HAPPINESS - A LOOK INTO THE FOLK PSYCHOLOGY OF 4 CULTURAL GROUPS

This cross-cultural study explored the perceptions of people about wha t can make a person happy. A total of 215 students answered one of thr ee open-ended questions: from Canada, French-speakers (n = 57) and Eng lish-speakers (n = 54), from El Salvador (n = 42), and from the United States (n = 62). Content and correspondence analyses revealed that fa ctors contributing to happiness were perceived similarly across the fo ur groups. The most stated factors overall were the importance of fami ly relationships, of pursuing and reaching valued goals, and of a posi tive attitude toward self. On the other hand, whereas the Salvadoran p articipants referred specifically to religious values and sociopolitic al conditions, the North American samples referred more to hedonistic factors (enjoying activities and life's little pleasures) and personal sources of power on their happiness (positive attitude toward life, p ersonal strengths). Cross-cultural differences are discussed in relati on to collectivism and individualism.