Social Participation and Happiness

The effects of social participation on self-reports of happiness are examined, and attention is focused on the mechanisms through which the relationship is established. Analysis of the data reveals that, as hypothesized, the greater theextent of participation, the greater the degree of happiness reported. This relationship, it is argued, emerges from the fact that positive feelings are directly correlated with social participation, while negative feelings bear no relation to participation. Thus, the net difference between positive and negative affect, which previous investigators have termed the "Affect Balance Score," is a major determinant of happines.