Artificial happiness and the effects of relationships on happiness
The aim of the study was to understand aspects of life that men and women
associate with happiness and to explore the connections between these associations and
well-being (measured as positive affect, negative affect and life satisfaction) in different
periods of life. Participants were 785 people who were asked to list associations that came
to mind on hearing the word ‘happiness’. The moderating roles of gender and period of life
(adolescence/adulthood, transition/no transition) were analysed. Participants associated
happiness mostly with health and relationships. Other categories included knowledge,
work, material goods and freedom. Those who associated happiness with work had higher
levels of positive affect. Associating happiness with relationships predicted greater life
satisfaction, whereas associating it with material goods predicted lower satisfaction.
Gender moderated the relationship between associations and positive affect: associating
happiness with material goods decreased positive affect among men but no such effect was
observed among women; associating happiness with relationships was beneficial for
women but unbeneficial for men. Additionally, associations with material goods predicted
lower positive affect, especially in times of transition. Associating happiness with
knowledge decreased positive affect in adolescents and increased it in adults.
