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Related Experiment Videos

Very happy people.

Ed Diener1, Martin E P Seligman

  • 1Department of Psychology, University of Illinois, Champaign 61820, USA. ediener@s.psych.uiuc.edu

Psychological Science
|March 16, 2002
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Highly happy individuals are very social, possessing strong relationships. While not exercising more or engaging in religion, good social connections are essential for happiness.

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Area of Science:

  • Psychology
  • Social Psychology

Background:

  • Understanding the psychological traits and social factors contributing to sustained happiness is crucial.
  • Previous research has explored various correlates of happiness, but a comprehensive view of consistently high happiness is needed.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To identify the key characteristics differentiating consistently very happy individuals from average and very unhappy individuals.
  • To determine the necessary and sufficient conditions for high happiness.

Main Methods:

  • Screening 222 undergraduates for high happiness using multiple assessment filters.
  • Comparing the upper 10% of consistently happy individuals with average and unhappy groups.
  • Utilizing personality assessments, including the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI).

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Main Results:

  • Very happy individuals were significantly more social, with stronger romantic and social relationships.
  • They exhibited higher extraversion, agreeableness, and lower neuroticism.
  • Happiness was not significantly correlated with increased exercise, religious activity, or objectively defined good events; however, good social relations were found to be necessary.

Conclusions:

  • Strong social relationships are a necessary component of sustained high happiness.
  • Very happy individuals experience positive emotions frequently but also report occasional negative moods, indicating a functional emotional system.