STAGE ONE REPORT IS IT POSSIBLE FOR INDIVIDUAL’S TO ACHIEVE HAPPINESS IN A MODERN PRESSURED SOCIETY?
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INTRODUCTION
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LIT - REVIEW
CONTENTS PAGE
SECTION THREE
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METHODOLOGY
QUESTIONNAIRE
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MAIN FINDINGS SECTION ONE
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CONCLUSION
SUGGESTIONS ETHICS CLAUSE
5 AIMS
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LIT - REVIEW
OBJECTIVES
INTRODUCTION
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LIT - REVIEW
SECTION ONE
METHODOLOGY
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LIT - REVIEW
SECTION TWO
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METHODOLOGY
RESEARCH GAP
INTRODUCTION SAMPLE GROUP
SECONDARY SAMPLE GROUP
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METHODOLOGY 7 DAY JOURNAL INTERVIEWS
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MAIN FINDINGS
METHODOLOGY
MAIN FINDINGS
LIMITATIONS
INTRODUCTION
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SECTION TWO
MAIN FINDINGS
SECTION THREE
KEY INSIGHTS
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REFERENCES
BIBLIOGRAPHY
ILLISTRATIONS APPENDIX
INTRO DUCTION
This body of work will discuss the positive effects that psychology has on human emotions and whether it is completely possible for an individual to achieve this ideal level of happiness that is portrayed by society. Further in the report, research has been carried out both primary and secondary to analyse a variety of topics which will hopefully gain insights on how different individuals have their own ideas of what happiness means to them. Furthermore, research will be carried out to look into how individuals emotional state has an effect on the way we dress each day and also how different industries sell us as consumers the idea of happiness whether this be through experiences or an ideal lifestyle. To achieve some accurate findings of the chosen topic the report will typically focus on all generations as happiness is not confined to a single generation. However, further on, part of the research will divert into specifically looking into Generation Z (ages 18-24) and Baby Boomers (ages 55-65) for a subsection of the report. The reasoning for this is to be able to investigate how different generational ends of the spectrum interpret their own happiness. The previous report, future thinking, gave me insights into how different age groups are interpreting their own idea of health and wellbeing and how individuals are taking an impact on their overall level of happiness and life satisfaction due to societal perceptions and pressures. The report highlighted the question that is it really possible for us to achieve authentic happiness? Or is it just the way industries are selling this idea of happiness that we consider that be joy and life satisfaction. In this report it will utilise both primary and secondary research to answer the question and the aims and objectives of the report. Furthermore, the report will be conclusive of a literature review which will provide a broad range of research alongside theories and evidence to support the aims and objectives. This will be followed by an extensive range of primary research which will allow further discussion. The report will conclude by gathering the research and identifying the key insights from the body of work which will also produce a set of recommendations for the stage 2 report.
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AIMS & OBJECTIVES AIM:
OBJECTIVES
The aim of this report is to find out if it is completely possible for individuals to achieve happiness in modern society or whether societal pressures are forcing them to believe they are happy.
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Define what happiness means through grounded theories and historical discussion.
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Define what factors determine and affect our happiness.
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To investigate how different generational ends of the spectrum interpret happiness.
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To define what effects positive psychology has on individual emotions.
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To seek out if clothing has an affect on our psychological process.
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To explore how industries are selling happiness.
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LITERATURE REVIEW
This segment will use a thematic literature review method which is defined as a way to present a variety of themes or topics that are common across all literature to help exam various perspectives in regards to the phenomenon in question through converging research approaches, methodologies and findings (Muratovski, 2016, p.33). Theories and psychological evidence will be discussed which will explain the true meaning of this idea of authentic happiness, but also discuss whether it is truly possible for us as individuals to achieve a grounded state of content and happiness. The trends within the topic were discovered through an extensive range of secondary research surrounding the topic of happiness which will then be discussed by categorising into different sub headings in order to analyse the research thoroughly. This secondary research will act as a springboard for the primary research by assessing what gaps arose from the secondary research or topics that can be discussed further to find more in depth research.
INTRODUCTION
This section will explore whether it is completely possible to be authentically happy, but also start defining what happiness means and how positive psychology has an effect on our happiness. This will be conducted through secondary research whilst integrating different theories and studies to support the findings.
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Defining happiness & what factors determine individual perceptions of happiness.
SECTION ONE Ever since the late 1980’s subjective well-being measurers have established researchers to investigate both internal and external factors in order to answer the question of who is happy, and when do people feel happy? (Uchida, 2016). Research around happiness determines and isolates that measure of various factors of human well-being. Life satisfaction, family inheritance are major factors relating to possible influences on individual levels of happiness (Frye, 2018). In regards to this it instigates the question of how do different factors have an affect on individual levels of happiness, but also what makes particular generations happier than others? The historical discussion to define happiness tends to fall within two categories, moral-laden and morally neutral. Moral-laden definitions build around moral values, as with Aristotles definition of happiness. Aristotle (Burton, 2017) acknowledges that good & bad fortunes can be a determining factor of our happiness. Aristotle recognises that our individual happiness can be affected by distinctive aspects such as our material circumstances and our position in society, however, he maintains that by living our life to its maximum potential, we are compelled to emerge as happy regardless. Whereas morally-neutral definitions prevent from building on oral values and in a sense expresses that an individual might be happy but not satisfied. Psychologists’ cultivate on the variations of happiness which are defined by exercising virtues along with overall levels of happiness, satisfaction levels, circumstances that are beyond our control, and voluntary actions that persevere positive attitudes and experiences (Martin, 2007). In correspondence to the objectives outlined at the beginning of the report, historical research shows that happiness on individual levels stems from societal factors and social status, but also external factors affect this by events that are beyond our control.
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Generally speaking happiness is cohesive to positive emotions in regards to the pleasurable activities we take part in. Numerous emotions such as; pleasure, comfort, gratitude, hope and inspiration are among the frequent positive emotions that increase our happiness and guide us to flourish (Nelson, 2019). From this we raise questions in relation to the report by asking whether it is truly possible for these deciding factors to influence how we perceive happiness and how different aspects can please some more than others. From recent scientific perspectives happiness focuses on the psychological sense of happiness. The main variables that play into this in the sense of hedonism. Hedonist’s identify happiness and well-being alongside experiences of pleasure comparable with the life satisfaction theory & emotional state theory (Haybron, 2019).
LIFE SATISFACTION THEORY Created by Diener in 1984, the essence of the life satisfaction theory is to evaluate how the individuals life is going based on the idea that overall life satisfaction in the sum of multiple parts (Michalos, 2014). This idea is that each person has a set of goals which does not assess satisfaction with domains such as health or finance but allows subjects to integrate and weight these domains in whatever way they choose (Fetzer Institute, No Date). However, some of these goals are likely to change throughout different stages of their life, but they still tend to be adequately stable in the present and the past whether or not they have achieved certain goals in a specific time frame. Within the given situation about whether our lives cohesively align with our individual ideal life-plan the judgements that arise from these situation is what forms up the life satisfaction theory (Suikkanen, 2011). The idea behind this theory is that the individual is happy when they are satisfied with their life.
EMOTIONAL STATE THEORY The emotional state theory originates from hedonism, instead of determining happiness with enjoyment, it identifies happiness with an emotional quality as a combination. This consists of nonexperimental factors of emotions and moods and eliminates pleasures that do not precisely involve the emotional state of the individual (Haybron, 2019). With the life satisfaction theory it is feasible to speculate that there would be a momentous rise within baby boomers to be more satisfied with their lives, due to a much longer existence, Which is accurate, as 43% of baby boomers reported that they were living fully and significantly and overall more satisfied with various aspects of their life which included independence, purpose of value, social status and financial health. Whereas only 26% of Generation Z would consider themselves living the same substantial life (The Economist, No Date). With this comes the possibility of the baby boom generation accomplishing certain life ambitions sooner throughout various point of their life, indicating that it could have considerably helped aligned with their individual ideal lifeplan. In contrast Generation Z have had a noticeable shorter existence, therefore, anticipating to have a much lower satisfaction rate in ratio to baby boomers. According to research Generation Z are considered the loneliest generation caused by factors between sleep, social media, gun violence and sexual harassment (Western Governors University, 2019). As a result this could mean that the older generation are much happier due to a lengthened presence and less societal factors affecting their wellbeing, or could it be due to societal & political pressures forced upon the younger generation in order to succeed that is having an over riding effect on their happiness?
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SECTION TWO With a number of negative moods effecting our levels of happiness like anger, anxiety and depression, a single positive mood is usually connected to individual happiness which is described as joy (Argyle, 2001). Despite the statement that happiness is associated with one singular mood it has been stated that numerous positive factors can have a lasting effect on our happiness which are inclusive of personal interest, contentment and love all of which urge individuals to explore, play and feel safe (Fredrickson, 2004) indefinitely, leading us to think positive and ignite our brain to be happy. Studies have suggested that the brain acknowledges positive emotions through the limbic cortex along with the precuneus which focuses on the surrounding environment and events generating the influx of positive emotions and converting it into feelings of happiness (Schulman-Seladi, 2018). Based on scientific research of how the brain reacts to positive emotions, links can start to be formed to the objectives by analysing how various industries play with these emotions in order to engage with consumers by connecting on an emotional level with them through brand messages and marketing.
In recent studies positive psychology has begun developing research into what thoughts, actions and behaviours are allowing us to be more productive at work, but also what makes us happier in our personal relationships and feel more fulfilled at the end of each day (Nelson, 2019). Research conducted by Stanford University (Miller, 2019) that was published in the journal of neuroscience discovered that individuals with a higher presence of the 5-HTTLPR gene, which is a serotonin transporter gene that is primarily associated with amygdala’s repose during negative emotions (Kobiella, 2011). Individuals with a higher presence of the gene self-reported greater levels of overall life satisfaction and happiness. However the study did not define the gene as the happiness gene, but it did equate 33% of subjective happiness with the genetic variation. The founder of positive psychology, Martin Seligman, identifies happiness as experiencing an influx of positive emotions that combine with deeper feelings and purpose (Dowthwaite, 2018). Thus implying that a positive mindset in conjunction with an optimistic outlook for the future is the goal to achieving real authentic happiness. Positive psychology has been defined to three paths which lead to happiness: the pleasant life, the good life and the meaningful life. (Psychology today, No Date).
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Effects of positive psychology on happiness
THE PLEASANT LIFE
The pleasant life is one of three paths to happiness, The pleasant life often refers to the enjoyment of sensory pleasures such as food, aromas, music, rollercoasters, sex and hot showers, described as the thing that make you go, “Ahh..” (Wallin, 2008). The pleasant life path can be a dangerous experimental choice, by choosing to select to only pay attention to the things that are pleasant in life which can then result in a distorted view of reality and the modern society (Schenck, No Date). From this it can be clearly identified that pleasure seeking behaviours cause short term pleasure and only add to temporary boost of happiness to our brain, therefore not having a lasting affect.
THE GOOD LIFE
The good life is associated with engaging deeply in all the facets of each individuals life usually involving a task, a project or an activity, as well as physical or mental challenges (Prevost, 2013). When engagement is ignited with different tasks along these levels the brain experiences a sensation called ‘flow’ which is caused by using your signature strengths. Flow can be described as a sensation where time seems to stand still, but in reality flies by, but also feels effortless when faced with an extremely difficult task (What is Flow Theory, 2017). This sensation forces the brain to loose track of time whilst you are performing to your maximum potential in a task of enjoyment, after the brain feels exhilarated rather than drained, releasing bursts of happiness.
THE MEANINGFUL LIFE
The meaningful life consists of knowing what your highest strengths are and using them to belong to something that is larger than you, typically things such as marriage, family and religion are included (Psychology and ELT, 2015). The path of the meaningful life is typically fixating all your strengths towards a purpose of helping others or for the greater good (Reyes, 2017). When an individual pursues all their strength to something greater than them this frequently has a deeper and more dominating effect on our happiness.
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Clothing may not seem to have an impact on our psychological moods, however according to studies, the different types of clothing we wear has a significant effect on our behaviour, attitudes, personality, mood, confidence and social interaction, commonly described as enclothed cognition (Sarda, J, No Date). Described as the systematic influences that have an impact on the individual’s psychological process, often consisting of two factors - “the symbolic meaning of clothes and the physical experiences of wearing them” (Adam, 2012). With research suggesting that the clothing we wear influences our psychological mindset in conjunction with our performance levels, scientific findings have validated that individuals can deliberately choose to wear clothing that will instigate different psychological states as well as performance levels dedicated to particular assignments (VanSonnenberg, 2012). This then starts to link back to the objectives by proposing the idea that different items of clothing can have an affect on our psychological state depending on our mindset.
Current research has explored the effected of enclothed cognition by examining the effects of wearing a lab coat. Lab coats are generally correlated with diligence and attentiveness. The study predicted that wearing a lab coat would boost performance on attention in relation to multiple tasks due to the symbolic meaning and physical experience of the white lab coat (Van Stockum, 2014). In the first experiment participants wearing the white lab coat visibly showed signs of increased attention in comparison to participants not wearing a lab coat. During the second and third experiment participants wearing the lab coat described as a doctor’s coat demonstrated increased sustained attention compared to participants described as wearing a white painters coats who showed no signs of increased attention or attentiveness (Adam, 2012). The current study suggests an essential assumption of enclothed cognition is in affect depending on the significant meaning and psychical experiences of wearing clothes, thus having an impact on the psychological affects that clothing has on individuals psychological process.
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Psychological process of clothing
SECTION THREE
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Colours, lights, textures, new experience and environments all have a lasting effect upon the brains psychological process. Neurologically our brains are programmed to heighten our senses and acknowledge the changing environment surrounding us, inducing a dramatic effect upon the brain leading us to feel euphoric based upon distinctive colours (Baines, No Date). Studies dated as far back as the 1930’s suggests that individuals associated colours with specific feelings and metaphors such as red representing anger and blue representing serenity (How colours affect your mood, 2015). Perceptions of colour may be subjective, however, some colours have universal meaning. Colours that are part of the red spectrum known as warm colours which include red, orange, and yellow evoke emotions such as warmth, comfort, feelings of anger and hostility, whilst colours from the blue spectrum, identified as cool colours which comprise of blue, purple and green are described as calm, and invoke feelings of sadness (Cherry, 2019). With colours affecting our emotional mindset this suggests that brand psychology could be effecting our urge to purchase from certain brands. Colour is a determining factor for brands to utilise within marketing to engage the unconscious mindset of the consumer by using strategical colours such as red for sale items. This is due to our minds perceiving the colour red as a conveying sign of urgency arousing the emotional perception to the consumer in order for brand to capitalise on colour psychology (Fifteen, No Date).
Research gap analysis Throughout the literature review, several gaps and opportunities within the research have been acknowledged in order for further analysis, however, from the research it is evident that there is a lack of understanding and data involving individual emotions throughout the day and what is provoking these fluctuations of numerous emotions, therefore allowing for further research to be obtained through primary research in order to bring elements of this topic together. It Is evident that the data collected has heavily relied on data such as case studies and grounded theories in order to strengthen the understanding of how psychology affects our individual emotions specifically in relation the the objectives outlined at the beginning of the report. Finally the literature review has been notably strong in identifying potential recommendation for stage 2 based upon the theories suggesting individuals are prone to opting for a more holistic and extravagant outlook for the future in order to obtain a substantial balance of well-being.
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METHODOLOGY
INTRODUCTION
Throughout the project both primary and secondary research methods were utilised to ensure a wide scope and balanced study which aids and validates insights gained throughout the work. During the project a mixed method triangulation approach was used (See Appendix) which can be defined as bringing a range of different methods together such as qualitative & quantitate data in order to gain an equitable debate (Muratovski, 2016, p.39). Qualitative research explores attitudes, behaviours and experiences through methods such as interviews or focus groups in order to gain in-depth opinions from participants (Dawson, 2019, p.12). Quantitative research is an empirical method that uses numeric and quantifiable data to reach a conclusion, research is based on experimentation or an objective and systematic statistics (Muratovski, 2016, p.106).
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SAMPLE GROUP
The secondary research findings suggested that Baby Boomers (55-65) were considerably happier and more content with their lives than in contrast to Generation Z (18-24) who seem to be taking an impact on their happiness due to societal pressures. Throughout the primary research a section of the findings will focus on Baby Boomers and Gen Z in order to gain some insight to whether the statement of Baby Boomers being happier and more content with their lives is true. Throughout the remaining body of work primary research was conducted on all age groups, the reasoning for this is due to happiness not being confined to a single generation and happiness being universal, but also within quantitive research a larger sample often means more accuracy to your findings (Dawson, 2019, p.44). Furthermore both men and women will be analysed, with a core focus on their happiness and whether the research reflects any signs of distinction between the genders.
SECONDARY RESEARCH Various resources of secondary data were analysed to carry out a thorough literature review, which allowed for information that has already been published on the subject to recognise the key themes that allowed for further research. These sources included Journals accessed via library one search, books that were available in the library and online ebooks, articles which allowed for an extensive range of knowledgable statistics. Studies and grounded theories were also researched surrounding the subject matter. Reviewing these secondary sources allowed access to a vast set of theories and historical psychological research that would not have been reachable through primary data collection. However, a disadvantage of secondary data collection is down to not knowing how the data was collected and to what extent the original researchers went to ensure validity or quality of the data (Foley, 2018). Additionally sources of secondary research were collected which included ted talks, YouTube videos to explain some theories and subsection of theories in more detail, websites, online blogs for a comprehensive overview of the topic. However, a limitation to these sources is that they lack supporting scientific and psychological data, but did nevertheless allow for a wider understanding of certain topics raised from the literature review.
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ONLINE QUESTIONNAIRE
PRIMARY RESEARCH
The first method applied in the project was an online questionnaire. This method aimed to bridge some of the gaps that were identified within the gap analysis of the literature review with up to date qualitative & quantitative data, which is relevant to positive psychology and the fluctuations of emotions throughout the day. The reasoning for this method being used is to be able to documents individuals characteristics, options and attitudes towards the subject (Muratovski, 2016, p.110). The questionnaire allowed for insights on how individuals felt throughout various times of the day. However, this research method is imperfect as it did not allow for much explanation for the reasoning of the answers of participants. The questionnaire gained a total of 105 responses, 14 of this being male, and 91 of the respondents being female across all age ranges. Ages ranged from 18-65 years of age, the response rate was not considered as high, however, it increased confidence from the question raised from the secondary research that multiple fluctuations of emotions are experienced throughout various times of the day, but also gave killer insights on what time of the day individuals felt happiest, to least happiest. One limitation from this research method is that the limited number of male respondents did not compare to that of female respondents, thus highlighting the matter of how males felt throughout each day was not substantial.
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7 DAY EMOTION JOURNAL
The second method carried out within the report was an online week long diary for participants to fill out in order to observe how different responsibilities throughout the day have an affect on individuals emotions. The sample for this method used two Baby Boomers ages 56 & 64 and two Gen Z participants ages 21 & 19 in order to gain further insights into the objective of how different generational ends of the spectrum interpret their own idea of happiness, and to see whether the statement which Baby Boomers are happier and more content than Gen Z is accurate. The research allowed for extensive insights into how individuals felt throughout various times of the day and how often individuals moods changed when engaged with different activities. The research was carried out after the questionnaire failed to give deeper insights on what was affecting these mood changes throughout the day, therefore, giving a much more in depth analysis of what affects our positive emotions in comparison to our negative emotions. The diary consists of two participants, part of the Baby Boom generation, a male aged 56 and a female aged 64 and two participants, part of Generation Z, a male aged 21 and a female aged 19 in order to give a balanced insights to how these contrasting generations perceive happiness. However, the disadvantage of the research was during the time the diary was conducted, as the diary was conducted over New Years Eve this may have had an effect on individual’s emotions as work was not a deciding factor that played into their emotions throughout the duration of the week, whereas if the diary was conducted throughout any other week of the year, work life would have been a key aspect in deciding their emotions.
1 TO 1 INTERVIEWS The third method used within the project contained 1 to 1 interviews with participants in order to gain an insight into what sort of things influence their happiness, and whether they thought different industries are trying to sell us happiness through advertising, experiences or an ideal lifestyle. The interviews were carried out in a structured style, this meaning a series of questions were presented to the participant and boxes were ticked accordingly to the response of the participant (Dawson, 2019, p.22). The interviews were not carried out in a focus group format as this proved to have many disadvantages as some individuals may feel uncomfortable speaking in a group, not all participants may want to contribute and other participants may contaminate an individuals views on a topic (Dawson, 2019, p.24). The sample for the interviews contained 3 participants aged 18-24 (Gen Z), 3 participants aged 45-55 (Gen X), and 3 participants aged 55-65 (Baby Boomers). Reasoning for this is to understand what actions are formulating happiness within each generation, and to investigate how individuals are buying into the idea that happiness can be obtained through experience or an ideal lifestyle that is portrayed through brand marketing.
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LIMITATIONS Although limitations from each subsection of primary research was highlighted under each sub heading, limitations are still present with participants not being honest or authentic in their answers to question, thus not guaranteeing honesty and reliability within the research. Particularly with the online questionnaire as results cannot be moderated. Despite this, the triangulation method ensures a higher grade of authenticity and legitimacy. Furthermore, an immense limitation that exists within the research is the difficulty to obtain industry interviews, as these responses proved to be difficult to collect. Even so attempts were made to connect with industry professionals through LinkedIn and article websites such the conversation, and over 50 attempts were made to contact these professionals to answer questions, however none of them were willing to respond to emails and questions in order to aid my research. (See Appendix)
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MAIN BODY FINDINGS
INTRODUCTION This section will allow for further discussion and analytical debate, where research will answer the issues raised from the literature review. This will be justified through primary research findings which explored how individuals experience fluctuations of emotions throughout the day based upon their responsibilities during the day, but also discover how individuals are interpreting how brands are using marketing in order to sell an ideal lifestyle in order to be happy. However throughout the findings, new findings will be introduced throughout contracting statements from the secondary findings.
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Correlation between times of the day and individuals emotional state
SECTION ONE Emotions have an important role in how we behave and think. The emotions we embody throughout the day can urge us to take action and influence the decisions we make in our lives (Cherry, 2019). With this being said it was crucial to figure out how individual’s actions throughout the day are influencing their emotional state, but also would be insightful to look at what factors are influencing individual’s to be happy in order to answer the objective as to how society interpret their happiness. The online questionnaire explored deeper into when individual’s felt happiest to least happiest and what factors were determining this, the questionnaire found that a variety of individual’s felt happiest during the evenings due to the feeling of being more relaxed and content due to them being at home with family and not at work. A majority of respondents said they felt happiest during the evenings which accumulated 50 responses out of 105 (See Appendix). With this considered to be the happiest time of the day from the questionnaire a correlation between other countries such as Mexico, US, France and Australia can be made as this is considered to be when individuals are at their happiest as they are more likely to have finished work and chores and are ready to unwind (RealityMine, 2016). Following on from the question as to when individual’s felt happiest a common recurrence from the results was that respondents felt that family and being at home had a noticeable impact on their happiness in comparison to when they were at work as 55 respondence considered the mornings to be when they were least happiest (See Appendix). It was then promoted for respondents to give reasoning as to why they felt least happiest during this time of the day, which gained responses such as “I am either at work or getting ready to go to a job I hate”, “Feeling tired less energy” and “I have to get out of bed and start doing things”.
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The data collected from the questionnaire supports the concept that the decisions and action we make throughout the day has a significant impact on our emotional state which can be linked to happiness. As a result happiness can be defined as things containing contentment and love which was identified within the effects of positive psychology on happiness in the secondary findings. Furthermore this can be supported by the findings from the questionnaire as individuals were asked to identify what makes them happy which received responses correlating to the statement by respondents stating: “Relaxing, spending time with loved ones makes me happy”, “Spending time with my son or friends”, “Family, staying healthy, seeing friends and relaxing at home”.
“Because I have a whole day infront of me, and a typical day for me often consists of anxiety and worries”.
“The time when I most think and reflect on the day. It’s where I think that things should be better and how to deal things in the future better”.
In correlation with the evidence from the questionnaire results from the week long diary that was carried out also gave insights that participants seemed happiest in the evening displaying emotions such as cheerfulness and calmness more frequently after they have finished any work related activities.
“Because I have a whole day infront of me, and a typical day for me often consists of anxiety and worries”.
From the questionnaire that was conducted links to the objectives can start to be formed with supporting evidence that shows action and behaviours are allowing us to be more productive throughout the day, but also be happier in our personal relationships with family and friends.
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Comparison between Baby Boomers and Gen Z, who is really happier? A common theme that was detected within the secondary research is that Baby Boomers are supposedly more content and happier with their life than Gen Z, this is due to Generation Z taking an impact on their happiness due to society forcing them to over achieve and strive for unreachable goals within their lifetime. However, an online week long diary as part of my primary findings was conducted to understand whether this was true. (See Appendix)
SECTION TWO
Within the findings it distinctively demonstrates that the proclamation that Baby Boomers are more joyful was inaccurate. From the results it is visible that Baby Boomers are more often lonely than in comparison to Generation Z. In fact throughout the week the diary was conducted it proved that participant number 4 displayed loneliness 5 times more than any participants from Gen Z. This was due to the factor of them being all alone at home with nobody to interact with which seemed to be a common theme within both participants 3 & 4 of the Baby Boom generation, whereas Participants 1 & 2 from Gen Z displayed no signs of loneliness throughout the duration of the week, therefore, diminishing the statement that the Baby Boom generation are more content with their lives. As a matter of fact it can be seen from the results that participant 3 was considerably gloomy and angry more often than any of the participants from Generation Z when at work. Throughout the duration of the week participant 3 displayed active signs that whenever they were at work their sign of emotions displayed gloomy and angry. When matching this to participants 1 & 2 it can be analysed that they were more cheerful and calm whilst at workwith statements providing evidence such as: “Quite an easy day at work; feeling like I’ve accomplished a fair amount on the first day back”, “Having a laugh at work with my mates and decided to go for a Nando’s after work”. In contrast statements from participant 3 clearly shows signs that similar emotions are not displayed when at work as statements from participant 3 read as followed: “Being at work makes me gloomy”, which seemed to be an indisputable theme throughout the week.
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With the statements provided from participants 1 & 2 throughout the week whilst at work it shows evident signs that Generation Z seem to be more content with themselves when they have achieved a substantial amount of work throughout the day. This can be further back up with studies expressing that 74% of millennial job candidates desire a job where their work matters (Taylor, 2019). Although despite the argument that Baby Boomers are not as content with their lives seems more evident as the diary manages to justify that participants 3 & 4 experienced a lot more negative emotions. However, when analysing the diaries it can be seen that the Baby Boom generation seem to be more cheerful and calm when given the opportunity to enjoy the simple things in life, such as participant 3 expressing how cheerful and calm they were when watching the TV before going to bed in conjunction with participant 4 displaying numerous signs of positive emotions when playing online social media games. Additionally the same set of emotions were not displayed in participants 2 who was frequently exposed to feeling tense as a result of pressures surrounding university work over the holidays, however this emotional state of feeling tense seems to disappear when there focus was pulled towards another activity such as when they are out with friends & family.
From the diary that was completed over the New Year clear evidence can start to be linked to how different generational ends of the spectrum interpret their own idea of happiness, but additionally the research findings were able to distinguish flaws within the secondary research by counteracting the statement that Baby Boomers were the happier generation.
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How brands are using marketing in order to sell happiness
Our overall level of happiness and well-being is provided through a variety of factors and emotions, some of which have a lasting effect on our mindset whilst some having little to no effect. The results from the one to one interviews has provided essential insights into what factors increase overall levels of happiness. 5 out of 9 respondents stated that family was the most important factor that influenced their happiness, additionally as seen from the results from the online questionnaire the older generation seem to all have cohesive answers as to what makes them happy with numerous respondents from the questionnaire answering with the same response that spending time with family is the most important aspect of their happiness. (See Appendix) Further on from the results of the one to one interviews links can be formed back to the objectives as 6 of the respondents agreed that luxury brands are trying to evoke happiness portrayed as an aspired lifestyle through marketing. In 2017 the university of Oxford stated that the world has more reasons than ever to be happier in all most every way which is reflected in the world of advertising, as research shows the percentage of companies evoking happiness in ad campaigns rose from 7% in 2017 to 12% in 2018 (Woodford, 2019).
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SECTION THREE
This section of the discussion will utilise one to one interviews in order to gain some insights into what factors influence participant’s overall level of happiness and whether they believe if brands are having a lasting affect on our positive emotions through marketing, lifestyle and experiences.
From the one to one interviews that were carried out for further discussion it can be recognised that a consistent statement was agreed upon by all 9 of the respondents, this was that happiness can be obtained through experiences. (See Appendix) During the interview process participants were shown a set of two images one of a hotel resort in the Caribbean, the other a photo of materialistic goods, participants were then asked what is the emotion you most relate with the image. (See Appendix) Participants all answered with positive emotions such as: joy, excitement and relaxation to the image of the hotel resort in comparison to the image of materialistic were only two of the respondents related the image with positive emotions. This suggests that individuals investing in experiences rather than materialistic goods are more likely to obtain happiness than an individual splurging on materialistic items. Psychological studies have also shown that experiences are generally more relent to out sense of selfs than that of materialistic possession (Petersen, 2018).
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KEY INSIGHTS
KEY INSIGHTS 1-
In retrospect it is commonly understood that each individual has their own interpretation of what happiness means to them.
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Many individuals seem at their happiest during the evenings caused by factors that have a crucial role into their own idea of happiness.
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Despite secondary findings stating that Baby Boomers are more content with their lives that Gen Z, research that has been collected proved that Gen Z are more content and happier with their lives because of achievement in their career.
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It is clear that brands are starting to use happiness as a marketing strategy in order to engage with consumers to promote ideal and fantasy lifestyles.
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Although materialistic goods hold personal value to some individuals it is evident that investing into experiences is generally a more effective way of achieving happiness.
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CONCLUSION & SUGGESTIONS
This body of research has throughly uncovered the multiple ways in which individual’s interpret their own happiness, which has allowed for substantial amount of research into a variety of themes based upon generational interpretation and grounded historical psychological theories. The literature review uncovered the broader topics on how psychology has an effect on our emotional state with theories based around positive psychology along with various studies conducted by academics and philosophers alike. The primary findings explored all the multiple ways that numerous individual’s interpret their happiness and what factors have a role in their path to achieving authentic happiness. Although it has been identified within the literature review that happiness is cohesive to positive emotions in regards to the activities individuals pursue along side the ability to seek out new experiences and exposure to colours, lights and textures which all have a lasting affect on out emotional state. Research conducted throughout the report has suggested that authentic happiness is reachable but hard to maintain due to societal pressures and numerous negative emotions having an impact on individual mindset’s, thus having an effect on the ability to always be happy in an uncertain society.
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SUGGESTIONS
1-
Explore into how colours, lights and textures can be elevated to positively impact the mindset of individuals.
2-
Explore a business concept that incorporates experiences which is able to stimulate the sense and ignite positive emotions
3-
To create a communicative experience that allows for individuals to pursue their own personalised interpretation of happiness.
I can confirm that this work has gained ethical approval and that I have faithfully observed the terms of approval in the conduct of this body of work. Signed: Callum Williamson Date: 27th January 2020 Word Count: 6596
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