1. What makes children happy?
Their favourite meals; their friends and, sometimes, their siblings; words of praise and affection from their parents; the joy they feel when they manage to do something on their own for the first time: riding a bike, going shopping, jumping off the diving platform. Over all the years I've been asking children about their well-being, they've given me a long list of things that make them happy.
Children find happiness in what they do themselves – in the things they create, not in what we serve up to them on a silver platter.
Anton Bucher, educator
Something I would never have imagined before: just how happy animals make them. Bello the dog, Tschipsi the bird or Schnurrli the cat usually come before their parents. And what a French philosopher once coined as a bon mot also applies, in a figurative sense, to children: nothing makes you happier than sitting on a chair you've made yourself. Children find their happiness in what they do themselves – in the things they create, not in what we serve up to them on a silver platter.
Anton Bucher, theologian, educator and author, University of Salzburg
2. They say that happiness begins in the mind. What does that mean?
To put it bluntly, we tend towards pessimism: negative emotions leave a stronger and more lasting impression on the brain than positive ones. We feel them about five times more intensely, and we think about problems around four times more often than we do about pleasant things. From an evolutionary perspective, this makes sense, as it helps us to remain on our guard against potential dangers.
It is beneficial for our state of mind if we also train our brains in the opposite direction – by trying to consciously notice, appreciate and internalise pleasant things: an unexpected kind gesture, the beautiful flowers by the roadside. This has nothing to do with clinging desperately to the positive and suppressing unpleasant experiences. Rather, it is about cultivating positive thoughts and, with a little practice, helping the brain to fall into these patterns more easily.
Barbara Studer, founder of Hirncoach AG, psychologist and neuroscientist at the University of Bern
3. To what extent do affirmations – positive beliefs that we practise – help to boost our happiness?
As a general rule, it is helpful to phrase things positively. For example: «I want to feel fit» rather than «I should eat fewer sweets». Affirmations on their own have little effect. If they lack a connection to reality, we may end up overestimating ourselves and underestimating external circumstances. From a scientific point of view, it is more effective to hold positive beliefs – «I can do this!» – whilst at the same time considering what obstacles might arise on the way to our goal and how we intend to deal with them. We call this «mental contrasting»: you can mentally prepare a few strategies in advance for potential challenges. If they do indeed arise, this helps to cushion the blow and generates the energy to take action and a sense of confidence.
Barbara Studer
If a child is able to make the most of their individual strengths, this has a positive effect on their life satisfaction.
Willibald Ruch, psychologist
4. What helps children grow up to become contented adults?
A sense of fulfilment comes to those who are able to make the most of their strengths. Every person has between three and seven so-called «signature strengths» – character traits that have a positive impact on life satisfaction and are particularly pronounced in that individual. These become apparent at an early age. The more opportunities a child has to express them, the better. The aim is to create a good fit between what defines the child and their environment.
We can also encourage children to use their strengths in new ways. A curious child, for example, might borrow a book on a topic they've never explored before, or try something new in the kitchen instead of playing with Lego. Or you could occasionally change your usual route in favour of an unfamiliar one.
In a new context, children feel the power that comes from their strengths particularly keenly. Families can nurture character strengths by trying to organise leisure time, holidays, household chores and other tasks in such a way that everyone can contribute their strengths.
Willibald Ruch, psychologist emeritus and professor of personality psychology and diagnostics at the University of Zurich
5. How can we foster happiness at school?
Our research shows that character strengths such as perseverance, a love of learning, curiosity and self-regulation are crucial for well-being and success at school. Relatively few children possess these strengths, and unfortunately other qualities, such as a sense of humour, are often not particularly valued at school. Of course, it is important for children to practise self-regulation and perseverance by not shielding them from frustration and by trusting them to achieve things rather than intervening straight away. Nevertheless, it would be desirable for schools to create more opportunities that call for a range of character strengths, not just those relevant to academic success.
Willibald Ruch
The happiness boost from a pay rise is like eating pizza: the first slice tastes brilliant, but the fifth one doesn't bring any extra enjoyment.
Bruno S. Frey, Professor of Economics
6. Which makes you happier: focusing on your proven strengths or developing new ones?
That depends on the situation and the individual. To begin with, not everyone possesses the same number of character strengths that have a positive influence on our sense of happiness. Some people have many, others have few. As part of a study, we found the following: those who have few strongly developed character strengths, or who are currently going through a difficult period in their lives, are best advised to focus on making the most of the strengths they already have in order to feel better. Others, on the other hand, who have a comparatively large number of character strengths, benefit in terms of life satisfaction when they consciously work on developing strengths that are not yet so well developed in them.
Willibald Ruch
7. Does money bring happiness?
For people on low incomes, having more money leads to a significant increase in life satisfaction because it relieves them of existential worries. Those who are already in a comfortable financial position derive little additional happiness from even more money in the long term, as their expectations rise in line with their income. With a pay rise, for example, three-quarters of the associated happiness has already faded after a year. People get used to a higher standard of living very quickly. It's like eating pizza: the first slice tastes brilliant, but the fifth no longer brings any additional enjoyment.
Bruno S. Frey, Professor of Economics at the University of Basel and Research Director at the Centre for Research in Economics, Management and the Arts, Zurich
It doesn't really matter what we do – it's the commitment that counts.
Stefan Klein, physicist and philosopher
8. Happiness is often equated with the sweet idleness of doing nothing. Is this justified?
We aren't made for a sedentary lifestyle. Our brains literally punish us afterwards with negative feelings such as irritability and listlessness. Of course, it's good to switch off every now and then. But the key to happiness is activity – both physical and mental. Those positive feelings come when we set ourselves goals and try to achieve them. That's because it sparks a desire to want something. Neurobiologically speaking, the mechanisms behind desire and curiosity are the same. It doesn't really matter what we do – digging over the garden, meeting friends, reading. Getting involved – that's what counts.
Stefan Klein, physicist, philosopher and non-fiction writer, Berlin
9. «Blessed are the poor in spirit,» as the saying goes. What is this all about?
Nothing. Research clearly shows that happiness has nothing to do with how intelligent someone is.
Willibald Ruch
