Legendary anchorman Ron Burgundy once said
women’s brains are a third the size of men’s. “It’s
science,” he said. Well, men aren’t necessarily
smarter than women – but they are happier, according
to two new studies from the University of
Pennsylvania.
This finding is the result of four decades of
research based on time-use studies, which are
surveys that ask pollsters how they feel when they
complete day-to-day activities. According to the
studies, men generally do not mind completing
tasks as much as women do. Women think of many
activities as “work,” whether they’re having friends
over, accomplishing household tasks (laundry) or
spending time with their parents.
Compared to women in the 1970s, women today
feel less happy when going about their lives. One
study shows that men have reduced the amount of
time they spend on unpleasant activities.
That’s not to say that all men are happier all the
time. A Pew Research Center report published in
2006 states that 26 percent of men ages 18 through
29 are less likely to be happier than men in other
age groups. Incidentally, women ages 18 through 29
aren’t much happier than the men. Women averaged
only four points higher, at 30 percent, than men.
The same Pew Center report, titled “Are We Happy
Yet?”, also states that 28 percent of men and women
ages 18 through 29 are less likely to be happy than
other age groups. (Who knew there was an upside
to turning 30?) And there’s good news for college
students, too – 42 percent of college graduates say
they are happy.
Happiness studies can illustrate a lot about our
society. For example, pet owners weren’t happier
than people who weren’t pet owners, yet parents
were happier than other people who weren’t parents.
This finding made the least sense of all. As far as
most of us are concerned, pets are bona fide family
members and loving companions.
One-third, or 34 percent, of Americans said they
were generally “very happy” with their lives, while
50 percent said they were “pretty happy.” Fifteen
percent said they weren’t too happy, and 1 percent
didn’t know.
One of the most familiar (and effective) marketing
techniques hinges on convincing people they will
achieve happiness by purchasing a certain product.
The truth is you can’t buy an iPhone or Bentley
without cash. Unsurprisingly, people with higher
incomes claimed to be happier.
However, a June 2006 study in a journal, Science,
called the happiness and higher income myth
“illusory.” This study said that people with higher
incomes tend to be more tense and have less time
for leisure. (Oh, so that’s why doctors, lawyers and
other high-earning professionals flock to the golf
course when they’re not on call.)
After looking at all this data, it seems like
nobody’s happy when stressed. Some imply the
modern woman’s unhappiness is attributed to how
women in the 1970s explored their possibilities
and limitations; in contrast, today, women have
increased responsibilities at work and at home,
either as parents or caregivers for their own aging
parents. For the 18 to 29 age group, stress comes
in several recognizable forms: college, first jobs and
serious relationships.
But there’s a difference between achieving goals
and enjoying life. For example, some people might
decide to turn down a job promotion when the extra
work takes away from time spent on day-to-day
pleasures, as basic as Internet surfing or as significant
as spending more time at home.
We can learn a thing or two from these employees.
We simply have to make time to do whatever makes
us happy, relaxed and fulfilled. We can read books,
hit the gym, volunteer at a soup kitchen or play
Halo until our eyes bleed (my pick). And if none of
those things work out, at least we can always look
forward to turning 30.