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on in times of trouble are happier than
people who donâtâ says happiness re-
searcher John Helliwell. âPeople who
are married are more likely to have
someone to count on than someone
who isnât married.â
Helliwellâs research has found that
marriage gives a long-term boost
to happiness and the midlife dip
towards unhappiness isnât as pro-
nounced among married people.
The happiest people of all consider
their spouses to be their best friends.
Helliwellâs research is the irst to ex-
amine the intersection of marriage
and friendship and its effects on
happiness.
âCalling your spouse your best
friend is another way of saying âIâve
got a happy marriageââ Helliwell says.
âhey are happy being married.â
CarolGeehasbeenmarriedtothe
same man for 44 years.
âI realise I am actually happy and
not just staying in the relationship be-
cause we have invested so much time
togetherâ Gee says. âI donât believe in
not being happy.â
HAPPINESS & WORK
Researchershavestudiedjobtraits
that lead to happiness and greater
lifesatisfaction.Mostpeopleprefera
good work-life balance above all else.
âVariety and learning new things
are important but not as important
as work-life balanceâ says economist
and happiness researcher Jan-Em-
manuel De Neve. âIf you feel your job
is preventing you from giving time to
your family or partner or if you worry
about work problems when youâre not
working that has a massive efect on
wellbeing.â
Retirement as expected enhances
happiness in most adults. âhis is due
totwothingsâDeNevesays.âOne
isrelatedtobeingabletodomore
because the work-life balance shifts
moretolife.hereâsmoretimeforlei-
sure. People also start adapting their
expectationswhichmayhavebeen
overly high when you started out. You
accept the outcome of your life.â
HAPPINESS&HEALTH
Live long enough and youâll likely
experience illness or disability. But
with the right attitude these setbacks
wonât afect your happiness levels.
âWehavelearnedfromourstudy
participants that ageing with illness
andlossarechallengesthatbrought
new insights and appreciation of
lifeâ Carver says.
ResearchersinItalyfoundthatpeo-
ple who have a positive perception of