What We Want More Than HappinessA lecture on Subjective Well-Being and JDM

Ann Marie RoepkeJDM

10.17.11

happiness

everyone wants “happiness” but everyone doesn’t agree

on what “happiness” is.

two reasons to avoid the word “happiness”

1. vague &idiosyncratic

2. annoying

Despondex

“how happy are you?”

life satisfaction

affective(emotions)

+ cognitive

(satisfaction with life in general, and specific domains)

“in most ways, my life is close to my ideal.”

• current mood• extraversion

is there more to life thancheerful sociability?

a wider lens

when we only look at “subjective well-being” or life satisfaction, we over-

emphasize being cheerful, at the expense of other things that make life worth living.

Subjective well-being

Psychological well-being

(flourishing)

Subjective well-being

Psychological well-being

(flourishing)

what else should be considered part of well-

being?

positive emotions

engagement

meaningrelationships

accomplishment

Seligman’s PERMA model

“I am now the most miserable man living. If what I feel were equally distributed to

the whole human family, there would not be one cheerful face on earth.”

food for thought:if I tell you I’m flourishing, on

what grounds (if any) could you argue that I’m not?

thought experiment:what do we want more than

happiness?

Imagine that for the first time in three years, your parents (or close relatives) have arranged for a special family gathering that will happen the day after Thanksgiving, with everyone also invited to

Thanksgiving dinner. You face two options. Would you choose to go to the family gathering if getting there required a $500 round trip plane ticket for flights that were 5 hours each way?

Option 1: Go to the gathering, which requires a $500 plane ticket.Option 2: Miss the gathering, save the money.

Between these two options, taking all things together, which do you think would give you a happier life as a whole?

Option 1 Option 2

definitely probably possibly possibly probably definitely happier happier happier happier happier happier

If you were limited to these two options, which do you think you would choose?

Option 1 Option 2

definitely probably possibly possibly probably definitely choose choose choose choose choose choose

• People show “reversals” on some items• These are systematic. We are willing to trade

off happiness for certain things:– Purpose– Control– Status– Family happiness

Benjamin et al., 2010

utility ≠ happiness

WELL-BEING AND JDM

1. the trouble with the pursuit of happiness (and the prediction of happiness)

2. depressive realism3. collective well-being and public policy

1. the trouble with the pursuit of happiness (and the prediction of happiness)

2. depressive realism3. collective well-being and public policy

attribute 1 attribute 2 attribute 3

option 1 3 8 5

option 2 4 9 3

option 3 7 2 6

weight: .50 .20 .30

if we are as bad at predicting utility as we are at predicting happiness/

satisfaction, we’ve got a problem.

*if we are thinking about our utility as happiness instead of strictly as goal attainment, we’ve got a problem.

two questions

winning the lottery;losing your health

hedonic treadmill

the set point theory

Everything is amazing and nobody is happy

2:00-5:30 ([4:39-:44])

1. the trouble with the pursuit of happiness (and the prediction of happiness)

2. depressive realism3. collective well-being and public policy

sadder but wiser?

alloy & abramson (1979):depressed people correctly perceive their

lack of control over outcomes (a light), while non-depressed people maintain an

illusion of control.

but in a more recent study, truly depressed people overestimate the

likelihood of bad things happening in their lives.

(Strunk, Lopez, & DeRubeis, 2001)

1. the trouble with the pursuit of happiness (and the prediction of happiness)

2. depressive realism3. collective well-being and public policy

UK to measure well being

• What are some arguments for and against measuring the fluctuations in WB associated with policy changes?

• Would it matter which type of well-being you measured – the single dial (subjective WB) or dashboard (psychological WB)? Why?

• Is it only important to measure net levels of WB, or should you also look at its distribution?