What price happiness?

Irene Tham, Straits Times 10 Jan 10;

Are Singaporeans happier when they have lots more money?

A study shows that people who have a university or postgraduate qualification and earn $5,000 or more a month are the happiest.

But they are also dissatisfied with their achievements and enjoy life the least, compared with those who are less well-off.

Indeed, it is the Singaporeans earning less than $2,000 a month who enjoy life the most, concluded the three academics behind the study.

Senior lecturer Tambyah Siok Kuan, associate professor Tan Soo Jiuan and professorial fellow Kau Ah Keng - all from the National University of Singapore Business School - presented their findings in a book, The Wellbeing Of Singaporeans, which came out recently.

The survey in 2006 polled more than 1,000 people, aged 20 to 69.

They were posed questions such as whether they enjoy life, how happy they are, and how much they feel they are accomplishing what they want in life.

For instance, on how happy they feel, they had to pick one of these answers: very happy; quite happy; neither happy nor unhappy; not too happy; and very happy.

Commenting on the findings, Dr Tambyah said: 'The higher the household income, the more a Singaporean feels that he or she has not achieved much in life.'

Dr Tan explained it this way: 'You may live in a million-dollar home but if you owe the bank a lot of money, you are not going to enjoy life very much. Conversely, someone who lives in an HDB flat may be able to enjoy life more.'

He noted that the respondents could be thinking of friendship and spiritual fulfilment when answering the questions of how often they feel they enjoy life, and how much they feel they are accomplishing what they want out of life.

According to Tanjong Pagar GRC MP Indranee Rajah, the ability to enjoy life and the feeling of achievement ultimately bring about happiness.

'It all boils down to expectations. Happy people can field the pressure and strike a balance between competitiveness and complacency,' she added.

The fear of not being able to sustain the high life 'can be a source of strain or unhappiness', she noted.

Psychotherapist Stephen Lew, 30, from the Positive Psychology Centre, said happiness is a state of mind.

'Happy people know and use their strengths. Naturally, they are better able to enjoy life, which leads to happiness,' he said.

Agreeing, Mr Kenny Toh, 39, a professional life coach and member of the International Coaching Federation, said contentment is key to happiness.

He helps professionals achieve personal growth in relationships and careers.

One of his clients, a successful entrepreneur, had struggled with unhappiness because his father was not supportive.

But once he gave up the notion of the need to gain his father's acceptance, he became happier, said Mr Toh.

Indeed, 40 per cent of a person's happiness is within his control, said psychologist and University of California professor of psychology Sonja Lyubomirsky in her 2007 book, The How Of Happiness.

The rest is genetically determined, she claimed.

One person has decided to take charge of her own happiness.

Ms Lai Ee Na, 43, quit her full-time job a decade ago and is now a freelance writer.

She did it 'to ponder about spiritual matters, see the world and meet people from all walks of life', without the shackles of rigid work hours.

While she admits she does not have a stable income, she said she is happy.