Levels and predictors of happiness in the south of the Islamic Republic of Iran

Abstract

Background: Happiness is considered an index of the development of human society and well-being in the world. Aims: The aim of this study was to measure the level of happiness (LoH) in a middle sized Iranian city (Kerman) using 2 instruments and the predictor factors. Methods: In a cross-sectional study, 1000 adults were questioned using multi-stage cluster sampling in 2016. The LoH was assessed using the Oxford Happiness Inventory (OHI) and a self-report questionnaire. The level of physical activity and the religion index were assessed using standard questionnaires. Results: The results of 2 questionnaires had a statistically significant correlation with measuring LoH (Pearson correlation coefficient 0.69; P-value < 0.001). Around 90% of participants stated that they had moderate to high LoH, but the mean happiness score based on the OHI was 43.2 (43.7 in men, 42.7 in women). Illiteracy, unemployment, divorce, living in deprived areas, high level of stress, weak religious beliefs and practice, lower income, and poor health significantly 1 / 13 WHO EMRO | Levels and predictors of happiness in the south of the Islamic Republic of Iran decreased the LoH score. Conclusion: LoH is relatively low in Kerman. There are effective evidence-based interventions that might promote the LoH of the population, including promoting the level of community health, educating for stress management and improving access to urban facilities in deprived areas.

A study of Happiness in the Islamic Republic of Iran’s work communities

“…In some other studies, happiness was higher in men than in women (14,15). In other studies, there was no significant association between gender and happiness score (5).…”

“…Another cross-sectional study was done on 1000 adults in Kerman, Iran, in 2017 using the Oxford Happiness Inventory. In that study, the mean (SD) happiness score for the study sample was 43.24 (15.8) in a range from zero to 87( 5 ).…”

“…Workers with a university education had higher happiness scores than lower educational statuses. Results of most studies showed that people with high education levels have higher happiness scores ( 5 , 19 ). Other studies have shown inconsistent results ( 14 , 16 , 19 ).…”

“…In a survey carried out in Thailand on happiness in the workforce in small and medium-sized companies, 3 factors were found to be effective including ( 1 ) proper relationship coupled with honesty, altruism, and unity of individuals ( 2 ) proper quality of work-life due to positive and peaceful workplace ( 3 ) leadership sustaining support, promotion of happiness, and mutual cooperation ( 5 ).…”

Long-Term Trend in the Association Between Disaster Damage and Happiness Before and After the Great East Japan Earthquake

“…Happiness is a component of well-being and refers to positive emotions that reflect an individual's life satisfaction [1,2]. While happiness itself is a highly valued outcome [3], it is also associated with health outcomes such as mental health [2,[4][5][6] and suicide [7][8][9] as well as health behaviors such as drinking [10,11], healthy dietary habits [11][12][13][14][15], smoking [10,11,15], and physical activity [10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22]. Some of these associations are likely to be due to reverse causation, that is, poor sleep causing unhappiness.…”