A Formula for Happiness and Low Depression Discovered:
Happiness Quotient (HQ) Factors Predicted Happiness with 75% Accuracy
and Other Life Succes Outcomes
with Moderate to High Correlations
Tom G.
Stevens PhD
Psychologist/Professor Emeritus,
California State University, Long Beach
Send Feedback/Questions to:
Tom.Stevens@csulb.edu
You Can Choose To Be Happy:
Site dedicated to enhancing human happiness, self-development, and success
Go to: Choose To Be Happy Checklist
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Self-help resources includes online book, You Can
Choose To Be Happy, and SHAQ Questionnaire
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Key Happiness Quotient (HQ) Factors
How Can We Find Happiness and Success in Life? What Beliefs, Skills, and Habits Help?In a world where so many people are facing difficult circumstances, what can they do to overcome negative emotions and find happiness? For decades psychologists have been identifying key factors associated with happiness and with depression. However, researchers have rarely looked for a comprehensive formula that can predict happiness and depression accurately. In my study of 3,446 people I discovered a formula I call our Happiness Quotient (HQ) that could predict people’s happiness with 75% accuracy. This degree of predictive power is unusually high for this type of research.
The HQ formula is based upon three types of internal personal factors--our ultimate values, core beliefs and fears, and life skills. Since learning can change all these factors, people can improve their HQ and their chances of being happy. This research also supports the idea that a person with internal strength can overcome difficult circumstances to be happy. The Success and Happiness Questionnaire (SHAQ) is a unique questionnaire that asks questions about beliefs, skills, and habits that are much more specific than other questionnaires. It is easy for users to relate the questions to their own thoughts and behaviors in ways most questionnaires don’t. The results of our research show that these specific factors add up to be powerful correlates of happiness and other life success outcomes. The good news for users is that they can use these results to get clear feedback about which beliefs, skills, and habits they need to modify to improve their happiness and life success.
What are these HQ factors? The first HQ factor type is what we value most in our lives. My research showed that “time-honored, internally centered values are among the most important contributors to happiness. The more people valued mental or internally centered values such as happiness and health for self and others; loving all people unconditionally; contributing to the world; integrity; self-development; seeking truth and knowledge; mental challenge; living a balanced life; and loving God (or a Higher Power), the happier and more successful they tended to be.” Other values such as social and family values and accomplishment were also positive factors.
The second factor type is best described as our core beliefs and fears. The core belief scales most strongly associated with happiness and low depression were Positive World View (optimism), Self-Worth, Internal Control, and Low Greatest Fears. In other words, having core positive beliefs about the world, other people, and oneself; believing in the unconditional value of everyone; and having beliefs that support internal control over one’s life (as opposed to believing you are controlled by fate, your environment, or other people) were powerful factors associated with happiness and low depression. People’s greatest fears are often the flip side of their top values and beliefs, and having low fears of death, poverty, rejection, failure, and illness are good predictors of happiness.
The third factor type, life skill areas, was also highly associated with people’s happiness. The first area, self-oriented skills, included skills like life planning, time-management, emotional coping, self-motivation, and learning. Interpersonal skills, especially skills like intimacy, conflict resolution, collaborative, and assertive skills were associated with interpersonal success, happiness, and low depression. Self-confidence in one’s skills in key life areas was also a strong predictor of happiness and low depression.
What was actually being measured in this study? Outcome questions on the Overall Happiness Scale asked users to rate “Overall happiness during the past year” and happiness in the different life areas such as career, self, romantic relationship, family, friendships, spiritual life, and recreation. The Depression Scale questions were based upon the official psychiatric definition of clinical depression. The HQ formula also successfully predicted how much medication and treatment people had used for depression. In addition to its success predicting happiness and depression, the HQ formula also was a good predictor of people’s overall anxiety, anger and aggression, relationship success, health, and even their income. I designed SHAQ and this study to test ideas in my book, You Can Choose To Be Happy: “Rise Above” Anxiety, Anger, and Depression. The revised book provides a detailed examination of these HQ factors, describes how the reader can self-develop them, and provides a layman's summary of the SHAQ research results. It is based upon 30+ years of personal and clinical experience seeing people overcome negative emotions by modifying these HQ factors. For example people can usually overcome their worst fears by exploring them and developing plans for internally or externally coping with them. For outcomes beyond our control such as death, we may need to develop a philosophical view that helps us overcome our fears. Visit my website, www.csulb.edu/~tstevens, to take SHAQ or get copies of my book, research, and self-help materials on self-esteem, positive thinking, cognitive therapy, emotions, motivation, assertiveness, interpersonal skills, dating and relationships, academic success, career planning, and many other topics (all free).
Overview of
SHAQ HQ Research Data Results
SHAQ has 11 main scales and many
subscales consisting of specific beliefs, skills, and habits reflect key
cognitive areas influencing happiness and success.
Our research shows that SHAQ‘s
scales are reliable and have moderate to high correlations with almost
all of the outcome scales which are: Overall Happiness,
Depression, Anxiety, Anger, Health, Relationship Outcomes, Highest
Personal Income, Academic Achievement, and other factors which proved to
be reliable and face valid.
SHAQ‘s main scales/subscales had
surprisingly high correlations with the emotional outcomes: with
Overall Happiness, R = .87 (effect-size= .75);
with Low Depression, R = .73;
with Low Anxiety, R = .68; with
Low Anger-Aggression, R = .70. For
the subjects who completed all 70 subscales--including the academic
scales, R = .90, EffectSize = .81 for Overall Happiness. These are very
high correlations for this type of research with a large subject group.
In
addition, the 56 SHAQ subscales correlated with the Relationship
Outcomes scale, R = .70; with the Health Outcomes scale, R =
.82; with Highest Income, R = .49; and with Educational
Attainment, R = .46.
Behavioral measures
used as outcomes also yielded good results. For example, for a Major
Depression Checklist, R = .60; Amount of Therapy for Depression, R =
.45; and Amount of Medication for Depression, R = .41.
A strong Higher Self Cognitive System, Positive World View, Self-Worth,
and Internal Control are important factors related to happiness and
other positive outcomes.
These four factors are the titles of four SHAQ main scales. These
factors are intimately related to choice of top values; but also need
supportive cognitive belief-skill systems. For example, a person who
makes happiness for self and others an ultimate concern will love
himself/herself and others (self-worth), will tend to develop a more
positive and optimistic world view, and will tend to focus on those
goals despite outside pressure to do otherwise (internal control).
Finally, this ultimate concern will be the center of developing a strong
―Higher Self‖ executive cognitive system. Over time with persistent,
active learning and self-development, those cognitive centers will
become stronger. The SHAQ research shows strong correlations between
these four scales and happiness and low negative emotions. They also
correlate significantly with health, good relationships, income, and
academic success.
Skills: self-management, emotional coping, learning, and
interpersonal skills are very important.
SHAQ research results strongly support the importance of these key life
skill areas. SHAQ results showed greater happiness, lower negative
emotions, better relationships, and better health associated with each
of the following skill areas. The areas discussed in detail were:
Self-management Skills:
Values clarification and change, goal-setting, and time-management
Emotional coping skills:
Positive thinking, communication, action, and adjusting
goals-expectations are some important types of positive coping skills
examined.
Learning skills:
Learning skills were not only associated with academic success, being
happier, and having lower negative emotions but were among the best
predictors of personal income. Many business leaders say continued
learning and self-development were key factors in their success.
Interpersonal skills:
Key assertive intimacy and conflict-resolution are skills that our data
show are important in all kinds of relationships—especially intimate
ones.
Personal competency and self-confidence are important.
The SHAQ research shows strong correlations between people‘s estimates
of their competencies and outcome measures. This relationship was true
for almost every type of competency measured. Self-confidence/competence
is important for higher happiness and lower negative emotions. Life
skills can affect emotions (1) via increased knowledge and confidence,
(2) via goal success, and (3) via creating more positive
living environments (including work and social environments).
Strengthen the university in your head (all areas of knowledge).
The rich get richer—good correlates with good. The overwhelming
majority of SHAQ scales and subscales had significant positive
correlations with each other. If a person has one functional factor, it
spreads its influence to other factors (possibly by generalization and
reinforcement).
Happiness and other emotions are determined directly by complex internal
cognitive dynamics—the Harmonious Functioning Model.
The Harmonious
Functioning (HF) Model is my model of how complex cognitive and
emotional factors work together. The HF model proposes that the goal of
the cognitive system is to maximize learning, development, internal
harmony, efficiency, and control. The brain uses emotions as feedback
and motivators to obtain these goals. If the cognitive system is
processing harmoniously, then it produces positive emotions—if not,
negative emotions.
Cognitive subsystems constantly
attempt to understand inputs by matching expectancies to them. If there
is too much mismatch, then the cognitive subsystem searches for
other understandings to match against the inputs. The cognitive system‘s
search for answers creates stimulation.
Too much confusion/stimulation
produces overarousal emotions such as anxiety.
On the other hand, if inputs
contain too little new information, then the
cognitive system is understimulated and produces underarousal
emotions such as apathy, boredom, or depression. These dynamics
are complex. For example a person may be overwhelmed (producing
anxiety), then ignore or avoid the situation. The result might be
understimulation, apathy, and/or depression.
In
this model the emotions are vital functional aspects of the cognitive
system. Anxiety provides us with valuable feedback that our
understandings, expectations, goals, or plans are confused or invalid
and not able to adequately cope with the input situation. We need to
find new ways to cope with the input. For example we may have
inadequate plans to cope with an unexpected or difficult situation.
Developing a good plan can immediately reduce anxiety. A lost and
anxious driver who gets a good map can suddenly feel much better. On the
other hand, boredom, apathy, or depression tells us we are
underchallenged. The underchallenge may be because we have too much
routine and too little challenge. The underchallenge could be because we
failed or even completed an important goal and are now goalless.
Alternatively, we may have lost an important person, job, or other part
of our life and feel empty.
Depression tells us we need to
set new, optimally-challenging goals and/or create more
optimally-challenging situations. Finding new interests, new people, new
ways of thinking, or other new goals or situations can immediately
reduce boredom, apathy, and depression. It may seem amazing how a
depressed person can watch a good movie, listen to beautiful music, take
on a challenging task, or get into a good conversation; and suddenly
their depression lifts during that activity. The depression is a wake-up
call that we need to make changes. Anxiety or depression can be
catalysts for major life turning points. Anxiety and depression can be
very uncomfortable; but that is their value. They motivate us to change
our cognitions and life so that we can be happy.
My data is consistent with the
Harmonious Functioning Model. I have also shown how the HF model (1)
integrates ideas from the field of learning with the field of motivation
and emotions and (2) provides a simple way to think about both good
learning strategies and powerful emotion-altering tactics. For example,
in my book Chapter 7 describes cognitive learning strategies and Chapter
8 describes methods for adjusting your arousal and emotions. SHAQ data
supports the effectiveness of these cognitive emotional control methods.
Aristotle understood the close connection between our cognitive system
and our emotions. About mental harmony, long ago he said,
Happiness, therefore, must be some form of contemplation…
He who
exercises his intellect and cultivates it seems to be both in the best
state and most dear to the gods…
so that in this way too the wise
man will more than any other be happy.
Conclusion:
How Can We Be Happy and Successful?
Religions have taught millions of
people how to be happy. Philosophers, psychologists, books, self-help
groups, and others have taught millions more. People can learn to be
happier! Maslow (1954, 1962) led a movement focusing on positive human
factors and self-actualization. American Psychological Association (APA)
president Martin Seligman edited the classic American Psychologist
Special Issue on happiness and positive psychology (2000) launching
the new millennium in a positive direction. The resulting positive
psychology research is partially incorporated in this edition.
The SHAQ data did not find any
single earthshaking factor that creates happiness alone; instead, my
data paints a comprehensive picture of the multitude of cognitive
factors involved. A person scoring high on these factors--a high
Happiness Quotient (HQ)--will have a high chance of being happy. The
good news: if only one factor were involved, our happiness would be
entirely tied to that factor. The more factors involved, the less we are
affected if something goes wrong with one. Thus, the more strengths we
have, the greater our chances for happiness--no matter what happens to
us. A higher HQ increases our
ability to rise above negative emotions or to avoid them altogether.
SHAQ data supports the conclusion that this robust multitude of
cognitions are not only important for achieving a good emotional life,
they are important for achieving health, good relationships, and
academic and career success. Because of their specificity, most of these
cognitions are learnable and teachable beliefs and skills,
and not general, heritable traits. I have described many in detail in my
book You Can Choose To Be Happy: “Rise Above” Anxiety, Anger, and
Depression (with Research Results). You can complete SHAQ (free)
on my website to test yourself.
These controllable factors
are associated with happiness and success. The key factors are not
money, status, or other external factors; they are what’s inside—your
values, beliefs, knowledge, skills, and habits. Top values such as
happiness for self and others, love, truth, knowledge, growth, health,
beauty, integrity, achievement, and productivity are central. Developing
them increase your chances for rising above difficulty to find
happiness. These positive internal factors can also help you create or
gravitate toward environments and people who will contribute to your
happiness and success.
When I was 16, I made a decision
to make happiness a top goal in my life and wrote my first
“How to be Happy” guidelines.
I am very grateful for a happy,
blessed life, and I am convinced that almost anyone can develop the
beliefs and skills suggested by my HQ research, and that they can be
happier and help the others become a little happier.
This paper documents the research
results of the SHAQ questionnaire; which was developed primarily from
ideas in my book, You
Can Choose To Be Happy: “Rise Above” Anxiety, Anger, and Depression.
It assumes a cognitive systems
model of human personality and behavior and emphasizes the importance of
cognitions (values, beliefs, knowledge, thoughts, skills, etc.) for
influencing both emotions and behavior.
Happiness and success (personal, relationship, academic, career,
etc.) are a function of cognitive, environmental/conditional, and
hereditary/genetic factors.
Of these three classes of
factors controlling our happiness and success, we can currently exert
control
primarily over two--cognitive and environmental.
In the book I called these
two internal and external routes to happiness.
However, even our control over our environment stems ultimately
from our cognitions that give us the knowledge, skills, and motivation
to affect our environment (including our social environment).
The research results support
SHAQ’s
reliability, validity, and utility. They
also support
the main ideas in the book and the
proposition
that a host of key cognitions are the most important determinants
of happiness and other emotions, and increase chances of success in
other life areas. They also show how these positive happiness and
success-producing factors tend to correlate with each other and
support the development of each other.
The implication is that when people begin a self-development
program, they can use SHAQ to get a profile of the factors
they need to improve
in order to increase their happiness
(and
decrease depression, anxiety, and anger) and
increase life success.
The
results also suggest that starting almost anywhere can begin a
positive change process that can improve many other factors.
Main
References
The book that describes the key beliefs and skill in the HQ formula in
detail with suggestions how to learn them
Stevens, Tom
G. (2010). You Can Choose To Be Happy: “Rise Above” Anxiety, Anger,
and Depression (with Research Results), Seal Beach, CA:
Wheeler-Sutton, 324 pages;
www.csulb.edu/~tstevens (free) Also
see Amazon.com AND books.google.com (free viewing)
The administration manual including questions, answers, scoring,
meaning, etc. for manually
administering SHAQ.
The computer adminstered, scored, and interpreted version of
SHAQ.
It includes suggestions for improvement It
provides a saveable printout of all scales, answers, scores, and
recommendations (SHAQ + is completely annoymous and free.)
To download the SHAQ PC app, go to: https://home.csulb.edu/~tstevens/success/index.htm
[1]
R=0.87 (Regression coefficient = correlation between multiple
weighted variables predicting one outcome); R2
(Effect-size)= 0.75 [Note: Understanding the meaning of the
Regression Coefficient (R) and Effect-size (R2):
Example: The SHAQ-based HQ regression equation is an
equation using weighted scale scores (eg. Internal Control,
Coping Skills, etc) to predict outcomes (eg. Overall Happiness,
Treatment for Depression, Relationship Success, Income, Academic
Achievement, etc.). The Effect size is measured by squaring R
(eg. 0.87 x 0.87 = 0.75). R and R2 both can range
from 0 to 1.00. Zero means no relationship between two variables
and 1.00 means a perfect relationship. For example the
correlation between flipping a switch and the light going on
would be near 1.00, because when the switch is up, the light is
on and when down, off.]
Dr Tom G Stevens' BOOK: You Can Choose To Be Happy:
"Rise Above" Anxiety, Anger, and Depression
(with Research Results)
Go to Free BOOK DOWNLOAD
pdf
Go to BOOK CONTENTS
Go to RESEARCH SUMMARY CHAPTER
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to assess yourself on many factors--including your
HQ-Happiness Quotient
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Psychologist/Professor Emeritus, California State University, Long
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