Measuring Happiness
by Colleen Blaine
Happiness, and emotions in general, is an abstract concept that means different things to different people. The Happiness and Values Creative Inquiry project, led by Natalie Vanelli, graduate student, and Dr. Cynthia Pury, both in the Department of Psychology, explores the complexities of decision-making as they affect long-term and short-term happiness. The team studies how people respond when they are faced with two equally favored options, and if their decisions positively affect their long-term happiness.
The main focus of this research is to measure happiness through the choices people make. Specifically, the team is investigating the correlation between happiness and decision-making by looking at specific domains: security; positive outlook; autonomy; relationships; skilled and meaningful activity; and contact with nature. Because these domains are difficult to track, the team created a scenariobased questionnaire that addresses each of these domains. The answers to the surveys allow the team to determine which domains respondents value the most, and therefore to understand how their decisions are based on these values.
“[This survey] will give us that hierarchy of where people think they place their values versus where they actually do in a real-world setting,” Anna Peterson, a junior psychology major, said.
The students in this project appreciate participating in a research project focused around a positive subject. “A lot of psychology studies are focused on the things that don’t make us happy, and I think this research is important to discovering more about where happiness comes from and how we can achieve more of it,” Mari Kilgus, a freshman psychology major, said.
Though in its infancy, the ultimate goal of this project is to understand how a person’s values align with the choices they make and how these choices inevitably affect their happiness. “People encounter situations where they have to choose between two pathways or decisions that represent what they value in the pursuit of their happiness,” Vanelli said. Through this Creative Inquiry project, people can better understand how the things they value affects their decision-making, and ultimately, their happiness.
CONTACT
Barbara J. Speziale
Director
(864)656-1550
bjspz@clemson.edu
Cora Allard-Keese
Assistant Director
(864)656-0721
callara@clemson.edu