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Get Connected
on Social Media
only an activity that appeals to the
troubled and lonely,” Hoffman says,
“but also has the potential to meet
people’s fundamental needs in some
positive and important ways.”
A not-so-surprising finding is
that when people use social media to
interact with others, they’re likely to
feel more related to others, she says.
However, Hoffman and Novak
have also found that when people use
more content-focused social media
(for learning new things or spreading
information), that behavior also has
the potential to trigger a feeling of
connectedness.
The next question, though, is
whether both these paths lead equally
to positive outcomes like happiness
and satisfaction. According
to Hoffman and Novak’s
research, the answer is
yes. This suggests that
the reasons people use
social media have
a large impact on
whether these uses
will lead to positive
outcomes.
Questioning Happiness:
Why Proving Joy Scientifically
Is So Important
Happiness is a common goal among people around the world
— defying social strata, age, geography, gender, ethnicity and
nationality.
“But happiness is not just a simple, hedonistic pleasure,”
Sonja Lyubomirsky says. “People who are happy have been found
to be more productive; they make more money, they have better
relationships, they’re healthier, they’re more charitable, they’re
better leaders, and they’re more creative.”
Happiness is not just about feeling good. Multiple benefits
accrue if you are happier.”
That’s why investigating and analyzing happiness has be-
come an important field of research — not just for psychologists,
but for economists and policymakers as well. The way personal
happiness is manifested in daily lives is slowly becoming a ba-
rometer by which countries measure their achievements. Before
the science of happiness was taken seriously, countries usually
measured their success in monetary terms, such as the gross
domestic product (GDP). Now, governments know that the well-
being and betterment of their inhabitants are as fundamental as
their monetary health. This is why a United Nations committee
has recently proposed that governments begin measuring the
happiness index levels in their countries.
Bhutan, France and Britain have long kept track (it turns out
that France is pretty miserable). The United States government is
now considering doing the same.
But how do you calculate something so seemingly subjective?
“Happiness is subjective, of course. No one else can tell you
if you’re happy. Only you know if you’re happy,” Lyubomirsky says.
“But researchers measure a lot of things in life that are sub-
jective — a lot of things that we can’t see,” Lyubomirsky says.
“For instance, physicists study quarks even though no one has
ever seen one. Medical scientists study features of the body that
they have to infer. Just because something is subjective doesn’t
mean we shouldn’t study it.”
UCR Spring 2013 | 17