Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Happyness

What is happiness? Ask me and i'll say that ure happy when u are able to smile when u're on your own -- thinking happy thoughts. Its when u go back home and there's food to eat. Its when u go back home and see ur brothers doing their homework instead of playing games or watching tv. It's when i do not hear my mother complaining about my sibling's conduct or her health.

I was surprised that this is part of economics. A microeconomics application: Examining happiness.

So ask an economist what is happiness and he'll tell u it's a long-term average state of feeling good. It is a perception of the overall quality of an individual's life. It's also interchangeable with other terms like life satisfaction or subjective well-being. It is a good that people demand.

So what determines the demand of happiness?

It seems that the professor is doing some sort of research/study and required everyone to complete a 9 page survey as well as bringing a set home for our parents to complete.

Ideas were mentioned. We're left to think about it. Maternal hapiness is more significant than paternal happiness in influencing child happiness. People with religion place less importance on materialistic determinants and more on social relationship. Family not money is perceived as the most important determinant of happiness. Can we inherit happiness?

Sounds so fun! I liked the kinds of questions that were asked and would love to be part of the research/study if allowed to.

Well should anyone still not see the link between happiness and Economics, this should perhaps make things clearer: The higher the income, the more likely for one to be happier. So can we increase happiness? Like say, doubling one's income? In addition, there are good reasons for also fousing on one's well being at the household level.

I had slept early ytd. PM's speech started at 8 and i fell asleep 1 1/2 hours later. Was woken up by an invisible hand at 230, and decided to do some work. Spent the last 45 minutes to exercise my brain, my English and my thinking process.

A quarter to six now and i should perhaps start to spend more, if not as much, time with chemistry and physics so as to learn to love them as much as i love my maths, econs, computing and effective communication.

Rise and shine....!

1 comment:

TheHoopoe said...

hmmm ... i got an A in econs, was offerred an S paper for chemistry within the first 3 months .. ok i dont do physics .... so dont bluff with invisible hands :)

adam smith meant more than what economists translated it to be .... its philosophical too :)

and economics and happiness - it has been there long ago. you are your prof's research guinea pigs :)