Happiness and Wellbeing: Emerging Lessons from Social Science. Jerome Carson and Sandie McHugh.

1. Happiness and Wellbeing: Emerging Lessons from Social Science. Jerome Carson and Sandie McHugh.

2. Structure of presentation: Your own happiness? Questionnaire. Happiness in Worktown Happiness today Prize draw • .

3. “Happiness is the meaning and purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence.” Aristotle • .

4. “Happiness is when what you think, what you say and what you do, are in harmony.” • .

5. 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

6. Bolton in the 1930’s 1931 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. • .

7. What was happening in 1938? Hitler drives into Vienna Franco wins Crucial Battle in Spain • . Preston North End beat Huddersfield in Cup Final at Wembley

8. 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?” • .

9. Worktown Happiness Survey • .

10. 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 1937-1940 Letters from 226 individuals Follow-up questionnaire Harrisson chose Bolton, renamed “Worktown,” “an emblematic location from which to observe a working class regarded by those outside of it as almost a race apart.”

11. 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 • .

12. 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.” • .

13. 1938– 10 aspects of happiness Please number in order of importance, 1 to 10, which of the following you thinkmore important to true happiness, with 1 as the most important and 10 as least.

14. Worktown Happiness Survey. Top 3 Security Knowledge Religion Bottom 3 Pleasure Leadership Politics • .

15. Leo Bormans • .

16. Contemporary Views of Happiness. Professor Martin Seligman The pleasant life The engaged life The meaningful life • .

17. 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 • .

18. Happiness across the years Worktown (1938) Bury (2013) Bolton (2014) Top 3 Security SecuritySecurity Knowledge Humour Humour Religion Equality Equality Bottom 3 Pleasure Authority Leadership Leadership Religion Politics Politics Politics Religion • .

19. 1938 – 10 aspects of happinessdiscourse /explanation for 2014

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21. The prize draw • .

22. Contact Details oesso SS S Sandie McHugh s.mchugh@bolton.ac.uk Professor Jerome Carson, J.Carson@bolton.ac.uk Sandie McHugh, S.McHugh@bolton.ac.uk