I.

Relationships and SWB

A. Friends and acquaintances

We need other human beings and we like being around them. Whether we are
introverted or extraverted, spending time in social settings enhances our levels of
wellbeing (Froh et al., 2007). More specifically, the Gallup-Healthways Wellbeing Index
poll recently found that people need to spend six to seven hours per day in social settings,
and up to nine if your job is stressful, to enhance or maintain wellbeing. . Not only do
friends and wider social networks influence our SWB – they can influence our likelihood
of engagement with detrimental health behaviours (such as smoking) (Fowler and
Christakis, 2008 as cited in Rath and Harter, 2010).

B. Marriage and SWB

An interesting causal relationship has been found between happier people and likelihood
of marriage, with happier people being more likely to get married and stay married while
still reporting a happy marriage. Longitudinal research has recently shown, however, that
after the initial one year ‘honeymoon phase’, individuals return to their previous levels of
SWB. One caveat is that couples who cohabit tend to report less satisfaction than couples
who are married.

C. Children and wellbeing

Specifically, individuals who have children have lower scores on wellbeing measurement
tools than those who do not. Furthermore, any additional children after the first born
tend to reduce the wellbeing of parents involved. The relationship between children and
marital satisfaction appears to be curvilinear, with high levels of life satisfaction at the
marriage ceremony, dropping significantly at the birth of the first child, followed by a
continued drop throughout childhood and adolescence, where it hits bottom, and then
retuning to higher levels after the children have left.

II. Work/employment and SWB

Work can have a tremendous effect on our overall wellbeing. Specifically, research has shown
that how we perceive our job and our career orientation can further influence our happiness
levels. First of all, people who have a job orientation view their job in terms of a means to an end.
The job equals money and is not important to their overall life. A career orientation (although a
little more engaged) is concerned with building a career and such workers perceive the job they
are in as a way to progress forward. Furthermore, these people are focused on the extrinsic
rewards that can come with progressing in their career. Finally, a calling orientation is when
workers are immersed healthily in what they do. They do the job not for the money or the fame
but because they believe that it is worthy in its own right (Diener and Biswas-Diener, 2008).
III. Health and SWB
Diener and Biswas-Diener (2008: 33) separate the effects of SWB on our physical condition into
three health categories: ‘a) the likelihood a person will contract a specific illness; b) how long a
person lives after contracting a life threatening illness and c) how long a person’s lifespan is.’
Within the first category, longitudinal research has shown that people who experience higher
levels of positive emotions are protected from various illnesses including heart disease. The
second category, surviving after the diagnosis of a life-threatening illness, is slightly more
complicated. When someone has balanced levels of positive emotions and optimism, their health
can be positively influenced. However, when people adopt a ‘positive viewpoint’, which hinders
the adoption of medical advice and treatment, high levels of happiness can be detrimental.
Researchers argue this is because happier people are more likely to be too optimistic and delay
seeking medical advice for potentially cancerous symptoms. Finally, when defining health in terms
of longevity, the research shows, quite simply, that happier people live longer (Rasmussen and
Pressman, 2009).

IV. Religion and SWB

People who report themselves as being spiritual or religious tend to report slightly higher levels
of wellbeing, in addition to higher scores on hope and optimism (Ciarrocchi et al., 2008; Diener
and Biswas-Diener, 2008).

In order for a religion to enhance wellbeing, Diener and Biswas-Diener (2008) propose that the
elements needed are:

■ Comforting beliefs in what awaits us on the ‘other side’.

■ Social support from a community.

■ Connecting to something permanent and important that can give comfort, meaning and a
sense of identity.

■ Growing up religiously, which may influence a solid upbringing with a clear set of values and
morals to abide by.

■ Experience of rituals that excite, amaze and involve the congregation and its followers.

V. Age, gender and education

With regards to gender, there appears to be no significant differences between the happiness
levels of men and women (Diener et al., 1999b; Nes et al., 2008). Finally, people who score high
on wellbeing tend to have a higher educational attainment than those who score lower on the
scales.