The Pursuit of Happiness

The Pursuit of Happiness Eda Gurel Atay University of Puget Sound Lynn R. Kahle University of Oregon Karen Ring Universal McCann, NYC

httpPolPolitical philosophy circa 1776 • “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men [sic] are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness…” • --From U.S. Declaration of Independence

Political philosophers circa 1996 • “It’s the economy, stupid.” --James Carville, advice to candidate Bill Clinton

Happiness is…$$$$$$$$$ • The measurement of wealth and by implication happiness has generally been embodied by such economic indices as Gross Domestic Product (GDP). • Governments endeavor to create wealth and are judged by the wealth they create. • Government has fostered growth of GDP by motivating ever-greater levels of consumption (an ideology often supported by consumer behavior).

Garbage • One problem with never-ending consumption growth for growth’s sake (also the ethic of a cancer cell) is that it is unsustainable. • We live on a planet with finite resources, as well as one where some types of consumption have undesirable consequences.

The BIG Idea • We need to find a mechanism whereby happiness can be pursued without leading to ever-increasing consumption and inevitable environmental disaster.

Positive Psychology • The positive psychology movement has achieved remarkable advances in both theory and measurement (e.g., Haidt, 2006). • Subjective well-being, or happiness, has been a focus of much attention in that field.

Beyond the lowest level of income, the cultural proverb that “money can’t buy happiness” is probably true. . As Maslow would suggest, other needs or values ascend in importance after physiological essentials are satisfied. Happy places: Costa Rica, Denmark

From paper by Daniel Kahneman and Alan Krueger (2006) • Table 1 • Correlates of High Life Satisfaction and Happiness • Smiling frequency • Smiling with the eyes (“unfakeable smile”) • Ratings of one’s happiness made by friends • Frequent verbal expressions of positive emotions • Sociability and extraversion • Sleep quality • Happiness of close relatives • Self-reported health • Active involvement in religion • Recent positive changes of circumstances (increased income, marriage)

Economic wealth • Or • Psychological Wealth?

Values as Guiding Principles • Value (Rokeach 1973, p.5): “an enduring belief that a specific mode of conduct or end-state of existence is personally or socially preferable to an opposite or converse mode of conduct or end-state of existence” • Value System (Rokeach 1973, p.5): “an enduring organization of beliefs concerning preferable modes of conduct or end-states of existence along a continuum of relative importance”

Values as Guiding Principles • Self-definition (Rokeach 1973) • Guiding behaviors and judgments • Political attitudes (Reynolds et al. 1997; Lee 2003) • Moral reasoning (Abdolmohammadi and Baker 2006) • Employee creative behavior (Rice 2006) • Healthy lifestyles (Divine and Lepisto 2005) • Consumer Behaviors (Kahle & Xie 2008) • Adaptation (Kahle 1983)

Theoretical Framework Values Perspectives on Success Satisfaction with Standard of Living

Hypotheses H1: Individuals’ values will influence how they conceptualize success. H2: Different conceptualizations of success will result in different levels of satisfaction with standard of living.

Data Media in Mind: Universal McCann’s 2003 U.S. national survey • 5,143 participants aged 18 and above • Gender distribution: • Male: 2254 (48%) • Female: 2889 (52%)

Questionnaire Rokeach Value Survey – rank order of 18 values

Questionnaire Things associated with success – check all that apply

Questionnaire Standard of Living I am satisfied with my current financial situation. I like playing the lottery. (1=Completely Disagree; 5=Completely Agree)

Hypotheses Values Perspectives on Success Satisfaction with Standard of Living

Results

The Pursuit of Happiness