happiness and wellbeing: emerging lessons from social science. jerome carson and sandie mchugh

Happiness and Wellbeing: Emerging Lessons from Social Science.

Jerome Carson and Sandie McHugh.

.Structure of presentation:

Your own happiness? Questionnaire.

Happiness in Worktown

Happiness today

Prize draw

.

“Happiness is the meaning and purpose of life,

the whole aim and end of human existence.”

Aristotle

.

“Happiness is when what you think, what you

say and what you do, are in harmony.”

.What is happiness?

Advertisers have been trying to tell us this for years. Here are a couple of ads that more mature

participants may recall.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIckHmwZAeI

.Bolton in the 1930’s1931 census 14,555 Boltonians out of work.

Population then 177,000. Unemployed formed 17% of occupied male population and 12% of female population.

The town had 300 pubs, six dance-halls and 47 cinemas within 5 miles of town hall. 200 churches and chapels.

What was happening in 1938?

.Hitler drives into

Vienna

Franco wins

Crucial

Battle in Spain

PrestonNorth EndbeatHuddersfieldin Cup Finalat Wembley

.Worktown Competitions.

“Competitions provide a way of going beyond the reports of Boltonians written by Mass Observers to access the self-authored perspectives of Bolton people

themselves,” (Gazely and Langhamer, 2013)

Prize of £5 offered for the best account of, “How I spent one day of my September holidays?” Generated 564 responses.

Another asked, “What do you like about all-in Wrestling?”

Worktown Happiness Survey

.

.28th. April 1938 advert in Bolton Evening News

“What is Happiness?”

Judge Professor John Hilton

Competition one of many to research everyday life in Bolton 1937-1940Letters from 226 individualsFollow-up questionnaire

Harrisson chose Bolton, renamed “Worktown,” “an emblematic locationfrom which to observe a working class regarded by those outside of itas almost a race apart.”

.Analysis of Worktown Happiness Survey:

7 categories based on work of social psychologist Hadley Cantril (1934)

SELF (personal values, development, character)

MATERIAL (personal economic situation, job/work)

HEALTH

RELATIONAL (family and friends)

VALUES (moral, social, political)

WORLD EVENTS (international situation)

NATURAL WORLD

¾ of respondents mentioned aspects of SELF in their letters

.Worktown Happiness Survey.

“Mental harmony, a peaceful and contented mind and a clear conscience,

often underpinned by religious faith or other moral frameworks.”

Gazely and Langhamer (2013)

“True and lasting happiness is a mental and spiritual state found only from within ourselves. When we are right in the sight of God. There can be no happiness without service.”

“Happiness is the greatest thing in life that money can’t buy.”

“To know joy you must have sorrow.”

1938– 10 aspects of happiness

Equality Beauty

Pleasure Security

Politics Religion

Humour Knowledge

Action Leadership & Authority

Please number in order of importance, 1 to 10, which of the following you think moreimportant to true happiness, with 1 as the most important and 10 as least.

.Worktown Happiness Survey.

Top 3 Security

Knowledge

Religion

Bottom 3 Pleasure

Leadership

Politics

.

Leo Bormans

Contemporary Views of Happiness.

.

Professor Martin SeligmanThe pleasant life

The engaged life

The meaningful life

.Bury College Students.(2013, n = 338) Ian Platt, Steven Barnes, Ruqiah Fatima, Lynda Thorpe and Jerome Carson.

Top 3 Security

Humour

Equality

Bottom 3 Authority

Religion

Politics

.Happiness across the years

Worktown (1938) Bury (2013) Bolton (2014)

Top 3 Security Security Security

Knowledge Humour Humour

Religion Equality Equality

Bottom 3 Pleasure Authority Leadership

Leadership Religion Politics

Politics Politics Religion

1938 – 10 aspects of happinessdiscourse /explanation for 2014

More equality More politics

More equality in wealth More say in political decisions

More beauty More religion

More attractive living & working environment

More religious influence in society

More leadership More good humour

More direction from local & national decision makers

More smiling and laughter for myself & those around me

More leisure More knowledge

More time to do the things I enjoy More access and opportunities to learn new things

More economic security More action

More certainty for maintaining & maybe improving my living standards

More action to solve not shelve my problems

.

.The prize draw

Contact Details

oesso

SSS

Sandie McHughs.mchugh@bolton.ac.uk

Professor Jerome Carson,J.Carson@bolton.ac.uk

Sandie McHugh,S.McHugh@bolton.ac.uk