ABSTRACT
Personal contributions to happiness and unhappiness will be organized in two broad categories — distal sources extended across a period of time and proximal influences that occur in a current situation. Men and women report similar levels of life satisfaction, global happiness and job satisfaction, but studies have frequently shown that women are likely than men to be upset about themselves or their situation. Happiness levels are linked to long-term aspects of personality. A pessimistic general disposition measured in that way has been found to be associated with separately measured feelings of anxiety, depression, low global happiness and low job satisfaction, both at a single time and across later years. Important for happiness are people’s values — their likes and dislikes about current or possible situations, activities, things or people. The chapter considers some ways in which happiness is based on our longer-term personality and other characteristics. It reviews forms of emotion regulation are among the foundations of personal happiness.
