Objectif de vie pour tout un chacun, démonstration de puissance pour l’État, le bonheur fait l’ob... more Objectif de vie pour tout un chacun, démonstration de puissance pour l’État, le bonheur fait l’objet de nombreux classements. Les indicateurs utilisés résultent toutefois de constructions fondées sur différentes idées du bonheur, incluant de manière variable la préservation du vivant. Le bien-être des sociétés occidentales en particulier repose sur un imaginaire consumériste peu en phase avec les préoccupations écologiques. Mais est-il possible aujourd’hui d’être heureux sans se soucier des limites planétaires ? Est-il envisageable d’indexer le bonheur sur d’autres récits, davantage axés sur l’émotion que sur la possession, la comparaison et leurs effets délétères ?
Cet ouvrage interroge le rôle que ces palmarès du bien-être et les mesures sur lesquelles ils s’appuient jouent dans la prise en compte de l’environnement. En faisant le tour des liens entre mesures du bonheur et empreinte écologique, il sonde notre rapport au vivant là où on s’y attend le moins, au coeur même de notre quête du bonheur.
Only man assigned values to things in order to maintain himself-he created the meaning of things,... more Only man assigned values to things in order to maintain himself-he created the meaning of things, a human meaning! Therefore, calls he himself: 'Man,' that is: the evaluator. Thus spoke Zarathustra, Nietzsche. Abstract The interest in measuring what matters for most individuals has led to the development of many indicators. Scientific approaches have made it possible to improve the incorporation of subjective perceptions into objective indicators. The perpetual quest for objectivity has led remaining subjectivity to be undesired and be considered as biases. This is partly a consequence of the epistemological ground on which Western science is built, in particular the Aristotelian principle of non-contradiction. The present contribution is an invitation to reconsider what is usually considered as " objective " and " subjective " and to incorporate them in a more complex framework in order to gain more understanding within subjective well-being studies in a scientific manner.
Happiness in nations is typically measured in surveys using a single question. A common question ... more Happiness in nations is typically measured in surveys using a single question. A common question is: 'all things considered, how satisfied or dissatisfied are you with your life as-a-whole these days on a scale from 0 to 10?'. The responses typically follow a uni-modal distribution with highest frequencies between 5 and 8. Yet in some nations, the percentage of 10 responses stands out and is higher than the percentage of 9 responses. This is particularly present in Latin America and in the Middle East. In this paper we explore the prevalence of the '10-excess' pattern and check some possible explanations. We conclude that the 10-excess phenomenon is partly due to cultural influence.
When appraising satisfaction with our life-as-a-whole, we draw on two sources of information: 1) ... more When appraising satisfaction with our life-as-a-whole, we draw on two sources of information: 1) how well we feel most of the time and 2) to what extent life brings what we want of it. These sub-appraisals are referred to as 'components' of happiness; respectively hedonic level of affect, the affective component, and contentment, the cognitive component. These sub-appraisals do not necessarily go together, one may feel fine but be discontented, or feel bad affectively, while being contented cognitively.
When appraising our life-as-a-whole, we draw on two sources of information; 1) how well we feel ... more When appraising our life-as-a-whole, we draw on two sources of information; 1) how well we feel most of the time; 2) to what extent life brings what we want of it. These sub-appraisals are referred to as components of happiness; respectively hedonic level of affect, the affective component, and contentment, the cognitive component. These sub-appraisals do not necessarily go together, one may feel fine but be discontented, or feel bad affectively, while being contented cognitively. In this paper, we explore how these appraisals combine in nations, drawing on data from the Gallup World Poll. The affective component is measured using an affect balance scale based on responses about yesterday's affective experiences. The cognitive component is measured using responses to a question about how close one's present life is to the ideal life one can imagine. Data is available for 133 nations for the years 2006 to 2009. We identified six geographical clusters of cognition/affect combinations. Links with existing cultural classifications and societal development are explored.
Research on the relation between family and happiness has focused on the micro level and consider... more Research on the relation between family and happiness has focused on the micro level and considered the effects of an individual’s place in the family system, such as whether or not one is married and exchange of support with kin. Macro level differences in the family system as such have received little attention as yet. In this paper we consider regional differences in family types in Europe and explore the relationship with average happiness. Data on dominant family type in regions are taken from Todd (1990), who distinguishes five family types: 1) absolute nuclear; 2) egalitarian nuclear; 3) communitarian; 4) stem family; and 5) incomplete stem family. Data on average happiness in regions are taken from the Eurobarometer surveys. Average happiness appears to be highest in regions where family pattern of “absolute nuclear” prevails and lowest in the regions where “egalitarian nuclear” family dominates. Control for economic prosperity in regions does not change this picture. A possible interpretation of these findings is that freedom adds more to happiness than equality does. It is not true for types of freedom. If horizontal freedom (intragenerational freedom) seems to be important in terms of well-being, the results are much less convincing as far as vertical freedom (intergenerational freedom) is concerned. The findings might have some far reach contribution in the field of family policy.
Average happiness differs considerably across nations. Much of this difference is in societal dev... more Average happiness differs considerably across nations. Much of this difference is in societal development, but average happiness differs also among developed nations. Much of that latter difference seems to be due to cultural factors and education is a main carrier of these. In that context we explored the effect of teaching styles on happiness. In a first study on the general public in 37 developed nations we found that people feel happier in the nations where participatory teaching prevailed. Much of this difference can be explained by the effect of teaching style on psychological autonomy. Participatory teaching fosters autonomy and autonomy adds to happiness. In a second study among high school pupils we found no correlation between average happiness and dominant teaching style in the nation, which fits the explanation that the effect of participatory teaching is in personality formation, with the consequences for happiness of which manifest in adulthood.
Objectif de vie pour tout un chacun, démonstration de puissance pour l’État, le bonheur fait l’ob... more Objectif de vie pour tout un chacun, démonstration de puissance pour l’État, le bonheur fait l’objet de nombreux classements. Les indicateurs utilisés résultent toutefois de constructions fondées sur différentes idées du bonheur, incluant de manière variable la préservation du vivant. Le bien-être des sociétés occidentales en particulier repose sur un imaginaire consumériste peu en phase avec les préoccupations écologiques. Mais est-il possible aujourd’hui d’être heureux sans se soucier des limites planétaires ? Est-il envisageable d’indexer le bonheur sur d’autres récits, davantage axés sur l’émotion que sur la possession, la comparaison et leurs effets délétères ?
Cet ouvrage interroge le rôle que ces palmarès du bien-être et les mesures sur lesquelles ils s’appuient jouent dans la prise en compte de l’environnement. En faisant le tour des liens entre mesures du bonheur et empreinte écologique, il sonde notre rapport au vivant là où on s’y attend le moins, au coeur même de notre quête du bonheur.
Only man assigned values to things in order to maintain himself-he created the meaning of things,... more Only man assigned values to things in order to maintain himself-he created the meaning of things, a human meaning! Therefore, calls he himself: 'Man,' that is: the evaluator. Thus spoke Zarathustra, Nietzsche. Abstract The interest in measuring what matters for most individuals has led to the development of many indicators. Scientific approaches have made it possible to improve the incorporation of subjective perceptions into objective indicators. The perpetual quest for objectivity has led remaining subjectivity to be undesired and be considered as biases. This is partly a consequence of the epistemological ground on which Western science is built, in particular the Aristotelian principle of non-contradiction. The present contribution is an invitation to reconsider what is usually considered as " objective " and " subjective " and to incorporate them in a more complex framework in order to gain more understanding within subjective well-being studies in a scientific manner.
Happiness in nations is typically measured in surveys using a single question. A common question ... more Happiness in nations is typically measured in surveys using a single question. A common question is: 'all things considered, how satisfied or dissatisfied are you with your life as-a-whole these days on a scale from 0 to 10?'. The responses typically follow a uni-modal distribution with highest frequencies between 5 and 8. Yet in some nations, the percentage of 10 responses stands out and is higher than the percentage of 9 responses. This is particularly present in Latin America and in the Middle East. In this paper we explore the prevalence of the '10-excess' pattern and check some possible explanations. We conclude that the 10-excess phenomenon is partly due to cultural influence.
When appraising satisfaction with our life-as-a-whole, we draw on two sources of information: 1) ... more When appraising satisfaction with our life-as-a-whole, we draw on two sources of information: 1) how well we feel most of the time and 2) to what extent life brings what we want of it. These sub-appraisals are referred to as 'components' of happiness; respectively hedonic level of affect, the affective component, and contentment, the cognitive component. These sub-appraisals do not necessarily go together, one may feel fine but be discontented, or feel bad affectively, while being contented cognitively.
When appraising our life-as-a-whole, we draw on two sources of information; 1) how well we feel ... more When appraising our life-as-a-whole, we draw on two sources of information; 1) how well we feel most of the time; 2) to what extent life brings what we want of it. These sub-appraisals are referred to as components of happiness; respectively hedonic level of affect, the affective component, and contentment, the cognitive component. These sub-appraisals do not necessarily go together, one may feel fine but be discontented, or feel bad affectively, while being contented cognitively. In this paper, we explore how these appraisals combine in nations, drawing on data from the Gallup World Poll. The affective component is measured using an affect balance scale based on responses about yesterday's affective experiences. The cognitive component is measured using responses to a question about how close one's present life is to the ideal life one can imagine. Data is available for 133 nations for the years 2006 to 2009. We identified six geographical clusters of cognition/affect combinations. Links with existing cultural classifications and societal development are explored.
Research on the relation between family and happiness has focused on the micro level and consider... more Research on the relation between family and happiness has focused on the micro level and considered the effects of an individual’s place in the family system, such as whether or not one is married and exchange of support with kin. Macro level differences in the family system as such have received little attention as yet. In this paper we consider regional differences in family types in Europe and explore the relationship with average happiness. Data on dominant family type in regions are taken from Todd (1990), who distinguishes five family types: 1) absolute nuclear; 2) egalitarian nuclear; 3) communitarian; 4) stem family; and 5) incomplete stem family. Data on average happiness in regions are taken from the Eurobarometer surveys. Average happiness appears to be highest in regions where family pattern of “absolute nuclear” prevails and lowest in the regions where “egalitarian nuclear” family dominates. Control for economic prosperity in regions does not change this picture. A possible interpretation of these findings is that freedom adds more to happiness than equality does. It is not true for types of freedom. If horizontal freedom (intragenerational freedom) seems to be important in terms of well-being, the results are much less convincing as far as vertical freedom (intergenerational freedom) is concerned. The findings might have some far reach contribution in the field of family policy.
Average happiness differs considerably across nations. Much of this difference is in societal dev... more Average happiness differs considerably across nations. Much of this difference is in societal development, but average happiness differs also among developed nations. Much of that latter difference seems to be due to cultural factors and education is a main carrier of these. In that context we explored the effect of teaching styles on happiness. In a first study on the general public in 37 developed nations we found that people feel happier in the nations where participatory teaching prevailed. Much of this difference can be explained by the effect of teaching style on psychological autonomy. Participatory teaching fosters autonomy and autonomy adds to happiness. In a second study among high school pupils we found no correlation between average happiness and dominant teaching style in the nation, which fits the explanation that the effect of participatory teaching is in personality formation, with the consequences for happiness of which manifest in adulthood.
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Cet ouvrage interroge le rôle que ces palmarès du bien-être et les mesures sur lesquelles ils s’appuient jouent dans la prise en compte de l’environnement. En faisant le tour des liens entre mesures du bonheur et empreinte écologique, il sonde notre rapport au vivant là où on s’y attend le moins, au coeur même de notre quête du bonheur.
Cet ouvrage interroge le rôle que ces palmarès du bien-être et les mesures sur lesquelles ils s’appuient jouent dans la prise en compte de l’environnement. En faisant le tour des liens entre mesures du bonheur et empreinte écologique, il sonde notre rapport au vivant là où on s’y attend le moins, au coeur même de notre quête du bonheur.