Week 7: No blog posting during mid-term week

No blog posting during mid-term week. No class sessions either. See syllabus.

The extra credit exam will be uploaded to the Kookmin website this weekend. It is due next time we meet. Print a copy of your answers and bring it to class, after mid-term week.

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VARIOUS NEWS ABOUT MEASURING HAPPINESS


1. Mark Whitaker

2. The Age Curve of Aggregate Subjective Happiness?

Another variable to integrate into happiness models when testing for subjective happiness is mentioned below in some recent research. Thus observations of subjective happiness subjectively should be weighted by age or studies should at least test three different 'regions' of age to see if it holds true in all societies or see if this observation changes over time, or different 'regions' of happiness and 'grumpyness' move around over time in their boundaries.

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Happiness is U-shaped ... which explains why the middle-aged are grumpy
Happiness follows a U-shaped curve during a person's lifetime, according to research showing that middle-aged people are the unhappiest.
Stephen Adams
By Stephen Adams 11:30PM BST 17 Apr 2011

39 Comments

Satisfaction with life starts to drop as early as a person's late 20s and does not begin to recover until well past 50, says Bert van Landeghem, an economist at Maastricht University in Belgium.

While young adults are carefree and full of hope for the future and the over-50s have come to terms with the trials of life, the research indicates that those in the middle feel weighed down by the demands on them.

The study found "a substantial dip in happiness during the middle of people's lives is the equivalent to becoming unemployed or losing a family member".

The conclusions come in a study of how people perceive their wellbeing.

Mr van Landeghem, who is 29, will present his research at the Royal Economic Society annual conference at Royal Holloway, the University of London, this week.
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While he said happiness did return with age, he warned that older people did not actually recapture the spirit of their youth. They simply learnt to be satisfied with their lot.

"A U-shaped happiness curve does not necessarily imply that a 65 year-old prefers his own life to the life of a 25 year-old," he said. "Both the 25 year-old and 65 year-old might agree that it is nicer to be 25 than to be 65. But the 65 year-old might nevertheless be more satisfied, as he has learned to be satisfied with what he has."

Studies around the world have shown that happiness tends to dip in midlife, he said, and that this was not just a phenomenon confined to the Western world.

Last month, Lewis Wolpert, emeritus professor of biology at University College London, said happiness could peak as late as 80. In a book called You're Looking Very Well, Prof Wolpert said most people were "averagely happy" in their teens and 20s, but this declined until early middle age as they attempted to support a family and career.

He added: "From the mid-40s, people tend to become ever more cheerful and optimistic, perhaps reaching a maximum in their late 70s or 80s."

An easing of the responsibilities of middle age, maturity and an increased focus on the things we enjoy contributed to the trend, he said.

According to a study by the American National Academy of Sciences, based on a survey of 341,000 people, enjoyment of life begins an upward trend in the late 40s and does not peak until 85.

Older people today can benefit from better health and opportunities than previous generations, and research also suggests that our command of language and ability to make decisions increase with age.

Our capacity to concentrate on the parts of life and activities we enjoy, while cutting out things that we dislike, is also said to increase with age.

Meanwhile, the ageing population means an increasing number of middle-aged adults are caught between the responsibilities of raising their children and looking after their elderly parents.

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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/8457193/Happiness-is-U-shaped-...-which-explains-why-the-middle-aged-are-grumpy.html


I'm sure this depends on many other factors instead of simply age?

2.


Happiness peaks in our eighties
We become happier when we grow older, according to scientists who claim our best years do not arrive until our late seventies and eighties.



Traditional wisdom states that our younger years are the best of our lives, with the milestone of 40 meaning we are "over the hill" and already on the wane.

But in fact satisfaction and optimism steadily increase after middle age, easily eclipsing the earlier years and peaking as late as the eighties, according to research.

An easing of the responsibilities of middle age combined with maturity and the ability to focus on the things we enjoy combine to make old age far more enjoyable than one might expect.

This is greatly increased by having good health, a stable income and good relationships with family and friends, according to scientists.

Lewis Wolpert, emeritus professor of biology at University College London, who explained the findings in a new book called You're Looking Very Well, said most people were "averagely happy" in their teens and twenties, declining until early middle age as they try to support a family and a career.
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He added: "But then, from the mid-forties, people tend to become ever more cheerful and optimistic, perhaps reaching a maximum in their late seventies or eighties."

A study published by the American National Academy of Sciences, based on a survey of 341,000 people, found that enjoyment of life dwindled throughout early adulthood but began an upward trend in the late forties, and continued to increase until reaching a peak at 85.

Andrew Steptoe, professor of psychology at University College London, said elderly people today benefit from better health and opportunities now than 30 years ago, adding that good health and a secure income were "very important" in old age.

Research also indicates that, while ageing can cause the weakening of some abilities such as mathematics, others such as language and decision making improve as the brain matures.

In addition, psychologists believe that in old age we become more selective with how we use our time, focusing more on doing things we enjoy and cutting out parts of life that make us unhappy.

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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/8409411/Happiness-peaks-in-our-eighties.html


3.


Happiness begins at 50 claims new research
The good life begins at fifty claims a new report which found that this was the start of the happiest time of our lives.
Richard Alleyne
By Richard Alleyne, Science Correspondent 7:30AM BST 18 May 2010

Comment

Stress, anger and worry fade after the landmark birthday when we begin experiencing greater daily joy than younger adults, it is claimed.

Despite increased risk of death and disease, it seems that people worry less and that they ignore the negatives and accentuate the positives.

Dr Arthur Stone, a psychologist of Stony Brook University, New York, said the findings were "striking".

"You would think as chronic illness threatens life would get worse but that is not the case because people don't focus on the threats," he said.

"They focus on the good things in life like family and friends."
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Wisdom 'is the brain slowing down in old age'
25 Jun 2010

A survey of more than 340,000 people published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found overall feelings of wellbeing improve as we pass middle age.

The researchers found positive and negative emotions varied with age similarly in both sexes – although women reported greater stress, worry and sadness at all ages.

Stress and anger reduced after people reached their early 20s with worry declining after the age of fifty.

Variables such as having young children, being unemployed, or being single did not affect age-related patterns of well being.

The research showed that levels of stress, worry and anger all dropped significantly in the fifties and levels of happiness and enjoyment increased.

The only feeling that remained constant was that of sadness. Overall feelings of well being increased in the fifties all the way up to the eighties, it was discovered.

The US participants answered yes-or-no questions regarding whether they had experienced enjoyment, happiness, stress, worry, anger and sadness during a large portion of the day prior to the call.

Researchers said the results are consistent with earlier research suggesting increased "wisdom" and emotional intelligence with age – at least through middle age.

Older people also have an increased ability to self-regulate their emotions and view their situations positively and recall fewer negative memories than younger adults.

The researchers said: "They are also in accord with a 'positivity effect' wherein older people recall fewer negative memories than younger adults and with the possibility older adults are more effective at regulating their emotions than younger adults."

Previous studies have shown increased life expectancy and widespread early retirement has created a much greater emphasis on "quality of life" among men and women in their fifties.

The consequence is instead of settling down to a stereotyped "jumpers and slippers" existence by the fireside many now pursue a vigorous social life in search of personal fulfilment.

Many more fiftysomethings see themselves as young and are adopting hedonistic attitudes as they imitate younger ways of living.

The findings back up those of a British study that showed that happiness is U-shaped over life, being at its highest in the young and old and bottoming out in middle age.

This was thought to be because people begin to accept their limitations in their later life and were just happy to be alive.

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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/7733848/Happiness-begins-at-50-claims-new-research.html


4.

Britons becoming 'increasingly miserable', warns Action for Happiness campaign
A study of the nation's happiness has identified 10 steps to achieve a life of contentment, warning that Britons have become miserable because they are selfish, unfit, and antisocial.

Research suggests that despite having much more materially than previous generations, the country is no happier than it was half a century ago.

Experts warn that unless we undergo a “radical cultural change”, Britain will slide into unprecedented depths of despair blighted by rising rates of suicide and depression.

A group of eminent British thinkers from the worlds of education, economics and politics – backed by the Dalai Lama – yesterday launched a campaign to halt the nation’s psychological decline.

Action for Happiness, a mass movement to promote mental wellbeing, calls on people to address 10 key deficiencies in their lives to counter our growing gloom.

Led by Lord Layard, Professor of economics at the London School of Economics, it warns that we do not give enough to others, have lost the art of connecting with those around us, and no longer possess a sense of belonging in society.
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Our happiness is also being hampered by a blinkered approach to the world around us and a lack of exercise, direction, resilience and ambition, the study claims.

Anthony Seldon, headmaster of Wellington College, who helped establish the campaign, said it is vital that better values are instilled in children at a young age to prevent unhappiness later in life.

Mr Seldon, who pioneered “wellbeing” lesson’s at the independent school in 2006, said: “Children today are like balls in a pinball machine – constantly bounced around without a solid grounding in how to behave towards other people and the values which bring wellbeing.

“Young people now are being brought up grasping for what they don’t have rather than appreciating everything they already do.

“For everything we have gained in material wealth and sophistication in recent years, we have lost in happiness and the overall richness of the fabric of society.

“If we don’t act now, in the future we are likely to see increased levels of adolescent suicide and mental illness, and a culture in which taking anti-depressant drugs is the norm.”

The movement has already gathered more than 4,500 members across 68 countries and has won the support of leading figures including the Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of Tibet; Carol Ann Duffy, the playwright; Alain de Botton, the writer; and numerous mental health charities.

Its study – based on the latest scientific research from around the world – defines trust as a “major determinant of happiness in a society”, but warns that the proportion of Britons who believe most of our peers can be trusted has fallen from 60 per cent to 30 per cent over the past half century.

Lord Layard, added: “If we want a happier society, individuals have got to create more happiness in the world around them.

“This is a movement for radical cultural change which can provide the basis for a better culture in the 21st century."

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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/8445786/Britons-becoming-increasingly-miserable-warns-Action-for-Happiness-campaign.html

5.


Cleaning 'could be making people depressed'
A growing obsession with cleanliness could be making people depressed, according to scientists.
Andy Bloxham
By Andy Bloxham 12:59AM BST 19 Apr 2011

Follow Andy Bloxham on Twitter

4 Comments

Researchers found that cleaner homes and offices are leaving lower levels of dirt and bacteria which could lead to weaker immune systems and, in turn, brain function being impaired.

Previous studies have linked clean homes to weak immune systems, while others have suggested a child's exposure to bacteria and things like animal hair could help develop a resistance to some illnesses.

The latest study, from Atlanta, suggested that weaker immune systems tend to over-react to dust and dirt in the form of inflammations or allergies which can slow the brain's production of "happy" chemicals such as serotonin and cause depression.

The scientists said the rates of depression are far higher in the developed world than in poorer parts of the planet.

In Britain, 10% of people claim to suffer depression, while just 1% claims the same in Nigeria, for example.
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The research was conducted by exposing 27 patients to the drugs which are used to treat hepatitis C because it causes similar reactions to allergies.

Dr Andrew Miller, who was behind the research, said: "We believe the immune system is causing depression.

"As people develop and grow up, their immune system develops.

"If they are exposed to more bacteria and parasites, they are able to better control the inflammation.

"Nowadays, people's environment is much cleaner and hygienic so our immune system never really learns how to deal with infectious agents."

The research was published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry.

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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/8459998/Cleaning-could-be-making-people-depressed.html