HW9: Happiness
**Please provide answers underneath the questions (do not delete questions)! You do not need to write in full
sentences and paragraphs; bulleted lists are fine. **
Part I: Read the article, “Buying well being: Spending behavior and happiness.” If you have trouble opening the ‐
document uploaded on Moodle, go to Library Login on peace.edu and search for the title. You should be able to find the
article there in full text. Answer the questions below:
1. Identify the authors, their institutional affiliations, the journal title, and date of publication. Given these details,
would you say this is a credible source?
2. On page 2, the authors write, “Findings typically reveal a small, but significant positive correlation, such that
wealthier individuals report greater subjective well being.” Given what you know about interpreting ‐
correlational analyses, what does “small, but significant” mean?
3. Lyubomirsky, Sheldon, and Schkade proposed a model of happiness in 2005 (pages 2-3). Explain what their
research concluded about the impact of certain factors on happiness.
4. These authors suggest that the most change will come from changing our volitional activities, including how we
choose to spend our disposable income.
a. What does volitional mean?
b. What is disposable income?
5. The authors of this article suggest that how you spend disposable income is one factor in volitional activities.
a. What are the differences between material and experiential purchases? Distinguish. (page 3)
b. What are the three potential explanations for why spending on experiential purchases may lead to
greater satisfaction than spending on material purchases? (page 4)
c. How does using money to save time impact people? What are some ways that families use money to
save time? (page 5)
d. The authors suggest there are connections between prosocial spending and well-being:
i. Describe one study on adults that confirmed this finding (explain what was measured and what
was found—page 6)
ii. Describe a study on toddlers that confirmed this finding (explain what was measured and what
was found—page 7)
e. According to the authors, how case saving money boost happiness? (page 7)
6. Given the summary findings of these authors, what are three goals you have for yourself as you move into
adulthood regarding money and happiness?
Part II: In class, we watched the program “Why Finland And Denmark Are Happier Than The U.S”
https://youtu.be/6Pm0Mn0-jYU . Please input your answers to each question below.
1. Which countries are at the top of the list of happiest countries? Paste a map below so you can see their location
in the context of the continent they’re in.
2. How is happiness defined?
3. Meik Wiking (CEO of the Happiness Research Institute) identifies the factor that is the strongest/best predictor
of individual happiness—what is it?
4. What are the 6 factors that determine a country’s happiness level? Explain each one in your own words.
5. What are the unique “perks” that Denmark and Finland offer to its citizens?
6. How do these “perks” impact the larger culture in terms of how people behave?
7. What is the relationship between money and happiness?
