Culture s Role in Happiness

When it comes to happiness, culture plays a big role. For years researchers have pondered whether or not happiness is a universal trait. Many have concluded that most people across the globe do desire some form and degree of happiness.

But that pursuit of happiness varies greatly depending on one's culture and circumstances. For example, no surprise - very poor nations and those in dramatic political change invariably report the lowest levels of subjective well-being. Conversely, many of the wealthy and democratic Scandinavian countries consistently report the highest levels of happiness.

But a culture can also be poor in resources and rich in happiness as well. Latin American nations, as an example, appear to have a more positive orientation and value happiness more than other countries. At the other end of the scale, East Asian nations often place other values ahead of happiness, such as mastery and pleasing one's family or group.

How we define happiness has as much to do with our cultural influences as it does with our personality, goals and other individual factors. What this means that while most people in practically every society likely desire some form of well-being (both psychologically and physically), what they value will greatly determine what shape that pursuit of happiness will take. That's why it may be perhaps folly to believe that every nation on Earth must replicate the highly individualistic tendencies of the United States, despite its potential benefits. The fact that other nations can show high levels of stability and well-being, even within a more pluralistic or communal society, strongly suggests there is plenty of room for more than one model. What's perhaps important is that each culture find its own sources of well-being and maximize them.

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