Well-being isn't always about privileges: A new study on positivity and life conditions

14.09.2023 14:50
Updated: 13.05.2024 21:23

People often think that only privileges make people happy - but it seems to be wrong.

A new study shows that there are way more factors that can affect your worldview, and having some privileges is just one aspect of it.

Let's find out more.

Studying positive worldview

A study from The Primals Project at Penn's Positive Psychology Center looked at how certain things like money, where you live, health, and gender affect the way people see the world. 

They thought these things would have a big impact on how positive or negative people's views were.

happy man
Photo:Pixabay

However, they found that these things didn't have as much of an effect as they expected. 

In fact, they thought these factors would be 10 times more important than they actually were.

The study looked at something called "primal world beliefs," which are like the basic ideas people have about the world, like whether it's getting better or worse, safe or dangerous, interesting or boring. 

They found that these beliefs didn't really show whether someone had a good life or not.

Why it's important to know

This is important because it means that people who have had a hard time in life don't always see the world as a bad place. 

And it also means that people who have had an easier life don't always see the world as a good place.

The researchers hope that knowing this can help make some types of therapy more effective. 

They also found that people who see the world as fair tend to work harder, be nicer, and be more successful. 

So, how you see the world can affect how you act and what happens to you.
 

Kate Yakimchuk Author: Kate Yakimchuk Editor internet resource


Content
  1. Studying positive worldview
  2. Why it's important to know