Gaby
A new study found women report higher life satisfaction than men. The study’s happiness “formula” seems to overlook the male perspective.
Psychologists at York University in Canada ran a large-scale study called ‘How Satisfied Are You with Your Life?’ They wanted to see whether money really is the main driver of life satisfaction. It’s not.
“While wealth plays a significant role, it’s neither the only nor the most important factor,” the psychologists said.
How the Study Was Conducted
The team surveyed more than 12,000 adults ages 25 to 64, both employed and not employed.
The volunteers were asked about their marital status, employment, education, interests, social class, income, and, ultimately, their level of life satisfaction.
“We wanted to look at multiple factors that could influence life satisfaction rather than focusing on just one, like income, work, or marital status,” the researchers explained.
What the Researchers Discovered
One surprising finding was that physical appearance mattered more than the team expected for life satisfaction.
It’s not how attractive others find you, the researchers said, but how satisfied you are with your own appearance. In a world shaped by public figures and social media, that can be hard to achieve.
They also found that time spent with family, socializing outside of work, and having close people to rely on all significantly affect life satisfaction.
Income mattered, but it wasn’t the most important factor, according to the Daily Mail.
So, Who Is Most Satisfied with Life?
“Literature often suggests that wealth or work are the most important things, but in reality, family and social factors matter most,” said Professor James Chohan, lead researcher.
His team found that work matters less for life satisfaction than family does. It’s not that work is inherently good or bad for happiness; in the mix of factors they studied, family and social connections came first.
Perceived social class also mattered: the higher people rated their social class, the higher their life satisfaction.
Moving from a lower to a higher social class leads to a big boost in life satisfaction, the researchers said.
Self-rated health mattered too: people who judged their overall health as excellent reported higher life satisfaction.
Being married—including civil marriage—was linked to higher life satisfaction; single or divorced participants scored lower.
Women were more likely than men to report being satisfied with their lives.
At the end, the team laid out the scenario linked to the highest reported life satisfaction.
The Best Scenario for Life Satisfaction:
- You are married.
- You are a woman.
- You are satisfied with your appearance.
- You have reliable support from family and community.
- You enjoy excellent health.
- You consider yourself part of the upper class.
