Administration and policy in mental health, Jan 5, 2014
Mental disorder is a main cause of unhappiness in modern society and investment in mental health ... more Mental disorder is a main cause of unhappiness in modern society and investment in mental health care is therefore likely to add to average happiness. This prediction was checked in a comparison of 143 nations around 2005. Absolute investment in mental health care was measured using the per capita number of psychiatrists and psychologists working in mental health care. Relative investment was measured using the share of mental health care in the total health budget. Average happiness in nations was measured with responses to survey questions about life-satisfaction. Average happiness appeared to be higher in countries that invest more in mental health care, both absolutely and relative to investment in somatic medicine. A data split by level of development shows that this difference exists only among developed nations. Among these nations the link between mental health care and happiness is quite strong, both in an absolute sense and compared to other known societal determinants of ...
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.
Several studies indicate that the prefrontal cortex is the candidate brain area for happiness and... more Several studies indicate that the prefrontal cortex is the candidate brain area for happiness and positive emotional states, e, g, related to taste (Kringelbach et al., 2003), smell (Rolls et al, 2003a) or other input via the somaotosensory system (Rolls et al., 2003b). Some EEG studies show suggest that positive affect states are associated with increased left cortical power in the alpha frequency compared to the right hemisphere (Davidson, 2004; Tomarken et al., 1992). From the neurotransmitters present in this part of the brain, dopamine is a ...
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.
Handbook of Social Indicators and Quality of Life Research, 2011
Happiness is the main goal; most individuals reach out for a happy life and many policy makers ai... more Happiness is the main goal; most individuals reach out for a happy life and many policy makers aim at greater happiness for a greater number. This pursuit of happiness calls for understanding of conditions for happiness and for that reason the subject has received much attention in the history of western thought. The study of happiness has long been a playground for philosophical speculation. Due to the lack of empirical measures of happiness, it was not possible to check propositions about the matter. Hence, ...
Public: Adults, general public, 27 nations, ±1980 Data on average happiness in nations drawn from... more Public: Adults, general public, 27 nations, ±1980 Data on average happiness in nations drawn from World Database of Happiness: Catalogue of Happiness in Nations. Non-probability chunk sample consisting of 27 national probability samples. Variables entered: Cultural pluralism, Defense-spending, Demographic condition, Economic condition of the nation, Habitability of land, Average health of citizens, Literacy and schooling, Political participation of nation, Political democracy, Political stability of nation, Gender inequality (women emancipation), Vulnerability of a nation, Summed nation characteristics, Social security.
Science Across Cultures: the History of Non-Western Science, 2012
There is a longstanding discussion on whether happiness is culturally relative or not. The availa... more There is a longstanding discussion on whether happiness is culturally relative or not. The available data suggest that all humans tend to assess how much they like their lives. The evaluation draws both on affective experience, which is linked to gratification of universal human needs and on cognitive comparison, which is framed by cultural standards of the good life. The overall appraisal seems to depend more on the former than on the latter source of information. Conditions for happiness appear to be quite similar across the ...
Administration and policy in mental health, Jan 5, 2014
Mental disorder is a main cause of unhappiness in modern society and investment in mental health ... more Mental disorder is a main cause of unhappiness in modern society and investment in mental health care is therefore likely to add to average happiness. This prediction was checked in a comparison of 143 nations around 2005. Absolute investment in mental health care was measured using the per capita number of psychiatrists and psychologists working in mental health care. Relative investment was measured using the share of mental health care in the total health budget. Average happiness in nations was measured with responses to survey questions about life-satisfaction. Average happiness appeared to be higher in countries that invest more in mental health care, both absolutely and relative to investment in somatic medicine. A data split by level of development shows that this difference exists only among developed nations. Among these nations the link between mental health care and happiness is quite strong, both in an absolute sense and compared to other known societal determinants of ...
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.
Several studies indicate that the prefrontal cortex is the candidate brain area for happiness and... more Several studies indicate that the prefrontal cortex is the candidate brain area for happiness and positive emotional states, e, g, related to taste (Kringelbach et al., 2003), smell (Rolls et al, 2003a) or other input via the somaotosensory system (Rolls et al., 2003b). Some EEG studies show suggest that positive affect states are associated with increased left cortical power in the alpha frequency compared to the right hemisphere (Davidson, 2004; Tomarken et al., 1992). From the neurotransmitters present in this part of the brain, dopamine is a ...
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.
Handbook of Social Indicators and Quality of Life Research, 2011
Happiness is the main goal; most individuals reach out for a happy life and many policy makers ai... more Happiness is the main goal; most individuals reach out for a happy life and many policy makers aim at greater happiness for a greater number. This pursuit of happiness calls for understanding of conditions for happiness and for that reason the subject has received much attention in the history of western thought. The study of happiness has long been a playground for philosophical speculation. Due to the lack of empirical measures of happiness, it was not possible to check propositions about the matter. Hence, ...
Public: Adults, general public, 27 nations, ±1980 Data on average happiness in nations drawn from... more Public: Adults, general public, 27 nations, ±1980 Data on average happiness in nations drawn from World Database of Happiness: Catalogue of Happiness in Nations. Non-probability chunk sample consisting of 27 national probability samples. Variables entered: Cultural pluralism, Defense-spending, Demographic condition, Economic condition of the nation, Habitability of land, Average health of citizens, Literacy and schooling, Political participation of nation, Political democracy, Political stability of nation, Gender inequality (women emancipation), Vulnerability of a nation, Summed nation characteristics, Social security.
Science Across Cultures: the History of Non-Western Science, 2012
There is a longstanding discussion on whether happiness is culturally relative or not. The availa... more There is a longstanding discussion on whether happiness is culturally relative or not. The available data suggest that all humans tend to assess how much they like their lives. The evaluation draws both on affective experience, which is linked to gratification of universal human needs and on cognitive comparison, which is framed by cultural standards of the good life. The overall appraisal seems to depend more on the former than on the latter source of information. Conditions for happiness appear to be quite similar across the ...
This book describes why conventional methods fall short to solve the comparability problem and in... more This book describes why conventional methods fall short to solve the comparability problem and introduces three successive innovations to overcome these shortcomings. Comparability of results from different surveys using different items for the same topic is greatly hampered by the differences in response scales used. This reduces our accumulation of knowledge and has challenged researchers in the field of survey research for long to develop appropriate methods to transform ratings on different scales to attain comparable results and to correct for effects of changes in measurements and other influencing factors. The three innovations described in this volume are applied to data on happiness and life satisfaction, show better comparability of the survey results concerning the perceptions and opinions of people over time and across nations and at an increased opportunity for meta-analysis on these results.
This book describes why conventional methods fall short to solve the comparability problem and in... more This book describes why conventional methods fall short to solve the comparability problem and introduces three successive innovations to overcome these shortcomings. Comparability of results from different surveys using different items for the same topic is greatly hampered by the differences in response scales used. This reduces our accumulation of knowledge and has challenged researchers in the field of survey research for long to develop appropriate methods to transform ratings on different scales to attain comparable results and to correct for effects of changes in measurements and other influencing factors. The three innovations described in this volume are applied to data on happiness and life satisfaction, show better comparability of the survey results concerning the perceptions and opinions of people over time and across nations and at an increased opportunity for meta-analysis on these results.
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