The Measurement and Explanation of Happiness

Affective happiness, cognitive happiness and overall happiness are usually measured with survey questions. The reliability and validity of the answers are acceptable, even if people can be somewhat ‘positive’, for psychological or strategic reasons. The measurement of evaluative happiness is easier than the measurement of affective happiness. This is one reason to focus primarily on evaluative happiness as a standard in personal life and in politics. Another more fundamental reason is that evaluative happiness is based on standards people have adopted or accepted themselves. A focus on evaluative happiness may never imply that affective happiness will be ignored. There is no general theory for the explanation of happiness, but there are explanations for differences in average happiness in nations and in individual happiness within nations. The explanations of the dramatic differences in average evaluative happiness in nations, with factors related to objective realities, are effective. This is an indication that the comparability of happiness is at least reasonable. It is also an indication that the impact of objective realities is not fully overruled by anything else, like cultural or social-psychological differences, or differences in average national personality or genetics. The explanations of differences in individual happiness within nations are not effective. This might be a consequence of a lack of information about individual differences in long-term affective happiness, and in individual characteristics related to personality and genetics. A more fundamental reason might be a lack of comparability of individual happiness within nations.