Capitol News

Given the many sources of stress and anxiety individuals encounter each day, it is not surprising that people often wonder if they are happy or not. Yet, how do people define happiness and well-being? What are some ways to view and conceptualize happiness? Michigan State University researchers address these questions.

Associate Professor Bill Chopik and Professor Rich Lucas from MSU’s Department of Psychology in the College of Social Science offer insights on this topic. Chopik leads MSU’s Close Relationship Lab, focusing on factors influencing people’s approaches to relationships. Lucas heads MSU’s Personality and Well-Being Lab, researching happiness, personality traits, and assessment.

Here, Chopik and Lucas answer questions about defining and considering happiness following the release of the 2024 World Happiness Report, a review of global happiness.

**What are some of the ways we can view happiness?**

Bill Chopik: "There are a lot of ways to think about happiness — some people focus on their absolute feelings and mood, but others focus on whether they’re leading a fulfilling and full life. But, people definitely want to be happy regardless of exactly what that means, and that could vary from person to person."

He adds: "One way that I view happiness is by considering the type of life parents want for their children... Parents cannot necessarily predict the exact outcome for their children, but if you really get down to it, what they want is for their children to be happy... This idea captures the essence of happiness itself."

**What are some factors that determine our happiness?**

Rich Lucas: "Often, strong relationships tend to be associated with happiness. People who have a lot of strong, satisfying relationships tend to be happier compared to those who do not. A lot of obvious things matter too. For example, there is a big debate about whether money matters for happiness... Health conditions also are associated with happiness."

**What does the 2024 World Happiness Report offer?**

Lucas explains: "There are more surveys from national representative samples that we can use to compare countries on their levels of happiness... The goal of the World Happiness Report is to share findings from year to year to determine if there are any interesting time trends... It is a big deal if countries drop or rise in their happiness ranking."

**What are the differences between usefulness and happiness?**

Chopik comments: "We can first think about this in terms of what leaders want to get out of reports like this one... But for individual people... at least part of how they evaluate if they are happy or not is derived from feeling that they are useful and doing something that’s fulfilling and useful... Usefulness reflects a sense that you are contributing to society."

**Are there ways to measure happiness?**

Lucas states: "I think that sometimes those different ways of thinking about happiness and measuring happiness do different things... Unemployment is something that people do not like and can make them feel bad... On a moment-to-moment basis [unemployed individuals] do not experience the stressors that people in their jobs deal with."

Chopik concludes: "Overall, it’s important to remember social relationships can start affecting people’s happiness. People who are employed or dedicated to serving their community or doing something that will benefit their family or others in the world can feel good because humans are a social species..."