Deconstructing Lay Definitions of Happiness: Sources, Emotions, Rationale, Essence

Abstract

The aims of this study are to investigate definitions and explanations of the concept of happiness, and to introduce a model to classify lay definitions of happiness. This study is part of a longitudinal Croatian study on well-being (the CRO-WELL project). Answers to the open-ended question “What is happiness for you?” from a sample of adult Internet users (Nfemale= 1,036 and Nmale= 839; Mage=38) were analyzed. The definitions were classified regarding four perspectives based upon which question the respondents were assumed to have actually been answering, summarized as the RISE model: Rationale for Happiness – answering the question “How does happiness work?”; Impressions of Happiness – answering the question “How does it feel to be happy?”; Sources of Happiness – answering the question “What makes you happy?”; and the Essence of Happiness – answering the question “What is happiness?”

What is wellbeing and how do we measure and evaluate it?

“…There is also cultural context and shaping to lay definitions of wellbeing and therefore, when evaluating wellbeing changes as a result of an intervention, it is important to be aware of both these impacts on the intervention, and on what is being measured. For example, Kitayama and Park (2007) respondents appeared to be answering (Brkljačić et al 2020). Responses focused on "sources" of happinesssuch as family, relationships and healthleading the researchers to argue that that the results showed "a potential misalignment between lay and theoretical conceptualizations of happiness" (ibid: 8) and that future measurements should consider social sources and aspects of happiness, such as relationships and social experiences.…”