Satisfaction is the cognitive aspect of happiness - the part that is a conscious appraisal and judgement about how things have been going. Inevitably such a judgment tends to be relative - how does the individual compare to other people, to their past, to what they are used to or to expectations. It is also influenced by the emotional state of the person at the time of judgement. Factors commonly ascribed to high satisfaction are:
- Money - this is true mostly for the relatively poor. Once you have a certain amount of money its effect on satisfaction is small. However there are effects related to expectations and fairness when it comes to money as a reward. ·
- Good health - Good health contributes to satisfaction (Correlation of 0.36), particularly for older people. It is widely believed that there is an element of a virtuous circle involved, since happiness strengthens the immune system which in turn improves health, which increases happiness. ·
- Work & Employment - There is a strong correlation (0.44) between job satisfaction and life satisfaction. There is also a strong correlation between unemployment and unhappiness.
- Social relationships - This is the most strongly correlated factor with satisfaction with life. Apart from relationships in themselves, it is also a factor that drives happiness in both work and leisure. There are a number of mechanisms by which social relationships increase happiness. These are:
| |
- The receipt of smiles and other positive body language and tone of voice signals |
| |
- Practical support from others |
| |
- Emotional support - there is an especially large effect from a single, close confidant, typically the spouse |
| |
- Maintaining identity and self-esteem through group membership |
| |
- Having people to do activities with. |
All of these effects can be enhanced by marriage, or to a lesser extent an intimate relationship, where the focus on one individual brings more of these, plus the intimacy and feelings associated with sex. ·
- Leisure - This is a significant, though one of the smaller aspects that impacts on satisfaction (correlation 0.20). Yet again social interaction comes up as a major element of this. Also included are use of skills and success. In addition there are basic pleasures to be gained from eating, drinking and the like. Perhaps the biggest influencer on mood is exercise, due to the release of endorphins. ·
- Education - This is a significant but small factor (correlation 0.13). It is often believed to act through the individual having more rewarding work. Another study showed the following set of figures relating to the importance of different aspects of life in overall satisfaction.
As you can see those related to close relationships head the list.
| |
Mean Importance Rating (1 is highest) |
Regression coefficient (Effect on overall satisfaction) |
| Family Life |
1.46 |
.41 |
| Marriage |
1.44 |
.36 |
| Financial Situation |
2.94 |
.33 |
| Housing |
2.10 |
.30 |
| Job |
2.19 |
.27 |
| Friendship |
2.08 |
.26 |
| Health |
1.37 |
.22 |
| Leisure Activities |
2.79 |
.21 |
Source: Campbell et al. (1976)
One interesting point from the psychology literature is that satisfaction tends to depend upon the situation relative to others, rather than in absolute terms. This is most obviously presented by research on pay, though is present elsewhere also. There is also a tendency among some people to compare themselves positively with those around them. Often they see this through 'rose tinted glasses', so that their perception is vastly better than an objective reality. Such a comparison seems to be a positive benefit to feelings of satisfaction. Those taking a realistic point of view tend to be less happy (Taylor & Brown, 1988).