Happiness in Love Relationships

Happiness in Love Relationships Introduction Happiness refers to the state of being contented, satisfied, joyful, delighted, well-being and being in good spirits (Martin 3). Considerable support has been found that people need some form of close relationship, coupled with a network of other relationships, to be happy and avoid loneliness. A close relationship allows for a certain level of self-disclosure, or willingness to share ones feelings or personal issues. Without relationships, people would feel lonely in the other friendships, as there is a tendency to focus on impersonal talk (Jackson, Soderlind, Weiss 469). According to Ruesch et al., maintaining low marital distress and a real close social network play a crucial role in one`s happiness and life satisfaction (690). However, happiness is not just gained from the social support but from providing it as well. People tend to lose a sense of meaning of their lives when they are isolated socially. Loneliness creates a degree of depression in people. This research looks at happiness in relationships between couples, and the different factors that affect the happiness of dating or married people. Are People Happier in Long-term Relationships? There are expectations and underpinnings that if one has a steady partner or gets married, then they are automatically granted happiness. The notion of â€Å"living happily ever after† only exists in fairy tales as most romantic relationships have sad endings. For such unions, individuals will be happier if they find the right partner at the right time in their lives. Happiness comes from an underlying reason for the personal outlook on life, meaning that happiness comes more from an internal feeling (Martin 9). According a study carried out by the Michigan State University, marriage makes people happier. Happiness, in the study, was measured by survey responses and every respondent considered happiness in their terms, in terms of individual satisfaction with one`s life. This study looked at the married and cohabiting couples. The study found that people are happier married than they would have been if they chose to stay single, as marriage protects them from age-related decli nes in happiness (Burton). The study of over 30,000 people used a control group for comparison. The control group consisted of a sample of people who stayed single throughout the study and were similar to the married people in terms of their education, gender, age, and income. It is, however, incorrect to say all single people encounter a decline in happiness levels with time though the control group showed a decline in happiness levels. Even in marriage, there is a prime time for the happiness, which revealed an increase in the first year of marriage, but it gradually tapers off. After which, the happiness levels go back to their baselines before marriage though they are better off than if those people had not got married (Burton). What makes this study more significant than the previous ones, is that while previously research checked on marriage causing long-term gains in happiness, this study added a control group to compare the happiness levels of the different groups. This study examined people ten years prior and after marriage, unlike other studies that use already married people without considering their happiness levels before marriage. The study also had a vast number of participants compared to previous studies. What comes out clearly is that marriage plays a role in people`s happiness in the long-run in comparison to people who stay single. It is difficult to take these studies at face value as there are other variables that could contribute to one`s individual sense of happiness, such as a resilient nature that is separate from their personal relationship and positive outlook on life. If one is enjoying being single, then marriage is not the way to move forward. What came out clearly is that marriage only has a temporary effect on one`s happiness as people generally tend to adapt to their circumstances. Getting married does not solve one`s quest to be happy. Healthy relationships provide feelings of fulfillment and happiness, but if one is not happy within themselves, then the allure of marriage will not change that. Attributes of Happiness in Marriage Sexual Orientation A study revealed that the non-heterosexual respondents were happier and more positive in relationships with their partners. They have higher scores in relationship quality in three measures; relationship maintenance, relationship with a partner, and happiness with the relationship or the partner. However, there is no significant difference between the heterosexual and non-heterosexual respondents when it comes to happiness in life (Blanchflower Andrew 410). Heterosexual partners are less happy as they are less likely to make time for each other, communicate well, or pursue similar interests. Parenting Status A study revealed that childless couples of all ages in long-term relationships, married or cohabiting, are happiest. Heterosexual couples with children score lowest in happiness, followed by non-heterosexual parents, then heterosexual couples without children. Non-heterosexual participants without children score highest on happiness (Gabb et al. 23). In all these circumstances, mothers come out as the most negative on relationship quality, relationship maintenance, and relationship with a partner than childless women, yet they are the happiest with life than any other group. Age Younger and older men are happier than the men in the middle are, when placed in the following categories; up to 34 years, between 35 to 55 years, and above 55 years. For women, however, the youngest group scored highest in relationship quality and relationship with a partner while the oldest ca tegory scored the highest in happiness in life (Gabb et al. 27). This is because for the older women marriage encourages healthy behavior, increased material well-being through pooling resources together, and spouse support and care during sickness. Money Those who clearly outline each other`s role in the relationship and agree to share household chores are happier in their relationship according to a study carried out by Gabb and others. 14 percent of mothers have been found to contribute to financial support while 50 percent of the men contribute financially (Gabb et al. 28). This is due to the fact that it is harder for women to combine household duties of taking care of children with income-generating activities. Most spouses agree financial resources are not equitably distributed, but they share that they both tend not to argue about that. Money is an issue but not one of the primary ones. Sexual Intimacy Research shows that an increase in sexual activity from monthly to weekly increases happiness in couples. Many men and about 42 percent of women are unhappy with their sex lives due to lack of it. Sexual activities are measured in terms of health concerns and general sexual satisfaction. Couples satisfied with their sex lives are happier (Gabb et al. 30).However sexual results have to be treated with caution as women downplay their sexual activities in sexual surveys while men tend to `big up` their conquests. Sex is an important part of relationships. Mothers felt their partners wanted more sex while the fathers felt their partners wanted less sex (31). This means that previously there is a high correlation between relationship happiness and sexual frequency, but after childbirth, that changes. Mothers and fathers understand sexual fluctuations in sexual activity and desire as part of parenthood, but it does not per se lead to relationship satisfaction. Both mothers and childless women agreed that their men wanted more sex, but for childless women it is less marked (31). Stressors There are certain changes in a relationship that increase the chances of separation due to reduced happiness. These can be childbirth, a new job, bereavement, moving house, job loss, among others. Relationship happiness positively correlates with the addition or the increase in stressors. The number of stressors correlates positively with relationship satisfaction but correlates negatively to general happiness with life. Education There is a link between college education and the risk of divorce, which reveals that college –educated people with degrees are less likely to divorce that the less educated counterparts (Ruesch et al 692). Intelligence and a good education are an attractive trait to suitable partners. The more educated respondents did not have significant differences in the quality of relationship as those with lower educational qualifications; howev er, they are happier in life (Gabb et al. 18). Religion and Previous Long-term Relationships There is no significant difference in levels of relationship quality between those couples who listed a particular religion and those who listed `no religion`. However, those couples who identified a religion are happier in life than those who did not. Respondents who had previously been in long-term relationships scored higher in relationship maintenance than those who had not been in a long-term relationship (Gabb et al. 20). Conclusion Above are the major variables to happiness in relationships between couples, married or cohabiting. Given that a high number of romantic relationships fail at different points of its development, it is important for people intending to commit themselves in long-term relationships to find the right partner. Happiness can only be achieved when people commit themseilves in relationships for the right reasons. Works Cited Blanchflower, David G., and Andrew J. Oswald. Money, sex and happiness: An empirical study.The Scandinavian Journal of Economics106.3 (2004): 393-415. Web. 19 April 2015 Burton, Natasha. â€Å"Marriage And Happiness: Does Marriage Make People Happier?† Huffington Post. 2 June. 2012. Web. 19 April 2015. Gabb, Jacqui, et al. Enduring love? Couple relationships in the 21st century.Survey Findings Report. Milton Keynes: The Open University. Retrieved January1 (2013): 2014. Web. 18 April 2015 Jackson, Todd, Adam Soderlind, and Karen E. Weiss. Personality traits and quality of relationships as predictors of future loneliness among American college students.Social Behavior and Personality: an international journal28.5 (2000): 463-470. Web. 17 April 2015 Martin, Mike W.Happiness and the good life. Oxford University Press, 2012. Print Rà ¼esch, P., et al. Occupation, social support and quality of life in persons with schizophrenic or affective disorders.Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology39.9 (2004): 686-694. Web. 19 April 2015

Ethics: Utilitarianism Essay

Ask a passerby to describe his personal morality, and you’ll likely get a complicated explanation filled with ifs, ands, and buts. Ask a utilitarian, and he can give a six-word response: greatest good for the greatest number. Of course, utilitarianism is not that simple. Like any philosophical system, it is the subject of endless debate. Still, for the average reader who is unfamiliar with the jargon that characterizes most philosophy, utilitarianism can be a useful tool in deciding before an action whether or not to carry it out or, after an action, whether or not a moral choice was made. Most credit the economist Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832) as utilitarianism’s principal author. Bentham described his thinking as the â€Å"greatest happiness principle,† and his idea was elaborated upon in the nineteenth century by John Stuart Mill in his classic work, Utilitarianism (1863). In that book, Mill develops three critical components of utilitarianism: an emphasis on results, individual happiness, and total happiness (by which he means the happiness of everyone affected by an action). Results: Mill expanded Bentham’s definition of utilitarianism to argue that â€Å"actions are right in proportion as they tend to promote happiness; wrong as they tend to produce the reverse of happiness. †[1] This means that utilitarians care only about the results of an action. Other factors that we typically consider when making moral judgments about an action, including a person’s motive or his expectations about the results, do not matter in utilitarianism. A utilitarian would say that a man who shoots another by accident is guilty of murder, whether or not the shooting was an accident. Conversely, the man with â€Å"murder in his heart† who tries to shoot another but misses cannot be held morally accountable for the act. In utilitarianism, only the results matter. Individual happiness: The second component of utilitarianism is Mill’s idea of happiness, by which he means pleasure. As individuals making moral choices, we should seek to act in ways that maximize happiness and minimize pain (which Mill defines as â€Å"the reverse of happiness†). In promoting the maximum happiness, Mill is not advocating a life of food, sex and sleep. He specifically states that not all pleasures are created equal: â€Å"Few human creatures would consent to be changed into any of the lower animals,† he writes, â€Å"for a promise of the fullest allowance of a beast’s pleasures; no intelligent human being would consent to be a fool, no instructed person would be an ignoramus. †[2] For Mill, a hierarchy of pleasures exists, with human pleasures such as love rising to the top of the list. Falling in love or being moved by a song or poem are greater goods to a utilitarian than eating a delicious sandwich, not because love and music and poetry are different in kind than the physical pleasure of eating, but because these are especially profound pleasures. Total happiness: The third defining aspect of utilitarianism is its emphasis on the total happiness, by which Mill means the happiness of all people affected by an action. To decide if an action is moral, a utilitarian will conduct an accounting of the pleasure and pain associated with that act. If the sum total of pleasure outweighs the sum total of pain, the action is considered moral; if not, immoral. Take as an example the case of price-fixing, the government’s setting of minimum prices for goods such as milk to protect farmers from ruin. Is price-fixing moral? Utilitarians would think through this question as follows: When the government (as opposed to the free market) sets the bottom-line price for milk, every consumer suffers moderate pain since the government artificially raises the cost of milk above what the marketplace, operating according to the laws of supply and demand, would otherwise charge. Large consumers who depend on milk (for example, ice cream manufacturers) may suffer severely if the price is kept artificially high. And that increased cost would no doubt be passed on to millions of consumers in the form of increased costs for ice cream. But if the dairy farmers don’t get price protection, they may go bankrupt—in which case a far greater cost would be paid: no one would be able to buy milk or milk products. Price fixing, then, helps farmers stay in business at the expense of ice cream manufacturers and consumers. Is that expense justified? Utilitarians would answer on a case-by-case basis after a careful balancing of benefits to a few with the increased (though small) cost to the many. [3] Individuals as well as governments can be guided by utilitarian thinking. Take the question of organ donation. Is it moral for the family member of a recently (and perhaps tragically) deceased person to grant doctors permission to harvest their loved one’s organs? Utilitarianism’s â€Å"greatest happiness† principle demands any personal sacrifice in which the total amount of pleasure produced outweighs the costs in pain, even if the person making the choice receives none of the benefits. Other philosophers place a priority on individual liberty and object to using one person (even a dead person or dead person’s body parts) for another’s benefit. Utilitarians, by contrast, conclude that such actions are morally necessary. The emotional pain of a family that has lost a loved one is very real. But to utilitarians, the extra pain caused by organ donation is a measure of pain on top of the pain of having already lost a family member. That extra measure of pain must be less than the happiness that results when a life is saved through a transplanted organ. Thus, if the family uses the principle of greatest happiness to guide its decision, then they will agree to the harvesting of organs. A more controversial example of using utilitarianism to make moral decisions involves the ethics of torture. It is sometimes argued that utilitarianism would allow the torture of a prisoner if the torture induced a confession that could save lives, a practice that is strictly outlawed in international law. In a society where this interpretation of utilitarianism was widely accepted, police would be able to inflict any amount of pain on an individual in order to save even one life. This final example highlights one aspect of utilitarianism that is often criticized. Although the greatest happiness principle is easy to understand, its application can lead to some unsettling results. One can imagine a society’s interest in achieving the â€Å"greatest happiness† justifying all kinds of abuses in the name of morality. Utilitarians, in fact, cannot easily explain why torture is morally wrong. Still, in guiding people through more ordinary decisions, utilitarianism has remained popular among both philosophers and non-philosophers. All of us need help sometimes in deciding on the right course of action. Utilitarianism has provided that help for philosophers and common folk alike for two hundred years. ———————– [1] John Stuart Mill, Utilitarianism (Indianapolis, IN: Hackett Publishing Company, 2001) 7. [2] Mill, 9. [3] Robert W. McGee, â€Å"Some Thoughts on Anti-dumping Laws: Utilitarianism, Human Rights and the Case for Appeal,† European Business Review 96 (1996): 30.

Reader Response Theory Essay

Literary criticism is not an abstract, intellectual exercise; it is a natural human response to literature. Literary criticism is nothing more than discourse—spoken or written—about literature. Reader-response criticism attempts to describe what happens in the reader’s mind while interpreting a work of fiction. This type of literary criticism recognizes that like writing, reading is a creative process. Reader-response critics believe that no text provides self-contained meaning; literary texts do not have meaning independently from readers’ interpretations. According to this school, a text is not complete until it is read and interpreted. The easiest way to explain reader-response criticism is to relate it to the common experience of re-reading a favorite book after many years. A book one read as a child might seem shockingly different when re-read as an adolescent or as an adult. The character once remembered favorably might seem less admirable while another character becomes more sympathetic. The book has not changed. However, our life experiences between the first reading and any subsequent re-reading can affect the way we respond to a story. Reader-response criticism explores how different individuals see the same text differently. It emphasizes how religious, cultural, and social values affect the way we read and respond to a work of fiction. Of course, no two individuals will necessarily read a text in exactly the same way nor will they agree on its meaning. Rather than declare one interpretation correct and the other mistaken, reader-response criticism recognizes that different insights are inevitable. Instead of trying to ignore or reconcile the contradictions, it explores them. Reader-response criticism also overlaps with gender criticism in exploring how men and women read the same text with different assumptions. While reader-response criticism rejects the notion that there can be a single correct reading for a literary text, it doesn’t consider all readings permissible. Each text creates limits to its possible interpretations. We cannot suddenly change the setting, the way a story’s plot unfolds, or redefine its characters. Keeping a reader’s journal is a great way to keep track of the fiction you read and your emotional responses to the stories. You can use the journal to explore ideas for essays, note important quotations, and list words to look up in the dictionary. Use your reader’s journal while studying Sun, Stone, and Shadows to provide a convenient way of documenting your own response to the stories you read in the anthology. Excerpted from The Longman Anthology of Short Fiction by Dana Gioia and R. S. Gwynn, eds.

The Sociological And Psychological Aspects Of Communication

Linguistics Linguistic can be defined as something of or belonging to language. Whereas, Linguistics is the science of language, including phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, pragmatics, and historical linguistics. Linguistic is one of the four branches of Anthropology which is called Linguistic anthropology. Anthropology is the that deals with the origins, physical and cultural development, biological characteristics, social customs and beliefs of humankind. According to the Funk and Wagnalls encyclopedia, â€Å"Linguistics is the scientific study of language. It focuses on the sounds, words and grammar of specific languages; the relationships between languages; or the universal characteristics of all languages†. It may also analyze the sociological and psychological aspects of communication. Languages may be described and analyzed from several points of view. Talking about language here, â€Å"Language is the system of arbitrary symbols human beings use to encode a nd communicate about their experience of the world and of one another.† (Lavenda and Schultz 2008: 246). Language is part of what makes us human. Language is the most striking cultural feature of human beings. Language is intrinsic to the expression of culture. As a means of communicating values, beliefs and customs, it has an important social function and fosters feelings of group identity and solidarity. It is the means by which culture and its traditions and shared values may be conveyed andShow MoreRelatedAn Sociological And Psychological Aspects Of The Communication Process1199 Words   |  5 PagesDescribe communication, evaluate the stages of the communication process and assess the key aspects of each process. 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