HAPPINESS IN FADOLANDAna Marques, Catarina Rivero, Cátia Matos & Leonor Balancho

Associação Portuguesa de Estudos e Intervenção em Psicologia Positiva (APEIPP)

Positive Nations

1st International Portuguese Congress Positive Psychology - Lisbon, 2010

What kind of glasses do the natives of Fadoland wear to interpret life?

Is it possible to be happy and happier in the Nation of Fado?

OUR STUDY…

The Portuguese’s meanings of Happiness

Online Survey: www.apeipp.com

We’ll be waiting for your participation until December, 31st

… 15 minutes of your time… please?

WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE?

200 participants until Sept, 1st

(… in less than one month! Thank you!)

Male22%

Female78%

Single33%

Married35%

Llivingtogether

14%

Divorced17%

Widow1%

16 to 25 years

7%

26 to 35 years49%

36 to 45 years25%

46 to 65 years18%

66 to 80 years

1%

MORE ABOUT THEM?

Employee70%

Self-employed

16%

Unemployed7%

Student5%

Retired2%

City68%

Village26%

Other6%

Other2%

Secondary School15%

Bachelor2%

Graduation56%

Master15%

PhD3%

Post-Doc7%

ARE PORTUGUESE PEOPLE HAPPY?

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

1 0 2 4

2217

59

67

22

6

Life

Satisfaction

Satisfaction

with place of

residency

Work

Satisfaction

Volunteer

Work

0.265, 99%

BUT… WHAT IS HAPPINESS FOR PORTUGUESE PEOPLE?

WHAT DO THEY THINK THAT MAKES PEOPLE HAPPY?

Other

Other External Factors

Money

Work satisfaction

Health

Engagement

Appreciative Perspective

Meaning of Life

Positive Relations with significant others

Positive Relation with self

Experiencing Positive Emotions

29

12

44

25

33

52

33

9

149

49

102

24

22

12

14

27

15

47

6

78

78

133

What is Happiness to you? What makes People Happy?

WHAT OUR PARTICIPANTS SAID ABOUT

THEIR HAPPIEST MOMENTS?

WHAT DO THE PORTUGUESE DO TO BECOME HAPPIER?

Other

Other External Factors

Money

Work satisfaction

Health

Engagement

Appreciative Perspective

Meaning of Life

Positive Relations with significant others

Positive Relation with self

Experiencing Positive Emotions

6

3

3

14

4

40

137

23

77

47

30

DO PORTUGUESE PEOPLE CONSIDER THAT THEY

CONTRIBUTE TO SOMEONE ELSE’S HAPPINESS?

Contribute91%

Don´t contribute2%

Don't know7%

Colleagues; 25

Other Peoople

22

Friends; 60

Family; 108

Spouse/ Partner

47

TO WHOM?

HOW?

Helping significant others

Expressing positive emotions

Being close

Sharing Positive Affects

WHAT DO PORTUGUESE PEOPLE WISH

TO IMPROVE THEIR HAPPINESS?

To live in a better World

To improve or change for a better house/ appartment

Spend more time travelling (hollidays)

Improve economic conditions

To improve professional situation

To improve health conditions

Experiencing more positive emotions

To have a new romantic relationship

To have children

Happiness to their children or grandchildren

To improve family coesion and well-being

To improve proximity of the significant others

To have a positive attitude

Personal and spiritual growth

14

14

12

45

92

75

27

11

22

14

31

31

22

16

…AND TO HAVE HAPPIER NATIONS?

Peace

Humanism

Ethics

Love

Social equity

End of Corruption

Environmental Sustainability

Universal Education

Universal Health Care

Better employment politics

The end of hunger and poverty

61

84

10

13

22

11

13

12

22

10

49

DATA SUGGEST THAT…

We feel happy (mean 7), and areactively looking for a happier live

We consider that we contribute tosomeone else’s happiness, mainlyfamily and friends.

We want our lives to have, aboveall, professional achievement, apositive health and more money

For us a Positive Nation is essentiallyan humanist and peacefulcountry, free from hunger andpoverty, with Universal Health Careand Social Equity.

We’ll continue studying the way Portuguese People try (if so) to

pursuit happiness and/or engage in the co-construction process

of a better Nation

...still enjoying the beauty of the Fado, learning to cope with the

experience of “saudade”, but looking forward to build a collective

and positive future.

Thank You!

Ana Marques, Catarina Rivero, Cátia Matos & Leonor Balancho

www.apeipp.com

Lisbon, 2010