The road to happiness

Research (and common sense) show that the road to happiness begins at home.


Youths’ stuff of happiness may surprise parents

NEW YORK - So you’re between the ages of 13 and 24. What makes you happy? A worried, weary parent might imagine the answer to sound something like this: Sex, drugs, a little rock ‘n’ roll. Maybe some cash, or at least the car keys.

Turns out the real answer is quite different. Spending time with family was the top answer to that open-ended question, according to an extensive survey — more than 100 questions asked of 1,280 people ages 13-24 — conducted by The Associated Press and MTV on the nature of happiness among America’s young people.

Next was spending time with friends, followed by time with a significant other. And even better for parents: Nearly three-quarters of young people say their relationship with their parents makes them happy.

Money vs. Education

You might think money would be clearly tied to a general sense of happiness. But almost no one said “money” when asked what makes them happy, though people with the highest family incomes are generally happier with life. However, having highly educated parents is a stronger predictor of happiness than income.

Effect of divorce

Also confirming existing research, Twenge says, is the finding that children of divorced parents are somewhat less likely to be happy. Among 13-17 year olds, 64 percent of those with parents still together said they wake up happy, compared to 47 percent of those with divorced parents.

MTV/AP Study What Makes 18-34s 'Happy'

....The partners said the results reveal that young people "are generally very happy, optimistic about the future and have goals in place to achieve a happier tomorrow." But the levels of contentment have inconsistencies based on racial lines, faith and family dynamics, and levels of sexual activity. Sexually active young adults, as a rule, indicated "lower levels of happiness," the research partners said.

Results show that 65% of those surveyed are happy with their lives, and 62% think greater happiness will come later...

In the faith area, 80% of those who cite spirituality as the most important thing in their lives report being happy with life overall.

The traditional crowd really does have more fun.


As a side note, the first article mentioned above also reported that "Most young people in school say it makes them happy." Is "most" 52% or 92%? How does that compare to homeschoolers? I would be interested in seeing a bit more data and research on that point.


----------
Technorati tags: happiness, family, parenting, homeschool