Search

A study examined the variability of smiling and laughing behaviors of three children (ages 7-17) with Angelman syndrome. Results found laughing and smiling increased during social situations and occurred at low levels during non-social situations. The behaviors, therefore, did not occur totally inappropriately, as has been suggested. (Contains references.) (Author/CR)

A study assessed whether the impact of a microswitch-based program on indices of happiness would be comparable with that of a stimulation program on three persons with profound multiple disabilities. The microswitch-based program produced increases that were fairly clear for two participants and quite modest for the third. (Contains references.) (Author/CR)

Discusses children's play in conjunction with intellectual development, language, and social benefits. Suggests that play develops personality, encourages personal relations, stimulates creativity, adds to happiness, and advances learning. Encourages parents and teachers to provide children with richly varied play experiences to promote cognition, language, social/emotional behavior, and problem-solving skills. (DLH)

Happiness indices were observed during naturally occurring work and leisure activities for individuals with severe (n=12) and profound (n=7) disabilities. Both groups showed more happiness indices during leisure activities, although the difference for the profound group was smaller. There was also a significant difference between groups for leisure activities. (Contains 10 references.) (Author/CR)

Examines to what extent peer relations, self-confidence, and school performance correlate with self-rated happiness and loneliness in adolescents. Personality traits, self-confidence, friendship, and school grades were all significantly oppositely correlated with happiness and loneliness. Regressional analysis revealed that extraversion and neuroticism were direct predictors of happiness and self-confidence, while psychoticism and extraversion were direct predictors of loneliness. (Contains 50 references and 2 tables.) (GCP)

Traditional Norwegian friluftsliv consists of a simple outdoor-oriented lifestyle based on enjoying nature, health, and camaraderie. It originated from the 18th-century protest movement against modernity. The influence of the international youth leisure culture has caused some "sportification" of friluftsliv, but its patterns remain stable because the age groups before and after adolescence are decisive in friluftsliv. (TD)

Discusses changes in the history of childhood. Argues that the change was not caused by reform pedagogics, but by a movement to popular culture. Describes the functioning of a commercialized children's culture and its definition of happiness. Analyzes possible concepts of education within the framework of such learning environments. (CAJ)

Focuses on the concept of happiness as neither formed independent from economic considerations, nor is it foreign to them. Argues that in the history of pedagogy and economics, happiness constitutes an important and at times a problematic quality. (CAJ)

Examines the pedagogical discourse on the child's happiness, the structure of happiness, empirical findings on a child's happiness. Addresses the problems of research on children's needs. Concludes that happiness also includes feelings of joy or sorrow and that pedagogical judgments should take into account these feelings. (CAJ)

Examined relationship of security of attachment to development of fear, anger, and joy over child's first 3 years. Found that attachment groups differed in trajectories of emotional development, with differences apparent at 14 months. Resistant children were most fearful and least joyful. Over the second and third years, secure children became less angry, insecure children's negative emotions increased. (Author/KB)

Investigated sociometric status, aggression, and gender differences in African American second-graders' expression of anger, happiness, and sadness during a competitive game. Found that rejected children expressed more facial and verbal anger than average-status children and more nonverbal happiness, but only during turns that were favorable to them. Boys expressed more facial, verbal, and nonverbal anger than girls. (Author/KB)

Tests socioemotional selectivity theory among African Americans and European Americans. Older people reported as many close partners but fewer peripheral partners as their younger counterparts, thus confirming the theory. A greater percentage of close social partners in social networks related to lower levels of happiness among the young age group only. Discusses findings for social functioning across the life span. (JDM)

A study evaluated the use of a situational assessment for identifying work task preferences among three individuals with multiple severe disabilities. The assessment involved systematically observing indices of happiness and unhappiness while participants worked on different tasks. Work engagement was most frequent when workers worked on their most preferred task. (Contains references.) (Author/CR)

Proposes that multiple cognitive and motivational processes moderate the impact of the objective environment on well-being. Explores hedonically relevant psychological processes (social comparison, dissonance reduction, self-reflection, self-evaluation, and personal perception) in chronically happy and unhappy people, noting that they differ systematically in the particular cognitive and motivational strategies they use. Future research directions are examined. (SM)

Some want schools reformed to produce high-performing future leaders. Others desire schools that teach students how to live, share, and serve others. Competition and high performance need not substitute for happiness, love, and service-values that counter America's culture of hyper-individualism, isolationism, and declining social/political engagement. (MLH)

Examines the relationships between cultural values and experiences of happiness in two samples focusing on university students in Taiwan (n=439) and the United Kingdom (n=344). Reports that the relationships between values and happiness were stronger in the Taiwanese sample. Includes references and an appendix. (CMK)

This paper reviews evidence that employee happiness can substantially affect an organization's performance by influencing employee retention, absenteeism, and work performance. It reviews the workforce and environmental characteristics involved in planning for employee happiness and the steps needed to create an organizational culture in which employee happiness can become a business goal. Specific application is made to human service organizations. (Contains five references.) (DB)

Discussion of the common stereotype about persons with Down syndrome (that they are relentlessly "happy") focuses on characteristics that offer genuine and thoughtful joyfulness among these individuals, noting that happiness is closely aligned with a sense of peace, well-being, and/or contentment. (Contains five references.) (DB)

Discussion of Williams syndrome, a genetic disorder with a variety of medical and developmental features, focuses on frequent outward expression of happiness. Analysis of the unique expression of happiness in individuals with Williams syndrome is followed by discussion of this happiness in the context of other dimensions of the syndrome, especially anxiety. The role of genetics in emotions is also addressed. (Contains nine references.) (Author/DB)

Discussion of the measurement of happiness in people with mental retardation considers the social construction of happiness and various quantitative and qualitative measures of happiness. Practitioners are urged to assume that happiness for individuals with disabilities is composed of similar or the same factors and elements that have been shown to be important to people without disabilities. (Contains references.) (DB)

This article proposes a model that continuously calibrates happiness and considers its application with people who have mental retardation. The model suggests that the affective system is continuously recalibrated as a result of either positive or negative affect in a particular domain. Thus, as objective circumstances vary, the person still experiences similar levels of both happiness and unhappiness. (Contains 21 references.) (DB)

Review of the literature on happiness, or felicitude, in people with physical disabilities considers data showing that levels of happiness may be high despite severe levels of impairment. It concludes that for both physical and intellectual disabilities, the task is to overcome stereotypes and measure health-related quality of life in meaningful, accessible, and acceptable terms. (Contains references.) (DB)

The introduction to a special issue on happiness and people with mental retardation identifies seven verities about supports for happiness such as: many external factors do not correlate well with happiness; there are significant internal or personal factors that do relate to happiness; and there is a need for studies on happiness in people with developmental disabilities. (Contains references.) (DB)

Two experiments assessed recognition of emotion among physically abused and neglected preschoolers. Results showed that neglected children had more difficulty discriminating emotional expressions that control or abused children. Abused children displayed response bias for angry facial expressions. Control children viewed discrete emotions as dissimilar; neglected children saw fewer distinctions between emotions; abused children showed the most variance across emotions. (Author/KB)

In a 6-week career counseling group, three women used a restorying technique to rediscover significant past moments of enjoyment and happenstance in their personal and working lives. Altering their perceptions about their qualities and abilities increased their career search self-efficacy. (Contains 30 references.) (SK)

Argues that biographical films and videos of American composers may be used for the psychotherapeutic inducement of joy, when their music was positively linked with significant people and events in the patient's past. Illustrates this using "Deep in My Heart," a 1954 film based on the life of composer Sigmund Romberg. Discusses Romberg's other works. (SR)

Reviews the underlying assumptions and principles of a new psychological paradigm, Psychology of Mind/Health Realization (POM/HR). Thought recognition is compared with locus of control (LOC). The relationship of LOC to self-reported happiness and satisfaction is examined from the perspective of POM/HR, using a sample of at-risk adolescents (N=1,872) from 17 nations. (MKA)

Similar themes related to the concept of adaptability and well-being psychology include long-term perspective, relationships, self-development, and future focus. These themes may be combined into the construct of "possible selves," which links well-being and career development. (SK)

A study guided by Super's Life Span, Life Space approach included a survey of 119 women and 66 men about sacrifices made in life and work roles to achieve balance and satisfaction. Differences in sacrifices and satisfaction were related to the combination of life roles they occupied. (SK)

Uses Kegan's theory of the evolving self as an example of the utility of life-span theories in facilitating career happiness. Suggests how to use culturally appropriate developmental theories to help clients understand their life-stage position and discover ways to achieve self-other balance for life and career satisfaction. (SK)

Hypothesizes a model of acculturation, coping, and work happiness for immigrants that describes acculturation styles (integration, assimilation, separation, marginalization) and preventive and combative coping methods. Describes appropriate career counseling interventions. (SK)