Why is intelligence associated with stability of happiness?

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Developmental Psychology
• Behavioral Science

Background:

• Life-course variability in happiness is a key indicator of psychological well-being.
• Understanding predictors of happiness stability is crucial for mental health research.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the predictors of life-course variability in happiness.
• To examine the role of childhood general intelligence and personality factors in happiness stability.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from the National Child Development Study spanning 18 years.
• Employed multiple regression analysis to assess predictive relationships.

Main Results:

• Life-course happiness variability was negatively associated with mean happiness level and most Big Five personality factors (excluding Agreeableness).
• Childhood general intelligence was the strongest predictor of life-course happiness variability, outperforming all Big Five factors.
• Higher intelligence predicted greater happiness stability, independent of education, wealth, health, marital status, self-assessed happiness, or response accuracy.

Conclusions:

• Childhood general intelligence is a significant predictor of long-term happiness stability.
• The mechanisms underlying the link between intelligence and happiness stability require further investigation.