Pleasent Emotions

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Affect Yesterday

Unpleasant Emotions

Anger

Sad and depressed

Worried andstressed

Pleasant Emotions

Enjoyment

Smiling and laughing


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Pleasant EmotionsEnjoyment etc.

High Low

New Zealand ArmeniaHonduras Pakistan

Panama Bangladesh

Costa Rica Palestine

Puerto Rico Tajikistan


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Unpleasant EmotionsSad, Angry, Depressed, etc.

Highest Lowest

Armenia Denmark

Palestine Sweden

Bolivia Austria

Sierra Leone Japan

Percent feelings lots yesterday

~ 40 % ~ 13 %


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Satisfaction with domains(Health, standard of living, city, job)

High Low

Denmark ZimbabweSwitzerland Haiti

Singapore Tanzania


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Dissatisfied with Standard of Living

Ukraine

Georgia

Romania

Russia

Zimbabwe

Most satisfied: Ireland


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Planetary SWB Scorecard

Evaluating life 40 percent dissatisfied

40 percent doing fine

20 percent doing very well

Affect Balance (PA NA)

20 % negative 30 % positive

50 % very positive


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What Predicts theGood Society?


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Ladder of Life evaluation correlateswith:

GDP per person (wealth)r= .83

Meeting basic needs (food etc.)r= .77


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Low hunger, low corruption,

and longevity

Predicted Values R = .86

876543

8

7

6

5

4

3


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Does Anything CauseQuality of Life Other

than Money?


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Beyond Money: PredictingNational Levels of Ladder of Life

Regression Betas

GDP/Capita .43Optimism .37

Can count on others .25


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Beyond Money:

Predicting National Positive

Emotions(Betas all but GDP significant)

GDP/capita -.03

Count on someone for help .18

Freedom to choose .26

Learned something yesterday .68


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Beyond Money: Nation-levelUnpleasant Emotions

Betas

Income .15

Control of corruption -.36

Assaulted .27


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Happiness and Money?

Is it basic needs like food and water? Or modern conveniences like electricity,

telephones, and the internet?


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Ladder of Life Beta

Basic needs (food and shelter) .27

Modern conveniences (telly etc.) .58

Positive Affect Basic needs (food and shelter) .37

Modern conveniences (telly etc.) -.19


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Strongest Correlates:

Ladder of life

Modern conveniences (electricity etc.)

Pleasant Emotions

People I can count on

Unpleasant Emotions

Assaulted past year


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Cannot Afford Medical Care

Japan 4 %

Canada 8 %

Jordan 15 % Iran 19 %

USA 20 %

Turkey 45 % Romania 50 %


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Well-Being Accounts

for Policy Use

These couldenormously benefit

positive psychology


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Examples of Policies

Economic

Satisfying work, unemployment

Health

Mental health

Social

School checkups, sex work, discrimination

Environmental

Airport noise, air pollution, commuting


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Existing SocietalMeasures of Well-Being

Organization of Econ. Cooperation &

DevelopmentStatistics Canada

GSOEP (Germany)

BHPS (U.K.)Center for Disease Control (U.S.)

United Nations?


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But what about:

Adaptation?

Personal, not societal?


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94 % of Danes are Above

97 % of Togolese

Ladder of Life Scores

109876543210

50

40

30

20

10

0

DENMARK

TOGO


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Affect Adaptation?

Enjoyment, laughing, smiling

Pakistan 47% v. New Zealand 88%

Anger, sadness, worry, and depression

Denmark 12% v. Iran 43%


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Conclusions

National accounts of well-being can helppolicy makers create better societies,

and

Help positive psychologists prove their

value


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Two Extremely ImportantPsychological Points

1. Circumstances and conditions mattera LOT; it is not just individual set-

point. We need stronger positivesocietal science!

2. Life evaluation and affect havedifferent predictors-- Wanting versus liking


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Take-Home forPositive Psychology

PP has placed an emphasis on internaldeterminants

But society, neighborhoods, organizations

are also important. More development oforganizational PP needed.

Social psychology emphasizes the power of

the situation

Happiness is within people, but also in theircircumstances too


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More Take-Home Messages

1. Life evaluation seems like Wanting, whereas

affect is Liking

2. Money should not be dismissed asunimportant. But it does not completelypredict the Ladder, and certainly not PA andNA, where social factors are more important.

3. We need accounts of well-being!


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Diener, Lucas,Schimmack, & Helliwell

Well-being for Public Policy

Oxford University Press, 2009


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The most authoritative

and informative book

about happiness ever ^written


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Handout overheads in front

Thank you, and:

Questions?Comments?

Discussion?

Pleasent Emotions

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