30/04/2013
Workplace Happiness Lecture
Key Questions
• What is happiness?
• Why is happiness important?
• Cognitive Lens: How do we
understand/misunderstand what will make us
happy at work?
• Situational Lens: When are people happy at
work?
• Trait Lens: Who is happy at work?
What is Happiness?
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30/04/2013
What is Happiness?
• Happiness:
– an emotional state.
– how you feel about yourself and the world.
• Satisfaction with Life:
– more global judgment about your acceptance with
your life conditions.
– more of a cognitive assessment.
What is Happiness?
2 pathways to well‐being
Promoting positive states
• Hope
• Optimism
• Empathy
• Courage
• Gratitude
Removing negative states
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Insecurity
• Addiction
• Violence
‐5
0
Taking away obstacles
+5
Bringing in enablers
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30/04/2013
PERMA & flourishing
Happiness as Flourishing
Emotional
functioning
Elevated levels of
Psychological
functioning
Social
functioning
Worker Well-Being
Positive
Emotion
Engagement
Relationships
Meaning
Accomplishment
Positive
Relationships
7
Is being happy and satisfied the same
thing?
How happy are workers?
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Time magazine poll (12/2004)
“Would you say that so far you have lived
‐‐the best possible life you could have.
‐‐a very good life
‐‐a good life
‐‐a fair life
‐‐a poor life
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30/04/2013
How happy are workers?
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Time magazine poll (12/2004)
“Would you say that so far you have lived
‐‐the best possible life. 13%
‐‐a very good life 37%
‐‐a good life 33%
‐‐a fair life 15%
‐‐a poor life 2%
• Good + very good + best possible = 83%
Question?
• Should we be trying to create jobs and
workplaces that cater to the happiness of the ...