15 The Founding Virtues and the Stuff of Life
Aristotelian Happiness
Happiness means different things to different people, but many agree on its main idea, which comes from Aristotle's views. He believes that happiness is a deep and lasting satisfaction with your life as a whole, not just temporary pleasures. To feel true satisfaction, three things usually matter: it must come from something important, it has to take effort over time, and you need to feel responsible for making it happen. The things that can make you feel this deep satisfaction include being a good parent, having a good job, and being a good friend or part of a community. Overall, happiness comes from four main areas: family, vocation, community, and faith, and you don’t have to engage in all four to be happy.
The Four Domains and Self-Reported Happiness
The relationship between happiness and four specific areas of life can be explored by asking people how happy they feel. Although self-reported happiness isn't perfect, data from surveys show interesting patterns. In a survey of white people aged 30 to 49, about one-third reported feeling "very happy." This response suggests a genuine positive outlook on life, while answers like "pretty happy" may indicate an average or unremarkable level of satisfaction. Therefore, "very happy" responses reflect a more significant assessment of a person's overall happiness.
Family
Marriage plays a significant role in promoting happiness, with a clear connection between the quality of one's marriage and overall satisfaction with life. Research shows that people in very happy marriages report higher happiness levels compared to those in less satisfying marriages. Among married individuals, 40 percent report being very happy, while only 18 percent of single individuals do. Cohabitation offers slightly more happiness than being single, but marriage typically leads to greater happiness.
Having children brings a mix of joy and challenges for parents. While children can be a major source of happiness, they also create stress and disruption, especially for mothers. Surprisingly, parents in their thirties and forties report similar happiness levels regardless of whether they have children. However, unmarried individuals with children tend to report lower happiness than those without children, likely due to the difficulties of single parenting.
It is important to note that there is a relationship between happiness and marriage, but it is not entirely causal. Happy individuals are more likely to get married, while unhappy people may choose to stay single. Nevertheless, those in happy marriages often attribute their overall satisfaction in life to the strength of their relationship.
Job satisfaction is also closely linked to happiness. Survey results indicate a strong association between how satisfied people are with their work and their overall happiness. High work satisfaction significantly boosts the likelihood of being very happy. Stay-at-home parents, or homemakers, report the highest levels of work satisfaction among those surveyed, pointing to the importance of making a home, rather than just completing household chores. Dissatisfaction in work leads to a marked decrease in reported happiness.
Religious involvement also correlates with levels of happiness. Data shows that regular attendance at religious services is associated with higher happiness levels. Those who attend services more than once a week report significantly higher happiness than those who never attend. The benefits seem to come from both belief and regular attendance; simply believing without participation does not yield the same happiness outcome.
Community involvement is another key aspect of happiness. High community participation leads to notably higher self-reported happiness. Different types of community engagement, such as volunteering and social interaction, show similar relationships to unhappiness. Additionally, trust in others within one's community shows a strong correlation to happiness, where higher trust levels lead to significantly increased feelings of happiness.
The relationship among family, vocation, faith, and community tells a broader story about achieving happiness. Multivariate analysis indicates that both a satisfying marriage and fulfilling work significantly increase the probability of reporting high levels of happiness. When considered together, the combination of a happy marriage and a satisfying job offers a remarkable increase in life satisfaction.
Income is another factor often linked to happiness; wealthier individuals tend to report higher happiness. However, the true reasons for this happiness often lie in the positive characteristics that lead to relationship satisfaction, job fulfillment, and community engagement, which can also correlate with income. Even when controlling for income, the connections between marriage, work satisfaction, religious involvement, and community trust remain strong.
In conclusion, each of these domains contributes meaningfully to overall happiness. Issues that diminish these founding virtues pose challenges to achieving satisfaction in life. Strong relationships, fulfilling work, active participation in faith, and community involvement are crucial components that bolster happiness and overall well-being.
Divergence in Self-Reported Happiness
Self-reported happiness varies between Belmont and Fishtown, with different factors influencing it in each place. In Belmont, satisfying work and a happy marriage are crucial, while social trust and strong religion have less impact. In contrast, Fishtown benefits more evenly from all four factors: marriage, social trust, religion, and work. Despite these differences, individuals in both areas with high levels in all four happiness domains report similar happiness. However, over time, happiness in Belmont stabilized, while it significantly declined in Fishtown. This suggests a deterioration in life satisfaction in Fishtown over the last fifty years.
Aristotelian Happiness
Happiness means different things to different people, but many agree on its main idea, which comes from Aristotle's views. He believes that happiness is a deep and lasting satisfaction with your life as a whole, not just temporary pleasures. To feel true satisfaction, three things usually matter: it must come from something important, it has to take effort over time, and you need to feel responsible for making it happen. The things that can make you feel this deep satisfaction include being a good parent, having a good job, and being a good friend or part of a community. Overall, happiness comes from four main areas: family, vocation, community, and faith, and you don’t have to engage in all four to be happy.
The Four Domains and Self-Reported Happiness
The relationship between happiness and four specific areas of life can be explored by asking people how happy they feel. Although self-reported happiness isn't perfect, data from surveys show interesting patterns. In a survey of white people aged 30 to 49, about one-third reported feeling "very happy." This response suggests a genuine positive outlook on life, while answers like "pretty happy" may indicate an average or unremarkable level of satisfaction. Therefore, "very happy" responses reflect a more significant assessment of a person's overall happiness.
Family
Marriage plays a significant role in promoting happiness, with a clear connection between the quality of one's marriage and overall satisfaction with life. Research shows that people in very happy marriages report higher happiness levels compared to those in less satisfying marriages. Among married individuals, 40 percent report being very happy, while only 18 percent of single individuals do. Cohabitation offers slightly more happiness than being single, but marriage typically leads to greater happiness.
Having children brings a mix of joy and challenges for parents. While children can be a major source of happiness, they also create stress and disruption, especially for mothers. Surprisingly, parents in their thirties and forties report similar happiness levels regardless of whether they have children. However, unmarried individuals with children tend to report lower happiness than those without children, likely due to the difficulties of single parenting.
It is important to note that there is a relationship between happiness and marriage, but it is not entirely causal. Happy individuals are more likely to get married, while unhappy people may choose to stay single. Nevertheless, those in happy marriages often attribute their overall satisfaction in life to the strength of their relationship.
Job satisfaction is also closely linked to happiness. Survey results indicate a strong association between how satisfied people are with their work and their overall happiness. High work satisfaction significantly boosts the likelihood of being very happy. Stay-at-home parents, or homemakers, report the highest levels of work satisfaction among those surveyed, pointing to the importance of making a home, rather than just completing household chores. Dissatisfaction in work leads to a marked decrease in reported happiness.
Religious involvement also correlates with levels of happiness. Data shows that regular attendance at religious services is associated with higher happiness levels. Those who attend services more than once a week report significantly higher happiness than those who never attend. The benefits seem to come from both belief and regular attendance; simply believing without participation does not yield the same happiness outcome.
Community involvement is another key aspect of happiness. High community participation leads to notably higher self-reported happiness. Different types of community engagement, such as volunteering and social interaction, show similar relationships to unhappiness. Additionally, trust in others within one's community shows a strong correlation to happiness, where higher trust levels lead to significantly increased feelings of happiness.
The relationship among family, vocation, faith, and community tells a broader story about achieving happiness. Multivariate analysis indicates that both a satisfying marriage and fulfilling work significantly increase the probability of reporting high levels of happiness. When considered together, the combination of a happy marriage and a satisfying job offers a remarkable increase in life satisfaction.
Income is another factor often linked to happiness; wealthier individuals tend to report higher happiness. However, the true reasons for this happiness often lie in the positive characteristics that lead to relationship satisfaction, job fulfillment, and community engagement, which can also correlate with income. Even when controlling for income, the connections between marriage, work satisfaction, religious involvement, and community trust remain strong.
In conclusion, each of these domains contributes meaningfully to overall happiness. Issues that diminish these founding virtues pose challenges to achieving satisfaction in life. Strong relationships, fulfilling work, active participation in faith, and community involvement are crucial components that bolster happiness and overall well-being.
Divergence in Self-Reported Happiness
Self-reported happiness varies between Belmont and Fishtown, with different factors influencing it in each place. In Belmont, satisfying work and a happy marriage are crucial, while social trust and strong religion have less impact. In contrast, Fishtown benefits more evenly from all four factors: marriage, social trust, religion, and work. Despite these differences, individuals in both areas with high levels in all four happiness domains report similar happiness. However, over time, happiness in Belmont stabilized, while it significantly declined in Fishtown. This suggests a deterioration in life satisfaction in Fishtown over the last fifty years.