Richard Layard Stated “Happiness Comes from Outside and...

Essay ECA Richard Layard stated â€Å"Happiness comes from outside and within â€Å". Explain this statement, drawing from evidence from chapters 3 and 5 of the course. What is happiness? – The Encarta Dictionary – describes happiness as â€Å"feeling or showing pleasure, contentment or joy â€Å". In speaking of â€Å"from outside† Layard is referring peoples social identities, roles, group membership and the culture they live in. Whilst, in speaking of â€Å"within† Layard is referring to the brain/ biology, peoples thinking and feelings. This essay will attempt to explain some of these influences on happiness and ask whether its nature (biology/genes) or nurture (culture, relationships, past experiences) which has the greatest effect on levels of†¦show more content†¦Julian Rotter (1966) Spears et al – describes this as the â€Å"locus of control†. He concludes that people with an internal â€Å"locus of control† are more likely to take positive action when they are unhappy as opposed to people with an external â€Å"locus of control† who are less likely to attempt any action as they believe that whatever they do there will be no change. In a study Ellen Langer Judy Rodin (1976) Spears et al – looked at this concept of â€Å"locus of control† in a residential home setting. They illustrated that control over quite small areas of peoples lives can lead to profound effects on mental alertness, health and happiness. One group was given control over decisions such as .. .room arrangement, meals and meal times – having a plant to care for.... on the face of it small decisions. Another group in the home had all these types of decisions made for them. The group with more control over their daily lives suffered lower mortality rates. The roles people play are both a source of happiness and unhappiness. People that feel needed and valued in their roles are more likely to feel happier than people