The secret to happiness? Survey says being married, well educated and having a full-time job
We’ve all heard the positive quotes and motivational sayings about happiness being a state of mind.
But a new survey of 1,155 respondents suggests that people may actually have more control over their happiness than they think.
Conducted by Tracking Happiness, an online platform that features uplifting stories, the survey found that people who think happiness can be controlled are, well, happier.
The study asked respondents two specific questions. Is happiness something that you can control? If you look back at the last year of your life, how would you rate your happiness on a scale from one to 10?
It found that, on average, 89 per cent of respondents believed that happiness could be controlled. The same respondents also rated themselves as 32 per cent happier on average.
Those who believed that happiness was outside their control, were more likely to rate their happiness under six.
“In a world where well-being is in short supply, it is great to see evidence that your individual happiness may be more controllable than you think. This research ties in with my own. It hints at the fact that the happiest people have learnt and implemented strategies that give them a better chance of having a great day. In essence, these strategies inoculate happy people against whatever the world throws their way,” says Andy Cope, author of The Art of Being Brilliant.
According to the survey, men and women responded similarly. However, age also makes a difference. Those between the ages of 16 and 30 were most likely to believe that happiness is controllable, while those aged between 31 and 45 were the least convinced. Respondents between the ages of 30 and 60 feel less in control of their happiness than those above 60.
Marital status, employment and educational qualifications also played a role, the survey found. Those with master’s or bachelor’s degrees are more likely to believe that happiness is controllable, as were those who are married, and those with full-time jobs.
It hints at the fact that the happiest people have learnt strategies that give them a better chance of having a great day ANDY COPE Author of ‘The Art of Being Brilliant’
Students are the least likely to believe that happiness is within their control, followed by those seeking jobs.
However, the study also notes there is a difference between causation and correlation. So although there is a correlation between believing that happiness can be controlled and being happy, that does not necessarily mean one factor causes the other.
“On the one hand, the results of this study need to be interpreted cautiously because, as the authors note, the findings imply correlation and not necessarily causation,” says Dr Timothy Sharp, founder of The Happiness Institute in Sydney, Australia.
“At the same time, however, they are consistent with numerous other findings that imply we definitely have some control over our happiness; and that focusing on this element of control is helpful. Happiness is undeniably desirable and beneficial; anything that helps us enjoy more of it can only be a good thing.”