Team Alpha 375

Satisfied

25- 29 Satisfied
People who score in this range like their lives and feel that things are going well. Of course your life is not perfect, but you feel that things are mostly good. Furthermore,just because you are satisfied does not mean you are complacent. In fact, growth and challenge might be part of the reason you are satisfied. For most people in this high-scoring range, life is enjoyable, and the major domains of life are going well – work or school, family, friends, leisure, and personal development. You can draw motivation from those areas of your life that you are dissatisfied with.

To understand life satisfaction scores, it is helpful to understand some of the components that go into most people’s experience of happiness. One of the most important influenceson happiness is social relationships. People who score high on life satisfaction tend tohave close and supportive family and friends, whereas those who do not have closefriends and family are more likely to be dissatisfied. Of course the loss of a close friendor family member can cause dissatisfaction with life, and it may take quite a time tobounce back from the loss.

Another factor that influences the life satisfaction of most people is work or school, orperformance in an important role such as homemaker or grandparent. When the personenjoys his or her work, whether it is paid or unpaid work, and feels that it is meaningfuland important, this contributes to life satisfaction. When work is going poorly becauseof bad circumstances or a poor fit with the person’s strengths, this can lower lifesatisfaction. When a person has important goals, and is failing to make adequate progresstoward them, this too can lead to life dissatisfaction.

A third factor that influences the life satisfaction of most people is personal – satisfactionwith the self, religious or spiritual life, learning and growth, and leisure. For manypeople these are sources of satisfaction. However, when these sources of personalworth are frustrated, they can be powerful sources of dissatisfaction. Of course thereare additional sources of satisfaction and dissatisfaction – some that are common tomost people such as health, and others that are unique to each individual. Most peopleknow the factors that lead to their satisfaction or dissatisfaction, although a person’stemperament – a general tendency to be happy or unhappy – can color their responses.

There is no one key to life satisfaction, but rather a recipe that includes a number ofingredients. With time and persistent work, people’s life satisfaction usually goesup. People who have had a loss recover over time. People who have a dissatisfyingrelationship or work often make changes over time that will increase their satisfaction.One key ingredient to happiness is social relationships, and another key ingredient is tohave important goals that derive from one’s values, and to make progress toward thosegoals. For many people it is important to feel a connection to something larger thanoneself. When a person tends to be chronically dissatisfied, they should look withinthemselves and ask whether they need to develop more positive attitudes to life and the world.

Copyright by Professor Ed Diener, University of Illinois
Use is free of charge and granted by permission.