the happiness almanac
TRANSCRIPT
You Are Happier If…
The Happiness Almanac
Science-based Facts and Figures OnYour Subjective Well Being
(excerpts)
1
You Are Happier If
You Have
2
http://positivepsychologyprogram.com/perma-model/#seligman-perma-model
The Happiness Almanac
You Are Happier If
You Have the Right Mix of Genetics, Circumstances and
Self-Determination
3https://s3.amazonaws.com/happify-marty-prod-user-uploads/SciHappiness_Happify-01.png
The Happiness Almanac
You Are Happier If
You Live in the Blue Countries
4https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satisfaction_with_Life_Index
The Happiness Almanac
You Are Happier If
You Live in these Countries
5http://unsdsn.org/resources/publications/world-happiness-report-2013/
The Happiness Almanac
You Are Happier If
You Live in the Blue Cities
6http://www.gallup.com/poll/146645/Boulder-Colo-Leads-Metro-Areas-Wellbeing.aspx
The Happiness Almanac
You Are Happier If
You Live in a
Smaller Town
7http://www.citylab.com/design/2011/10/urban-rural-happiness-debate/290/
The Happiness Almanac
You Are Happier If
You Are Healthy
8
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2333817/Marriage-secret-happiness-Tying-knot-makes-content-money-children-having-degree.html
The Happiness Almanac
You Are Happier If
You Eat Good Food
9http://skincarestudiosd.com/foods-that-make-you-happy/
The Happiness Almanac
You Are Happier If
You Don’t Eat Bad Food
10http://goodnewsplanet.com/foods-will-make-happy/
The Happiness Almanac
You Are Happier If
You Aren’t an Addict
11http://http://www.journalofhappiness.net/articles/pdf/v02i02/1.pdf/
The Happiness Almanac
You Are Happier If
You Exercise(Taking a Walk)
12
The Happiness Almanac
You Are Happier If
You Exercise
(Meditation)
13
The Happiness Almanac
http://www.pennmedicine.org/mindfulness/programs/foundation-courses/class-effectiveness.html
You Are Happier If
You Exercise
(Have Good Posture, Walk Tall and Stretch)
14
The Happiness Almanac
http://www.fastcompany.com/3041688/body-week/the-surprising-and-powerful-links-between-posture-and-moodhttp://www.ted.com/talks/amy_cuddy_your_body_language_shapes_who_you_are
You Are Happier If
You Exercise
(Yoga)
15
The Happiness Almanac
http://www.ijoy.org.in/viewimage.asp?img=IntJYoga_2013_6_1_11_105937_f9.jpg
You Are Happier If
You Get Enough Sleep
16
The Happiness Almanac
On-call Physician’s Moods After Sleep Deprivation
http://www.thoracicmedicine.org/article.asp?issn=1817-1737;year=2013;volume=8;issue=1;spage=22;epage=27;aulast=Wali
You Are Happier If
You Take a Walk Through Nature (better than city)
17http://personal.lse.ac.uk/mackerro/happy_natural_envs.pdf
The Happiness Almanac
You Are Happier IfYou Smile (Unless You Fake It)
Making people smile to fix a bad mood can backfire and reminds them of how
unhappy they are
18http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022103114000286
The Happiness Almanac
You Are Happier If
You Are Female
19
The Happiness Almanac
You Are Happier If
You Are White(in the US)
20
The Happiness Almanac
You Are Happier If
You Go To Church
21
The Happiness Almanac
https://socialcapital.wordpress.com/tag/life-satisfaction/http://www.gallup.com/poll/153374/Churchgoers-Boast-Better-Mood-Especially-Sundays.aspx
You Are Happier If
You Go To Church(maybe even if you don’t believe)
22
The Happiness Almanac
https://socialcapital.wordpress.com/tag/life-satisfaction/http://www.gallup.com/poll/153374/Churchgoers-Boast-Better-Mood-Especially-Sundays.aspx
You Are Happier If
You Are An Extrovert
23
I = IntroversionE= Extroversion
http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424127887324144304578621951399427408
The Happiness Almanac
You Are Happier If
It is Noon
24http://hl7standards.com/blog/2014/03/20/quantifying-happiness/
The Happiness Almanac
You Are Happier If
It is the Weekend
25
http://www.gallup.com/poll/107692/social-time-crucial-daily-emotional-wellbeing.aspx
The Happiness Almanac
You Are Happier If
You are In a Social Environment 6+ Hours a Day
26
http://www.gallup.com/poll/107692/social-time-crucial-daily-emotional-wellbeing.aspx
The Happiness Almanac
You Are Happier If
You are Under 21 or Over 69 Years Old (In The U.S.)
27http://www.pnas.org/content/107/22/9985.figures-only
The Happiness Almanac
Happiness At Different Ages
You Are Happier If
You are Under 25 in Poorer Countries
28http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/11/where-age-equals-happiness/382434/
The Happiness Almanac
You Are Happier If
You Graduate fromCollege
29http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2006/02/13/are-we-happy-yet/28-3/
The Happiness Almanac
You Are Happier If
You Are Employed or Retired (not unemployed)
30http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2006/02/13/are-we-happy-yet/28-3/
Differences in Happiness by Employment Status
The Happiness Almanac
You Are Happier If
Your Work Is This
31https://gssdataexplorer.norc.org/
Rank Occupation Happiness Index
1 Clergyman 2.66
2 Actor 2.51
3 Architect 2.47
4 Firefighter 2.44
5 Police officer 2.40
6 Physician 2.39
7 Teacher 2.38
7 Economist 2.38
7 Real estate agent 2.38
10 Electrical engineer 2.37
10 College professor 2.37
12 Accountant 2.36
13 Sales representative 2.35
14 Dental hygienist 2.33
15 Civil engineer 2.31
15 Bricklayer 2.31
17 Computer systems analyst 2.30
The Happiness Almanac
You Are Happier If
Your Work Is NOT This
32https://gssdataexplorer.norc.org/
Rank Occupation Happiness Index
49 Welder 2.16
51 Telephone operator 2.15
51 Waiter 2.15
51 Security guard 2.15
51 Painter 2.15
55 Licensed practical nurse 2.14
56 Aircraft mechanic 2.12
57 Forklift operator 2.09
58 Cashier 2.08
58 Automobile mechanic 2.08
60 Data entry clerk 2.07
61 Construction worker 1.98
62 Janitor 1.93
The Happiness Almanac
You Are Happier If
You Commute to Work Less
33
http://ftp.iza.org/dp1278.pdf
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/16078055.2014.903723#aHR0cDovL3d3dy50YW5kZm9ubGluZS5jb20vZG9pL3BkZi8xMC4xMDgwLzE2MDc4MDU1LjIwMTQuOTAzNzIzQEBAMA==
http://bikeportland.org/2013/01/30/bike-commuters-are-happiest-and-other-psu-research-tidbits-82448
The Happiness Almanac
You Are Happier If
You Make More Money(Up to a Point)
34http://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/the_economics_of_happiness/
The Happiness Almanac
You Are Happier If
You Make More Money(Up to a Point: Life Satisfaction Remains Constant as Country Income Increases)
35
http://www.thetexaseconomy.org/people-places/profiles/media/12-2149-GDPandHappiness_460W.png
The Happiness Almanac
You Are Happier If
You Spend Money on Experiences, Not Things
36
http://www.fastcoexist.com/3043858/world-changing-ideas/the-science-of-why-you-should-spend-your-money-on-experiences-not-thing
The Happiness Almanac
You Are Happier If
You Spend Money on Others
37
http://greatergood.berkeley.edu/images/application_uploads/norton-spendingmoney.pdf
You Are Happier If
You Are Concerned Less with Money and More with Love
38http://internal.psychology.illinois.edu/~ediener/publication.html
The Happiness Almanac
You Are Happier If
You Have Intrinsic (not Extrinsic) Goals
39
The Path Taken: Consequences of Attaining Intrinsic and Extrinsic Aspirations in Post-College Life http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2736104/
The Happiness Almanac
Attainment of the intrinsic aspirations related positively to happiness.
Attainment of the extrinsic aspirations for money, fame, and image was unrelated to happiness and related slightly negatively to psychological health.
You Are Happier If
You Focus (Don’t Let Your Mind Wander)
40http://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/does_mind_wandering_make_you_unhappy
Happiness
Mind Wandering State
The Happiness Almanac
You Are Happier If
Focus (47% of the time your mind wanders)
41http://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/does_mind_wandering_make_you_unhappy
The Happiness Almanac
You Are Happier If
You are Curious
42http://psychfaculty.gmu.edu/kashdan/publications/MOEM_curiosity_wb_and_meaning.pdf
The Happiness Almanac
You Are Happier If
You Listen to Upbeat Music
43http://digest.bps.org.uk/2013/01/can-you-will-yourself-happier.html
People that Try to Feel Better Did; While People Who JustListen to Music Feel The Same
The Happiness Almanac
You Are Happier If
You Are Busy but Not Rushed
44http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/happiness-means-being-just-rushed-enough/
The Happiness Almanac
You Are Happier If
You Work On One or More “Signature Strengths” Every
day
45http://digest.bps.org.uk/2013/01/can-you-will-yourself-happier.html
The Happiness Almanac
You Are Happier If
You Focus On Your “Signature Strengths” (List)
46http://www.viacharacter.org/www/
The Happiness Almanac
You Are Happier IfPerform an Act of Kindness (once a week;
no extra benefit for more)
Variety, frequency and motivation also play a role
47http://health.usnews.com/health-news/news/articles/2013/01/24/acts-of-kindness-can-make-you-happier
The Happiness Almanac
You Are Happier If
You Generate Incremental, ‘Small Wins’
48https://hbr.org/2011/05/the-power-of-small-wins
The Happiness Almanac
You Are Happier If
You Are Around People with Similar Incomes
49
http://www.lisdatacenter.org/wps/liswps/614.pdfhttp://inequality.org/happiness-and-inequality-study/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/markeaston/2011/02/happiness_work_sleep_and_bicyc.html
The Happiness Almanac
Inequality
Wel
l Be
ing
You Are Happier If
You Write a Thank You Letter Once Every Three Months
50http://www.synapticscoop.com/?p=438
The Happiness Almanac
You Are Happier If
You Keep a Gratitude Journal(3 Good Things about your day)
51http://www.synapticscoop.com/?p=438
http://www.spring.org.uk/2007/09/practicing-gratitude-can-increase.php
25% Boost
In 10 Weeks
The Happiness Almanac
You Are Happier If
You Have High Respect /Prestige Among Your Peers
(Not Socioeconomic Status)
52
http://www.researchgate.net/publication/225088354_The_Local-Ladder_Effect_Social_Status_and_Subjective_Well-Being
The Happiness Almanac
You Are Happier If
You Have High Community Standing
53http://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/who_is_happiest
The Happiness Almanac
You Are Happier If
You Receive Recognition
54
https://www.tinypulse.com/resources/the-effects-of-employee-recognition-and-appreciation
The Happiness Almanac
You Are Happier If
You Have 5 or More Close Friends
55http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0465024114/?tag=viglink20618-20
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
5 or More Friends
How Much More Likely to be 'VERY' Happy
The Happiness Almanac
You Are Happier If
You Know Other Happy People Nearby
56http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/05/health/05happy.html?_r=3&
The Happiness Almanac
You Are Happier If
You Don’t Think About Trying to Be Happy’
57http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21517168
-35%-50%
75%
Feel Positive Emotions Life Satisfaction Depressive Symptoms
People Putting Greatest Emphasis on Happiness (Compared to Others)
The Happiness Almanac
You Are Happier If
You Multi-task Over Long Periods; Do One Thing Over Shorter Periods
58https://hbr.org/2015/02/when-multitasking-makes-you-happy-and-when-it-doesnt
The Happiness Almanac
You Are Happier If
You Don’t Procrastinate
59
http://www.amazon.com/Procrastination-Equation-Putting-Things-Getting/dp/0061703613http://www.chatelaine.com/health/is-procrastination-making-you-unhappy/
70% of Procrastinators
Are Less Happy than theaverage person
A survey of 10,000 found that procrastination had some negative effect on the happiness of
94% of respondents
The Happiness Almanac
You Are Happier If
You Are In Control ofYour Life
60http://www1.eur.nl/fsw/happiness/hap_cor/desc_cor.php?sssid=11279
The Happiness Almanac
You Are Happier If
You Are Tall
At Least 5’9” For Men
61http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/03/16/taller-people-are-happier-especially-if-theyre-male/?_r=0
The Happiness Almanac
You Are Happier If
You Are At Least 5’2” and Less Than 6’0”
For Women
62http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/03/16/taller-people-are-happier-especially-if-theyre-male/?_r=0
The Happiness Almanac
You Are Happier If
You Are Very Beautiful(The Most Have a 10% Advantage Over the Least)
63http://ftp.iza.org/dp5600.pdf
The Happiness Almanac
You Are Happier If
You Are Born First
64http://www.researchgate.net/publication/232537191_Birth_order_and_happiness_A_preliminary_study
The Happiness Almanac
You Are Happier IfYou Embrace Your Roots
In studies of immigrant students, greater ethnic identity is associated with 10% greater life
satisfaction
65http://cretscmhd.psych.ucla.edu/events/PhinneyPaper.pdf
+10%
The Happiness Almanac
You Are Happier If
Your Priorities are on Family or Altruism
66http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11205-007-9138-y#/page-1
The Happiness Almanac
You Are Happier If
You Are Married
67
The Happiness Almanac
You Are Happier If
You are Healthy, Married & Retired
68http://arxiv.org/ftp/arxiv/papers/1112/1112.5802.pdf
The Happiness Almanac
Bad Health
Fair Health (Baseline)
Excellent Health
MarriedNever
Married (Baseline)
Divorced, Widowed, Separated
Unemployed
Retired (Baseline)
Working
Health Married Employment
Series1 -8.25% 0.00% 20% 10% 0% -5% -9% 0% -3%
-15.00%
-10.00%
-5.00%
0.00%
5.00%
10.00%
15.00%
20.00%
25.00%
Imp
act
You Are Happier If
You Don’t Have Kids Or They Have Moved Out
69
http://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/59967/stumbling-on-happiness-by-daniel-gilbert/9781400077427
The Happiness Almanac
You Are Happier If
You Have Not Had a Newborn Child This Year
70http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13524-014-0321-x
The Happiness Almanac
You Are Happier If
You are a Parent, Then You are an Excellent Parent
71http://www.pewresearch.org/files/2014/02/FT_parenting-happiness-link.png
The Happiness Almanac
You Are Happier If
You Have Two Children
or Less
72
http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13524-014-0321-xhttp://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/health/wellness/story/2012-05-03/parents-happiness-population-survey/54767508/1
The Happiness Almanac
You Are Happier If
You Get in the “Flow”(Immersive Activity that is consistent with but challenging
to your skills)
73
http://www.amazon.com/Good-Business-Leadership-Making-Meaning/dp/014200409X
1. Set goals that have clear and immediate feedback
2. Become immersed and focused on a particular activity.
3. Pay attention to what is happening in the moment
4. Learn to enjoy immediate experience
5. Proportion your skills to the challenge at hand
The Happiness Almanac
You Are Happier If
You Have The Right Amount of Neuro-chemicals
74
Note: While some Healthcare professionalsfocus on this aspect first in treating depression, it is the most difficult to quantify.
The correct level foreach individual varies, and often takes several months..
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neurochemistry
The Happiness Almanac
You Are Happier If
You …
75
http://big.assets.huffingtonpost.com/2013_HappinessMatrix_1.png
The Happiness Almanac
You Are Happier If
You …
76
http://big.assets.huffingtonpost.com/2013_HappinessMatrix_1.png
The Happiness Almanac
You Are Happier If
You Are Republican
77http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2006/02/13/are-we-happy-yet/39-3/
The Happiness Almanac
You Are Happier If
You Move on to the Next “Level”
78
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0446563048
The Happiness Almanac
You Are Happier If
All Components of Your Being are Met
79
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginia_Satir
The Happiness Almanac