What makes people really make happy? – The world

What is happiness for me? Love relationship? Family? Business?

The gross social product of a country does not say anything about how people really feel there. The money alone does not bring happiness. And in rich countries, many are lonely and dissatisfied. However, a certain degree of welfare and security should be needed to have hope and to feel good. That, whether we are satisfied, and depends on our personal estimates, from our subjective feeling.

What makes a happy life and in which countries people are particularly satisfied, researched international teams from the new data from the survey within the « Global Progress Study ». « Progress » here means tending to life filled with meaning, joy and personal development.

Scientific search for filled life

The results published in the professional journal « Nature Mental Health » differ significantly depending on the country. Researchers emphasize that it is not about ranking countries. Because, the place at the ranking list does not depend only from the country, but also from respondents from these countries. In addition, the results from 22 countries do not represent the entire picture of the world.

However, certain general claims are considered almost everywhere: People who have a job, living in a partnership or regularly participate in religious rites, mostly lead more fulfilled life.

« Differences between the poles are small, they are reported by the greater degree of progress (flourishing). The employees and retirees are better than the more common sense of satisfaction, » explains Leonija Štikermajer, Professor of Applied Sociology at University Kaiserslautern-Landau, who did not participate in the research.

This research contradicts a World Happiness Report

In addition to demographic data and issues about childhood, different areas of life were examined: health, subjective well-being, meaning of life, personal traits, relations with others and financial security.

It originated from « Progress Index ». The concept of « progress » aims to cover the quality of all aspects of one person’s life. For this purpose, more than 200,000 people from 22 different countries around the world have been examined – among other things in Germany. These tests will be repeated in the coming years every year with the same persons, so that changes can be analyzed over time.

Researchers especially emphasize the value of an extensive data set, whose results in many respects differ significantly from those in the annual World Helke Brokman, Professor of Sociology at Constructor University in Bremen:

« This ranking of countries does not match this year’s World Happiness Report (WHP), which places the scandinavian countries (always) in the top of the list. In contrast, Indonesia took first place, while in WHP only to 83. place. »

Happiness in old age, worries in youth

Especially surprising and finds about « advancing » during life: many happiness researchers depart from the assumption that life satisfaction has in-shaped – more in young people and age, and lower in the middle age.

However, subjective prosperity during life varies considerably depending on the country: in Australia, Brazil, Japan, Sweden and now « Progress » is growing with age. In Indonesia, Kenya and Turkey remains stable during life, while in India and Tanzania decreases with age.

« It’s also interesting and enigmatic. The authors cannot offer an explanation in addition to the assumption that a new tendency may be named here. »

In general, a new study does not offer much explanations for possible causes. It also does not contain recommendations.

« The puzzle remains different differences between countries. This is because the concept of ‘progress’ is very generally about the context, without deeper elaboration, » expresses a pupilerman. The data collected, however, can help that national differences be precisely disposed of and causally explain.

Mladost shapes the whole life

It is especially sad and worrying that the younger generations « in subjective and mental prosperity are significantly behind the level of previous generations, » Leonija Štikermajer states.

Overall, « In younger people, a surprisingly low level of progress (flourishing) was observed. It is, as the authors of the study themselves are surprisingly, from the scientific perspective of policy creation – worrying. »

The new study clearly shows how much life life is associated with mental and physical health, close social relations, as well as financial and material stability.

It also shows that « burdening life circumstances in childhood are associated with weaker ‘progress’ in adult, » said to a pupilermier – for example, a relationship with parents, a domestic household or own health in an early adolescent period.

« There is a visible and long shadow event from early childhood – such as child abuse, » Hilke Brokman’s Socialization adds.