The Politics of Happiness: What Government Can Learn from the New Research on Well-Being

Repeated surveys have found that married couples are more satisfied with their lives than individuals who are single, divorced, separated, or cohabiting but unwed.29

the percentages of Americans who declare themselves “very happy,” “pretty happy,” or “not too happy” are almost exactly the same as they were half a century ago.

Rather, apart from such basic conditions as how well people feel, how much freedom they enjoy, and whether they possess the necessities and comforts of life, the most important sources of happiness seem to include having close relationships with family and friends, helping others, and being active in community, charitable, and political activities.

In one recent experiment, for example, two groups of subjects were given a sum of money and instructed to spend it all in the next 24 hours.58 One randomly selected group was asked to spend the money on themselves; the second was told to spend it on others in need. When the subjects were tested a day or two later, those who gave to others were sign

Whatever marriage brings, longitudinal studies suggest that its termination—whether from divorce, separation, or the death of a spouse—leads to a sharp loss of happiness for many people.33

Yet psychologists report that those who attach great importance to achieving wealth tend to suffer above-average unhappiness and disappointment.21

“a person is said to have high [well-being or happiness] if she or he experiences life satisfaction and frequent joy, and only infrequently experiences unpleasant emotions such as

is that average levels of happiness in the United States have risen very little if at all over the past 50 years despite substantial growth in per capita incomes.13

Harvard psychologist Daniel Gilbert cites several other studies showing that the happiness of couples declines after the birth of children and does not rise again until their offspring leave home.38