Social happiness

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How Your Social Life Affects Your Happiness

We use a new approach to study questions in political economy that relies on data on the subjective well-being of a large sample of people living in the OECD over the period — Controlling for the personal characteristics of the respondents, year and country fixed effects and country-specific time trends, we find that the data describe social happiness functions for left-wing and right-wing individuals where inflation and unemployment enter negatively. We use these functions to test the root assumption of partisan business cycle models. The evidence is consistent with the hypothesis that left-wing individuals care more about unemployment relative to inflation than right-wingers.

Interestingly, we find that individuals declare themselves to be happier when the party they support is in power, even after controlling for macroeconomic variables.

The effect of politics is large. Finally, we find that these partisan differences cannot be traced back to income differences. That is, it is misleading to assume—as it is done in the previous literature—that the poor rich behave similarly to the left right.

Theory into Policy and Practice

For example, inflation and unemployment do not have differential effects across rich and poor and the happiness levels of these two groups are unaffected by the identity of the party in power. Our findings are hard to explain using median voter models but are to be expected in a partisan world.

It is no wonder that the World Health Organization reports million cases of depression worldwide. According to sociologist James Michigan, a deep and meaningful relationship provides us with one or all of the following:. Normally in our lives, we get a certain type of support from different people. These people form your social support group. Their presence is something that you should value and appreciate.

All things considered how happy are you on a scale of 0 to 10?

They play a big role in making you a happier and well-rounded person. See live counters about Life potentials Social Connections and Happiness.

People with few social ties are two to three times more likely to suffer from major depression than people with strong social bonds More from The Happiness Advantage. It benefits us in the following ways: Gives us a sense of belonging: No one wants to be an outcast. We thrive when we are accepted. Being accepted into a group and spending time with people helps keep loneliness at bay. Gives us a feeling of self-worth: Being accepted and called a friend, reinforces the conviction that you are a good person with value.

Gives us a feeling of security: A supportive social network is a source of advice, guidance and motivation.

We feel comfort in knowing that if we ever need assistance, there are people who will come to our aid. Higher than the connection between smoking and cancer. Marriage is a cause of happiness when you get support from your partner. Research by Nicholas Christakis and James Fowler suggests that happiness, along with other behaviors is contagious. If you belong to a social network that has a general attitude of positivity, it will rub off on you. It is true that the company we keep influences our moods and behaviors.

People who have one or more close friendships tend to be happier. People with few social ties are 2 to 3 times more likely to suffer from depression, as compared to those with stronger social bonds. People with strong and healthy relationships are less likely to feel stressed by challenging situations.

Americans dream of country homes where they can go days without seeing any neighbors. Setting aside that happiness can come from establishing our connection to nature and monk-like training retreats, physical isolation is a recipe for loneliness—a particularly potent form of sadness. When it comes to happiness, teaching our kids to value and foster proximity and connection is a much better bet than a house with a long gravel driveway.

Robert Putnam wrote an interesting book, Bowling Alone , about how we Americans are becoming less and less connected to one another. As a parent, it makes me think about how we spend our time: I often feel so busy—sometimes too busy to spend time with my friends.

Connect with people

But then I think about what I'm modeling there: Little is more important for our over-all well-being than our relationships with other people. When it comes to fostering social connections in kids, I see three arenas for discussion and development. Until then, please post your stories.

Where have your kids created their strongest bonds? What skills do they have that serve them particularly well in this arena? Watch this video to learn how to teach kids to be grateful.

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Social Happiness

Join the Campaign for , Happier Parents by signing this simple pledge. Become a fan of Raising Happiness on Facebook. Follow Christine Carter on Twitter. Subscribe to the Happiness Matters Podcast on iTunes. She is the author of The Sweet Spot:

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