HONOLULU — ________________ (1) According to previous research, those who are happy also tend to feel good about themselves and those who lack self-worth are generally unhappy. But a new study suggests that what makes people in mid and later life happy or gives them feelings of worth are not necessarily tied to each other, except for feelings of optimism.
________________ (2) Characteristics of happy individuals with high and low self-esteem and characteristics of unhappy individuals with high and low self-esteem were examined to determine if these traits are synonymous or distinct from each other. To determine their similarities and differences, researchers Sonja Lyubomirsky, Ph.D., Chris Tkach, M.A., and M. Robin DiMatteo, Ph.D., of the University of California at Riverside asked a sample of 621 51 to 95 year old retired employees of a large utility company to fill out questionnaires about what made them happy and what gave them self-worth. Some advantages for using older adults in studying these traits, say the authors, were (1) the findings could be generalized to other samples more easily than with a younger sample; (2) this sample more accurately reflects the thoughts, feelings and behaviors of the general population; (3) the sample has stronger self-definitions and more certain attitudes about the world.
________________ (3). Being in a good mood and feeling satisfied with life were also predictors of happiness. Feeling optimistic and not hopeless, having one’s needs fulfilled, being satisfied with one’s level of education and one’s self worth were the strongest predictors for experiencing the highest self-esteem. Being satisfied with one’s friends and not suffering from pain were also strong predictors of high self-esteem among this population.
________________ (4)The authors speculate that it may be that unhappy people who have high self-esteem feel that they have not reached their goals – they know they are smart, skilled, attractive and “have what it takes” but just have not accomplished what they wanted to in life.
________________ (5). “Happy individuals with low self-esteem experienced more positive than negative moods, felt relatively satisfied with their lives, tended to be extraverted and satisfied with their leisure time, felt a purpose in life and experienced good health,” said Dr. Lyubomirsky.
________________(6). Despite past research that shows high correlations of happiness and self-esteem, “our study gives further weight that happiness is not a trait that can completely define a person’s self-worth and that the two traits - happiness and self-esteem – can exist independently,” said Lyubomirsky.