Norwegian scientists reveal three factors that determine individual happiness
Norwegian scientists have revealed that genetic factors, one's own social environment, and the shared life in the country of which one is a citizen are effective in individuals' personal happiness.
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Professor Espen Roysamb and his team from the Department of Psychology at the University of Oslo investigated why happiness varies from country to country in a global study.
IT COVERS THE WORLD, NOT JUST A SINGLE COUNTRY
According to Independent Türkçe, the research published in the peer-reviewed scientific journal Sage Journals in June is not the first study to examine individual happiness. Stating that many previous studies were good but insufficient, Roysamb said, "Those studies covered a limited number of people from a single country. We wanted to find an answer that would cover the entire population of the world."
The scientists identified three factors that affect the quality of life of all people in the world:
- Genetics: The genes a person possesses can partially explain their quality of life. According to the researchers, when all people in the world are considered as a whole, this corresponds to 31-32 percent of the quality of life.
- Personal environment: Another determining factor in the welfare metric is the story, family, friends, and workplace that every person has. The study reported that the environment affects 50 percent of the quality of life.
- Shared life: The third factor is the shared life that the citizens of each country experience. Roysamb and his colleagues said that approximately 20 percent of individuals' happiness could be linked to the country they live in.
COUNTRY CONDITIONS DETERMINE HAPPINESS LEVEL
The World Happiness Report, published by the United Nations (UN) since 2012, is based on a survey in which a thousand people from 157 countries rate their lives from 1 to 10. The report takes into account the criteria provided by countries in areas such as income, purchasing power, corruption record, healthy life expectancy, social support, freedom, and trust.