Happiness Cross Cultural

Context
Unit 3
@Unexplored Literature
 Subtopics
● Culture And Happiness
● Interpersonal Relationships: Compatitive Perspective
● Towards Self Actualization
Video Links
Unit 1
https://youtu.be/OUO71R6jMig?si=8VX8GDGdT1CwUBhn
Unit 2
https://youtu.be/JD2LNSL_gj4?si=xqQ-sPwiwISOKmsU
 Culture And Happiness
● People around the world pursue happiness through different
means, depending on their culture, beliefs, and values.
● The cross-cultural difference in different countries can
influence the happiness of their people. Happiness is not only a
personal emotion but also a reflection of the culture we live in.
● Culture influences how we perceive happiness, what makes us
happy, and how we express happiness. But how? Well,
according to the Subjective Well-Being (SWB) International
surveys, consistent behaviour (mean levels) are different in
different nations which leads to differences in happiness in each
country.
● According to a study, culture plays a crucial role in shaping our
attitudes toward happiness. For instance, in some cultures,
satisfaction is associated with family, community, and social
relationships, while in others, it's more about individual
achievement, success, and material possessions. In collectivist
cultures, happiness is derived from social harmony, while in
individualistic cultures, happiness is often associated with
personal fulfillment and freedom.
● Organizations and communities can create a happy culture by
promoting values that foster happiness and well-being. This can be
achieved through policies that promote work-life balance,
employee engagement, and social connections.
● At the individual level, we can cultivate happiness by focusing on
gratitude, mindfulness, and positive self-talk. Cultivating positive
relationships with family, friends, and colleagues can also boost
our happiness levels. Learning to manage stress effectively and
taking care of our physical health through regular exercise and a
healthy diet are other ways to promote happiness and well-being.

● Within the framework of psychological research on happiness, a

happy person is characterized as someone who “has pleasant
feelings most of the time and feels satisfied with his/her life
overall” (Oishi & Gilbert, 2016, p. 54).
To most Americans, happiness is an unalienable human right and
is commonly associated with positive experiences as well as
personal achievements. When asked to describe features of
happiness, the Japanese, on the other hand, alluded to social
harmony, the transient nature of happiness, along with its socially
disruptive consequences. Cross-cultural studies on ideal affect have
revealed that while Americans associate happiness with high
arousal positive states such as elation, enthusiasm, and excitement,
Hong Kong Chinese define happiness through more low arousal
positive states (e.g., calm and relaxation).
 Interpersonal Relationships
● Psychology says that part of human nature’s default mode is to be social.
According to one theory — people have an innate (and very powerful) need to
form and maintain strong, stable interpersonal relationships.
● Heaps of research suggest that social connections make people happier.
Satisfying relationships not only make people happy, but they also associated
with better health and even longer life.
 Towards Self Actualization

Self-actualized people are those who are fulfilled and doing all they are
capable of. It refers to the person's desire for self-fulfillment, namely to
the tendency for him to become actualized in what he is potentially.
● self-actualization can generally be thought of as the full realization of
one's creative, intellectual, and social potential through internal drive
(versus for external rewards like money, status, or power).
● “Self-actualization is the realization or fulfillment of one’s full talents
and potentialities. It is the process of fully developing oneself
physically, mentally, and spiritually”
~Maslow https://youtu.be/JD2LNSL_gj4?si=xqQ-
sPwiwISOKmsU