happiness independently
Most often social structure refers to social-demographic
characteristics) like age and gender as well as their
arrangement with respect to scarce goods like
occupational positions, income, education, and social
prestige (Zapf, 1994).
These Social structures (factors) in their various
meanings are correlated with the happiness and well-
being of people
SOCIAL CORRELATES OF HAPPINESS ARE:
1. Age :
o Age-related patterns of interdependent
happiness were compared across general adult
samples from Costa Rica, Japan, and the
Netherlands using surveys. Interdependent
happiness is the individual perception of one’s
degree of interpersonal harmony, quiescence,
and ordinariness. Based on the available
evidence concerning age-related changes in
well-being, the authors predicted and found
that interdependent happiness is positively
correlated with age in Costa Rica and Japan,
but not in the Netherlands. The cultural
meaning of happiness and its life-long
nourishment are discussed. (Hidefumi Hitokoto,
Yoshiaki Takahashi – 2020 )
⁃ Gender (male/female) :
o On a worldwide scale, women are granted fewer
freedoms, get worse representation, experience
more discrimination, and are more frequent
victims of violence than men (UN Women and
others, 2015). They have, on average, worse self-
reported health, lower incomes, and less
education – all strong correlates of reduced life
satisfaction.
⁃ Income level :
o But according to a new study out of University of
Pennsylvania’s (2021) The Wharton School (2021) ,
people’s well-being rises with the amount of
money they make. The data collected through a
smart phone app showed that all forms of well-
being continued to rise with income
o In This study examined the role of 2 central
aspects of family life--income and social support--
in predicting concurrent happiness and change in
happiness among 274 married adults across a 10-
year period.; family social support was more
strongly associated with happiness when family
income was low than when family income was
high. In addition, change in family social support
was positively related to change in happiness,
whereas change in family income was unrelated to
change in happiness. These findings suggest that
happiness can change and underscore the
importance of exploring more deeply the role that
family relationships play in facilitating such
change.( North, R. J., Holahan, C. J., Moos, R. H., &
Cronkite, R. C. 2008 )
⁃ Employment –
o (Happiness and Life Satisfaction in Japan by
Gender and Age , reported by Tiefenbach and
Kohlbacher 2013) Work relations that being a
manager (as compared to a regular employee) has
positive happiness effects on men, while being an
irregular employee has a highly negative effects on
the happiness and life satisfaction of Japanese
men.
⁃ Social class
o Across multiple studies using a range of
methodologies, we found that individuals of
higher social class, whose abundant resources
make it possible to focus on self-development and
self-expression, were made happier by experiential
over material purchases. No such experiential
advantage emerged for individuals of lower social
class, whose lesser resources engender concern
with resource management and wise use of
limited finances. Instead, lower-class individuals
were made happier from material purchases or
were equally happy from experiential and material
purchases. ( Jacob C. Lee Deborah L. Hall, and
Wendy Wood 2018 )
o Material purchases can provide more frequent
instances of momentary happiness than
experiential purchases (Weidman & Dunn, 2016).
Nonetheless, when considering long-term
happiness, researchers have largely found
support for the experiential advantage (Gilovich,
Kumar, & Jampol, 2015).
⁃ Marriage :
It is well-documented that romantic relationships, especially
marriage, are related to greater subjective well-being
compared to being never-married, divorced, separated, or
widowed (Argyle, 2001; E. Diener & BiswasDiener, 2008; E.
Diener, Gohm, Suh, & Oishi, 2000; E. Diener & Seligman,
2002; M. L. Diener & McGavran, 2008; Myers & Diener,
1995).
⁃ Religion :
o ( Elliott, R.W Hayward 2009) -conducted a study
over 65 countires with the help of surveys and
utilized data from 65 countries and hierarchical
linear modeling to test cross-level effects of
personal religious identity and participation in
organized religion on psychological well-being,
One of the key findings was that personal
religious identity is positively associated with life
satisfaction throughout the world, but the
association increases in size under conditions of
greater governmental regulation;
SOCAIL COHESION & HAPPINESS:
• Social cohesion can be understood as patterns of
social interaction among neighbors and the
associated process of building shared values.
• •Social cohesion can be described as the “glue”
that bonds society together, essential for
achieving peace, democracy and development.
This “glue” is made up of four key components -
Social Relationships, Connectedness, Orientation
towards the common good, Equality.
How social cohesion affects one? [from Anu Ma’ams
PDF ]
• Neighborhoods with high levels of social cohesion
are expected to generate values such as
familiarity, interpersonal trust and norms of
reciprocity (Carpiano 2006; Fone et al. 2007),
which may be beneficial to the health and well -
being of community-dwelling older people.
• Kawachi and Berkman (2000) have argued that
social cohesion contributes to better health
through providing social support, adopting
health-promoting behavior, and facilitating access
to services.
In order to support growing populations of
community-dwelling older people to live
independently, social cohesion in the
neighborhood becomes increasingly important.
Improves mental health-
When we’re socially engaged, we’re less likely to
fall victim to mental illnesses, like depression.
According to the Economic and Social Research
Council (ESRC), social isolation is a key trigger for
mental illness. On the contrary, we are more likely
to have better mental health if we have supportive
relationships with friends, family and even
neighbors.
Improves Physical Health –
• Lower blood pressure – a study by Shaya et.
al(2013) found that social networks help control
hypertension. The research team learned from
studying 248 African Americans that “clustering
of patients in social networks around
hypertension education has a positive impact on
the management of hypertension in minority
populations and may help address cardiovascular
health disparities.”
• According to the Novant Health Library, the
benefits of being social among older adults
include “potentially reduced risk for
cardiovascular problems, some cancers,
osteoporosis, and rheumatoid arthritis.”
Improves brain health-
• We tend to have higher levels of cognitive function
with increased social interaction. A 2007 study
conducted in California by Valerie C. Crooks and
colleagues, followed 2,249 women and found that
“older women who maintained large social
networks reduced their risk of dementia and
delayed or prevented cognitive impairment.”
• The researchers also found that the size of the
social network matters. Of these 2,249 Californian
women, those with larger social networks were
26% less likely to develop dementia compared to
the participants with smaller social circles.
• In another study by Bryan James and colleagues
(2011) out of the Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center
in Chicago, 1,138 seniors with dementia were
measured for social activity levels and cognitive
functioning over a 12-year period.
• They found that people with frequent social
interaction had 70% less cognitive decline than
people with low social interaction.
• Provides Safety -
• Amity Institute of Psychology & Allied Sciences
• There was a Neighborhood Perceptions study
conducted in Detroit to find out how seniors
perceive their neighborhoods as it relates to social
engagement.
The study found that there was the highest
correlation between community engagement and
neighborhood perception.
Gives Access to Personal Care & Assistance –
• The community, whether paid assistance, family
members or friends, can help elderly with their
personal care. There are people that assist with
mobility, errands and doctor’s appointments.
• As we age our mobility decreases and our
independence can decline, which means we need
other people to rely on. This becomes increasingly
more difficult if we disengage and withdraw away
from social interaction.
• Helps with Technology -
• Elderly can learn shortcuts and easy how-to
lessons from other people within our social
circles. When it comes to technology, simply
having people around you to show them the way
can make such a big difference.
• Gives Sense of Purpose & Belongingness-
• Depending on how elderly prioritize their inner
circle of influence, their sense of purpose and
belonging can be greatly impacted by daily social
interaction.
• By surrounding yourself with people that align
with their way of life, their goals, their intentional
blueprint, they’ll not only be more likely to achieve
the lifestyle they want, but they’ll also benefit
from a tremendous sense of belonging and
purpose.
• Naturally falling in line with their ideal lifestyle,
giving back and associating with the right
community that matches their uniqueness will
provide them with a sense of purpose.
• 2019 Study , in The Journals of Gerontology,
Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social
Sciences, found that-
• older adults who interacted with people beyond
their usual social circle of family and close friends
were more likely to have higher levels of physical
activity, greater positive moods, and fewer
negative feelings.
• The researchers asked 300 adults ages 65 and
older to record their activities and social
encounters every three hours for a week. They
also wore activity trackers to monitor their
movement. They found that the people who had
more variety in their social interactions spent less
time being sedentary.
Sense of belongingness for
happiness:
What do we mean by Belongingness ?
In Maslow’s hierarchy of needs the Love and
belongingness needs which is after physiological and
safety needs , the third level of human needs is social
and involves feelings of belongingness. Belongingness,
refers to a human emotional need for interpersonal
relationships, affiliating, connectedness, and being
part of a group.
And modern industrialized societies are characterized
by these aspects to feel the sense of belongingness :
1) a strong need for personal accomplishments
2) Expectations of immediate gratification-
Gratification is the pleasurable emotional reaction of
happiness in response to a fulfillment of a desire or
goal. It is also identified as a response stemming
from the fulfillment of social needs such as
affiliation, socializing, social approval, and mutual
recognition.)
Culture of instant gratification is pervasive, not
only in terms of consumption behaviors but also
in shaping the dynamics and our expectations of
social relationships. Few Researches/articles for
the same are :
Carl Honore’s “Praise of Slowness”-modern society
is obsessed with speed, the idea is to improve
something is to make it faster. Argued that life on
the fast lane takes a toll on our health, our work,
our social relationships, on the environment, and
our community.
As MacRae (2010) argued, social networking and
the Internet may detract us from forming
meaningful relationships and from deriving deeper
meaning.
- When a person’s positive affectivity does not fit
in with the environment they are in (e.g. a calm
and serene type of positive emotion while they are
in an environment that promotes upbeat
dispositions), the individual might be prompted or
tempted to feel discouraged, or even defective
(Easterbrook, 2003; Seligman et al., 2004).
3) the pursuit of the “pleasant life.
But together these behaviors serve to reconnect us
with others, and draw emphasis to an outward (i.e.
other people) focus beyond our self-interests; thereby
diminishing the obsession of self-gratification and
subsequently promoting sociability.
And these researches shows how it affects one’s well
being , life satisfaction and happiness : -
• Social relationships appear to be the major
determinant of their positive outlook in life, as
those who reported greater satisfaction with
friends, family, and romantic relationships rated
more highly on measures of life satisfaction,
compared to those who did not have such
satisfying social ties.
• M. L. Diener and McGavran (2008) reported that
people with close relationships tend to be better at
coping with stresses.
• Campbell, Converse, and Rodgers (1976)
demonstrated that the most important life
satisfaction domains were those that involved
social relationships; particularly friends, family,
and marriage. By exploring these three domains,
we uncover the connection between social
relationships and subjective well-being.
• Friendship fulfills the need for the need for
companionship (and sharing activities together),
utility (or consideration for one’s well-being),
emotional security (or expression of affection
towards one another), support (and instrumental
help), and self- validation by reinforcing one’s
sense of identity (Demir & Davidson, 2012; Hays,
1984; Ratelle, Simard, & Guay, 2012; Shmotkin,
2005).
• Studies on subjective well-being have consistently
documented the robust association between
various friendship indices (e.g. having a friend,
number of friends, frequency of interactions,
friendship satisfaction, friendship support and
intimacy, overall friendship quality) and individual
subjective wellbeing that pervades across age,
ethnicity, and culture (Demir & Davidson, 2012).
• Demir and Davidson (2012) postulated that
friendships satisfy individual needs for perceived
mattering, responses to capitalisation attempts,
and psychological needs satisfaction.
• While familial relationships are important to
ensure the survivability of the offspring, they also
facilitate emotional regulation and socialisation
(Bowlby, 1969; Thompson, 1998).
• Finally, romantic relationships provide a
combination of the benefits found in friendship
and familial relationships; such as the satisfaction
of psychological needs, material support,
companionship, stress buffering, and as an
important source of shared enjoyable activities (M.
L. Diener & McGavran, 2008).
• Huebner (1991) found that satisfaction with family
life was significantly related to their participants’
global life satisfaction